DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Cambodia urged to promote human capital” plus 9 more

DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Cambodia urged to promote human capital” plus 9 more

Cambodia urged to promote human capital

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 03:19 AM PDT

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's recovery from the economic crisis provided an opportunity to re-evaluate and promote the human capital in order to secure the sustainable of economic growth and poverty reduction. In a statement released Friday, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Cambodia said one of the main elements constraining Cambodia's economic development, as outlined in the Cambodia Country Competitiveness report, has proven to be human capital. "Cambodia can no longer rely on an abundant supply of inexpensive skilled and semi-skilled workers to propel its economic development," it said. "The country's future will rely on a pool of skilled workers able to take part in the diversification and expansion of its current industrial base." "Planning for the future needs of Cambodia's economic and social development, however, needs to begin now, in both education and sectoral plans, to produce the quality and quantity of skills that will be needed," the statement added.

The Supreme National Economic Council and UNDP Cambodia jointly issued a report titled "Human Capital Implications of Future Economic Growth in Cambodia: Elements of a Suggested Roadmap" Friday. The report identifies weaknesses in the linkages between the country's future economic growth and the education and skill formation needs of the workforce, as well as opportunities to be seized in order to support human capital development. The report describes immediate, short-, medium-, and long-term policy options to improve Cambodia's human resource development and ensure the country's future competitiveness and poverty reduction efforts. "The continuing effort towards preparation and implementation of the Human Capital Development Roadmap will represent the ongoing commitment to ensure that human capital priorities are set forth and aligned with the country's development agenda for diversified, equitable and resilient growth," said UNDP Cambodia Country Director Elena Tischenko. "As Cambodia moves forward on its path of further development and economic diversification, the Human Capital Roadmap, and the momentum that it will hopefully create, will help prepare the workforce and educational capital to support this progress. The road-mapping and planning process will require a new level of coordination and cooperation across ministries, with research and academic institutions, civil society and the private sector, and with development partners," she added.

Tiger Airways Australia back in air after 6 weeks of grounding

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 12:42 AM PDT

CANBERRA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Budget airline Tiger Airways Australia on Friday morning returned to the sky, after six weeks of grounding.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) lifted its suspension of the airline on Wednesday. But its return to the air comes with a new set of conditions imposed by CASA, including additional training for pilots, improved pilot rostering and fatigue management systems, and changes to Tiger's safety management system.

The first Tiger flight left Melbourne Airport for Sydney of Australia at 11.50 a.m. (AEST) on Friday.

Tiger said the airline would now focus on reassuring Australian consumers that it regarded safety as its highest priority.

"The airline would like to reassure all Australians that safety underpins the operation at all times," Tiger spokeswoman Vanessa Regan said in a statement on Friday.

"Tiger's focus moving forward is on improving reliability as well as providing Australians with safe and affordable air travel. Tiger Airways is committed to a safe and viable long term future in Australia."

CASA grounded the airline on July 1, citing concerns over pilot training, safety management and its overall safety systems.

Myanmar new gov't to meet Aung San Suu Kyi for second round: spokesperson

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 12:40 AM PDT

NAY PYI TAW, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar Union Minister of Labor U Aung Kyi will meet with noted political figure Aung San Suu Kyi at the Sein Lei Kan Tha State Guest House in Yangon late Friday for the second round, said leader of the newly-formed Government Spokespersons and Information Team U Kyaw Hsan in Nay Pyi Taw.

It will be another meeting following the first on July 25, coming two days before Aung San Suu Kyi is reported to make her first political trip outside Yangon to Bago, about 80 kilometres north of Yangon.

The July 25 first meeting between Aung San Suu Kyi and U Aung Kyi, who is also Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, produced a joint press statement, saying that the two sides were optimistic about and satisfied with the dialogue which covered opportunities for both sides to work together for the wellbeing of the public as well as matters for the rule of law, elimination of disagreement and serving national interest.

Both sides described the meeting as the first step towards working together in the future.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 66, was last released from house restriction on Nov. 13, 2010, six days after Myanmar held a multi-party general election on Nov. 7, 2010.

Urgent: 5 injured in plane emergency landing in Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 12:40 AM PDT

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were injured when a PIA passenger plane made an emergency landing due to bad weather at the Rawalpindi airport in Pakistan Friday morning, reported local Urdu TV channel Ary, adding that the PK 386 flight with 300 passengers on board is on its way from Multan, a city in central Pakistan, to Islamabad, capital of the country. Enditem
Chanroth: ok
vutha.dap: 1st LD Writethru: 21 injured after 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolts Xinjiang
2011-08-12 14:27:34

URUMQI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-one people were left injured after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Thursday afternoon, local authorities said Friday.

