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Eastern European nation should serve as bridge between East, West, Wang says

China called on countries to shoulder their responsibilities and strive for peace rather than escalate tension, create panic and even hype up wars on the Ukraine issue.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remark via video to the 58th Munich Security Conference, where he said Ukraine should serve as a communication bridge between the East and West, instead of the frontier of a confrontation of powers.

Wang said countries needed to reject the idea of exclusive security and absolute security, as well as guard against and oppose any attempt for a “new Cold War”.

China always holds that all countries’ sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be respected and safeguarded, and Ukraine is no exception to the principle, Wang stressed. He added that Russia’s reasonable security concerns should be given respect and emphasis.

Wang reiterated that the parties concerned should come back to the Minsk II agreement of 2015, which he said was the only way to solve the Ukraine issue.

As a product of the Cold War that has long gone, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization needs some necessary adjustments, he said and called into question whether the bloc’s eastward enlargement is conducive to long-term European peace and stability.

The three-day conference, which concluded on Sunday, was convened amid the plethora of current crises and the significant risk of further escalation. Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference, called on everyone to collectively unlearn and overcome helplessness.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned against the risk of geopolitical divides and urged “leaders to back a surge in diplomacy for peace, a surge in political will for peace, and a surge in investment in peace” at the meeting.

Noting that the world faces once again the danger of division and confrontation, including the revival of Cold War mentality and undermining of the international rule of law by a certain major power, Wang said such phenomena run counter to the advancement of history and “should not be allowed to continue”.

To overcome the current challenges and usher in a bright future, Wang said, “the answer lies in greater solidarity and cooperation under the banner of multilateralism”, highlighting critical roles and actions of major countries.

Wang called for countries to champion and act on true multilateralism, saying the authority of the United Nations must be guaranteed and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be upheld.

“No country, not even a superpower, should replace international norms with its own will, still less put itself above international norms,” he stressed.

Countries need to work together for a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, equity, justice and win-win cooperation, Wang said, opposing state-to-state relations being simplistically defined by competition only and forging rivaling alliances.

Cui Hongjian, director of the European studies department at the China Institute of International Studies, said China’s position on the Ukraine issue came at a very critical moment and was of great significance.

It added to the confidence and strength of the parties concerned to seek a political and diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine issue, he said. As two major forces and great civilizations, China and Europe have a good foundation of cooperation and extensive common interests, Cui said.

“China is unwilling to see Europe get mired in geopolitical conflicts, supports European strategic autonomy and hopes Europe will take regional fate into its own hands,” he added.

Zhang Shengjun, deputy dean of the school of international relations at Beijing Normal University, said the United States instigated geopolitical conflicts on the Ukraine issue for self-gain, and such irresponsible behavior was the cause of the current instability and insecurity.

In the annual conference on international security policy with the Ukraine issue taking center stage, Zhang hailed China’s responsible role as a major country for advocating solving disputes through dialogue and consultation rather than creating division and confrontation.

By ZHAO JIA

Published : February 21, 2022

By : China Daily

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Japan will in principle take concerted action with the Group of Seven nations in imposing economic sanctions on Russia if that nation invades Ukraine, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

“We reconfirmed our cooperation through a candid exchange of views [on the situation in Ukraine],” Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters online on Saturday. Hayashi was in Germany to attend the G7 foreign ministers meeting.

When Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in southern Ukraine in 2014, relations between Tokyo and Moscow were good, with then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin frequently holding talks. The United States and the European Union imposed economic sanctions on Russia at the time, but Japan implemented only minor measures, including the suspension of negotiations on easing visa requirements, as it had high hopes for the resolution of the northern territories issue.

In light of the criticism from Europe and the United States at the time, as well as the current stagnation in peace treaty negotiations — including those related to the northern territories — the Japanese government will likely consider taking more effective measures this time than it did following the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

Japan will “choose feasible sanctions based on the current circumstances of the two countries while cooperating with the G7,” a senior Foreign Ministry official said.

The government’s current stance reflects changes in the regional situation in Asia.

“The main battlefield is in Europe, but if we allow the status quo to change, we must be aware that it may have an impact on Asia as well,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a Thursday meeting with his faction members. His remarks could be interpreted as a veiled reference to China, which continues to attempt to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas and is heightening military pressure on Taiwan.

