World

“The COVID-19 situation in Vietnam is evolving quickly,” said Stefanie Stallmeister, Acting Country Director for the World Bank in Vietnam. “This emergency operation will not only support the government to quickly monitor and respond to COVID-19 but also contribute to building a resilient health system for future health emergencies.” … [Read more...] about World Bank provides emergency aid to help Vietnam cope with COVID-19

Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia is aiming to set up travel corridors with China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to help recover business activities which are seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. During a virtual meeting, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi discussed a cooperation agreement to establish a travel corridor, which is hoped to be finalised soon. Essential travel activities in accordance with health protocols are expected to boost safe and effective economic activities between the two countries. Earlier, Indonesia and the UAE have agreed to establish a temporary safe travel corridor to facilitate travel between the two countries for essential business and commercial, diplomatic, and official purposes. This agreement is part of both countries’ efforts to contain COVID-19 and accelerate the economic recovery. The UAE is currently the country’s largest Middle Eastern investor, after pledging to pour … [Read more...] about Indonesia to set up travel corridors with China, UAE

Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand's digital minister has threatened legal action against Facebook for not complying with the government’s requests to restrict illegal content. The latest warning came after the social network’s auto-translation tool mistranslated a message in a Thai broadcaster's post live-streaming King Maha Vajiralongkorn's birthday ceremony last week. Facebook has apologised and temporarily disabled its English-to-Thai auto-translation. Puttipong Punnakanta, Thailand's Minister of Digital Economy and Society, said Facebook was not responding fast enough to the Thai government's requests to restrict content. He also vowed stronger action against the company but did not elaborate. Thailand’s law prohibits insults against the monarchy. In recent years, authorities have filed court orders along with requests to social media platforms to restrict or remove perceived royal insults and other illegal content, including national security threats and copyright … [Read more...] about Thailand threatens legal action against Facebook over restriction requests

Hanoi (VNA) - US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi discussed bilateral defence ties and regional tensions over China’s claim that it owns most of the South China Sea (called the East Sea in Vietnam), the US Department of State said in a readout of the conversation on August 3. According to the readout, the officials highlighted the US-Indonesia strategic partnership and their shared goal of respect for international law in the East Sea. Pompeo and Marsudi also stressed the importance of increased public health and economic cooperation to rebuild the two countries’ economies as well as keep the region safe. Earlier, Indonesia expressed concern over escalated tensions in the waters and called on China to adhere to international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to settle disputes. During a virtual meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on July 30, Marsudi said there is a … [Read more...] about US, Indonesia highlight international law abidance in East Sea

Hanoi (VNA) - State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi on August 4 registered herself as a legislative candidate in this November general election. Suu Kyi, 75, met with a crowd of around 50 supporters on August 3 before submitting an application to run as a candidate for the general election scheduled for November 8. The National League for Democracy (NLD) party led by Suu Kyi won a landslide victory in the 2015 general election, with more than 77 percent of seats in the parliament. According to the Union Election Commission (UEC), 97 political parties have registered to take part in the 2020 general election./. … [Read more...] about Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi confirms to run for November election as legislator