Countries that accept world passport

Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and Head of the Vietnam’s Delegation to the EU Nguyen Van Thao (centre) speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA) Brussels (VNA) - A roundtable workshop on cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) was held in Brussels, Belgium on September 30. The event, part of activities to celebrate the 45th founding anniversary of ASEAN-EU ties, was hosted by the Embassy of Thailand in association with the ASEAN Brussels Committee. The three-session workshop focused on the fields of green development, connectivity, and trade and sustainable supply chain. Participants agreed on the significance of the ASEAN-EU strategic partnership, especially amid uncertainties in the regions and the world, along with emerging risks of supply chain disruption, food and energy security. EU delegates said the union will give priority to green and sustainable development, ensuring safety of supply chain and … [Read more...] about ASEAN, EU discuss lifting cooperation to new height

Hanoi – A regional information platform for energy transition SIPET, targeted at professionals, has been launched by the Clean, Affordable, and Secure Energy for Southeast Asia (CASE) to facilitate dialogue and promote coordination in the region’s power sector to support the acceleration of the energy transition in the region. A wind power farm in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu. (Photo: VNA) Energy demand is projected to grow by 80 percent by 2050. Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam represent nearly three-quarters of total power generation in Southeast Asia; therefore, the ability of the region to meet its development goals largely depends on the countries’ current and future energy choices. Yet, energy transition stakeholders in Southeast Asia have highlighted in a survey a series of common challenges: a lack of institutional capacity; a lack of platforms for timely information and intelligence sharing; excessive time spent in coordination; and … [Read more...] about Southeast Asia’s information platform for energy transition debuts

Supply down, demand up In its August report, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) lowered the global rice production forecast for the 2022-2023 crop to 512.4 million tonnes, down 2.3 million tonnes compared with its previous forecast, and down 1.2 million tonnes compared with the 2021-2022 crop, due to decreased rice production in India, Bangladesh and Europe. The USDA also reduced its inventory forecast to 178.5 million tonnes, down 4.2 million tonnes compared with the previous forecast and down three percent compared with the 2021-2022 crop, marking the third consecutive year of rice inventory decline. Contrary to production, the USDA raised the global rice consumption forecast for the 2022-2023 crop to a record level 518.7 million tonnes, up 100,000 tonnes compared with the previous forecast, and up more than two million tonnes compared with the 2021-2022 crop. Increased consumption is forecast for Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Vietnam. … [Read more...] about Bright prospects for rice exports

Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz  (L) shakes hands with Mr. Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee ( Photo: SGGP) On the afternoon of October 1, Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen received Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz and a high-ranking delegation of the Cuban Government during their working visit to Ho Chi Minh City. At the meeting, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen sent respectful greetings from the city’s leaders and city dwellers to Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz and a high-ranking delegation of the Cuban Government. Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen expressed his sincere thanks to the Government and people of Cuba for their assistance with the Covid-19 vaccine to help Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City, overcome the Covid-19 pandemic. Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen … [Read more...] about HCMC, Cuba have enormous potential for cooperation: HCMC Secretary

The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the VietinBank - MUFG strategic alliance. This is a significant milestone on the good collaboration journey of the two banks with so many special memories. A series of activities has been planned to celebrate the 10th anniversary. To kick-start the celebrations, on September 22, 2022, VietinBank and MUFG held a ceremony to launch the logo of the 10th anniversary of the VietinBank – MUFG strategic alliance. The decade-long alliance between both banks is symbolized by the fusion of their corporate colors within the anniversary logo – a synergy of VietinBank’s trusted blue and MUFG’s vibrant red. Inspired by the sun as the world’s greatest source of energy as well as the beauty of the Vietnamese lotus flowers and Japanese cherry blossoms, the anniversary logo also blends cultural elements from both countries and reaffirms the commitment of the banks toward fostering bilateral economic ties. Their union is an exemplary demonstration of … [Read more...] about The 10th anniversary logo of VietinBank – MUFG strategic alliance

