Paris terror attacks

/ May 25, 2021

Vietnam condemns deliberate attacks against peacekeepers in UNSC open debate

Peacekeepers of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan during a patrol on March 7, 2018. (Photo: Reuters) New York (VNA) – Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy , Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, condemned deliberate attacks targeting UN peacekeepers during an UN Security Council (UNSC) open debate via video teleconference (VTC) on May 24. The debate on “UN peacekeeping operations: Improving Safety and Security of Peacekeepers” was attended by Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare and Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security Gilles Michaud. UN peacekeepers play a very important role in de-escalating tension and ending conflicts, enforcing ceasefire and political agreements, protecting civilians and facilitating the provision of humanitarian assistance, Quy said. They help fulfill the UN mission's mandate and the responsibility of the UNSC in maintaining international peace and security. However, peacekeepers are facing a growing number of deliberate attacks and accidents while performing their duties, he said, urging all parties to observe international laws and related UNSC resolutions to enhance their safety and security. The Vietnamese ambassador asked the UN and its member states to double efforts to improve peacekeepers’ preparedness through training and updating training programmes among others, while making sure they are fully equipped with necessary facilities, information and resources, and protected against emerging threats, such as COVID-19 and improvised explosive devices. He particularly called for more attention to be paid to protecting female peacekeepers. He reiterated Vietnam’s support for UN peacekeeping operations and that the country attaches great importance to guaranteeing safety and security of peacekeepers. According to the UN, since 2013, more than 260 peacekeepers have died as a result of malicious attacks, and there …

/ May 10, 2021

Asian stocks mixed after US jobs miss, oil up after cyber attack

A man wearing a face mask walks past an electronic board displaying Japanese companies' share prices of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on April 30, 2021.(Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) Investors have for months been fretting the surge in activity expected in the second half of the year as economies reopen will send prices rocketing, forcing central banks -- particularly the Federal Reserve -- to wind back their ultra-loose monetary policies. But Friday's big miss on jobs last month -- 266,000 created compared with a forecast one million -- soothed those worries, with analysts saying the easy money measures including record-low interest rates will remain in place for some time. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the data "underscores the long-haul climb back to recovery" but added that she was still confident the country would return to full employment next year. The Dow and S&P 500 finished at all-time highs, while the Nasdaq gained nearly one percent. "At the moment the view is very much that inflation is transitory," Mo Apabhai, at Citigroup Global Markets, told Bloomberg Television. "The Fed having experimented for the last 10 years is trying to keep on running it hot, but at the end of the day the disinflationary forces are still very strong in the economy." Observers also said the news stirred debate about the outlook for President Joe Biden's trillions of dollars worth of stimulus aimed at infrastructure and social programmes. - Stimulus debate - National Australia Bank's Tapas Strickland said: "The weekend was all about digesting the implications with opinion divided on whether fiscal stimulus is acting as a disincentive for people to seek work, or whether a slower recovery in the labour market warrants more stimulus." Still, while the jobs reading disappointed, the view remains that the world's top economy is still on course for a blockbuster recovery, with JP Morgan Asset Management's Patrik Schowitz saying "we build up our picture of the …

/ May 19, 2021

Vietnam supports UNSC to have one voice on Israel-Palestine issue

Palestinian firefighters extinguish a fire that broke out after an Israeli airstrike on a house in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) New York (VNA) – Vietnam has called on all parties to redouble efforts to combat terrorism in the Shahel region and supported the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to have one, strong voice on the Israel – Palestine issue during a video teleconference (VTC) on May 18. “Vietnam is concerned about the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel region, especially in the borders among Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, as well as the recent attacks against peacekeepers, defence and security forces,” Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN told the UNSC’s VTC open debate on peace and security in the Sahel region (G5 Sahel). The event was attended by UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Commander of the G5 Sahel joint force Oumarou Namata, and representatives from G5 Sahel countries. Quy urged the Sahel countries, United Nations, regional and international organisations to redouble their efforts to fight terrorism and violence extremism and prevent inter-communal conflicts. The Vietnamese ambassador emphasised that “it is crucial for the Sahel region to have a coherent and integrated approach to security, humanitarian issues along with promoting peace, stability, and socio-development challenges in the Sahel.” He voiced support the initiatives of A3+1 (Niger, Kenya, Tunisia plus St Vincent and The Grenadines) and France on the establishment of the UN supporting office for G5 Sahel to combat terrorism. The meeting later discussed the escalating violence between Israel and Palestine, during which Ambassador Quy said “Vietnam joins with other members in expressing our grave concerns about the escalation of tension between Israelis and Palestinians, the rising number of casualties of both sides, and the massive destruction of …