New year

Addressing the second day of a two-day meeting, Biden said "a great deal of history of our world in the next 50 years is going to be written in the ASEAN countries, and our relationship with you is the future, in the coming years and decades." The summit marks the first time that ASEAN leaders gathered as a group in Washington and their first meeting hosted by a U.S. president since 2016. The Biden administration hopes the effort will show that Washington remains focused on the Indo-Pacific and the long-term challenge of China, which it views as its main competitor, despite the crisis in Ukraine. "We're launching a new era - a new era - in U.S.-ASEAN relations," Biden said. Earlier, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris told ASEAN leaders the United States would remain in the region for generations and stressed the need to maintain freedom of the seas, which Washington says is challenged by China. "The United States and ASEAN have shared a vision for this region, and together we … [Read more...] about US-ASEAN summit marks ‘new era’ for ties: Biden

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam recorded a total 2,227 new cases of COVID-19 and no death in the past 24 hours to 4pm May 13, according to the Ministry of Health. Hanoi reported the highest number of infections on the day with 495 cases, followed by Nghe An with 123 and Phu Tho with 120. The northern province of Bac Giang added 443 cases to the national log after verifying information. The country has to date logged 10,693,141 COVID-19 cases, including 43,063 deaths. A total 9,065 COVID-19 patients were given the all clear on May 13, bringing the number of recoveries so far to 9,344,029. There are 333 patients needing breathing support. By May 12, the country had injected 216,512,573 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including 2,192,003 first shots for children from 5 to 11 years old./. VNA … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Vietnam reports 2,227 new cases on May 13

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tested positive for COVID-19 with moderate symptoms, her office said in a statement on Saturday. She will not be in Parliament for the government's Emissions Reduction Plan on Monday and the coming Budget on Thursday. "Travel arrangements for her trade mission to the United States are unaffected at this stage," the statement added. Ardern had been symptomatic since Friday evening, returning a weak positive at night and a clear positive on Saturday morning on a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), the statement said. At this stage her symptoms are moderate and she has been in isolation since May 8 when her partner Clarke Gayford tested positive, it said. Due to the positive RAT, Ardern will be required to isolate until the morning of May 21, and undertake what duties she can remotely this week. Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson will address media in her place on Monday. "This is a milestone week for the Government and I'm gutted I can't … [Read more...] about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tests positive for COVID

The opening of Eisai's new office in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City The company’s new office is located in Saigon Giai Phong Tower, 432-438 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. Eisai Vietnam also signed an MoU with the Vietnam Neurological Association to increase access to diagnosis and improve the quality of treatment for the Alzheimer's community up to 2025. Eisai Vietnam is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. – a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. Founded in 1941, Eisai Group currently has 46 companies and subsidiaries and more than 10,000 employees worldwide. Eisai's corporate philosophy is to think about patients and their families first and to increase the benefits that health care provides to address significant unmet medical needs. Eisai's corporate philosophy is to think about patients and their families first and to increase the benefits that health care provides … [Read more...] about Eisai Vietnam opens new office and enters strategic partnership

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Saturday that the spread of COVID-19 had put the country in "great turmoil" and called for an all-out battle to overcome the epidemic, while 21 new deaths were reported for a day earlier among people with fevers. North Korea made an unprecedented admission of its first COVID outbreak this week, after claiming no infections for more than two years since the start of the pandemic, but there was no sign a rigorous testing or treatment campaign was under way. Given North Korea's limited testing capabilities, the numbers released probably represent a small fraction of total infections, which could lead to thousands of deaths in one of only two countries without a COVID vaccination campaign, according to experts. The country's ruling Workers' Party met for an emergency meeting and heard reports of about 280,810 people being treated and 27 overall deaths since a fever of unidentified origins was reported starting in late April, KCNA … [Read more...] about North Korea’s Kim says COVID ‘great turmoil’ as 21 new deaths reported

