BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Brunei government abolished the existing cement import quota policy effective from January 1, 2017.
Cement prices in the sultanate are set to fall with the government decision, a local cement distributor told Xinhua on Tuesday after Brunei's Energy and Industry Department at the Prime Minister's Office (EIDPMO) issued a press release late Monday regarding the abolishment.
"Brunei had maintained the cement import quota policy for many years in the name of protecting local manufacturer", he said on condition of anonymity.
"This new policy is expected to open up the market for all types of cement, boosting construction activities in the country at a time when the country is striving to diversify its economy away from oil and gas".
Brunei's cement market was previously regulated under an import quota system where the quantity of imported cement was controlled and limited. A World Trade Organization trade policy review on Brunei issued in May 2001 stated that "there also appears to be a 'temporary' ban on imports of cement to protect local producers".
"The new policy will provide more opportunities in the construction and other sectors, create more spin-offs for our local micro, small and medium enterprises and benefit the people as a whole because an open market will result in competition which in turn will reduce prices of cement and the cost of construction," EIDPMO said in the press release.
"This will also ensure that there will be sufficient cement supply. The cheaper price will also promote export opportunities for local producers."
"A Committee for Registration of Cement Importers has been set up to oversee and implement the new policy. It will work to protect the interests of the consumers by establishing standards of cement quality and endeavouring to maintain adequate supplies of cement," the EIDPMO statement added.
SYDNEY, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Australian police have made the oldest cold case arrest in the country's history, apprehending a Melbourne man over a 47-year-old murder.
The 63-year-old man was arrested in Frankston, south-east of Melbourne, late on Wednesday with police saying he would be charged with the abduction and murder of Cheryl Grimmer on Jan. 12, 1970.
Grimmer was three years old when she went missing from the public change rooms at Fairy Meadow Beach, near Woolongong in New South Wales (NSW).
At a press conference on Thursday morning police said they had come to the conclusion that she had died within an hour of being abducted.
The arrested man, who reportedly has a grown up family of his own, was just 16 years of age at the time of Grimmer's disappearance.
News Limited reported that the man told friends about the crime 18 months after the incident at a boys' home.
Police interviewed the accused man, who now goes by a different name than he did then, in 1971 but did not press charges despite the man was divulging details of the crime.
He presented himself to the Frankston police station on Wednesday where he was interviewed for the second time and subsequently arrested and charged.
The case has become one of Australia's most notorious cold cases with Cheryl's brothers, Ricki, Stephen and Paul, continuing the search for their younger sister for 47 years.
In an interview in December 2016, Stephen Grimmer, 52, said the family had never gotten over Cheryl's disappearance.
"You never get over it," he said.
"I ride past (Fairy Meadow beach) all the time and I always look... so it's always on my mind."
He said that both his mother and father died without knowing what had happened to their daughter.
BEIJING Cheap Pedro Jersey , Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's meteorological authority on Saturday morning renewed weather alert to a yellow one for the approaching typhoon Mujigae, which is expected to batter China's southern regions.
Mujigae, the 22nd typhoon of the year Cheap Nemanja Matic Jersey , has entered the northern part of South China Sea in the morning, and is expected to move northwest at a speed of 20 km per hour with strengthening force, according to the National Meteorological Center.
It is expected to land on coastal areas of northeast Hainan Province on Sunday before noon Cheap N’Golo Kante Jersey , with the speed at the center of the typhoon topping 151.2 km per hour at landfall
The typhoon will bring gales to coastal regions of Guangdong and Hainan provinces in the coming two days. Most parts of Hainan and southwestern Guangdong will see heavy or torrential rain.
China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange Cheap Michy Batshuayi Jersey , yellow and blue.
Unlike shoes that depend on high-style, flash and pinache, or name brand identification as selling points Cheap Marcos Alonso Jersey , London-based Pointer shoes is the hip alternative, founded by Gareth Skewis and run by a self-proclaimed group of “co-conspirators” who desire to allow art, music Cheap Loic Remy Jersey , style, play and history to embody the shape, colors and forms of their men’s and women’s footwear. Those who prefer limited edition sneakers or thick skateboard shoes Cheap Kyle Scott Jersey , or identify with a brand name may not find what they like in the simple and subtle designs.
The lines are clean, the colors are mostly neutral or seasonal, but each shoe has its own special character and is handmade in China and Portugal using locally acquired resources and leather. The main achievement is a high-quality brand that puts forward an emphasis on de-emphasis Cheap Kenedy Jersey , a straight nod towards history and the artistry of shoemaking itself. In this sense, Pointer footwear manages to establish a fine balance between craftsmanship and creativity.