Western province under 21 rugby team

World News in Brief: March 3

March 3, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

* Indian government ministers and officials were following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s lead by opting for an Indian-made vaccine instead of the AstraZeneca one.

* Thailand may celebrate its traditional new year Songkran as usual around mid-April, Culture Minister Itthiphol Khunpluem said Wednesday.

* China’s annual coal output will stand at no higher than 4.1 billion tonnes by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), after it climbed 1.4 percent year on year to 3.9 billion tonnes in 2020, said a report issued by the China National Coal Association on Wednesday.

* President Joe Biden said on Tuesday the United States would have enough COVID-19 vaccine for every American adult by the end of May.

* The European Union aims to increase the region’s COVID-19 vaccine production capacity to 2-3 billion doses per year by the end of 2021, Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton was quoted as saying.

* German Chancellor Angela Merkel was expected on Wednesday to agree a gradual relaxation of curbs with regional leaders, but the rules can be tightened again if infections jump.

* Australia will seek the support of the defence forces in its immunisation drive, as it looks to ramp up a vaccination rollout programme that is running behind schedule.

* More than 3.5 million people have been vaccinated in Chile against COVID-19 almost a month after the start of a mass inoculation campaign, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday. It said in a communique that a total of 3,512,326 people have been vaccinated in the country, with 2,259,013 over the age of 60.

* OPEC and other oil producers, a group known as OPEC+, are considering rolling over production cuts into April instead of raising output as oil demand recovery remains fragile due to the coronavirus, three OPEC+ sources told Reuters. OPEC+ ministers hold a full meeting on Thursday.

* Indonesia, with the world’s third biggest rainforest area, reduced the rate of deforestation by 75% last year by controlling forest fires more effectively and limiting clearing of woodland, the Environment Ministry said.

* Negotiators from the Republic of Korea and the United States will hold talks in Washington later this week to discuss how to share the upkeep cost for the US Forces Korea (USFK), Seoul’s foreign ministry said Wednesday.

* The Russian Foreign Ministry urged the US administration “not to play with fire” after Washington on Tuesday announced sanctions against Russian individuals and entities over the alleged poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

* The US Senate is expected to take up Biden’s US$1.9 trillion relief package on Wednesday, with fellow Democrats seeking to advance key priorities and jettison aspects that have drawn unflattering scrutiny.

* Portuguese hotels lost 73% of total revenues last year compared to 2019, the Portuguese Hotel Association (AHP) said on Wednesday, as the COVID-19 pandemic drastically curbed travel from abroad, weighing on the tourism-dependent economy.

* An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck central Greece on Wednesday, sending people rushing from their houses but drawing no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage.

* The World Bank is preparing emergency financing to help about 30 African countries access vaccines, the global lender told Reuters.

* Turkey and Egypt could negotiate a maritime demarcation agreement in the eastern Mediterranean if their ties, which have been strained, allow for such a move, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

* Katyusha rockets were fired on Wednesday on a military airbase housing US-led coalition forces in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, security sources said. A brief statement by the Joint Operations Command said that 10 rockets were fired in the morning on Ayn al-Asad airbase without causing casualties, while the Iraqi forces seized the rocket launcher later.

* Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday urged the United States to lift sanctions to save the nuclear deal, which is also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), official IRNA news agency reported.

* A record number of Ukrainians were taken to hospital with coronavirus over the past 24 hours while the number of deaths remains consistently high.

* Kenya and Senegal received their first batches of the AstraZeneca vaccine under the COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme.

* Merck & Co agreed to make rival Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine.

Lockdown lifted in Hai Duong’s Chi Linh city, Cam Giang district

March 4, 2021 by en.qdnd.vn

On January 27, the first community COVID-19 case in Hai Duong province’s Chi Linh City was detected – Patient 1,552 – a worker in close contact with a woman who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after arriving in Japan.

According to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, Chi Linh city was the largest outbreak in the country since the pandemic began early last year with 383 confirmed cases out of 684 cases reported in Hai Duong province.

The outbreak started at a company with more than 2,300 workers and then spread to the community, which caused difficulties in controlling the infections.

As the outbreak was gradually controlled, Hai Duong province’s authorities decided to end the lockdowns and province-wide social distancing, entering a “new normal” phase with twin tasks of drastically fighting the coronavirus and taking action for socio-economic development.

Secretary of the Hai Duong Provincial Party Committee Pham Xuan Thang applauded efforts made by authorities, health experts and people in fighting the pandemic, particularly contributions of people on the front lines.

Besides lifting the lockdown in Chi Linh city and Cam Giang district and the end of province-wide social distancing, the Hai Duong Province People’s Committee on March 2 decided to divide the localities in the province into two groups under different restrictions depending on the COVID-19 risks.