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – A total 1,895 new case s of COVID-19 were recorded in the past 24 hours from 4pm May 13 to 4pm May 14, according to the Ministry of Health. Hanoi reported the highest number of infections on the day with 489 cases, followed by Nghe An with 115 and Quang Ninh with 95. The national tally reached 10,695,036. A total 5,563 COVID-19 patients were given the all clear on May 12, bringing the number of recoveries so far to 9,349,592. There are 340 patients needing breathing support, while two death s were recorded in the past 24 hours, taking the total fatalities to 43,065. By May 11, the country had injected 216,808,145doses of COVID-19 vaccine s, including 2,389,589first shots and 1,676 second shots for children from 5 to 11 years old./. VNA … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Vietnam reports 1,895 new cases on May 14

The HCMC Department of Education and Training announces a draft plan on new tuition fees that are expected to be applied from the academic year 2022-2023 in the city. Under the plan, the new monthly education costs will increase from VND60,000 to VND300,000 a student of Thu Duc City and districts across the city; and from VND30,000 to VND100,000 a student in rural residential areas of Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, Nha Be and Can Gio. Primary schools are free of charge. The above fee is the basis to support pupils of private primary schools or private students who are eligible for the policy of tuition fee exemption. HCMC has currently spent 20 percent of the State budget on education and training. However, this amount only ensures the basic costs for the teaching staff, but infrastructure investment, and professional activities. The new tuition fees are expected to ensure a fair in the education sector, contribution of families and students, and adjustment of the State … [Read more...] about HCMC proposes new tuition fee from academic year 2022-2023

An 18-year-old white gunman shot 10 people to death and wounded three on Saturday at a grocery store in a Black neighborhood of upstate New York, before surrendering after what authorities called an act of "racially motivated violent extremism." Authorities said the suspect, who was armed with an assault-style rifle and appeared to have acted alone, drove to Buffalo from his home several hours away to launch the afternoon attack that he broadcast in real time on social media platform Twitch, a live video service owned by Amazon.com. Eleven of the 13 people struck by gunfire were Black, officials said. The two others were white. The racial breakdown of the dead was not made clear. Court papers named the suspect as Payton Gendron of Conklin, a town of about 5,000 people in New York's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border. He was arraigned hours after the shooting in state court on first-degree murder charges, which carry a maximum penalty of life in prison without … [Read more...] about Gunman kills 10 in live-streamed racial attack on New York state supermarket

Spraying sterilised substances at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases No 2 to prevent SARS-CoV-2 virus from spreading (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The National Hospital for Tropical Diseases has discovered two new variants of SARS-CoV-2 , namely B.1.222 and B.1.619, after gene sequencing of patient samples. Van Dinh Trang, Head of the Microbiology and Molecular Biology Ward under the hospital, told the Suc khoe & Doi song (Health and Life) newspaper that the B.1.222 variant had appeared in 11 countries, but was most common in the UK and particularly Scotland. This strain has many mutations on the spike protein different from the Indian strain B.1.617.2. Variant B.1.222 was discovered when the hospital’s COVID-19 research team sequenced the SARS-CoV-2 gene from the oropharyngeal specimen of a 29-year-old patient, a Ukrainian expert. The patient was quarantined immediately after entering Vietnam. Variant B.1.619 has spike protein similar to Indian strain … [Read more...] about Vietnam discovers two new strains of SARS-CoV-2 from imported cases

FPT Software is providing services to more than 700 customers worldwide, including 100 Fortune Global 500 firms. FPT Software, a subsidiary of Vietnamese FPT Corporation, on May 15 opened an office in New York, marking its 10th in the US to tap the annual IT growth rate of 6% in the world’s leading IT market. The opening ceremony was attended by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who is on his week-long visit to the US. The opening ceremony of FPT Software's New York Office was attended by Vietnam's PM Pham Minh Chinh (4th from left), and representatives from Vietnam and the US. Photos: VGP Located at 295 Madison Avenue, Midtown Manhattan, the new office, which is FPT Software’s 58th unit globally, aims to continue providing services and digital transformation to dozens of Fortune 500 in the US. Midtown Manhattan is the financial hub of New York City, which is home to famous buildings namely the Empire State, Chrysler, and Rockefeller Center that … [Read more...] about FPT opens new office in New York, 10th in US