Latest news with #MoC


Borneo Post
6 days ago
- Business
- Borneo Post
HONOR, Tourism Malaysia partner to boost Visit Malaysia 2026
(standing, from left) to right) Li, Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Malaysia Chen Youliang and Lee witnessing the MoC signing between HONOR Malaysia marketing director Victor Yu (seated, left) and Tourism Malaysia International Promotion Division (Asia/ Africa) senior director Nuwal Fadhilah Ku Azmi. KUALA LUMPUR (July 16): HONOR, a global AI device ecosystem leader, and Tourism Malaysia have signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) to jointly promote Malaysia as a top travel destination ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026. The MoC signing ceremony was held at Four Seasons Hotel, here, yesterday, marking a strategic partnership to highlight Malaysia's rich cultural diversity and natural heritage through mobile photography initiatives leveraging HONOR's advanced smartphone technologies. The collaboration will roll out a series of activities including photography competitions, workshops, art exhibitions, and cultural events nationwide. Among these is the HONOR Magic Moments Awards, an annual global mobile photography competition now open to Malaysians, providing a platform for participants to capture and showcase the essence of Malaysia using HONOR's innovative devices. HONOR South Pacific president Justin Li said the collaboration empowers users, especially youth, to share Malaysia's unique beauty with the world through the lens of HONOR smartphones. 'We are proud to support the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign by leveraging technology and innovation. We want to create new opportunities to promote Malaysia as a top travel destination, empower the nation's youth, and foster cultural exchange. 'Not only tourists but Malaysians themselves will also be able to enjoy and appreciate the country's beautiful moments and wonders captured through HONOR's smartphones,' he said. Tourism Malaysia deputy director general Lee Thai Hung described the collaboration as timely in enhancing Malaysia's global visibility. 'We are excited to collaborate with a forward-thinking partner like HONOR Malaysia. This partnership supports our efforts to diversify promotional strategies and embrace innovation in tourism marketing. 'As we gear up for Visit Malaysia 2026, we are determined to build strong public-private collaborations that can elevate Malaysia's brand visibility on the global stage,' he said. As part of the collaboration, HONOR will produce content featuring its latest foldable flagship, the HONOR Magic V5, to enhance tourists' travel experiences across Malaysia. The content will offer travel tips and creative photography ideas powered by the device's advanced AI capabilities. Features such as Gemini Live Screen Sharing will allow tourists to receive real-time suggestions for attractions and navigate cities with ease, while the new Three Split Screen function enables travellers to compare hotel, transportation, and shopping options efficiently. The device's AI Translate function will facilitate smoother communication between tourists and locals, while its powerful camera system, including a 64MP periscope telephoto lens with 100x zoom, will help capture stunning images showcasing Malaysia's attractions. The partnership underscores HONOR's commitment to supporting Visit Malaysia 2026 by combining technology, innovation, and cultural storytelling to promote Malaysia globally.


Sinar Daily
7 days ago
- Business
- Sinar Daily
Tourism Malaysia and Honor forge strategic alliance to boost Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign through mobile photography
KUALA LUMPUR – As international travel picks up pace again, countries across the globe are turning to technology to refresh how they promote tourism. Malaysia is no exception, stepping up its efforts with a stronger focus on digital innovation and engaging the younger generation. In a move to position Malaysia as a premier travel destination, Tourism Malaysia has entered into a strategic collaboration with Honor, a global leader in AI-powered smart device ecosystems. The two parties formalised their partnership by signing a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC), aiming to enhance the appeal of Malaysia through the creative power of mobile photography. HONOR South Pacific president Justin Li - PHOTO - SINAR HARIAN / MOHD HALIM ABDUL WAHID In his welcoming speech, Honor South Pacific president Justin Li said the collaboration is an exciting opportunity to help people, especially younger users, tell Malaysia's story through photography. "We are proud to support the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign by leveraging technology and innovation. "We want to create new opportunities to promote Malaysia as a top travel destination, empower the nation's youth, and foster cultural exchange," during the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with Tourism Malaysia, held on Tuesday at the Four Seasons Hotel, here. Li added that the collaboration goes beyond promoting tourism, it's also about encouraging Malaysians to reconnect with their surroundings and capture meaningful moments close to home. This forward-looking initiative aims to showcase the diversity of Malaysia by encouraging people to capture and share their travel moments using Honor smartphones. The idea is to inspire