Travellers line up at Changi Airport in Singapore. (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Singapore (VNA) - Singaporeresidents and visitors leaving the country will be able to clear checkpoiไntswithout having to use their passports from 2024.
The information was announced by the Immigration andCheckpoints Authority (ICA) at its annual workplan seminar held recently. Travelers can clear immigration viaQR code at land checkpoints if travelling by car, or the new contactlessAutomated Border Control System (ABCS) at passenger halls in airports, it noted. The ICA said the manualcounters at passenger halls at all checkpoints will be replaced by about 800automated lanes using ABCS from the first quarter of 2024, The Straits Timesreported. The ABCS lanes will use biometrics for clearance. It is partof ICA’s new clearance concept (NCC), which was announced in 2019. The NCCtransformation plan aims to provide faster and more secure immigration and customs clearance. Special assistance lanes, which wererolled out in some passenger halls at Changi Airport in December last year andallowed travelers to conduct immigration self-clearance as a group, will beextended to other checkpoints from the end of this year. For those traveling by car, ICAsaid it piloted the Automated Passenger In-Car Clearance System (Apics) in 2022and about 94% of travelers were able to use it without assistance fromofficers. The ICA is trialing the use ofartificial intelligence to track anomalies in images of scanned baggage to helpits staff better detect potential threats. In addition, the authority will alsoaccelerate the transformation of border clearance services to facilitate themovement of people and goods./.
The Singaporean economy grew only 0.1% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2023, slowing from 2.1% growth in the previous quarter, according to official estimates released by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on April 14.
After focusing on curbing inflation, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has decided to pause monetary policy tightening as it considers growing risks confronting the economy.
Singapore’s core inflation, exclusive of private transport and accommodation costs, rose 5% year on year in March, lower than the 5.5% recorded in February and experts’ estimate of 5.1%.
Amid a resurgence in COVID-19 cases in Singapore, with reported infections at a fairly high level, the number of hospitalised patients and those requiring intensive care in the island state has sharply increased over the past two months.
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.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The forum featured two in-depth discussion sessions, engaging representatives from governments, think tanks, and businesses from both ASEAN and China, on how to forge closer ties for a common future.
The new FIFA Hub in Jakarta will not only support football development in Indonesia but also serve as a coordination centre for 21 football associations across Southeast and East Asia.
Minister Counselor Nguyen Hoang Nguyen reaffirmed Vietnam’s principled and consistent stance on the Palestine issue, calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire across the entire Gaza Strip.
PM Anwar Ibrahim affirmed the determination of Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair for 2025, to utilise all viable regional mechanisms of the bloc and work with partners to de-escalate violence and restore a peace process led by Myanmar.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Vietnam’s Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925–2025), Nikulina, who is also a veteran journalist of Russia’s Sputnik News, emphasised the vital role of mainstream journalism in defending the truth and maintaining public trust.
The Ministry of Commerce reported that imports also rose 18% to 29.9 billion USD during the same period, resulting in a trade surplus of 1.1 billion USD. In May alone, Thailand posted a 4.6 billion USD trade surplus with the US and a 4.1 billion USD trade deficit with China.
The World Bank will provide a 2.1 billion USD financing package for Indonesia, focusing oncreating jobs, stimulating economic growth, and enhancing access to clean energy across the country.
Travellers line up at Changi Airport in Singapore. (Photo: AFP/VNA) 