Beijing has expressed support for Moscow’s stance on Ukraine. If Japan takes a soft stance toward Russia, it could send the wrong message to China. Russia is more actively conducting military exercises in the Far East as well, in response to the situation in Ukraine.

As the only G7 member from Asia, Japan should strengthen its message that it will not tolerate any attempt by China and Russia to change the status quo, in a bid to minimize the impact on the region.

By Kazusa Yoda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

Published : February 21, 2022

By : The Japan News

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Britain’s Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, went to the thick jungles of Danum Valley in Sabah in 2012.

Dressed in full adventure gear, they strolled around parts of the 130-million-year-old thick virgin forest and crossed the 300m-long suspension bridge that was flanked by gigantic trees. Occasionally, they were greeted by an orangutan or two, along with a variety of other rare animals and birds eager to “meet” the special visitors.

The royal couple, who had only been married for a few months back then, had opted for a less “glamorous” (but perhaps more memorable and enriching) holiday and visited one of the planet’s last remaining lowland tropical rainforests instead.

For decades, many world-renowned personalities, celebrities, scholars and royalty have descended upon Sabah’s green paradise, Danum Valley. This is proof that the place is not just another run-of-the-mill tropical rainforest, but rather a veritable treasure trove of some of the world’s most unique and rare flora and fauna.

In 2019, British actress Judi Dench spent a few nights at Danum Valley, staying in a rustic chalet at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge there. She was filming a documentary miniseries called Judi Dench’s Wild Borneo Adventure.

She was said to have been very happy with her stay in the forest, even saying that after a few nights there, she had learned to live with the leeches and just enjoy nature – it was an experience that will live with her for life.

In the documentary, she can be seen saying, “There (referring to the old jungle), it’s still here!”.

Indeed, there’s still this pristine, untouched natural haven teeming with such a diverse spectrum of tropical plants and wild animals somewhere on this planet.

Danum Valley is the world’s oldest lowland Dipterocarpus tropical rainforest. The Meranti tree reaching a staggering height of 100.8m has been gazetted as one of the world’s tallest rainforest trees. As if that’s not enough, the thousands of plant and flower species here provide excellent habitat for countless mammals, including the Borneo pygmy elephants, macaques, clouded leopards and orangutans, not to mention over 300 bird species.

This makes Danum Valley the ultimate destination for avid international birdwatchers.

The forest is the only virgin rainforest that is over 100 million years old in the world. Such a perfect environment makes it a wonderful habitat for the many wild animal and plant species living there.

Many Malaysians have no idea where Danum Valley is – even in which state it is located – and that is actually quite embarrassing. Many do not know how magnificent the forest is, or even if they did, some may not think that it isn’t such a big deal at all.

However, because of the pandemic, more Malaysians have had the opportunity to discover the many, many wonderful nature destinations that the country has to offer, and this is a very good thing.

Unlike most of the national parks in our country, an area of 80km radius from the heart of the Danum Valley remains out of bounds to human activities. The nearest town, Lahad Datu, is 85km away, or a three-hour drive on mostly gravel roads and muddy trails, which is actually a blessing in disguise as this helps to keep the virgin forest well isolated and protected.

Currently, the 438sq km Danum Valley Conservation Area (DVCA) neither has a national park status nor is it under the jurisdiction of the federal government. The forest is actually “owned” by the Sabah Foundation (Yayasan Sabah) and is under the purview of the state government, which in 1980 pledged to permanently preserve Danum’s natural ecosystem.

Sabah has for so many years been a major concern for international environmental groups for its vast forest logging area and extensive oil palm plantation.

In her documentary, Dench mentions that she was initially worried about how the wild animals were going to adapt to their increasingly “inhospitable living environment”.

However, after meeting so many passionate environmentalists and conservationists in Sabah who dutifully and selflessly safeguard the state’s flora and fauna, Dench says that she feels reassured that things will be alright.

Danum Valley was gazetted during the British government rule as a Class I protection area, as well as the base of the Royal Society’s rainforest research programme.

Sabah has continued to work with the Royal Society even after independence. Today, a DVCA tropical rainforest research centre has been set up in Danum, along with one of the world’s 27 Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) stations.

When we visited recently, we drove on the gravel road for three hours before arriving at the entrance of the Danum Valley conservation forest, and another 4km past the DVCA signpost to reach our final destination. This is where the 350km-long Danum River makes its sharpest bend on the foothill of the 1,093m Mount Danum.

This is the furthest point that travellers, hikers and birdwatchers can go. Despite the tiring journey, I can assure you that a trip here is worth all your time and energy.

