International Customs Day

Peshawar – Notwithstanding the pace of commercialization, several cinemas in Peshawar were bulldozed in recent years for monetary gains, depriving thousands of film lovers of infotainment services. Peshawar, once known as the city of cinemas, theaters, and artists, has started losing one of its prime entertainment tools, including decades-old cinemas, after they were mostly converted into trade and commercial plazas due to commercialization, the mushroom growth of social media, and terrorism. Peshawar has produced many national and international legendary artists, including Bollywood superstars Yousaf Khan alias Dalip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Lollywood famous actors Qavi Khan, Ismail Shahid, Najeebullah Anjum, Javeed Babar, and Firdus Jamal. However, the city has lost seven cinemas, including those from the colonial era, due to…

MUMBAI: Two Kenyan women who allegedly smuggled 6kg gold from Nairobi were arrested by customs officials at Mumbai international airport on Sunday. Officials have arrested Najma Shaikh Mohammed (34) and Khawaja Shanu Sulu (48) and seized 3.5kg and 2.5kg gold, from them, respectively. The two were arrested under the provisions of Customs Act, produced before holiday court on Sunday and were remanded to judicial custody.Advocate Prabhakar Tripathi who appeared on behalf of the accused said the recovery shown is foisted recovery.

ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Carter’s, Inc. (NYSE: CRI), the largest branded marketer of young children’s apparel in North America, today reported its fourth quarter and fiscal 2023 results. “We saw an improving trend in the demand for our brands in the final weeks of 2023,” said Michael D. Casey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Sales improved sequentially each month in the fourth quarter and drove higher than expected earnings. Our focus on product innovation, inventory management, pricing discipline, and cash flow enabled over 20% growth in earnings per share in the fourth quarter and over $500 million of operating cash flow for the year. “In the fourth quarter, we saw higher than planned demand in our U.S. Wholesale business driven by improved…

Los Angeles, Mar 10 (AP) Muslims around the world are welcoming the arrival of Ramadan, a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting, intense prayer, charity and feasts. But as they savour the traditions of their own diverse communities — from holiday treats to evening diversions — the tribulations faced by fellow Muslims are never far from anyone’s mind. This year, war and starvation in the Gaza Strip casts an especially dark shadow on the festivities. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi’s Outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin Helped Prevent ‘Potential Nuclear Attack’ on Ukraine in Late 2022, Says CNN Report. Many are also struggling to buy food as inflation remains high in many countries and has worsened in some. Still, even Muslims…

Los Angeles, Mar 10 (AP) Muslims around the world are welcoming the arrival of Ramzan, a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting, intense prayer, charity and feasts. But as they savour the traditions of their own diverse communities — from holiday treats to evening diversions — the tribulations faced by fellow Muslims are never far from anyone’s mind. This year, war and starvation in the Gaza Strip casts an especially dark shadow on the festivities. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi’s Outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin Helped Prevent ‘Potential Nuclear Attack’ on Ukraine in Late 2022, Says CNN Report. Many are also struggling to buy food as inflation remains high in many countries and has worsened in some. Still, even Muslims…

Hainan spending surge: Spending during the Spring festival on Hainan, China’s duty-free island, soared to high levels, hitting a record-breaking 2.49 billion yuan ($346.2 million) in eight days, according to data from Haikou Customs. This marked a substantial 60 per cent increase compared to the previous year, with over 297,000 shoppers splurging an average of 8,358 yuan each on duty-free goods from February 10 to 17. The surge in spending highlights the island’s growing popularity as a duty-free shopping destination, especially since 2020 when China raised duty-free purchase limits in Hainan to 100,000 yuan. Consequently, overall duty-free spending has tripled, surpassing $6.1 billion in 2023 from $2 billion in 2019. Anticipated to continue growing, Hainan is set to become entirely…

ING: “China has been slowing its overseas purchases primarily due to slowing demand from refineries, weak economic indicators, and higher inventories,”. Despite an increase in China’s crude oil imports in the first two months of 2024, it’s too early to say how the purchases of the world’s top crude importer will impact global oil demand and prices this year. One thing is certain — the impact, in either direction, will be felt across the market. Chinese imports rose in January and February this year compared to the same two months of last year, according to official Chinese data released this week. But the base for comparison with early 2023 is low and the month-on-month trend compared to December 2023 is…

