David gardners

Vietnam’s human capital index 2020 is higher than average for the East Asia & Pacific region and lower-middle income countries, although the stunted rate among children reached up to 25%, according to the World Bank. This information comes following the release of the World Bank’s 2020 Human Capital Index, which features health and education data from 174 countries up to March, therefore covering 98% of the world’s population, which provides a pre-pandemic baseline on the health and education of children. The latest report sees the country’s human capital index value increase from 0.66 to 0.69 between 2010 and 2020. With regard to the probability of survival to the age of five, 98 out of 100 children born in the nation survive to the age of five while a local child who starts school at the age of four can expect to complete 12.9 years of school by the time they are 18. In fact, the expected years at school adds up to only 10.7 years. Despite this, the country still faces major challenge in improving the human capital index due to the stunted rate among children remaining relatively heigh, especially among ethnic minority groups. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic threatens hard-fought gains in terms of health and education over the past decade, especially in the poorest countries, the latest World Bank analysis states. Investment in human capital, in relation to the knowledge, skills, and health that people accumulate over their lifetimes, are key to unlocking a child’s potential and to improving economic growth worldwide. The analysis indicates that before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries recorded steady progress in terms of building human capital of children, with the biggest strides made in low-income countries. Despite this progress, even before the negative effects of COVID-19 were felt, a child born in a typical country could expect to achieve just 56% of their potential human capital, relative to …

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Hurdles lie ahead Despite being severely impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Vietnamese exports to various CPTPP markets over the past year have made significant progress due to tariff preferences brought about by the trade pact. However, delegates attending a conference reviewing two years on from the implementation of the CPTPP said there remains challenges that must be swiftly addressed. Addressing the conference held jointly between the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Australian Embassy in Hanoi, Vu Tien Loc, president of the VCCI, noted that benefits from the opportunities of the pact remain limited, alongside plenty of technical matters and commitments which have so far proven to be unfavourable for domestic businesses. Meanwhile, firms attributed these limitations to poor competitive capacity and unpredictable market fluctuations. In addition, they complained about their limited knowledge of Vietnamese commitments as part of the CPTPP, as well as the shortcomings of State agencies in terms of executing the deal and other free trade agreements (FTAs) that affect implementation of the trade pact. A survey carried out by the VCCI indicates that 69% of businesses have heard about or have acquired rudimentary knowledge of the CPTPP, a rather high figure when compared to other FTAs. However, only one of every 20 respondents is aware of CPTPP commitments relating to their own operation, whilst one of every four enjoys benefits from the trade pact. A total of 75% of respondents have yet to benefit from the CPTPP as they have no business related to the markets or partners who have joined the deal, explained Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, director of the World Trade Organisation and Integration under the VCCI. Trang added that relevant State management agencies have attempted to complete the legal framework in order to fully implement the CPTPP, although when it comes to implementation the majority of documents have been …

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* Germany, France and other European nations announced plans to resume using AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday after EU and British regulators moved to shore up confidence in the shot, saying its benefits outweigh the risks. * Johnson & Johnson is developing several next-generation vaccines against the emerging variants of the coronavirus, its CEO said. * Japan will lift the state of emergency in the Tokyo area on Sunday, its prime minister said, while the capital's governor warned citizens not to let down their guard. * India's coronavirus infections surged to more than a three-month high on Friday, led by a record daily increase in the western state of Maharashtra, where authorities have adopted fresh curbs to restrain the spread of the disease. * Russia registered 9,699 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 4,437,938, the country's COVID-19 response center said in a statement Friday. Meanwhile, another 443 deaths from the virus were reported, taking the country's death toll to 94,267. * Cuba's drug regulatory authority on Thursday approved a second COVID-19 vaccine candidate for late-stage clinical trials as the country races to secure a homegrown shot to quell its worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic and sell abroad. * The African Union said African countries should continue to use AstraZeneca's vaccine, echoing WHO by saying the shot's benefits outweighed risks. * Republic of Korea's economy is still faced with weak domestic demand on the back of the continued COVID-19 pandemic, a government report said Friday. * France imposed a month-long lockdown on Paris and parts of the north after a faltering vaccine rollout and spread of highly contagious coronavirus variants forced President Emmanuel Macron to shift course. * The Czech government has agreed to extend restrictions on movement among districts beyond March 21 until further notice as the pandemic ebbs slowly. * France, …

[Read more...] about World News in Brief: March 19