Elisa Fernandez Saenz, Country Representative of UN Women in Vietnam (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – More than 30 consultants and social workers, on February 26, began a three-day Australian-funded course that helps them improve their work toward abused women and children during the current time of pandemic. Sponsored by the Australia n Government, the course is co-organised by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and Vietnam’s Centre for Women and Development (CWD) as part of a project on emergency response to violence against women and children amid COVID-19 . Participants are currently working at the CWD in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, as well as hospitals and social centres in the two cities. During the training session, they will be provided with knowledge and skills to identify symptoms of stress and types of psychological trauma as well as practice some first aid and psychological care methods. Statistics showed that, in the context of the pandemic, the rate of violence against women and children in Vietnam and in the world has increased by between 30 and 300 percent. Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai, a social worker at CWD, said amid surging number of calls to a CWD hotline for abused women and children in conjunction with the pandemic happening, knowledge from the course will help her better approach and support the victims to soon ease their trauma./. VNA …
Road works speed zones
Domestic strife dampens US foreign policy
New US President Joseph R. Biden was sworn in with his wife Jill Biden by his side, photo: AFP Last Wednesday many Americans breathed a sigh of relief as Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th US President without any further incident from those who believe the election was “stolen” from former President Donald Trump. Instead of attending the ceremony as is tradition, Trump and his family took one last trip on Air Force One to Florida, where he will be based until the former reality TV star decides whether to run for president again in 2024 – or perhaps even endorse a family member for the post. Alongside Biden, Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice-president, becoming the first woman in American history – as well as the first woman of African-American and South Asian descent – to take on the role. “Few people in our nation’s history have been more challenged or found a time more difficult than the time we’re in now,” Biden said in his inauguration speech. He vowed to dedicate his “whole soul” to rebuilding a country battered by disease, economic turmoil, racial inequality, and political division. The 78-year-old certainly has his work cut out for him, but he rushed into action to put his stamp on the presidency by signing a raft of executive orders within hours of entering the White House. Biden signed a letter retracting Trump’s decision to leave the World Health Organization, which would have been effective in July. There was widespread criticism and an almost complete lack of international support last year for Trump’s move in the midst of a pandemic. In the most noteworthy but also most unsurprising move, the US is to be reinstated to the Paris climate agreement. The accord, which looks to curb the heating of the planet, will be much boosted by the return of second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. Biden has previously warned that climate change poses the “greatest threat to the country”, which was battered by record wildfires and …
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Government strives to ensure no overdue documents from 2016-2021 tenure
Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung speaks at the meeting on February 26 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Ministries and agencies should speed up the implementation of tasks regarding legal documents assigned by the Government and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, so that there will be no overdue documents during the 2016-2021 tenure, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung said at a meeting on February 26. Dung, who is also head of a working group set up by the PM for the work, presided over the meeting with ministries and agencies on the building and issuance of documents that give detailed guidance on laws and ordinances, and the progress of projects in the working programme of the Government and the PM in the first quarter of this year. The meeting in Hanoi on February 26 (Photo: VNA) He suggested that agencies in charge of compiling decrees coordinate with the Government Office to collect feedback from Cabinet members and relevant ministries and agencies, and report to the PM as soon as possible. Regarding the working programme of the Government and the PM, the Government Office reported that 89 projects were to be submitted in the first quarter. As of February 25, ministries and agencies had submitted 21. Of the remainder, there are 57 projects still within deadlines and 11 overdue projects, making up 12.3 percent. The overdue projects are part of the 2020 work and transferred to January 2021./. VNA …
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