In Danum, we were lucky to have 10 knowledgeable eco-tour guides with us. We were greeted by a nature symphony from insects, birds and wild animals, which was amazing.

Sure, we “fed” a lot of leeches during our visit, but we also got to see about a dozen orangutans frolicking around us, in their natural habitat.

Surrounded by the pristine nature in the middle of the rainforest, we couldn’t help but ponder over the present dilemma of our Planet Earth and ask: From where did we come and to where will we be headed?

The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own. Leesan, the founder of Apple Vacations, has travelled to 132 countries, six continents and enjoys sharing his travel stories and insights. He has also authored five books.

LEESAN

The Star

Published : February 20, 2022

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A third-year engineering student from India’s Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Priyanjali Gupta, has developed a remarkable artificial intelligence model capable of translating American sign language into English in real-time.

According to Priyanjali, her newly developed AI-powered model was inspired by data scientist Nicholas Renotte’s video on Real-Time Sign language Detection. She invented the AI model using Tensorflow object detection API that translates hand gestures using transfer learning from a pre-trained model named ssd_mobilenet.

According to Priyanjali, her newly developed AI-powered model was inspired by data scientist Nicholas Renotte’s video on Real-Time Sign language Detection. She invented the AI model using Tensorflow object detection API that translates hand gestures using transfer learning from a pre-trained model named ssd_mobilenet.

She also mentioned that building a deep learning model dedicated to sign language detection is quite challenging and believes that the open-source community will find a solution soon. She further said that it might be possible to build deep learning models solely for sign languages in the future. 

Earlier in 2016, two students from the University of Washington named Thomas Pryor and Navid Azodi invented a pair of gloves called ‘SignAloud’, which could translate sign language into speech or text. 

They won the Lemelson-MIT competition for their entry of SignAloud.

The Daily Star

Published : February 20, 2022

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The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will begin development of a next-generation aircraft engine that uses liquid hydrogen as fuel in fiscal 2022.

Hydrogen-powered aircraft that emit no CO2 may someday become mainstream, so Japan wants to secure the core technologies to enhance the international competency of its aviation industry.

The ministry on Friday presented its prioritized themes and work schedule in the aviation industry field to an expert panel, including the development of hydrogen engines.

JAXA has experience in using liquid hydrogen as a fuel for rockets. The agency will continue its research and development of pumps to send the fuel to engines, combustor chambers and materials for tanks until fiscal 2030, and the developed technologies will be transferred to domestic manufacturers and others.

Japan’s aviation industry lacks the technology to design and manufacture complete aircraft on its own. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries ended up putting on hold its jet airliner business but now aims to regain its footing by developing hydrogen engines.

Because liquid hydrogen has a low temperature of minus 253 C, there are also plans to harness this cooling capacity and combine it with superconducting motors.

Research and development for zero-emission aircraft is already taking off in the United States and Europe with an eye on the 2030s, when the current fleets of large passenger planes will start nearing their decommissioning.

European aviation giant Airbus aims to commercialize a hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2035. Although burning hydrogen does not emit CO2, safety and cost issues have yet to be overcome. Speech

Published : February 20, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012541

The European Parliament issued a resolution on Thursday underscoring the human rights situation in the Philippines and warning of the withdrawal of the country’s trade privileges with the European Union (EU).

MANILA, Philippines — The legislative body of the European Union also urged Philippine authorities “to step up their efforts to ensure fair and free elections and a nontoxic environment” for campaigning.

A total of 627 out of 684 members voted in favour of the “resolution of 17 February 2022 on the recent human rights developments in the Philippines.”

The Parliament called on the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, “to set clear, public, time-bound benchmarks for the Philippines to comply with its human rights obligations” under the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+).

‘Temporary withdrawal’

A special incentive scheme of the European Union for developing countries, GSP+ allows, in the case of the Philippines, the duty-free exportation of its goods to the 27 member states who make up the union.

Some 6,200 Philippine products have been exempted from tariffs since the country was granted that trade privilege in 2014.

The Parliament called on the commission to “immediately initiate the procedure [on] the temporary withdrawal of GSP+ preferences,” unless the Philippine government showed “substantial improvement and willingness” in addressing the country’s human rights situation.

Malacañang had yet to respond to Inquirer’s request for comment at press time.

For Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez: “It seems that some of their Parliament members are misinformed. The allegations are not new and are still unfounded. The government has always responded and been giving them the facts accordingly, and it has always facilitated the EU regular monitoring missions.”

Lopez said the country “still enjoys EU GSP+ preferences, and this redounds [s] to [the] benefit [of] the marginalized sectors of the economy—the fisherfolks, farmers, MSMEs (micro, small and medium-sized enterprises), the workers in the value chain of the exporters—precisely fulfilling the objectives of the GSP+ which is to help address poverty and inequality.”

‘Son of former dictator’

The European Parliament also said it “hopes to see fair and free elections leading to a new democratic government,” adding that it “regrets … that the Philippine authorities have not invited the EU to conduct an election observation mission.”

Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Hannah Neumann of Germany said during the plenary debates on Thursday that “the Philippine government has bluntly ignored [the European Union’s] request” to send a mission.

Through its Resolution No. 10470 issued in December last year, the Commission on Elections, particularly its education and information department, is the approving authority on the accreditation of any individual or group, whether local or foreign, seeking to take part in the 2022 general election as an observer.

The Parliament also urged “all candidates to refrain from using disinformation campaigns and troll armies, and to commit to fair and fact-based campaigning [to avoid] further divisions in Philippine society and politics.”

“Now that the campaigning has kicked off for the presidential election in May, fake news has become a particularly prevalent phenomenon in the country,” MEP Sean Kelly of Ireland said during the debates, a transcript of which is posted on the European Union’s website.

Kelly also noted with concern how “the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos is currently leading in the polls, whitewashing the thousands of atrocities of the Marcos regime in the [the 1970s] and ’80s.”

Red-tagging, De Lima

The EU body also sought “the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict [which is] in charge of [r]ed-tagging,” and called for an end to the government’s labelling of activists, journalists, critics, environmental defenders, and church and humanitarian workers, among other groups.

It urged the government to fully implement the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act and comply with its obligations under international law, and to amend the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 by international standards on counterterrorism.

The Parliament renewed its call for the government “to end the political harassment of Senator Leila de Lima [and] order her immediate and unconditional release.”

‘Lack of action’

Carlos Conde, the senior researcher of the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch, said the resolution “is an indictment of the government’s lack of action on many of the problems and issues the [European Parliament] has listed.”

According to government data as of 2019, foreign direct investments in the country coming from the European Union reached €14.4 billion (P838.7 billion), making the European bloc the largest single foreign investor in the country.

During the pandemic year of 2020, the European Union was the country’s fourth-largest trading partner, with trade between the two sides totalling €12.2 billion (P710.6 billion). The country’s top exports to the European Union are electronic products, coconut oil, manufactured goods, tuna, and machinery and transport equipment.

Dempsey Reyes, Leila B. Salaverria 

Philippine Daily Inquirer 

Published : February 20, 2022

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Beijing to get Legoland theme park as part of the Chinese national capital’s plan to upgrade its suburban industrial layout.

In September 2021, Beijing became home to the Universal Beijing Resort.

The anticipated Legoland theme park figures among the nine new priority projects of culture and tourism for this year, according to a notice published on the website of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform.

The joint venture project will be located in Fangshan district’s Changyang town. An urban development subsidiary of Orient Group and UK-based Merlin Entertainments will own the project, the notice stated.

To be spread over 304,000 square meters, the Beijing Legoland theme park would consist of the Legoland resort, a themed hotel, a business street, a parking lot and more, according to a report in Beijing News.

According to John Jakobsen, chief operating officer of Legoland Resorts Group at Merlin Entertainments, there are currently three Legoland resorts in the process of construction in China, and Merlin Entertainments is exploring more opportunities for more Legoland projects.

Speculation has been rife about the theme park since 2015. Many suggested the Legoland theme park might be located in Qinglonghu town of Fangshan district.

Theme park industry experts said the new facility, whenever it starts operations, would help enhance the development of Fangshan district and nearby areas.

The Universal Beijing Resort, currently the largest worldwide, has received more than 2.1 million passenger trips already, according to Beijing Youth Daily.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Universal theme park has been instrumental in bringing about the development of related industries in Tongzhou district, the resort’s location.

“Sales revenue of businesses that are above the designated size in the cultural, sports and entertainment industries saw a year-on-year growth of 367.4 per cent in Tongzhou district, and that of the accommodation business reported a growth of 122.6 per cent,” said Yang Lei, deputy head of Tongzhou district, during a news conference on Feb 8.

