Catastrophes of the world

>>> Hopes raised for conservation of world’s rarest turtle in Vietnam >>> New individual of world’s rarest turtle found in Hanoi The Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with the Asian Turtle Program (ATP) of Indo-Myanmar Conservation (IMC) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have made dramatic progress to possibly prevent the extinction of the Swinhoe’s Softshell Turtle. At a Hanoi workshop last week, scientists revealed that genetic testing has confirmed a female turtle captured last October in Dong Mo Lake in suburban Hanoi is definitively a Swinhoe’s Softshell Turtle. This confirmation means that in addition to the one known male Swinhoe’s Softshell Turtle at Suzhou Zoo in China, there is now the female captured in Dong Mo Lake. Authorities believe there is at least one more of these turtles in Dong Mo Lake and yet another in nearby Xuan Khanh Lake. Conservationists hope to at least to capture and … [Read more...] about World’s most endangered turtle finds new hope in Vietnam

“We are now excited about the prospects of a second animal in Dong Mo Lake which could potentially increase the number of known living Swinhoe’s Softshell Turtles to four individuals, with three in Vietnam and one in China,” read the statement from the Asian Turtle Program (ATP) of Indo-Myanmar Conservation (IMC) – the organisation is sparing no efforts in protecting the critically endangered species in Dong Mo Lake. The Hoan Kiem Turtle is believed to be almost extinct in the wild. No surviving populations were known until the first wild animal was confirmed in Dong Mo Lake on the outskirts of Hanoi in 2007. It was a long wait until a second animal was confirmed on May 24 of the same year in nearby Xuan Khanh Lake. Fishermen in Dong Mo Lake have long claimed that a second, smaller individual of the species lived in the lake. One large Swinhoe’s Softshell Turtle has regularly been photographed and is the same individual who escaped during a dam break in 2008 which resulted in the … [Read more...] about Hopes raised for conservation of world’s rarest turtle in Vietnam

ASEAN, Canada to strengthen cooperation under new Plan of Action . - Illustrative image (Photo: https://asean.org/) Jakarta (VNA) – ASEAN and Canada reaffirmed commitment to strengthening cooperation under their new Plan of Action 2021-2025 in areas of mutual interests at the 9th ASEAN-Canada Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) Meeting via videoconference. In this spirit, the meeting agreed to deepen collaboration in the areas of trade and investment; micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) development; public health; innovation including entrepreneurship and start-ups; digital economy; education; gender equality; women, peace and security; and connectivity. cooperation programmes such as; the Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED); the Canada-OECD Project for ASEAN SMEs (COPAS); and the “TRIANGLE in ASEAN initiative” to promote safe and fair labour migration. Taking note that next year marks the 45th Anniversary of the … [Read more...] about ASEAN, Canada to strengthen cooperation under new Plan of Action

People wear masks in the Philippines to guard against COVID-19 (Source: Xinhua/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has extended partial lockdown in the capital until the end of March, as the country awaits the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines. In a statement on February 27, spokesperson of the Philippine President Harry Roque said the decision follows a report of 2,651 new virus infections, the highest daily increase in more than four months. The Philippines will be the last in the region to get its first shipment of vaccines, comprising 600,000 doses of Sinovac Biotech’s vaccines donated by China, to be delivered on February 28, and earmarked for healthcare workers and military troops. The country has the second largest numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia. Health Ministry on February 27  announced the establishment of a security sub-committee to oversee all quarantine facilities nationwide. As of morning the same day, Cambodia … [Read more...] about Philippines extends partial lockdown in capital

As a leading financial newspaper run by Japanese media giants Nikkei Inc., Nikkei Asia have stated that, “Southeast Asia's growth leader in 2021 may well be Vietnam”, during a recent article detailing ASEAN's GDP forecasts for the year ahead. According to Nikkei, the country recorded economic growth of 2.9% last year due to its success in containing the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), in addition to the robust exports of electronics and other consumer products, with the nation reportedly targeting a growth rate of 6.5% this year. The Japanese media also quote a report produced by Gareth Leather, senior Asia economist at Capital Economics, who notes that Vietnamese exports should continue to be supported by tariffs imposed by the United States on Chinese goods. "To avoid US tariffs, importers have shifted demand from China to alternative suppliers. With US-China relations likely to remain strained over the years ahead, this trend is likely to continue,” Leather noted. … [Read more...] about Nikkei Asia: Vietnam will be Southeast Asian growth leader in 2021