An empty shopping centre in Singapore on June 3, 2020 (Photo: //www.straitstimes.com/)
Hanoi (VNA) - Singapore's retail sales in April plummeted 40.5 percent compared tothe same period last year – the biggest drop since 1985.
According to data released by the Department of Statistics on June5, this was a much steeper fall than the 13.3 percent decline in March andmarks 15 straight months that retail sales have decreased.
Sellers of discretionary items were hit the hardest by these moves, with thesales of watches and jewellery dropping 87.8 percent. Retailers of wearingapparel and footwear also saw takings drop 85.3 percent.
Sales at department stores and motor vehicle sales plunged 84.6 percent and 77percent, respectively.
However, sales at supermarkets and hypermarketsrose 74.6 percent, while minimarts and convenience stores also saw an increasein takings of 10.7 percent.
Estimated total retail revenue of the country in April was about 2.1 billionSGD (1.5 billion USD), with online sales making up around 17.8 percent, morethan double the share in March./.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Singapore Heng Swee Keat on May 26 announced another 33 billion SGD (23.2 billion USD) supplementary budget, aimed primarily at helping workers and businesses to tide over the COVID-19 crisis and the bleak economic outlook ahead.
Enormous business opportunities lie ahead for Singapore companies to venture into China despite the economic fall-out from COVID-19, said Singaporean economists and business leaders during a recent webinar.
Singapore and China have agreed to launch a “fast-lane” arrangement in early June to facilitate essential travel for business and official purposes, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on May 29.
Singapore might face a severe outbreak of dengue fever unless urgent community action is taken, the country’s National Environment Agency (NEA) warned on June 3.
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.
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.
An empty shopping centre in Singapore on June 3, 2020 (Photo: //www.straitstimes.com/) 