The locations of the Universal Beijing Resort and the expected Legoland park show that the local government of Beijing has put in great efforts to promote its outskirts’ industrial layout and upgrade, said Sun Xiaorong, a member of the Chinese Tourism Reform and Development Advisory Committee, in an interview with China News Weekly.

Sun said he believes many similar projects would be launched in suburban areas, and they would help narrow the gap between urban and rural areas around the national capital.

Theme parks of varying sizes have been booming in Chinese cities in recent years. As many as 339 theme parks operated across China at the end of 2019, according to the 2021 Chinese theme park competitiveness evaluation report. Among them, a quarter are in the red, 22 per cent can barely break even, and 53 per cent are profitable.

Against a global visitor drop of between 50 percent and 90 percent at theme scenery spots, China bucked the downtrend with steady recovery and vigorous development, according to the 2020 TEA/AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index.

Up to 20 new parks have been launched since the outbreak of the pandemic, showing the nation has firmly remained a key destination for new developments, according to the global attractions attendance report.

Regarding the rapid development of theme parks across China, Sun said fierce market competition is inevitable. “It is not a zero-sum game, but positive-sum competition.”

The Legoland Beijing Resort will mirror Merlin Entertainments’ ambition to grow in the world’s second-largest economy.

Nick Varney, CEO of Merlin Entertainments, said in a media interview in 2018 that the group plans to build 20 Legoland resorts worldwide in the future, including five in China.

Construction of the Lego Sichuan Resort, China’s first Legoland resort, started in Meishan in June 2020. It covers an area of about 570,000 square meters. It is scheduled to open to the public by 2023.

In August 2021, another Legoland project began construction in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. Covering about 580,000 square meters, it entails an investment of more than $1.08 billion. The park is due to open in 2024.

Construction of the Legoland Shanghai Resort kicked off in November 2021 in the city’s Jinshan District. The $550 million development is projected to open in 2024.

Du Juan

China Daily

Published : February 20, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012539

Despite a series of actions and pledges to make its business more environmentally sustainable, Samsung is still facing calls for a more aggressive approach to reducing greenhouse gases from global institutional shareholders of the tech titan.

The latest to do so was APG, a Dutch pension fund that oversees nearly 630 billion euros ($716 billion). On Thursday, APG revealed that Samsung Electronics was one of the 10 South Korea-based investees to which it has sent a letter urging a greater effort to combat climate change, earlier in February.

APG called on the companies to evaluate their existing carbon reduction targets and make sure these are “sufficiently ambitious.” APG holds a 0.5 percent stake in Samsung Electronics, maker of smartphones, home appliances, and semiconductor chips.

This came against the backdrop of Samsung Electronics’ green move. All Samsung’s workplaces in the US, China, and Europe have converted 100 percent of electricity sources to renewable energy as of 2020.
 

Moreover, Samsung reduced nearly 700,000 tons of carbon emissions with five types of Carbon Trust-certified memory chips, created its own index to gauge the environmental impact on semiconductor chips called SEPI with Samjong KPMG, introduced a zero-paper policy for invitation letters to shareholders to save 3,000 trees.

Samsung‘s environmental goals have become more ambitious. By 2025, Samsung seeks to expand the use of recycled materials, including repurposed underwater fishing nets, to all electronic goods, according to Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee. Also, Samsung plans to make all of its TVs and phone chargers operate on near-zero standby power, aims to eliminate 200 million batteries each year with the adoption of battery-free remote control, and looks to incorporate recycled materials into packaging boxes in the next three years.
 

But these actions and pledges might fall short of global sustainability standards, as Samsung Electronics has yet to either join RE100 renewable energy initiative or announce its carbon neutral commitment, as opposed to its tech rival Apple.

The APG‘s letter sent to chips-to-gadgets giant Samsung implied that carbon emissions-to-revenue intensity came to 8.7 per cent in 2020, showing a comparison with 0.3 per cent of Apple, which does not manufacture chips, according to local reports.

“(Samsung) shall take bolder actions in recognition of a radical shift that is unravelling,” Park Yoo-kyung, head of Responsible Investment & Governance Asia Pacific at APG Asset Management, told The Korea Herald.

“It is welcoming news that Samsung has pursued eco-friendly business operation, and it is bound to continue. Moreover, we hope to learn about (Samsung‘s) plans to reduce carbon emissions in a way that is more radical than what it is now.”