Until March 17, four high-risk localities, including Hai Duong city, Kinh Mon township, Cam Giang district and Kim Thanh, will be placed under the Government’s Directive 15, the highest level of social distancing first introduced in March last year when the country entered nationwide lockdown. The directive prescribes limiting large gatherings, meetings with over 20 people in-doors or 10 people outdoors, maintaining two meters distance between individuals in public places, non-essential services are shut down, public passenger transport is halted, and travel is heavily restricted.

The remaining eight localities in the province will follow the less restrictive Government’s Directive 19 on social distancing norms.

Hai Duong will continue to halt festivals, religious rituals, sporting events and other unimportant events that require large gatherings in public.

Hai Duong now has about 11,000 such teams with the participation of about 25,000 members.

Then, authorities need to assess the connection between the other areas and the areas where outbreaks happened.

Each locality in the province should also review their preventive measures and strictly follow the Health Ministry’s ‘5K’ message as the pandemic was still developing worldwide. Provinces with industrial zones like Hai Duong were always more vulnerable to disease risks.

Source: VNA

Four-day-long heat wave forecast to take hold across HCMC

March 3, 2021 by english.thesaigontimes.vn

Four-day-long heat wave forecast to take hold across HCMC

The Saigon Times

Motorists wear clothing to protect them from the sun while traveling on the road. A heat wave is likely to descend on HCMC for four days starting tomorrow, March 4 – PHOTO: VNA

HCMC – The southern weather center said that a heat wave is likely to descend on HCMC for four days starting tomorrow, March 4, with temperatures in the southern city expected to reach a maximum 34-35 degrees Celsius.

The heat wave will go on from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. everyday, the center added.

Further, the scorching heat is forecast to spread to some southeastern provinces including Binh Phuoc, Binh Duong and Dong Nai, kicking off high temperatures at 35 degrees Celsius or even higher.

The heat wave could also extend to provinces located in the western part of the Mekong Delta.

The high temperatures coupled with low humidity in the afternoon will trigger sultriness across the south. Accordingly, local residents working outdoors or travelling on the street during the hot days should drink more water to avoid dehydration.

Meanwhile, the temperatures could drop sharply toward the evening, with the cool weather being perfect for outdoor activities.

Teenager Quang moves towards SEA Games glory, one step at a time

March 3, 2021 by vietnamnews.vn

Phùng Kim Quang competes in the National Athletics Championship in 2020. The teenager expects to win a medal at the SEA Games later this year. Photo courtesy of Phùng Kim Quang

Athletics

Thanh Hà

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam have never won a gold medal in the men’s walking event at the regional Southeast Asian (SEA) Games despite having previously qualified for the Olympics in the sport.

Phùng Kim Quang is on a mission to change that.

Walking was little more than a blip on the Vietnamese sporting radar until siblings Nguyễn Thị Thanh Phúc and Nguyễn Thành Ngưng pocketed gold and bronze in the women’s and men’s races at the 25th Games in 2011.

Since then, with better support, Việt Nam have dominated the women’s discipline with four titles. However, the men’s crown is still out of the reach despite three silver medals.

Teenager Quang is the big Vietnamese hope in the sport after recording some outstanding performances at recent domestic competitions.

He is the record holder of the junior tournament and in the top three of the national championship.

Fate

Quang was born in Ba Vì District, in the outskirts of Hà Nội, in 2003.

The naughty little boy loved and played well in all sports such as badminton, shuttlecock, football and track-and-field. After dominating school competitions he became a member of the district athletics team.

Two years later, Quang was among several boys introduced to the walking event, a new sport in the city in 2015. His coach Nguyễn Văn Toản did not pick him at first but when the team did not have enough athletes, Quang was recruited after a second trial.

But Toản, who coached Phạm Thị Thu Trang to the SEA Games women’s title in 2019, gradually found the thin boy was suitable for the sport in which posture is of prime importance while arm, shoulder and leg actions must be well controlled to ensure balance.

After four years in the sport, Quang grabbed his first gold at the National Youth Athletics Championship and a bronze in the National Athletics Championship in 2019.

A year later, the 17-year-old defended his title at the junior 5,000m event and set a new record of 23min 14.21sec, 11 seconds than the old record of 23:14.32 by Dương Hữu Tín of Nghệ An Province in 2013.

“It is a record but I was not very happy. I expected to walk under 22 minutes but the result was more than 23 minutes. I considered it a failure because I could not do it again as I am overage next year,” Quang told Việt Nam News .