SHANGHAI, Feb 19 (Reuters) – Shoppers visiting China’s island province of Hainan spent a record 2.49 billion yuan ($346.2 million) on duty-free goods over the eight-day Lunar New Year holiday, data from Haikou Customs showed. That represents a year-on-year rise of 60%, with the number of shoppers from Feb. 10-17 reaching more than 297,000, each spending an average of 8,358 yuan on duty-free goods. Since 2020, when China tripled duty-free purchase limits in the 12 duty-free malls in Hainan to 100,000 yuan, overall duty-free spending has also tripled from about $2 billion in 2019 to more than $6.1 billion in 2023. That growth is expected to continue as the entire island is set to become duty-free in 2025. Even a…

SHANGHAI, Feb 19 (Reuters) – Shoppers visiting China’s island province of Hainan spent a record 2.49 billion yuan ($346.2 million) on duty-free goods over the eight-day Lunar New Year holiday, data from Haikou Customs showed. That represents a year-on-year rise of 60%, with the number of shoppers from Feb. 10-17 reaching more than 297,000, each spending an average of 8,358 yuan on duty-free goods. Since 2020, when China tripled duty-free purchase limits in the 12 duty-free malls in Hainan to 100,000 yuan, overall duty-free spending has also tripled from about $2 billion in 2019 to more than $6.1 billion in 2023. That growth is expected to continue as the entire island is set to become duty-free in 2025. Even a…

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Shoppers visiting China’s island province of Hainan spent a record 2.49 billion yuan ($346.2 million) on duty-free goods over the eight-day Lunar New Year holiday, data from Haikou Customs showed. That represents a year-on-year rise of 60%, with the number of shoppers from Feb. 10-17 reaching more than 297,000, each spending an average of 8,358 yuan on duty-free goods. Since 2020, when China tripled duty-free purchase limits in the 12 duty-free malls in Hainan to 100,000 yuan, overall duty-free spending has also tripled from about $2 billion in 2019 to more than $6.1 billion in 2023. That growth is expected to continue as the entire island is set to become duty-free in 2025. Even a year after…

BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) — China’s Spring Festival holiday has ignited a new round of consumption boom, further unleashing consumer spending potential amid fresh styles for people to celebrate the Lunar New Year. This year’s official Spring Festival holiday lasted from Feb. 10 to Feb. 17, one day more than the previous years, allowing people to arrange their holiday activities with more options. The eight-day Spring Festival holiday has seen more people on trips, more holiday goods purchases, and more quality family time spent in leisure activities. MORE THAN HOME-BOUND TRAVEL The travel willingness of residents increased during the holiday, and many indicators, such as the number of travelers and the total cost of traveling, hit a record high. According…

Mumbai: Two women from Kenya who smuggled 6 kg of gold worth Rs 3 crore from Nairobi were arrested at Mumbai International Airport on Sunday morning by Customs officials. The officials have arrested Najma Shaikh Mohammed (34) and Khawaja Shanu Sulu (48) and have seized 3.5 kg of gold worth Rs 1.60 crore and 2.5 kg of gold worth Rs 1.30 crore respectively.The duo were arrested under the provision of the Customs Act and were produced before the holiday court on Sunday and were remanded to judicial custody. Advocate Prabhakar Tripathi who appeared on behalf of the accused said recovery was not done by the accused and the recovery shown is foisted recovery. “They do not understand English or Hindi…

MADRID – Spain’s capital Madrid will welcome the Chinese Year of the Dragon with a series of activities, including parades, concerts, displays of Chinese artisan traditions, a culinary festival and a race across the city. The celebration plan, which will last until the end of February, was officially presented on Friday at a ceremony attended by Chinese Ambassador to Spain Yao Jing and Madrid’s Mayor Jose Luis Almeida. “I am very happy to partake in this festival together with the Chinese community and with the people of Madrid. Wherever I go in Spain, I feel the sympathy of the Spanish people towards China and their interest and passion for Chinese culture,” Yao said. Although the Chinese New Year festival, also…

