The monthly meeting of the government for October was held on Oct 29 at the National Convention Centre in Vientiane under the presidency of Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh.

The meeting approved in principle the report on the performance of the government over the past month and priorities for November along with a report on the implementation of Covid-19 prevention and control measures, Prime Minister’s report on the implementation of the National Socio-economic Development Plan, State Budget Plan and Monetary Plan for 2021 and targets set for 2022.

Government’s reports on Electricity Development Plan 2021-2030, Electricity and Mines Development Plan 2021-2025 as well as Vision 2021-2040, Strategy 2021-2030 and National Digital Economic Development Plan 2021-2025 were also approved at the meeting.

Ministers were asked to continue to implement National Agenda on Tackling Economic and Finance Difficulties and further improve investment environment and improve laws and sub-law instruments that are unsuitable and discourage entrepreneurship and investment and ensure timely collection of revenues over the last two months of 2021, according to Deputy Minister and Deputy Head of the Prime Minister’s Office Thipphakone Chanthavongsa.

The meeting urged ministers to make comprehensive preparations for the opening of the Laos-China Railway and speed up translating development strategies and policies under the Laos-China cooperation framework into detailed plans to promote investment along the Laos-China Railway corridor, and tourism.

The cabinet members were urged to promote agricultural and forest production through focusing on preparing production inputs, plant and animal breeds to ensure dry season production along with tapping potentials and advantages brought about by the Laos-China Railway.

They were asked to continue to supervise goods prices and imports and exports according to established regulations, promote production and consumption of domestic products, and continue to implement National Master Plan on Land Allocation, and strengthen land management using cutting edge technology.

Relevant sectors were asked to continue to devise labour allocation plan for the current time and post-Covid-19 recovery and continue to improve distance learning, the production of learning materials, and study legal instruments on the development, assessment and management of electronic and distance learning.

They were urged to prepare basic infrastructure and take into account the possibility of reopening schools, and evaluate the Covid-19 outbreak situation in a comprehensive manner so that a suitable prevention and control plan can be devised.

Source: Lao News Agency

Department of State-owned Enterprise Management and Insurance of the Ministry of Finance, Department of Cinema under the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism signed a joint venture agreement with a Chinese businessman to establish Lao Film State Enterprise with a registered capital of LAK100 billion (approximately US$9.6 million) to promote Lao film industry.

“Today, in ASEAN member countries, there are a lot of young film directors. Their works have hooked audiences around the world. Likewise, in the Lao PDR, many young directors graduating from film schools, especially from abroad and have opened film businesses with some already having films shown to the public,” said Deputy Director General of the Department of Cinema Dethnakhone Luangmovihane.

“The objective of our joint venture for establishing the Lao Film State Enterprise is to produce good films for society and show Lao film innovations to the world. Our strategy is to build partnership with regional and international state enterprises to produce, sell films for domestic, regional and international markets, especially for Laos and China, and in line with the “Belt and Road Initiative”.

The signatories to the agreement included Deputy Director General of the Department of State-owned Enterprise Management and Insurance Pasomphet Khamtan, Chinese businessman Huang Hong, Director General of the Department of Cinema Khamphao Vannavong and Consultant to the Chinese bussinessman, developer of the Lao Film State Enterprise Establishment Project, Bounchome Vongphet.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Vice Minister of Finance Bounpone Vannachit and Vice Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Ounthouang Khaophan.

Source: Lao News Agency

Laos has confirmed 447 new Covid-19 cases and two new deaths over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 38,728 including 6,769 active cases and 61 deaths, according to the National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

Of the new confirmed cases, 432 were classified as domestic infections and 15 as imported cases.

The new deaths were reported in Vientiane and Vientiane (province).

Some 639 patients were discharged from hospital yesterday, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Laboratory and Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Dr Buaphanh Khamphaphongphan told a press conference today.

The domestic infections included 253 in Vientiane, 54 in Luang Prabang, 52 in Bokeo, 23 in Vientiane (province), 18 in Savannakhet, ten each in Champassak and Saravan, seven in Khammuan, two in Oudomxay and one each in Xieng Khuang, Borikhamxay and Xekong.