both locals and tourists to see the country from fresh perspectives. The joint campaign will roll out a range of interactive and inclusive activities such as mobile photography contests, hands-on workshops, cultural showcases, and digital exhibitions. One of the main highlights will be the Honor Magic Moments Awards, a global mobile photography competition that's open to Malaysians as well. It will give participants a platform to share original photos and celebrate the beauty of Malaysia using Honor's cutting-edge camera technology. Tourism Malaysia, deputy director general, Lee Thai Hung - PHOTO - SINAR HARIAN / MOHD HALIM ABDUL WAHID Tourism Malaysia, deputy director general, Lee Thai Hung welcomed the partnership as a timely and strategic initiative. "This partnership supports our efforts to diversify promotional strategies and embrace innovation in tourism marketing. "As we gear up for Visit Malaysia 2026, we are determined to build strong public-private collaborations that can elevate Malaysia's brand visibility on the global stage," he said. As part of the initiative, Honor will also be producing digital content using its newly launched Honor Magic V5, a sleek, foldable smartphone that promises to enhance the travel experience through smart features and AI-driven tools. These include Gemini Live Screen Sharing, which lets users get live recommendations and navigate with ease, and Three Split Screen, allowing travellers to compare accommodation, travel options and shopping deals all at once. To ease communication for international travelers, the AI Translate tool offers seamless language support, while the camera's 64MP periscope telephoto lens with 100x zoom allows users to capture stunning, high-resolution imagery of Malaysia's iconic sights. The Honor Magic V5 officially launched in Malaysia today at 3pm. It's currently the world's slimmest foldable smartphone at just 8.8mm when folded, and comes with major upgrades in photography, battery life, durability and software. 'We believe that technology is an essential driver of smart tourism. With the Honor Micro V5 and our ongoing innovation, we aim to help visitors explore the unique beauty and culture of Malaysia while enjoying a seamless intelligence travel experience,' Li added.


Business Recorder
15-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
MoC unveils NTP to narrow trade deficit
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) has unveiled its National Tariff Policy (NTP) 2025–30, already approved as part of the federal budget. The policy aims to stimulate export growth of 10–14%, while imports are expected to grow by 5–6% — a slower pace intended to narrow the trade deficit. To establish a benchmark for tariff rationalization that is both transparent and comparable, the policy takes into account existing tariff structures in regional economies. The NTP 2025–30 targets a simple average tariff rate of 9.7% by FY 2029–30, implying a more than 20% annual reduction in the first two years, followed by a 5–10% annual reduction in the subsequent years. PM orders urgent overhaul of National Tariff Commission The NTP 2025-30 sets a target of achieving a simple average tariff of 9.70% by the terminal year 2029-30. This corresponds to about more than 20% annual decline in the first two years and a 5-10% annual decrease in subsequent years. This will be done by taking a comprehensive approach that encompasses (1) Readjustment of CD slabs to 4 slabs (0%,5%,10%, &15%) from the existing 5 slabs in 5 years (2) Reduction in CD to a maximum of 15% in 5 years (3) Elimination of RDs in 5 years (4) Elimination of ACDs in 4 years and (5) Phasing out of 5th Schedule in 5 years The reduction in tariff rates will bring the trade weighted average from the current 10.6% to below 6% in a period of 5 years. The current tariff structure follows a cascading principle. There are 5 slabs i.e.0, 3, 11, 16, and 20 with some peaks and specific rates. The uneven spread in tariff slabs or tariff escalation not only inhibits industrialization but also diversification. To simplify tariff structure and remove uneven spread between tariff slabs, in the first year, the current tariff slabs of 0%, 3%, 11%, 16% and 20% will be adjusted as 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. Peaks in tariffs above 20%, mainly in the auto sector, will also be reduced gradually. Over the last 15 years, ACD and RD in addition to Customs Duty (CD) have been used as a tool for revenue enhancement. As a result, the number of products subject to ACD and RD has increased manifold. Out of a total of 7,589 tariff lines, around 7,476 tariff lines are subject to ACDs, and 1,996 tariff lines have been subject to RDs. Excessive use of Additional Customs Duties (ACDs) and Regulatory Duties (RDs) in addition to already high Customs Duties (CDs) has not just made the tariff structure high, complex, and protective but unfair, non-transparent, and prone to elite capture. All ACDs will be eliminated gradually in the next 4 years. Few products at 35% CD are subject to Auto sector policy (AIDEP 2021-26), therefore, the auto sector ACDs will be eliminated gradually from July 1, 2026. RDs are mostly serving the purpose of raising revenues and providing extra protection to already protected industries. Moreover, the ad-hoc imposition of RDs over time has resulted in overall discriminatory tariffs, which is evident from high dispersion in RD rates on similar