APG is not the only institutional investor behind the capital that plays the role of a catalyst for businesses’ pursuit of carbon neutrality.

Earlier in January, BlackRock, an investment firm that owns about 5 per cent of its stake in Samsung Electronics, urged its investee companies to decarbonize the economy, saying the world‘s largest asset manager would rather force the investee to decarbonize than divest from firms with carbon-intensive assets.

“Foresighted companies across a wide range of carbon-intensive sectors are transforming their businesses, and their actions are a critical part of decarbonization,” noted the letter by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink.
 

Son Ji-hyoung

The Korea Herald

Published : February 20, 2022

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HÀ NỘI — To minimise deaths from COVID-19 and severe cases, Hà Nội is to focus on high-risk groups, offering them regular health checks, with less of a focus on the caseload number.

Nguyễn Thị Huệ, an elderly resident living in Đồng Tâm Ward of Hai Bà Trưng District, has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but lives on her own.

The health officials of the commune visit her every week to test and check her health indicators like blood pressure.

“I am worried about the pandemic but prevention is better than cure. Though I am fully vaccinated, I wear a face mask when going out,” she said.

To reduce severe cases and deaths of COVID-19, Hai Bà Trưng District has ordered its 18 communes to have a list of elderly people and those with underlying conditions to offer regular health checks and examinations.

Each commune has about 300-500 people belonging to high-risk groups.

“Most of the infected cases here are mild and are treated at home. But in some families, infected people live with the elderly and some of the elderly haven’t been vaccinated,” Nguyễn Bích Phượng, a health officer in Đồng Tâm Ward said.

Case counting not necessary in Hà Nội

The city has about 105,000 infected people being treated at home, accounting for 95 per cent of its total infections and nearly 4,000 in hospitals.

The city has reported about 900 deaths with most of them being elderly people with underlying conditions and the unvaccinated.

The rate of fully vaccinated people above 12 in the city is 99.5 per cent and the rate for booster vaccinations is 55 per cent. The city aims to finish the booster doses for its residents in the first quarter of this year.

Officials said the cases count does not now reflect the whole story of COVID-19 in Hà Nội.

Trần Thị Nhị Hà, director of the city’s Health Department, said the city had ordered all districts to create a list of high-risk groups and ramp up the booster vaccination campaign for local people.

“This is important in reducing deaths and severe cases as well as the increase in number of cases. It is time to change the COVID-19 strategy in Hà Nội.”

She said the city would not necessarily announce the case count as the number in the community is now high.

“It is important to focus on the number of hospitalisations, progressions and deaths. These are important indicators,” she said.

Nguyễn Trọng Khoa, deputy head of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment, said: “Cases counting is still mandatory according to the health ministry’s regulation.”

“The aim of this is to monitor the infected cases and have authorities monitor their situation. These cases can infect other people, including high-risk groups, which need close monitor and management,” he said.

He also emphasised the need to keep an eye on the high-risk groups, especially the elderly and those with underlying conditions who haven’t been fully vaccinated. — VNS

Published : February 19, 2022

By : Vietnam News

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012521

Shinsegae International will launch a limited-edition electric bike in collaboration with Super73, US-based electric motorbike manufacturer. By limited edition, they mean only two in the world.

The company‘s signature gorilla character JRilla, designed after Shinsegae heir Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin, is the bike‘s mascot.

The product even has its own narrative: JRilla, originally from Mars, opted for an electric bike in favor of both the environment and style while navigating his busy schedule on Earth.

Based on Super73’s popular ZG model, the bike will be released in two colors- a white one inspired by JRilla, and a multi-color one that resembles an aurora.

Design United, a platform dedicated to limited edition products run by Shinsegae International, said Friday it will sell the custom bike by lottery. Those interested can enter the draw from Feb. 21 to 24, and the winner will be contacted individually on Feb. 28. The retail price of each bike is 3.59 million won ($3,000).

JRilla, which was introduced as a character that resembles the Shinsegae vice chairman‘s image, has been trademarked as the retail giant’s mascot last year.

After going viral on social media with Chung half-jokingly belittling the character for following him around, JRilla has been featured across Shinsegae‘s businesses from bakery and sports.

Shinsegae has remained mum about its marketing strategy behind JRilla and its relations to the vice chairman in an apparent tactic to stimulate customer curiosity.

by Ahn Ju-hee

Published : February 19, 2022

By : The Korea Herald