The quake rocked a border area between the region's city of Atux in the Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture and Kashgar Prefecture at about 6 p.m. Thursday.

Four of the 21 injured are in critical condition, local authorities said.

The quake also toppled 147 houses and severely damaged 171 others, a spokesman with the Kashgar Prefecture government said.

No deaths have been reported in the earthquake, said the spokesman.

The operation of two passenger trains was suspended due to the earthquake, which damaged railway lines and bridges in the region, according to the railway bureau of Urumqi, the region's capital city.

A train bound for the city of Kashgar from Urumqi was forced to stop at the Aksu train station, located about 460 km northeast of Kashgar. Passengers on the train were offered free transportation to their destinations via bus.

Normal operation of the halted railways had yet to be resumed by midday Friday, according to the railway bureau.

Roundup: UN chief warns of casualties in Libya as fighting continues

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 12:39 AM PDT

BENGHAZI, Libya, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced concern at rising civilian casualties in Libya and called for a political solution to end the conflict.

His call came as rebels claimed a major victory after seizing part of the nothern oil town of Brega.

In a statement released by Ban's spokesperson, the UN chief said he was "deeply concerned by reports of the unacceptably large number of civilian casualties as a result of the conflict in Libya." However, the statement gave no figures on the number of casualities from the six-month conflict.

The statement called on "all parties to exercise extreme caution" to "minimize any further loss of civilian life."

Ban reaffirmed his strongly held belief that "there can be no military solution to the Libyan crisis."

"A ceasefire that is linked to a political process which would meet the aspirations of the Libyan people, is the only viable means to achieving peace and security in Libya," the statement said.

The war between the Libyan government and rebels broke out in February after a nationwide protest calling for the ouster of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Fighting on the ground has remained fierce since, but rebels now have seized large areas of the North African state.

The rebels' latest success in Brega ended weeks of stalemate in the east of the country.

Rebels claim they have captured the residential districts of the town but Gaddafi's forces still hold the western parts where the oil facilities are located.

Brega has been the scene of months of fighting between Gaddafi forces and the rebels, with both determined to control the strategic oil hub.

The port is strategically important not only for its refinery, port, population size and industrial complexes but also because it links to the rebel-held eastern city of Ajdabiya.

On the western front, the rebels have been advancing rapidly. They reached the village of Bir Shuaib, which lies 50 km west of the country's capital and Gaddafi stronghold, Tripoli.

The rebels in the west are poorly armed and operate separately in different towns but, when it comes to major operations, they can muster thousands of fighters.

Gaddafi, however, has retained a firm grip of the capital and military victory for either side still seems a long way off.

One dead, over 30 injured in bus accident in east China

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 12:36 AM PDT

HANGZHOU, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and more than 30 people were injured in a bus accident in east China's Zhejiang Province Friday morning, according to local traffic police.

The bus overturned at around 9:30 a.m. in Zhejiang's capital of Hangzhou while making its way from Shanghai to Sanqing Mountain in east China's Jiangxi Province, Hangzhou municipal traffic police said.

More than 40 passengers, including several children who were going to the mountain for sightseeing during their summer vacation, were on the bus when it overturned.

Two people were seriously injured, police said.

The doors of the bus were blocked after it overturned, with rescuers forced to pull passengers out through the bus's windshield, witnesses said.

Police are investigating the accident.

Interview: ASEAN needs to enhance services trade

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 12:36 AM PDT

MANADO, Indonesia, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) needs to enhance services trade as most of foreign direct investment (FDI) to the bloc come from the sector, a high-ranking official at the ASEAN Secretariat told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on the side lines of ASEAN Ministers Meeting in North Sulawesi provincial capital city of Manado.

Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community Sundram Pushpanathan said that after successfully liberating regional trade, ASEAN now is facing a challenge on trade facilitation.

"We have a number of issues that ASEAN have to handle. We are very well at trade liberalization but if it comes to trade facilitation, we have to look at how we further enhance trade facilitation. We talk about streamlining, harmonizing procedures, harmonizing standards, looking at how we harmonize transport facilitation, and others," he said.