The imported cases were recorded in Xayabury eight, Champassak five and Savannakhet two.

Source: Lao News Agency

Tongan Prime Minister Pohiva Tuionetoa warned Saturday that residents on the country’s main island Tongatapu faced a possible lockdown next week after recording its first case of COVID-19.

The tiny Pacific kingdom had been among only a handful of countries to escape the virus so far, and the infection was detected in a person in managed isolation after returning to Tonga on a repatriation flight from New Zealand.

“The reason the lockdown won’t happen this weekend is because I have been advised that the virus will take more than three days to develop in someone who catches it before they become contagious,” Tuionetoa said.

“We should use this time to get ready in case more people are confirmed they have the virus.”

Most of Tonga’s population of 106,000 live on Tongatapu, and fewer than a third have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

Health officials said the person who tested positive had received their second jab in mid-October.

The repatriation flight included members of Tonga’s Olympic team, who had been stranded in Christchurch since the Tokyo Games. The athletes were double vaccinated before they left for the Olympics.

New Zealand’s health ministry confirmed the infected person had tested negative before the flight left Christchurch, where there are only four known cases of COVID-19, all of them in the same household

Source: Voice of America

The Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICT) and UNICEF, alongside partners including the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the European Union (EU) and USAID, on Oct 29 officially launched the 2nd season of the popular Early Childhood Development (ECD) TV series “My House”, which aims to promote young Lao children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional development, as well as their learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hybrid launch event, held at the MoES ICT Centre with the majority of participants attending virtually, was co-chaired by Vice Minister of Education and Sports Sisouk Vongvichit, Vice Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Vanhsy Kouamoua, and UNICEF Representative to the Lao PDR Pia Rebello Britto.

“The arrival of the series’ 2nd season is timely as families and children in the Lao PDR continue to experience disruption in their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including school closures. It is my hope that My House will act as an important tool for parents to help facilitate their children’s learning during this challenging time and raise their awareness on hygiene practices that can help keep them safe from COVID-19,” said Vice Minister of Education and Sports Sisouk Vongvichit.

This new season of the ECD TV series contains a total of 12 episodes with sign language interpretation and integrates messages around COVID-19 prevention and control, including hygiene practices, alongside fun learning activities that provide basic knowledge for children, such alphabets, numbers, colours, shapes and other similar topics to help facilitate their school readiness. The series also contains a component targeting caregivers on how they can promote children’s learning through play.

My House 2 will be broadcasted through Lao National TV Channel 3, Lao Star channel, and the MoES ESTV (LaoSat Channel 8). In addition, it will also be disseminated on social media, YouTube and the MoES Khang Panya Lao.

“The second season of My House is the result of the great collaboration between MoES, MICT, Lao Star TV and UNICEF, with the support from the EU, GPE and USAID. MICT is very happy with the result of this collaboration and we hope that the second season will contribute towards providing quality media that is specifically catered towards the experience of young children in the Lao PDR,” said Vice Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Vanhsy Kouamoua.

The ECD TV series My House is noted for its uniquely Lao story context, characters and music. It contains a mix of animation and its development has brought together some of the most talented, open-minded and creative media in the country.

“A child’s ability to think, form relationships, and live up to his or her full potential is directly related to the synergistic effect of good health, good nutrition, and appropriate stimulation and care from parents. This combination of nature and nurture establishes the foundation of a child’s future and it is my sincerest hope that My House, both its first and second seasons, will prove to be an important contribution to this equation that will help realise the potential of all Lao children,” stated UNICEF Representative to Lao PDR Pia Rebello Britto.

In addition to the TV series, 12 storybooks based on My House 1 have been developed under the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Sports. The storybooks have been printed and disseminated to early childhood education centres, pre-primary classes and Grades 1 and 2 classes around the country with the support of UNICEF and partners. Storybooks based on Season 2 will also be developed, contributing to the availability of Lao language learning materials for children.

Episodes of My House alongside the storybooks are also available on the online MoES teaching and learning platform Khang Panya Lao (https://laos.learningpassport.unicef.org), which can be downloaded as an App allowing for offline access.

Source: Lao News Agency