Phùng Kim Quang (right) poses for photos after winning a bronze medal together with the champion Nguyễn Thành Ngưng (centre) and silver holder Võ Văn Vĩnh at the 2020 National Athletics Championship in Hà Nội. Photo webthethao.vn

A month later he finished third with a time of 1:37:03 at the National Athletics Championship’s 20km walk.

Despite his strong effort, Quang who suffered a leg injury, could not surpass senior athletes Nguyễn Thành Ngưng and Võ Xuân Vĩnh at the finish line.

“I was really nervous when competing against such experienced rivals although it was my second time. Ngưng and Vĩnh are my seniors and idols. They have won national and international medals,” said Quang.

“However, I have learnt many things from them. From what they knew, they told me how to get better. Ngưng used to tell me ‘effort does not make success immediately, but if you try hard you will make it’. I have pinned it in my mind and will work harder to get better. I will find success by the end of the road,” he said.

Despite the third-place finish, Quang has been tipped for a big future.

“We will invest in Quang with an expectation that he will bring home regional and continental victories and even further he could reach world level if possible,” said Lại Phúc Lộc, deputy director of the Hà Nội Sports and Training Centre.

“We have set plans to send athletes including Quang to compete in open events in Thailand and Singapore (when the COVID-19 pandemic is controlled). Our goal is that Quang will secure a berth in the national team and have a high result in the coming SEA Games,” he added.

It is a huge job for Quang to vie for the national team slot against tough opponents. Ngưng has won the national title for 11 years in a row along with a SEA Games bronze and became the first and only Southeast Asian walker to win an Olympic berth in 2016. The Đà Nẵng-based athlete has vowed not to retire until he wins a SEA Games gold.

Vĩnh is also a big challenge he has finished behind Ngưng many times. He has even outperformed Ngưng in the SEA Games with three silvers in 2013, 2015 and 2019.

The only thing that Quang has on his side is his youth. He will be 18 while Ngưng 29 and Vĩnh 30 at the coming Games.

“My current result does not push me to the national senior team. But it will be my target now. I will have to improve my strength and technique. I also have to decrease my time because I want not only to be part of the coming big tournament but also win a medal,” Quang said. VNS

Vietnam to widely apply nanotechnology

November 13, 2017 by hanoitimes.vn

The Hanoitimes – An international workshop on nanotechnology and its application is being held in Binh Thuan Province of Vietnam from November 9 to 11.

New technologies that work at the nanolevel could be used to produce nano materials for mass market products, Jean-Charles Guibert, chairman of MINATEC, one of the largest world-wide innovation campuses in micro-nano-bio technologies, said.

Guibert told that it was important, however, to set up intellectual property protection in order to use nanomaterials in products.

“Vietnam’s laboratories have the skills, but they need more equipment to develop Vietnamese intellectual property. In addition, it is important to ask public researchers and professors to transfer their knowledge to industry,” he added.

Speaking at an international workshop that began on November 9 in Binh Thuan province, he said that a favourite way to transfer knowledge to industry is via the creation of startups as they can move inventions into innovation for the market.

“This trend is supported by young researchers looking to develop their own company,” Guibert said. At MINATEC laboratories, materials are at the core of multiple applications fueled by innovative startup products, he said.

He added MINATEC campus teams have created more than 50 material-based companies, he said, adding that this supported the MINATEC business model, with strong income in terms of R&D contracts and licences. Today, 30 percent of campus revenue is based on income from these startups.

The three-day workshop features a broad scope of important issues in nanotechnology, ranging from nanofabrication techniques and nanomaterials. Applications of micro-nanotechnology are also being highlighted.

Nae-Eung Lee, a lecturer at Sunkyunkwan University’s department of advanced materials science and engineering in the Republic of Korea, spoke about the essential requirements for developing nanosensors for smart and wearable electronics. Sensors are critical components in many smart wearable systems that can be used for bio-medical diagnostics, prosthetics, prognostics, preventive medicine and rehabilitation medicine, according to Lee.

Integration of various sensor devices into mobile smartphones is now being investigated, which would enable the analysis of bio-markers from various body fluids, monitor physiological parameters, and detect hazardous gases around humans, he added. For these purposes, the development of various sensors with high sensitivity, accuracy, durability and stability is required, he said.

Nguyen Duc Hoa, Vice Chairman of the Binh Thuan provincial People’s Committee, said that nanotechnology would help develop the economy in the fourth industrial revolution.

The International Workshop on Nanotechnology and Application, which ends on November 11, connects scientists, researchers, enterprises and investors, and strengthens co-operation in scientific research, training and nanotechnology, with the aim of making products that encourage sustainable growth, Hoa said.