Int’l assistance in safe driving

As many as 200 taxi and inter-provincial bus drivers will benefit from a training programme on safe and environmental friendly driving, which kicked off on July 10.

The programme, co-sponsored by the Ford Vietnam, the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP) and the National Committee for Transport Safety, is expected to hold free training courses on safe driving skills and energy saving methods in the interest of the environment.-

Beijing opens Olympic media centres

Beijing (VNA) – Organisers of the 2008 Olympics has opened media centres for the games, promising to allow live broadcasts from anywhere in the city and full access to the internet.

Those centres include the Main Press Centre (MPC) for accredited print journalists and photographers and the Beijing International Media Centre (BIMC) for non-accredited journalists.

The 62,000 sq. m MPC provides the biggest working space in Olympic history. It is located in the central Olympic area in the northern part of the capital, close to main Olympic venues – the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube.

The BIMC, located in a space of 60,000 sq. m has two press conference halls which can seat about 700 people and and 12 working rooms for about 570 journalists.

The two centres will follow a 24-hour operation schedule between July 25 and August 27 for media crews from around the world.-

Japan invited to develop Malaysia’s energy industry

– Japanese investors have been invited to join in the development of the solar energy industry in Malaysia to meet the increasing global demand for renewable energy.

“Malaysia’s climate is conducive for generating solar energy,” International Trade and Industry Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was quoted by Malaysia’s Bernama news agency as saying at a seminar on “Business Opportunities in Malaysia” in Yokohama, Japan, on July 9.

“Malaysia has the infrastructure and the necessary support facilities to attract investments in solar photovoltaic manufacturing projects,” Muhyiddin said.

The Malaysian minister is leading a six-day trade and investment mission to Japan which began on July 5, his first assignment to this country since being appointed to the post in March this year, according to Bernama.

Malaysia’s total trade with Japan last year was valued at 35.1 billion USD with exports to Japan amounting to 16.1 billion USD.-

Japan to provide 300-mln-USD-climate loan to Indonesia

– Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has announced a loan worth 300 million USD to Indonesia in the first batch of aid under Tokyo’s new initiative on fighting climate change, Antara news agency reported.

The loan, the first batch under the Cool Earth Partnership programme, was informed at a meeting between Japanese PM Fukuda and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the Japanese northern resort of Toyako on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit, according to Antara.

Fukuda “highly praised” Indonesia’s leadership at a UN-led conference in Bali in December that set a deadline of the end of 2009 to reach a new climate change treaty.

The Japanese initiative aims to extend aid worth 10 billion USD, mostly in low-interest loans, to the developing world to help the world meet a goal of halving emissions blamed for global warming by 2050.-

Thai foreign minister resigns over temple dispute

– Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama on July 10 announced his resignation following heavy criticism and continuing protests over the Preah Vihear temple issue, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.

His decision came two days after the Constitution Court ruled that his signing a joint document backing Cambodia’s bid to list the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site without endorsement by the Thai parliament was in breach of the country’s supreme law.

“I have done nothing wrong,” the foreign minister was quoted by the TNA as saying at a press conference at the Foreign Ministry.

Noppadon just returned home on July 10 morning after attending the annual session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Quebec City, Canada.

The Thai Cabinet endorsed a new map of the temple prepared by Cambodia on June 17, and Noppadon signed the communique on the next day.-

Singapore, Indonesia conduct joint air exercise

– Air forces from Singapore and Indonesian are conducting a joint air exercise in Singapore from July 9-11, according to news reports.

This is the fifteenth time in a series of biennial exercises, code-named Elang Indopura, involving 300 personnel and 15 aircraft from the two countries, according to a statement issued by Singapore’s Defense Ministry on July 10.

The three-day command post exercise, being held at Singapore’s Paya Lebar Air Base, is the first phase of a programme hoped to help participants gain mutual appreciation of operating procedures and mission-planning processes.

The second phase, the air exercise, will be conducted at Indonesia’s Iswahyudi Air Force Base in East Java from July 18 to August 1.-

Indonesian expands 6.2 percent in first half

– Indonesian economy was estimated to grow by 6.2 percent in the first half of the year on the back of strong consumption and investment, according to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

“The growth in the first semester was boosted by private consumption, investment and exports. High import of capital goods indicates investment will increase in the third and fourth quarters,” Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati was cited as saying at a press conference on July 10.

Indonesia’s economy in the second quarter grew by 6.1 percent with private consumption growing by 5.3 percent, investment by 10.5 percent and exports by 12 percent, the minister said.

She predicted that Indonesian economic growth at the end of the year could be kept at 6.2 percent, a pace that will be slower than the previous projection of 6.4 percent.-

Malaysia, Australia offer peacekeeping training

– Malaysia and Australia agreed on July 10 to collaborate in offering training programmes to armed forces around the region wishing to participate in the United Nations peacekeeping operations, according to news reports.

”Many countries wish to contribute to peacekeeping operations around the world, but may not have the specific training and expertise to do so,” Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was quoted as saying in a joint press conference with his Malaysian counterpart Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Australian PM Rudd, who is on one-day official Malaysia visit, added that the two countries will provide joint training, platform, programmes and expertise between their two armed forces for regional countries wishing to participate in UN peacekeeping operations around the world.-

UNDP grants 15 mln USD for election in Indonesia

– The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is providing a grant of 15 million USD to help Indonesia conduct its general election in 2009.

The funding will be managed through the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), said Antara news agency.

The news agency quoted National Development Planning Minister/Bappenas Chief Paskah Suzetta as saying that the UNDP technical aid project would run until 2010 with 10 million USD to be disbursed in 2009 and 5 million USD in 2010.

He added that the Indonesian government actually needed about 30 million USD in foreign assistance to support the 2009 elections, and had expected that 21 million USD of the amount would come from UNDP and the rest from bilateral grants.-

Singapore clocks weakest growth in five years

– Singapore’s economy expanded at its weakest pace in five years in the second quarter, prompting analysts on July 10 to cut their full-year growth forecasts for the country, according to news reports.

The 1.9 percent second-quarter growth marked an easing from the 6.9 percent expansion recorded in the previous three months, the Singapore government said.

The latest figure is also lower than the 2.3 percent forecast in a poll of economists by Dow Jones Newswires, reflecting wider concerns Singapore’s open economy being bruised by a global slowdown.

Singapore-based economist with Standard Chartered Bank Alvin Liew said that this was the weakest in the current expansion cycle since the second quarter of 2003.

“With the confirmation of slower growth in the second quarter and the increasing evidence pointing to a slowdown in Singapore’s key exports markets, especially US and the EU, Singapore will be particularly vulnerable to a protracted external demand weakness,” he said.

He also cut his this year growth forecast for Singapore to 3.5 percent from 4.55 percent, below the government’s full-year target of 4 to 6 percent.-