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US FDA, CDC see early signal of possible Pfizer bivalent COVID shot link to stroke

A safety monitoring system flagged that US drugmaker Pfizer and German partner BioNTech’s updated COVID-19 shot could be linked to a type of brain stroke in older adults, according to preliminary data analyzed by US health authorities.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday that a CDC vaccine database had uncovered a possible safety issue in which people 65 and older were more likely to have an ischemic stroke 21 days after receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech bivalent shot, compared with days 22-44.

The FDA and CDC said that other large studies, the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, other countries’ databases and Pfizer-BioNTech’s databases had not flagged this safety issue, adding that it requires more investigation.

Pfizer and BioNTech said in a statement, “Neither Pfizer and BioNTech nor the CDC or FDA have observed similar findings across numerous other monitoring systems in the US and globally and there is no evidence to conclude that ischemic stroke is associated with the use of the companies’ COVID-19 vaccines.”

Source: VOV5

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FreedomPay to Unleash the Power of Pay at NRF 2023

One of the world’s fastest growing fintech to showcase award-winning global commerce technology platform and industry-leading partner network.

NEW YORK, National Retail Federation, Jan. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce™ and the commerce technology platform of choice for global retail, hospitality and payments brands including Marriott, Foot Locker, Shake Shack, Engage People, and Castles Technology, will showcase its innovations and partnership announcements this week at NRF in booth #4250.

The event will mark the launch of FreedomPay’s new call to action, Unleash the Power of Pay. As the commerce landscape evolves with new technologies and changing consumer needs, Unleash the Power of Pay introduces the notion of unleashing the power of payments to drive greater customer loyalty, leverage business intelligence insights, and bring value-added services.

“FreedomPay is excited to make a splash at this year’s NRF and to launch Unleash the Power of Pay. The concept is a testament to our award-winning technology and best-in-class partner network that is enabling billions of transactions in more than 75 countries across the globe,” said Tom Durovsik, Founder & CEO of FreedomPay.

As part of its line-up at NRF, FreedomPay will host a roundtable discussion on Monday, January 16 at 10:30AM at booth #4250 with industry influencers Castles Technology, Charter Communications, and Elo Touch, moderated by Dale Laszig of the Green Sheet. The event, Next Level Commerce™: Unleashing the Power of Pay, will focus on the challenges and opportunities across retail, the trends influencing retail’s future, and strategies for merchants to navigate the changing retail sector. Those who would like to attend virtually are encouraged to register here.

FreedomPay also announces the publication of a new industry white paper The Next Level of Global Payments: Unleash the Power of Pay. The report highlights pivotal opportunities for retailers to elevate customer relationships and increase profit margins internationally, outlining strategies for security, safety, speed, simplicity, and customer satisfaction with service across borders. Download now to read the bespoke report.

FreedomPay’s global footprint continues to grow through the power of its partner network and new integrations to allow merchants to Unleash the Power of Pay for their customers. FreedomPay also announced in the days leading up to NRF 2023 new partnerships that will bring its solutions to more merchants around the world.

Moneris Solutions Corporation (“Moneris”), the largest payment processor in Canada*, will now be able to offer its merchants access to FreedomPay’s commerce technology platform, bringing an enhanced checkout experience to millions of shoppers across Canada.

FreedomPay also announced an integration with Flooid, bringing enhanced innovation, choice, and flexibility to retailers around the globe on the Flooid platform.

To learn more about FreedomPay, visit us at NRF booth #4250 or www.freedompay.com.

About FreedomPay

FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

*Based on total number of transactions processed in Canada

Jennifer Tayebi
Hill+Knowlton Strategies for FreedomPay
+1 734 395 0780
Jennifer.Tayebi@hkstrategies.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8729731

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At least 44 killed in Nepal air crash

At least 44 people were killed on Sunday when a domestic flight crashed in Pokhara in Nepal, an aviation authority official said, in the small Himalayan country’s worst crash in nearly five years. Hundreds of rescue workers were scouring the hillside where the Yeti Airlines flight, carrying 72 people from the capital Kathmandu, went down. The weather was clear, said Jagannath Niroula, spokesman for Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority.

The craft made contact with the airport from Seti Gorge at 10:50 a.m., the aviation authority said in a statement. “Then it crashed.”

Those on the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft included two infants and four crew members, said airline spokesman Sudarshan Bartaula. There were five Indians, four Russians, one Irish, two South Korean, one Australian, one French and one Argentinian national onboard. The plane was 15 years old, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called an emergency cabinet meeting after the plane crash.

The crash is Nepal’s deadliest since March 2018, when a US-Bangla Dash 8 turboprop flight from Dhaka crashed on landing in Kathmandu, killing 51 of the 71 people on board, according to Aviation Safety Network.

At least 309 people have died since 2000 in plane or helicopter crashes in Nepal – home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest – where the weather can change suddenly and make for hazardous conditions.

Source: VOV5

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Railway sector identifies major pillars in 2023

The Vietnamese railway sector should identify major pillars to grow further in 2023, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Danh Huy said at a recent conference held by Vietnam Railways (VNR).

