China state group says official meddling contributed to default wave

Hastily converted from sports stadiums, schools and cultural venues, Wuhan's 16 makeshift "ark" hospitals were designed to ease the burden on the city's overstretched healthcare system. (Photo: AFP/STR) When 43-year-old Ma was first summoned to a sports stadium converted into a medical facility on Feb 4, it was a virtual construction site with electrical wiring and beds still being installed. Separated from his wife and young child who had returned to eastern Shandong province for Chinese New Year, Ma said he felt "scared and anxious" when the call from the jury-rigged Wuchang hospital came in the middle of the night. But the situation has slowly improved, with the number of patients receiving treatment in the improvised hospital declining from a high of 760 in mid-February to 320 earlier this week. "We had 30-40 patients being discharged per day, but the number of patients admitted was only a dozen or so. This was when the whole situation changed for us," Ma, who is the … [Read more...] about Wuhan doctor recounts fears and hope at COVID-19 frontline

A farewell ceremony was held Tuesday morning at the Air Force Division 271 military airport for the second sortie of the Rotation 4 of Việt Nam's Level-2 Field Hospital to UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.  VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức HÀ NỘI — A send-off ceremony for the 2nd sortie of Rotation 4 of Việt Nam’s Level-2 Field Hospital to a UN peacekeeping missions in South Sudan was held on Tuesday in the military airfield of Division 371 of the Air Defence – Air Force Service. Speaking at the event, Major General Hoàng Kim Phụng, director of the Việt Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, expressed his hope that members of the detachment would successfully complete the tasks entrusted in them by the Party, State, Army and the people. He urged the group to well perform the role of "ambassador" of peace and friendship, contributing to raising the prestige and international position of the country and the Việt Nam People's Army globally. Australia again provided the … [Read more...] about Field hospital team leaves for UN peacekeeping mission

US Embassy and officials from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs opened the US-Việt Nam Cooperation Centre at the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam on Tuesday in Hà Nội. — Photo courtesy of the US Embassy in Việt Nam HÀ NỘI — US Ambassador to Việt Nam Marc Knapper, Assistant Foreign Minister Đỗ Hùng Việt, Acting President of Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam Phạm Lan Dung together opened the new US-Việt Nam Cooperation Centre on Tuesday at the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam (DAV) in Hà Nội. The new US-Việt Nam Cooperation Centre is a partnership between the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy in Hà Nội and the DAV and is located on the academy’s campus. This partnership highlights not only the importance of the US-Việt Nam relationship, but demonstrates the US commitment to supporting the development of a strong, prosperous, and independent Việt Nam. The US-Việt Nam Cooperation Centre at DAV joins the American Hangout at Thái Nguyên University as the second … [Read more...] about New US-Việt Nam Cooperation Centre opens in Hà Nội

The event, which took place on May 17, was part of the ‘Rethinking Plastics - Circular Economy Solutions to Marine Litter’ project, financed by the EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The German development agency GIZ and Expertise France are the implementers of the project itself. Held in a hybrid format in collaboration with Vinamarine, the workshop boasted 40 participants from the Ministry of Transport (MoT) and various ports across Vietnam, as well as more than 100 online participants from ASEAN and other regions. It was suggested that Vinamarine and the MoT look into developing a strategy on capacity building for ship waste management in ASEAN with other countries. Tran Viet Ha, deputy director at the International Cooperation Department for the MoT said, “We need global efforts and regional cooperation, so we encourage ASEAN member states to work together.” Vinamarine will send a new proposal via the ASEAN Secretariat, Ha added. “The … [Read more...] about Promoting regional cooperation on ship waste management