People wear face masks in Indonesia (Photo: The Straits Times)
Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia recorded its biggest daily rise inCOVID-19 deaths on December 25 with 258 fatalities, taking the total to 20,847.
According to the Indonesian health ministry, COVID-19 infections also increasedby 7,259, bringing the number of cases to 700,097.
Indonesia has the highest COVID-19 caseload and death toll in Southeast Asia.
The same day, the Philippines’ Department of Health announced that the countrylogged 1,885 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national tally to 467,601.
The death toll climbed to 9,062 after seven more patients died.
In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte will convene the inter-agencycoronavirus task force on December 26 to discuss whether or not to extend thetravel ban on the UK or to add more countries to the list, the presidentialspokesman Harry Roque said.
The Philippines previously imposed a ban on flights from the UK starting December24 until December 31 over fears of the transmission of a newly-detected variantof the SARS-CoV-2 that is more infectious./.
Indonesia has been identified as one of the 35 countries with the highest natural disaster risk, based on the number of fatalities in natural disasters between 2015 and 2020, said head of the country’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo.
Malaysia’s government on December 16 declared a state of emergency to stop by-elections in two constituencies scheduled for next month, as the country recorded a spike in coronavirus cases over the past few months.
Many Southeast Asian countries have taken various measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus since the number of infections have increased in the nations recently.
Indonesia has continued revising its economic growth forecast for this year to a contraction of between 2.2 and 1.7 percent amid an increase of COVID-19 infections and tightened restrictions.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
People wear face masks in Indonesia (Photo: The Straits Times) 