According to him, that would provide an easier way for goods movement within the region and the most important is how it provides facilitation for services trade.

"Services trade is an important component of our trade. Sixty five percent of all our foreign direct investment comes from services," said Pushpanathan.

Therefore, ASEAN needs to enhance its services trade, he said.

"We look at agreement of movement of skilled people. This is another area that helps the industry," he said.

He said that the goal could be achieved as long as connectivity within ASEAN is accomplished.

"Right now we have achieved more than 70 percent in terms of implementation of our ASEAN Economic Cooperation 2015 (Blueprint). AEC is progressing in a steady manner," he said.

Pushpanathan stressed the importance of infrastructure construction to support services trade.

"We have to connect ASEAN through hard infrastructure. We must build more roads, railways, improving air and maritime transportation. We also need to improve institutional connectivity through trade transportation facilitation," he said.

He also said that people-to-people connection through tourism, culture is very important element to integrate the region.

According to him, the bloc also keeps encouraging to increase ties with its neighbors.

"We don't stop there as we are now looking at to connect with our neighbors such as China, India, Japan and (South) Korea. Because to me, those countries are very critical partners as ASEAN integrates. Yes, we have to connect with our key partners in the region," he said.

ASEAN has implemented 73.4 percent of measures under the AEC Blueprint by the end of July 2011.

Several countries, partners intend to open dialogue forums with ASEAN

Posted: 11 Aug 2011 11:03 PM PDT

MANADO, Indonesia, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Several friendly countries and dialogue partners intend to open dialogue forums with the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) as they are convinced with the bloc's success in integrating economy of its member countries, an Indonesian official said here on Thursday.

"The ASEAN is always optimistic in integrating economy of its 10 member countries in one way or another," Iman Pambagyo, director of ASEAN Cooperation at the Directorate General International Trade Cooperation at the Indonesian Trade Ministry, told a press conference here.

According to Pambagyo, one of indications that the ASEAN managed to integrate itself is many requests from partners and friendly countries to open dialog forums, such as the Gulf Countries Cooperation (GCC).

"In fact, Mercosur countries (consisting of Argentine, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) want to open dialogues and talk about the possibility of free trade agreement. Other countries like Turkey and Pakistan also want to open dialogues," said Pambagyo.

He said that most of the measures in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015 Blueprint had been accomplished between 2008 and 2010.

The ASEAN had implemented 73.4 percent of the measures under the AEC Blueprint as by the end of July 2011.

One of the important achievements is in tariff reduction.

By 2010, for example, 99.11 percent tariffs of ASEAN-6 (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand) were already 0 percent, whilst 98.86 percent tariffs of ASEAN-4 ( Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar and Vietnam) were ranging at 0-5 percent.

Japan loans $47 million to upgrade irrigation canal in Cambodia

Posted: 11 Aug 2011 08:50 PM PDT

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, August 12, 2011-Minister of water resources and metrology of Cambodia, Mr. Lim Kean Hor announced on Thursday that Japan will offer $47 million loan agreement on August 15 at ministry to improve the irrigation canals at the western part of great lake, the biggest fresh water lake (Tonle Sap lake) and it will also contribute the development of agricultural crops.

The finance will contribute to strengthening the capacity of the country in producing the agricultural crops especially rice production which the country plans to export one million ton in 2015 and it will also help improve people's living condition. On Thursday Japan also gave 114 trucks to upgrade agricultural sector in the country and prevent the natural disaster.  The cost of trucks totally was worth about $11 million.

"Japan is in confidence with Cambodia and Japan also helps Cambodia to be ownership. Japan is biggest donor for Cambodia." Japan also helps build two biggest bridges over Mekong River to help facilitate local people in transport and also inspire the regional integration for economic growth.

Cambodia plans to buy medical materials for storing Blood

Posted: 11 Aug 2011 08:47 PM PDT

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, August 12, 2011-Cambodian PM Hun Sen on Thursday recommended the health ministry to consider about the ability to buy the medical materials for storing blood for long term to serve humanitarian affairs in the country.

"I request to ministry of health to consider about the ability to buy medical materials to keep blood for long term, PM Hun Sen said, adding that currently the blood bank could store blood for only a month and a half and ability to store 1,000 packages of blood.

He also expressed his sincere thank for local people who donated blood after he made appeal recently because the hospitals in the country need blood to survive the patients, who need blood urgently.

Dengue fever, operation and road accident stand in hot spot for blood donation.

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