The much-mentioned issue of apartment management once again was put on the table for municipal authorities to discuss last week to seek a common voice for a regulation over the sector. A draft regulation has been made with a long list of articles, which will not only regulate what will be allowed and not be allowed for project owners and apartment users, but also to offer a legal corridor for management... 

Turkey has decided to extend “self-defense” tariffs on footwear imported from Vietnam for another three years, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The decision, effective till August, 2012, will see duties of US$1.7-2.55 imposed on a pair of Vietnam-made shoes in 2009-2010, $1.65-2.5 in 2010-2011 and $1.6-2.45 in 2011-2012 period. Earlier, the tax was $1.8-3 on a pair of made-in-Vietnam... 

PetroVietnam has asked the government to approve a price increase of up to 30 percent for gas sold to power plants from April 1 onwards. Under the proposal, the price of gas from the Nam Con Son basin will go up from US$3.85 per million BTU (British thermal unit) to $4.6. Meanwhile, gas from the Cuu Long basin will cost $4.6 per million BTU, a 30-percent increase from $3.55. The hike will not be applied... 

Philippine Airlines has announced the launch of two new air routes this month, connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Australia’s Brisbane city and the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. The Filipino national flag carrier began services on the HCMC- Brisbane route on March 15 and will open the HCMC- Riyadh route on March 28, Marie Jemma B. Saranillo, the carrier’s country manager in Vietnam, said at a media... 

Fitch Ratings’ reasons for placing Vietnam’s debt rating on negative watch last week are unjustified, Barclays Plc said. Fitch on March 12 cited a lack of confidence in the dong, declining foreign-exchange reserves and a risk of accelerating inflation as weaknesses in the Southeast Asian nation’s economy. The government should tighten its monetary policy to avoid a downgrade of its BB- rating,... 

Singapore’s SIH last week demanded land on Pham Hung street, a golden land area of Hanoi, as compensation for its scrapped four-star hotel project in Thong Nhat park. In the wake of public outcry that Thong Nhat Park was a historical heritage and the capital’s green lung, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in April last year decided to stop construction of the Novotel Hanoi On The Park, and required...