The event, part of activities to celebrate the 45th founding anniversary of ASEAN-E.U. ties, was hosted by the Embassy of Thailand in association with the ASEAN Brussels Committee. The three-session workshop focused on the fields of green development, connectivity, and trade and sustainable supply chain. Participants agreed on the significance of the ASEAN-E.U. strategic partnership, especially amid uncertainties in the regions and the world, along with emerging risks of supply chain disruption, food and energy security. E.U. delegates said the union will give priority to green and sustainable development, ensuring safety of supply chain and adaptation to fluctuations in the time to come, with ASEAN in general and its member countries being important partners of the E.U. It is to expand cooperation with ASEAN in green transition, renewable energy, climate change adaptation, infrastructure connectivity and digital transformation, among others. Chairing the discussion on … [Read more...] about ASEAN, E.U. discuss lifting cooperation to new height

Breast cancer discoveries and mRNA vaccines are seen as possible winners when the Nobel Medicine Prize kicks off a week of winner announcements on Monday, with this year's awards held under the shadow of war in Europe. Established more than 120 years ago before Europe was ravaged by two world wars, the Nobel prizes will celebrate those who have "conferred the greatest benefit on mankind" after a year marked by bloodshed and devastation in Ukraine. The Medicine Prize will be announced around 11:30 am (0930 GMT) in Stockholm on Monday, followed by the awards for physics on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The Peace Prize, the most highly anticipated of the awards and the only one announced in Oslo, will follow on Friday, with the Economics Prize wrapping things up on October 10. For medicine, one woman's name keeps popping up among prize watchers: US geneticist Mary-Claire King, who in 1990 discovered the BRCA1 gene responsible for a hereditary form of … [Read more...] about Medicine Prize opens Nobel week clouded by war

The death toll from Hurricane Ian climbed past 80 on Sunday as embattled residents in Florida and the Carolinas faced a recovery expected to cost tens of billions of dollars, and some officials faced criticism over their response to the storm. The death toll was expected to keep rising as floodwaters receded and search teams pushed farther into areas initially cut off from the outside world. Hundreds of people have been rescued as emergency workers sifted through homes and buildings inundated with water or completely washed away. At least 85 storm-related deaths have been confirmed since Ian crashed ashore Florida's Gulf Coast with catastrophic force on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour (240 km per hour). A destroyed car is seen in the Matanzas Pass after Hurricane Ian caused widespread destruction in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, U.S., October 1, 2022. Photo: Reuters Florida accounted for all but four of the … [Read more...] about Hurricane Ian death toll climbs to 83, officials defend response

Vaccination against rabies at Pasteur Institute in HCMC (File photo: SGGP) The Ministry of Health has just sent an official dispatch to people's committees in provinces and cities nationwide to prevent rabies because some provinces such as the Mekong Delta provinces of Ben Tre, Kien Giang, and the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai which are not hotspots for rabies have seen an increase in rabies cases. Rabies is still a dangerous infectious disease causing epidemics with the highest number of deaths per person in the world as well as in Vietnam. From 2017 to 2021, 76 people succumbed to rabies on average per year. Rabies is a deadly virus spread to people from the saliva of infected animals. The rabies virus is usually transmitted through a bite. If a person does not receive appropriate medical care after a potential rabies exposure, the virus can cause disease in the brain, ultimately resulting in death. The direct cause of death is that people bitten by suspected rabies … [Read more...] about Ministry urges local authorities to fight rabies

A representative of the Health Ministry said it has received the city's report and will make an official announcement. Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Health is cooperating with relevant agencies to monitor infections and stop them, it announced. Border gates have ramped up monitoring measures,. Suspected monkeypox cases at the border would be diagnosed and their medical and travel history analyzed. Those with symptoms and risk factors would be directed towards the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases, which has been designated as the treatment facility for severe cases, or other general hospitals with quarantine capabilities. People can come to their nearest district-level hospitals to be tested for monkeypox if they have potential symptoms. Samples would be sent to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases or the Pasteur Institute for analysis. As people wait for their test results, they would need to either self-isolate or be isolated in hospitals. Potential symptoms include … [Read more...] about HCMC reports first monkeypox case