Lao Cai (VNA) – Customs officials will be on duty to ensure smooth flow of goods via Lao Cai Border Gate in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai during Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, head of the province’s economic zone authority Vuong Quoc Vinh said on February 6. A report from the provincial Department of Industry and Trade showed that Lao Cai January cross-border trade reached nearly 183 million USD, a year-on-year surge of 39.66%. The province shipped 62.54 million USD worth of products via the gate, up 30.86% from the same time last year, while spending 38.18 million USD on imports from China, increasing 42.81% yearly. Deputy head of the Lao Cai Border Gate Customs Office Nguyen Thi…

Hanoi, (VNA) – The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last night by the Vietnam News Agency. -President Vo Van Thuong has signed a decision to commute the death penalty to life in prison for five convicts.Read full text – Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue offered incense in memory of President Ho Chi Minh at House 67 in the Presidential Palace complex in Hanoi on February 6, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival. He was also joined by NA Vice Chairmen Tran Thanh Man, Nguyen Khac Dinh, and Tran Quang Phuong, along with NA Secretary General and Chairman of the NA Office Bui Van Cuong.Read full text -The Party…

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – The domestic cement industry expects to bounce back in 2024 thanks to the Government’s tireless efforts to speed up public investment and implementation of key transport infrastructure projects, along with approving many industrial and urban infrastructure ones. At the same time, cement producers are also trying to expand their markets, shifting to several outlets such as the US, Australia, North America, South America and Africa, to reduce dependence on China and take full advantage of the industry which can provide up to 120 million tonnes of products per year. However, the Vietnam Cement Association said some importers of Vietnamese cement and clinker continue to implement policies and technical trade barriers to protect their local cement sectors. In…

Hanoi, (VNA) – The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last night by the Vietnam News Agency. – Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue has urged the medical sector to develop an equal, quality and effective healthcare system towards universal healthcare coverage and social insurance for all. At a working session with the Ministry of Public Health on February 20 ahead of the 69th anniversary of the Vietnamese Doctors’ Day (February 27), the top legislator requested the sector to fully roll out the 12th Party Committee’s Resolution on enhancing people’s healthcare in the new situation so as to improve mental and physical wellbeing, stature, longevity, and life quality of the Vietnamese people.Read full text –…

HANOI (Vietnam News/ANN): The Vietnam customs force is stepping up the fight against cross-border smuggling in northern Lang Son province. This move follows booming import-export activities across these border gates as domestic consumer demand increases ahead of the Tet holiday. Rising cross-border shipments can correspond with an increase in smuggling and trade fraud. Customs officials at Huu Nghi International Border Gate have been implementing new legal regulations related to customs and import and export policies to create favourable conditions for customs clearance and good trading. Officials are also closely inspecting goods and their origins and conducting more comprehensive post-customs clearance inspections. Deputy head of the Huu Nghi Border Gate Customs Branch Phung Van Ba said his unit has deployed solutions…

Lang Son (VNS/VNA) – The customs force is stepping up the fight against cross-border smuggling in northern Lang Son province. This move follows booming import-export activities across these border gates as domestic consumer demand increases ahead of the Tet holiday. Rising cross-border shipments can correspond with an increase in smuggling and trade fraud. Customs officials at Huu Nghi International Border Gate have been implementing new legal regulations related to customs and import and export policies to create favourable conditions for customs clearance and good trading. Officials are also closely inspecting goods and their origins and conducting more comprehensive post-customs clearance inspections. Deputy head of the Huu Nghi Border Gate Customs Branch Phung Van Ba said his unit has deployed solutions…

Hanoi (VNA) – Customs clearance activities have become normal again at all border gates in the northern region after a week-long Lunar New Year holiday. Previously, relevant authorities of China, which also celebrates the Lunar New Year, announced the temporary suspension of customs clearance procedures at border gates in Lang Son and Quang Ninh provinces from February 10-13 (from the first to fourth day of the first lunar month), and the resumption from February 14-17 for trucks and documents registered before Tet. Since February 18, all customs clearance procedures have returned to normal. At Mong Cai international border gate, on February 18 morning alone, 95 vehicles transported over 900 tonnes of agricultural products worth around 3.7 million USD to China.…