products. First, the RD rates will be harmonized as lowest on raw material, moderate on intermediate and capital goods and highest on consumer goods and will be placed in slabs of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%. Moving forward, the following schedule will be followed to eliminate RDs in 5 years. The rates are indicative and actual RD rates will be adjusted in the same range (indicated against each year) by the Tariff Policy Board and the government on year-to year basis. The existing RDs slabs will be completely eliminated in 5 years, keeping in view the annual targets for reduction in RD rates. The 5th Schedule of the Customs Tariff provides concessions or exemptions to certain domestic industries. Starting from a few products in 2013, the number of products claiming concessions or exemptions under the 5th schedule has increased manifold during the last few years. It consists of a long list of products divided into different parts. In FY 2023-24 the 5th Schedule consists of eight parts, each part contains different tables for different types of products. However, what makes the 5th Schedule more complex is the various conditions attached to the listed products. The product specific conditions under the 5th schedule require a wide range of documentation and paperwork. This not only gives huge discretionary powers to EDB and IOCO but also increases cost of compliance. Moreover, as most of the concessions are available only to specific manufacturers, these conditions are seen as restrictive and biased towards large businesses and manufacturers. Small businesses that cannot incur costs for attaining certificates or approvals and related paperwork have to purchase inputs from commercial importers that import at MFN rates. The tariff structure under the Fifth Schedule is different from general tariff structure. There are two ways in which tariffs under the Fifth Schedule are different from the general tariff structure. First, the 5th Schedule has custom duty rates beyond the slabs applicable to the 1st Schedule. Second, most of the products in the schedule are exempt from Regulatory Duty (RD) and Additional Custom Duty (ACD) that are otherwise applied in the 1st Schedule of Customs Act, 1969. Resultantly, as the number of exemptions and concessions under the 5th Schedule has increased over the years, its burden on the federal exchequer is also growing exponentially. The largest portion of customs duty expenditure for FY 2022-23 is given under Fifth Schedule amounting PKR 190.688 billion registering a growth of 10.24% compared to 2021-22. In view of distortions in tariff structure created by the 5th Schedule, all the products/tariff lines will transition from 5th Schedule to 1st Schedule in next 4-5 years in a phased manner. In this process some concessions will be withdrawn, and some concessions will be generalized (made available to all: (i) the products that have virtually no concession under the 5th Schedule shall be transferred to the 1st Schedule;(ii) products with concessionary rates will be transferred to the 1st Schedule either under MFN rate or under the slab closest to the concessionary rate; (iii) products that have specific conditions because there is no product-specific tariff heading in the 1st t Schedule will be moved to the 1st Schedule by creating a new tariff heading; (iv) products falling under the tariff heading 'others' will be transferred from the 5th Schedule to 1st Schedule by creating separate headings with the description as given in the 5th Schedule; and ( v) Minimally used concessions will be withdrawn. In line with the principles and objectives of this policy, the auto sector tariffs will also be rationalized to enhance competitiveness, productivity and consumer welfare including removing any quantitative restrictions on import of old/used vehicles subject to quality and environmental standards and differential tariff structure. The Auto Industry Development and Export Policy (AIDEP) 2021-26 is valid till June 2026 and the new auto policy will be introduced from first July 2026 where a substantial reduction on duties related to the auto sector will be carried out including review of SRO 655 (I)/2006 dated 22-Jun-2006, SRO 656(I)/2006 dated 22- Jun-2006, SRO 693 (I)/2006 dated 1-Jul-2006, elimination of all ACDs and RDs and reduction in the CD rates. Various models including Macro model, Export Forecasting Model, Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) Model import tariff revenues show a loss of about PKR 500 billion in static calculations however, considering all other factors ie, increased demand, economic growth, transparency, decrease in under invoicing, smuggling, compliance cost etc., GTAP calculations indicate a positive impact on revenues (7-9%). The major impact of tariff reforms will be on exports. GTAP calculations show that exports will increase by (10-14%); imports will also increase (by 5-6%) but at a slower rate than the increase in exports thereby improving the trade deficit. Resources will move to more efficient and productive sectors as production in export-oriented sectors will pick up. Industry will grow, net employment will increase, and investment will strengthen. Reduced tariffs would not only allow the availability of cheap raw materials and intermediate but would also be a key factor in reducing the imported inflation, especially for food products. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025


India Gazette
12-07-2025
- General
- India Gazette
Japan Coast Guard Ship Itsukushima concludes successful visit to Chennai as part of global ocean voyage training
New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Japan Coast Guard (JCG) Training Ship Itsukushima concluded a fruitful port call to Chennai from July 7 to 12 as part of its Global Ocean Voyage Training. The ship, carrying over 50 trainee officers, undertook this visit to gain exposure to international maritime operations and enhance cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and JCG, according to a PRO statement. During the five-day visit, the trainee officers and crew were hosted at various ICG facilities in Chennai, providing them with valuable insights into the multifaceted operations of the ICG. The interaction offered an enriching platform for professional exchange and mutual learning across all levels of personnel. According to a press statement, Vice Admiral Kanosue Hiroaki, Vice Commandant (Operations), Japan Coast Guard, led the delegation and participated in a range of professional and cultural engagements, including reciprocal visits and official calls. On 7th July, the delegation called on Director General Paramesh Sivamani, AVSM, PTM, TM, Director General Indian Coast Guard, further cementing the long-standing ties between the two maritime forces. These engagements are in alignment with the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed between India and Japan in 2006 and are part of ongoing capacity-building initiatives that underscore both nations' commitment to ensuring safety and security in the maritime domain. The visit culminated on 12th July with a joint sea exercise named JA-MATA (Japanese for 'we will meet again') conducted off the coast of Chennai. The exercise included coordinated manoeuvres such as boarding operations, station-keeping, and firefighting drills symbolising operational synergy and preparedness. The visit and associated activities were meticulously coordinated by Headquarters, Coast Guard Region East, under the leadership of Inspector General Datwinder Singh Saini, TM, Commander, Coast Guard Region (East). The camaraderie and shared spirit witnessed during the visit reinforce the deepening cooperation between the two Coast Guards in pursuit of a common goal: ensuring secure and peaceful seas. (ANI)


The Hindu
10-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Jipmer to establish academic ties with Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
The Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) have initiated a process to establish a structured, long-term academic collaboration. As a prelude to formulating a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC), Jipmer hosted a landmark 'Engagement and Collaboration Event' recently for a visiting delegation from the UK. This initiative, conceptualised by Vir Singh Negi, Jipmer Director and Vikram Kate, Dean (Academic), marked RCSEd's first official outreach programme in Puducherry and represented a significant step toward fostering global surgical partnerships and strengthening academic and professional ties between India and the United Kingdom, a press note said. The visit of the RCSEd delegation formed part of their flagship outreach initiative — 'The College Coming to You – Engagement, Opportunity, Collaboration.' The delegation, included Tim Graham, Vice-President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Robin Paton, Honorary Secretary, Chelliah Selvasekar and Sai Krishna Vittal, Council Members of the RCSEd, JKA Jameel, International Surgical Ambassador and Sajal Rai, Fellow of the college and an alumnus of Jipmer. Bhawana A. Badhe, Officiating Director, Jipmer with Professor Graham explored the formulation of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC). The MoC is envisaged to put in place a structured, long-term academic collaboration between the two institutions. The key areas explored during the meeting, included faculty development and mentorship programmes, continuing professional development (CPD) training modules, student and faculty exchange initiatives, and the organisation of joint academic events and surgical training workshops. The discussion also covered collaborative research opportunities, including co-supervision of PhD and postdoctoral scholars, access to shared research infrastructure, and joint publications. The interactions reaffirmed the mutual commitment to enhance surgical training, academic excellence, and global research impact, the press note said. Earlier, an academic session brought together a large and diverse audience, comprising undergraduate students, postgraduate trainees, senior residents, and faculty members from Jipmer and other medical colleges in Puducherry with RCSEd delegates. The team from RCSEd raised the awareness about its fellowship and membership pathways, particularly the Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) exam and provided clear guidance on how Indian surgeons can pursue training opportunities in the UK. The sessions offered valuable insights into topics, such as medical education and training exchange programmes, preparation for the Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) examination, innovations in robotic and endocrine surgery, leadership in surgical education, quality improvement, and global best practices in patient safety, Jipmer said.