The trip has contributed to promoting the relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the U.S., and between Vietnam and the U.N. and the U.S., while affirming Vietnam’s role and prestige in the international arena. During his week-long stay in the U.S., the PM visited the four cities of Washington D.C, Boston, New York, and San Francisco, with more than 50 activities. He attended and delivered speeches at the summit, and met with ASEAN leaders, including his counterparts from Laos, Cambodia and Singapore, and the Indonesian President. Chinh also had meetings with U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russel, President of the U.N. General Assembly Abdulla Shahid and Administrator of the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) Achim Steiner. He met President Joe Biden, and received senior officials of the U.S. government such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Secretary of … [Read more...] about Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh concludes U.S. trip
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Pollution killing 9 million people a year, Africa hardest hit: study
Worsening outdoor air pollution and toxic lead poisoning have kept global deaths from environmental contamination at an estimated 9 million per year since 2015 – countering modest progress made in tackling pollution elsewhere, a team of scientists reported Tuesday. Air pollution from industry processes along with urbanization drove a 7% increase in pollution-related deaths from 2015 to 2019, according to the scientists’ analysis of data on global mortality and pollution levels. "We're sitting in the stew pot and slowly burning," said Richard Fuller, a study co-author and head of the global nonprofit Pure Earth. But unlike climate change, malaria, or HIV, "we haven't given (environmental pollution) much focus." An earlier version of the work published in 2017 also estimated the death toll from pollution at roughly 9 million per year — or about one of every six deaths worldwide — and the cost to the global economy at up to $4.6 trillion per year. That puts pollution on par with … [Read more...] about Pollution killing 9 million people a year, Africa hardest hit: study
Unvaccinated tourists not exempted from quarantine upon arrival in Cambodia
Tourists at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia (Photo: khmertimeskh.com) Phnom Penh (VNA) - Tourists who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 will not be exempted from quarantine when entering Cambodia, according to the national press agency of Cambodia AKP . AKP quoted Prime Minister Hun Sen as saying at a meeting on May 17 with the Samdech Techo Young Volunteer Doctors Association (TYDA) that Cambodia welcomes all visitors, but people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 must still be quarantined for seven days. The PM emphasised that Cambodia has overcome the epidemic waves caused by variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus such as Alpha, Delta and Omicron, but has not yet conquered COVID-19. Cambodia is devoting all of its efforts to pushing the COVID-19 vaccination programme, so unvaccinated travellers cannot enter without quarantine. Travellers who have been immunized against COVID-19 do not need to be quarantined and are not required to take rapid or … [Read more...] about Unvaccinated tourists not exempted from quarantine upon arrival in Cambodia
Conference discusses Public-Private Partnerships in healthcare
A panel discussion at the conference on strengthening ‘Public-Private Partnership for sustainable healthcare transformation’ in Hanoi on May 18. (Photo: VNA) Opening the event, the newspaper's editor-in-chief Le Trong Minh said that Vietnam's health sector faced many challenges, such as increasing infectious and non-communicable diseases, hospital overcrowding, shortage of supplies and equipment, the ageing population as well as the disparity between regions and healthcare levels in terms of quality of medical services and standardisation of modern equipment. “For the health system to be capable and always ready to respond to future situations, towards a comprehensive and sustainable health care system, it is necessary to have new investment orientations in social resources for the health system, as well as stronger cooperation from the parties involved, including the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) method,” said Minh. At the event, MPI deputy minister Tran Duy Dong said it … [Read more...] about Conference discusses Public-Private Partnerships in healthcare
Techcombank eyes seat at top Southeast Asian banking table
"Even in the very tough environment we are seeing, our employees have maintained a high quality and reliable service for our customers and this is helping us deliver stellar performance year after year," said Jens Lottner, CEO of Techcombank. Last year, the bank continued to reduce costs while focusing on building deposits in its current accounts and savings accounts (CASA), which Lottner described as a "stable and cheap" source of funding. Techcombank’s CASA ratio, which reflects the percentage of the bank’s total deposits that are CASA, jumped from 46.1 percent in 2020 to 50.5 percent last year, on its way to the bank’s target of 55 percent by 2025. Techcombank’s net interest margin (NIM), a measure of the difference between the interest received by the bank and the amount paid out to lenders, also increased 69 basis points to 5.6 percent during the year. "Together, these improving metrics, along with our effective cost management, translated into an excellent profit before tax … [Read more...] about Techcombank eyes seat at top Southeast Asian banking table
Lenders reinforcing presence with bond issuance
Lenders reinforcing presence with bond issuance, Photo Shinhan Bank Vietnam Shinhan Bank Vietnam last week successfully issued bonds totalling VND2.8 trillion ($121.7 million), with a tenor of two years. CEO Kang Gew Won explained to VIR, “This is the first time that Shinhan Bank Vietnam has issued bonds in the Vietnamese market. This offering reinforces Shinhan Bank’s long-standing relationship with Vietnam. Our bank will use these proceeds from the bond sale to expand the bank’s credit activities, diversify its capital sources, serve its business objectives, and also ensure the bank’s long-term development.” On April 20, Shinhan Bank Vietnam also formally announced the use of the liquidity reserve ratio and net stable capital ratio in liquidity risk management, in accordance with Basel III standards. In recent times, the bank has been continuously assigned a BB rating by Standard & Poor’s, with a “Positive” outlook. Prior to Shinhan Bank, HSBC Vietnam became the … [Read more...] about Lenders reinforcing presence with bond issuance