The pillars of the rail industry include infrastructure, transportation and mechanical technology, he stressed, urging the sector to work harder to improve its service quality.

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has paid attention to the development of the sector and accompanied businesses, helping them remove obstacles in line with legal regulations, the official continued.

Ho Sy Hung, Deputy Chairman of the Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises, said restructuring the corporation should be a regular task that requires result-oriented solutions.

Pointing to limitations in capital, technology and infrastructure facing the sector, he said more mechanisms on infrastructure management and operations should be supplemented.

VNR General Director Dang Sy Manh told the conference that the sector will perfect service price plans, complete management and maintenance plans, raise service quality, and step up connectivity with travel firms.

The corporation reported that its combined turnover reached 7.71 trillion VND (328.78 million USD), surpassing the value recorded in the same period last year by 13.8% and the set target by 15.8%.

The sector aims to run no losses from its major operations and contribute 115 billion VND to the State budget./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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2023 homeland spring programme kicks off

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc beat the drum to kick off the 2023 “Xuan Que Huong” (Homeland Spring), the biggest annual event for overseas Vietnamese (OV) on the occasion of the (Tet) Lunar New Year festival, at an art programme in Hanoi on January 14.

The art programme was jointly held by the State Committee for OV Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Hanoi People’s Committee.

In his remarks, the President briefed the OVs on the country’s socio-economic situation in 2022, and affirmed that Vietnamese abroad form an integral part of the nation and an important factor helping to enhance cooperation and friendship between Vietnam and other countries, which has been stated in the Politburo’s Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW.

He hailed OVs for their material and spiritual contributions to national construction and defence, saying they raised tens of billions of Vietnam dong in support of the COVID-19 fight as well as victims of natural disasters at home.

They have also played a role in the country’s external relations, he said, highlighting the increasing remittances which make up 7% of the national GDP, and contributions by overseas Vietnamese intellectuals to scientific-technological and innovative activities in the homeland.

Over the past years, the State has rolled out various policies to support OVs in conflict-affected areas in the world and worked to raise their legal status in host countries, Phuc stressed.

He called on them to carry forward their patriotism, for a prosperous and powerful Vietnam.

More than 3,000 representatives from the Party, State, ministries, agencies and localities, and OVs will join the 2023 “Xuan Que Huong”./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Thailand: Two COVID-19 vaccination points for foreignt tourists to commence service next week

The Department of Disease Control (DDC) of Thailand indicated the COVID-19 situation after the New Year’s period is less troubling than earlier expected. However, the department will assess the situation again after the Lunar New Year period when Chinese tourists are expected to arrive in Thailand in numbers. Health authorities are also preparing to open vaccination points for foreign tourists next week, with the price of one vaccine shot to be in the range of 800-1000 baht.

DDC Director-General Dr. Tares Krassanairawiwong spoke of monitoring measures for COVID-19 amid increasing foreign tourist numbers and with Chinese tourists now making up a significant portion of arrivals. He said airports are implementing rigorous screening measures for international arrivals and these measures will be expanded to land border crossings.

Dr. Tares said travelers who are required by their country of origin to take an RT-PCR test before re-entry would need to possess health insurance that covers COVID-19 treatment. At present, the countries requiring this are India and China.

Dr. Tares said the collection of wastewater from aircraft for testing so far yielded samples of the Omicron BA.5 strain, which is found in Thailand. Results from these random tests are yielded about one week after a flight.

In Bangkok, the DDC has prepared two vaccination sites for foreign tourists who want to get vaccinated. The first is the Bang Rak medical center on Sathong Tai Rd. The other is the Institute for Urban Disease Control and Prevention in Bang Khen district. The sites are expected to commence service next week and will also offer RT-PCR testing. Coordination is being made with health agencies in tourism cities such as Phuket, Chonburi, and Chiang Mai in setting up similar vaccine service points.

The DDC chief explained that international travelers who purchased health insurance that covers COVID-19 treatment will be able to get treatment at any hospital. They will also be able to enter hotel quarantine if they only display mild or no symptoms. Dr. Tares said there is currently no need to open hospitels for COVID patients./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Prime Minister extends Tet wishes to Nam Dinh authorities, people

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh extended Lunar New Year (Tet) wishes to authorities and people in the northern province of Nam Dinh while attending a programme to celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year for workers on January 15.

The event was co-hosted by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee and the provincial authorities.

Speaking at the event, PM Chinh informed local people and workers about major socio-economic achievements Vietnam made in 2022.

Depsite difficulties last year, Vietnam obtained positive results in various fields, Chinh said, adding that Nam Dinh province’s authorities, enterprises and people contribute to the national achievements.

He asked the provincial authorities to ensure a joyful, healthy and safe Tet for all people, particularly policy beneficiaries, poor and disadvantaged people.

The PM and leaders of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Nam Dinh provincial authorities presented Tet gifts to 200 workers and poor households in the province. The Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and the Vietnam National Petroleum Group also presented gifts to local people.

Earlier, Chinh visited and offered Tet gifts to the family of Hoang Thi Mung, the wife of martyr Nguyen Dinh Thien who died in the resistance war against the US. Mung’s family is residing in Nam Van commune, Nam Dinh city./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency