COVID-19: Singapore announces new stimulus package to support economy
Singapore on April 6 announced a new stimulus package worth 5.1 billion SGD (3.55 billion USD) including wage support, waiver of levies and one-off payments to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Singaporean people wear face masks to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic (Source: AFP/VNA)
Hanoi (VNA)– Singapore on April 6 announced a new stimulus package worth 5.1 billion SGD(3.55 billion USD) including wage support, waiver of levies and one-offpayments to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is anunprecedented budget for extraordinary times, said Finance Minister Heng SweeKeat.
The move came justover a week after the country unveiled support measures worth more than 30billion USD to cope with the risk of an economic crisis.
OnApril 5, the Singaporean Ministry of Health confirmed 120 new COVID-19 cases –the highest number reported in a single day in the country.
Sofar, Singapore has recorded 1,309 cases tested positive for the novelcoronavirus SARS-CoV-2, including six deaths.
TheSingaporean government has decided to close most workplaces from April 7 andschools from April 8, to prevent the spread of the pandemic.
Accordingly,except for key economic sectors and essential services - such as foodestablishments, markets and supermarkets, clinics, hospitals, utilities,transport and key banking services - all other work premises will close./.
Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Heng Swee Keat on March 26 announced the government’s supplementary budget worth 48.4 billion SGD (33.7 billion USD) to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Singapore’s Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) declined 3.3 points to 45.4 in March, the lowest level since 2009, said the Singapore Institute of Purchasing and Materials Management (SIPMM).
Millions of labourers in Southeast Asia could lose their jobs as economies grind to a halt due to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Singapore’s retail sales in February fell by 8.6 percent year-on-year, compared to the 5.3 percent reduction in the previous month, according to the country’s Department of Statistics.
Malaysia on April 5 confirmed 179 new patients of the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), bringing the total number in the country to 3,662.
The forum, which involves global experts and creative leaders from across 14 cultural sectors, aims to expand Thailand’s presence on the world stage through innovation and cultural exchange.
In his article, Oscar Sanchez Serra highlighted President Ho Chi Minh’s founding of the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper on June 21, 1925, which marked the birth of Vietnam's revolutionary press rooted in a bold and far-sighted vision.
Several ASEAN meetings are scheduled to take place in Port Dickson this September, including the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) for ASEAN Plus Three (APT), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 15th ASEAN Maritime Forum, and the 13th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the urgent implementation of a national policy to crack down on all forms of call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling, which are now considered threats to national security.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
Singaporean people wear face masks to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic (Source: AFP/VNA) 
