Day: May 28, 2023

The US Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Yohannes Abraham said the US supports the bloc’s efforts to preserve the international rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific.

During an interview with ANTARA on May 26 in Jakarta, the ambassador affirmed that the US-ASEAN partnership, which has been running for 45 years, is based on shared values and principles, such as the international system of laws, agreements, and regulations, as well as the protection of the sovereign rights of nations.

“We’ve been grateful to work with ASEAN to promote, defend, and enhance that rules-based international system of laws, agreements, and principles. And we look forward to finding opportunities to do so in the future,” he said.

ASEAN develops relations, dialogue, cooperation, and partnerships with countries and sub-regional, regional, and international organisations and institutions. The US began engaging in ASEAN as a dialogue partner in 1977.

Southeast Asia is an important and dynamic region, Abraham said. It has a central role in supporting the stability of the Indo-Pacific. Therefore, he added that the US will always work with and through ASEAN to create a peaceful, prosperous, and stable region.

“It is in the US’ national interest to see ASEAN prosperous, see it independent, resilient, and we want to work with ASEAN for all of our shared benefits,” he said./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A local court issued a warrant Sunday to arrest a passenger who opened an emergency exit door on board an Asiana Airlines flight right before landing in the southeastern city of Daegu last week. The 33-year-old man, only identified by his surname Lee, was detained by police Friday on suspicions of opening the door 213 meters above ground just minutes before landing at Daegu International Airport in Daegu, 237 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The Daegu District Court granted the request for an arrest warrant for alleged violation of the aviation security law, citing the seriousness of his case and the risk of flight. Arriving at the court for questioning earlier in the day, the suspect said he was “very sorry to the kids” that were on the plane when asked by reporters whether he was aware of the danger of opening the door. The man earlier told police officials that he had been under a lot of stress after losing his job recently and wanted to get out of the plane as he felt suffocated. Under the aviation security law, a passenger who manipulates the doors, emergency exits or devices of an airplane hindering the security of the flight could face a prison term of up to 10 years. None of the 194 people aboard, including a group of teenage athletes on their way to a competition, were injured in Friday’s incident. Some nine panicked passengers were taken to hospitals after showing symptoms of breathing difficulty. Meanwhile, South Korea’s second-biggest carrier said it has stopped selling certain emergency seats of A321-200 passenger jets. Starting Sunday, Asiana Airlines halted the sale of the 26A seat of 11 A321-200s, which can carry 174 passengers, and that of the 31A seat of three A321-200s, which can accommodate 195 passengers, the company said in a statement. The seats right beside the emergency doors in A321-200s will be excluded for reservation even if all seats on the planes are fully booked, the statement said, without providing any specific timeframe for the suspension. All the emergency seats in other passenger jets operated by Asiana are available for reservation. Other carriers, such as Air Seoul Inc. and Air Premia Co., are reportedly considering suspending the sale of seats near the emergency doors. The transport ministry said taking such a measure depends on airlines’ own decisions and is not based on the aviation authorities’ regulations.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Sixty-five enterprises were honoured for their outstanding digital products and solutions at a ceremony held in the capital city of Hanoi on May 27.

Among the awarded firms are Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group, mobile carrier MobiFone, Petrovietnam Drilling and Well Service Corp and TTC Bien Hoa.

During the ceremony, seven provinces and cities were also recognised for their successes in organising and proactively implementing the policy of the fourth industrial revolution and the national digital transformation programme.

They were Da Nang, Hai Phong, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Bac Giang and Ben Tre.

Addressing the event, Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations Phan Xuan Dung said businesses and state management agencies were pioneers in the digital transformation which was an imperative and indispensable trend to improve production and business efficiency, enhance competitiveness and successfully implement the strategy of building a digital government, digital economy and digital society in the era of the fourth industrial revolution.

The I4.0 awards aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of digital transformation, and innovation made by organisations and businesses, thus promoting their digital transformation for the development of the digital economy, Dung said.

These awards were granted by the Vietnam Automation Association and the Innovation and Digital Transformation Institute under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations for the second time./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office is confident that it will surpass anew its revenue target for 2023, thus raising more funds for various charity programs. In 2022, the PCSO had total generated gross receipts of PHP57,398,945,550.90 from its gaming products such as Lotto, Digit Games, Small Town Lottery, Instant Sweepstakes, and Keno. The agency surpassed its annual sales target of PHP 46.1 billion by 125 percent. Based on such performance, the agency has pegged its target for 2023 at PHP53.23 billion. “We have adjusted our target for this year based on our performance last year. Pero kagaya ng nangyari noong 2022, we are hopeful na muli naming mahihigitan ito (But like what happened in 2022, we are hopeful that we will again surpass our target),” PCSO chairperson Junie Cua said in a news release on Sunday. “More sales would mean more funds para matulungan natin ang mga kababayan natin sa pamamagitan ng iba’t ibang programa ng (for us to help our countrymen through the various programs of the) PCSO.” The PCSO is mandated with providing a portion of its generated funds to its charity assistance programs, mandatory contributions to the Universal Health Care Program, and other assistance to government institutions such as the Commission on Higher Education, Dangerous Drugs Board, National Council on Disability Affairs, and Philippine Sports Commission. “Nakikiisa ang buong PCSO sa administrasyon ni President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at sa adhikain nitong maibsan ang kahirapan na dinaranas ng ating mga kababayan (The fully PCSO supports the administration of President Marcos and its goal of lifting our countrymen out of poverty),” Cua said.

Source: Philippines News Agency