Day: March 17, 2024

Hanoi: The USAID Biodiversity Conservation has launched a wild meat demand reduction campaign urging government agencies and Vietnamese citizens nationwide to enhance their actions for wildlife conservation.

‘The Vietnamese new year is a good occasion to reflect on our harmonious coexistence and stewardship for wildlife and nature as an imperative to appreciate and safeguard biodiversity and uphold the nation’s international conservation commitments,” said Vu Van Hung, Director of Sustainable Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation (VFBC) project.

Meanwhile, Director of Office of Climate Change, Energy, and Environment/USAID Vietnam Annie Wallace shared: “USAID stands with the Vi?t Nam government and all citizens in the collective effort to conserve the country’s wildlife and natural habitats. We encourage everyone to be active partners by becoming stewards of nature and wildlife and by helping to reduce demand for the consumption of wildlife.’

For generations, people in Vietnam have been consuming
wildlife meat and other products. The persistent demand for these products has led to a severe decline in the populations of wildlife in the country’s natural habitats.

A survey on wild meat consumption conducted by WWF-Vietnam in 2021 reveals that 90% of wild animals hunted illegally end up mainly in urban restaurants and the average consumption per a consumer of wildlife meat is seven times per year.

These crucial findings highlight the urgency of better action plans to reduce wildlife consumption across sectors and at multiple levels. This entails significant investment in increasing public awareness through communication channels to actively curb both the illegal wildlife trade and the consumption of wildlife meat.

Moreover, in the upcoming period, ongoing efforts are essential to strengthen the enforcement of biodiversity conservation laws, with a focus on integrating and implementing biodiversity conservation requirements into the national macro-policy planning process.

“While we work to support the
improvement of law enforcement and conservation activities inside Vi?t Nam’s forest protected areas, to give wildlife populations a chance to survive and recover from the decades of decline, it’s crucial to stop the illegal consumption of wildlife meat,” said Nick Cox, Chief of Party, USAID Biodiversity Conservation project, WWF.

The campaign is promoting its messages through social media platforms and public engagement activities across the country./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

SEOUL: Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo accused medical professors Sunday of blackmailing people after they decided to submit resignations en masse later this month in protest of the government’s decision to increase the country’s medical school enrollment quota.

Park also reaffirmed that the government’s decision to increase the medical school quota by 2,000 from the current 3,058 is not subject to negotiation, rejecting a demand from medical professors that the government first back off from the decision.

Thousands of interns and resident doctors have stayed off the job for nearly a month in protest of the quota hike that they claim would lead to a surplus of physicians and compromise the quality of medical education and services.

“Even professors have declared they would resign collectively unless their demand is met,” Park said on YTN TV. “This is huge blackmail against people … We have to break the cycle of collective action in the medical sector.”

The emergency committee of medical professors ann
ounced after a meeting Friday night that professors from 16 medical schools decided to submit resignations en masse on March 25 to seek a breakthrough in the prolonged impasse.

Park also rejected calls for raising health insurance payments to doctors, especially those in essential sectors short of physicians, saying such hikes without increasing the medical school quota would lead to a four-to-five fold hike in health insurance premiums.

The government has been pushing to sharply raise the number of medical students to brace for the country’s fast-aging population, and a shortage of physicians in rural areas and essential areas, such as pediatrics and emergency departments.

Doctors, on the other hand, say the quota hikes will undermine the quality of medical education and result in higher medical costs for patients.

They have called for measures to first address the underpaid specialists and improve legal protection against excessive medical malpractice lawsuits.

But Park said the government cannot accep
t doctors turning away from their patients even if they have concerns about the government’s policy.

“Professors say they will not stand still if their pupils face disadvantage, and this is a remark that challenged the rule of law.”

Source: Philippines News Agency

MOSCOW: The voter turnout in the 2024 Russian presidential election exceeded 55% on the second day of voting, the country’s Central Election Commission said on Saturday.

Three days of voting to elect the next president began on Friday, with incumbent President Vladimir Putin seeking a fifth term.

The other three candidates included the New People Party’s Vladislav Davankov, the Liberal-Democrat Party of Russia’s Leonid Slutsky and the Communist Party’s Nikolai Kharitonov.

Head of the Russian Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova said at a press briefing in Moscow that more than 94,000 polling stations are opened in Russia.

They work from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m. local time, and 295 polling stations are working in 144 countries abroad.

Voters also have the opportunity to vote online on the State Services portal.

The first day of voting was marked by increased activity, with a voter turnout of 36.12 percent,, according to the Central Election Commission.

The commission also reported eight incidents when m
iscreants tried to set fire to polling station buildings.

Internet service providers in Russia reported an increased number of DDoS attacks from Ukraine and North America, saying more than 90,000 attacks were attempted on resources of the Central Election Commission, State Services portal and other government websites.

The first results of the Russian presidential election are expected on Sunday after 9 p.m. Moscow time.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MOSCOW: The voter turnout in the 2024 Russian presidential election exceeded 55% on the second day of voting, the country’s Central Election Commission said on Saturday.

Three days of voting to elect the next president began on Friday, with incumbent President Vladimir Putin seeking a fifth term.

The other three candidates included the New People Party’s Vladislav Davankov, the Liberal-Democrat Party of Russia’s Leonid Slutsky and the Communist Party’s Nikolai Kharitonov.

Head of the Russian Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova said at a press briefing in Moscow that more than 94,000 polling stations are opened in Russia.

They work from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m. local time, and 295 polling stations are working in 144 countries abroad.

Voters also have the opportunity to vote online on the State Services portal.

The first day of voting was marked by increased activity, with a voter turnout of 36.12 percent,, according to the Central Election Commission.

The commission also reported eight incidents when m
iscreants tried to set fire to polling station buildings.

Internet service providers in Russia reported an increased number of DDoS attacks from Ukraine and North America, saying more than 90,000 attacks were attempted on resources of the Central Election Commission, State Services portal and other government websites.

The first results of the Russian presidential election are expected on Sunday after 9 p.m. Moscow time.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ANKARA: US forces destroyed drones launched by the Yemeni Houthi group, the Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Sunday.

‘On March 16, between 7:50 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., Iranian-backed Houthis launched two unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAV) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea,’ US CENTCOM said on X.

CENTCOM said its forces ‘successfully engaged and destroyed one UAV and the other is presumed to have crashed into the Red Sea.’

Nearby ships have not reported any damage or injuries, it added.

CENTCOM also noted that between 9 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. local time, US forces destroyed five unmanned surface vessels and an unmanned aerial vehicle in Houthi-controlled areas “in self-defense.”

There has so far been no comment from the Houthis on the statements.

The Houthis, in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, facing a devastating Israeli offensive for months, have been targeting Israeli cargo ships or those associated with Tel Aviv in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, expressing determ
ination to continue operations until the end of the war on the enclave.

With the intervention of Washington and London and an escalation of tensions, the Houthis announced they would also consider all American and British ships as military targets.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Starting the Holy Week on March 25 and within the summer vacation, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) will deploy over 11,347 police officers and force multipliers to ensure order and safety.

In a statement over the weekend, NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said police officers will be more visible and will help manage traffic and other related public safety services near transportation terminals, places of worship, malls, markets, commercial areas, and parks.

Nartatez said the NCRPO expects a surge of travelers to and from Metro Manila.

Nartatez said they have collaborated with local government units, other law enforcement agencies and private stakeholders to establish a comprehensive security framework.

There will also be Police Assistance Desks in places of convergence.

‘As the nation observes these significant occasions, the NCRPO stands ready to uphold its duty to maintain law and order,’ Nartatez said.

Source: Philippines News Agency