Vietnamese military receives COVID-19 vaccines from PLA（在线收听）

Vietnamese military receives COVID-19 vaccines from PLA

Vietnamese military receives 2nd batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines from PLA

The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense has received the second batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines presented by the People's Liberation Army of China.

A PLA transport aircraft carrying the vaccine doses arrived late Tuesday at Noi Bai International Airport in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

At the handover ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo says cooperating to combat COVID-19 is currently a priority in China-Vietnam cooperation.

He says China has provided Vietnam with 52 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, contributing to Vietnam's master plan for both epidemic control and socio-economic development.

The Vietnamese military received the first batch of Sinopharm vaccines sent by the Chinese PLA in August 2021.

Omicron variant confirmed in Tonga as new COVID-19 cases rise sharply

Tonga has confirmed the spread of Omicron variant in the South Pacific island nation as 31 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Thursday, bringing the total number of active cases in the country to 64.

Local health authorities say the five tests sent to Australia confirmed that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading in Tonga.

Of the new cases, 30 were reported in Tonga's main island of Tongatapu.

The confirmed cases include adults fully vaccinated and children. They are all having mild symptoms.

Authorities have urged local people in the lockdown area to stay at home.

Tonga, an island nation with a population of more than 100,000, has so far vaccinated 98 percent of its people with their first dose and 88 percent with their second dose. Over 2,000 people have had their booster shots.

New York State to lift mask or vaccination mandate for indoor business

New York has joined the U.S. states of New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Oregon and California in easing the requirement for mask or proof of vaccination in indoor settings as daily new COVID-19 cases dropped recently.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that statewide indoor business mask-or-vaccine requirement will be lifted starting Thursday and will remain optional for businesses, local governments and counties to enforce.

Still, mask requirements will remain in place in certain high-density settings like hospitals, nursing homes, shelters, transportation and other related entities.

British PM unveils plan to end final COVID-19 restrictions this month

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he plans to remove all remaining COVID-19 restrictions in England a month earlier than planned.

Current COVID-19 restrictions are set to expire on March 24 but Johnson suggests the rules could expire later this month.

Cyclone Batsirai death toll rises to 92 in Madagascar

At least 92 people have died following the passage of an intense tropical cyclone over the weekend in Madagascar.

Officials say the deaths were mainly caused by collapsing houses and rising waters, and the death toll may rise as more information is gathered.

China urges U.S. to revoke Taiwan arms sale

A Chinese military spokesperson has urged the United States to revoke a possible 100 million U.S. dollar arms sale to Taiwan.

Wu Qian called the plan gross interference in China's internal affairs, and stated that it undermines relationships between the two countries as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.

He says the U.S. move violates the one-China principle.

China to make 6 human spaceflights, rocket's maiden flight in 2022

China has unveiled its plan for rocket launches this year.

The plan includes six manned space flights for completing the construction of the Tiangong space station.

The country will also launch its first hybrid rocket.

Olympic medal ceremony delayed for figure skating team event

The International Olympic Committee has confirmed the delay of the medal ceremony for the figure skating team event at the Beijing Olympics due to a legal issue.

The ceremony to award the Russian Olympic Committee team their gold medals, with the United States getting silver and Japan bronze, was not held as scheduled on Tuesday.

Officials say the unspecified issue could affect medalists and requires a "legal consultation" with the governing body of skating.

S. Korean Hwang claims 1,500m short track gold at Beijing 2022

Hwang Dae-heon of South Korea won the Olympic men's 1,500m title in just over two minutes and 9 seconds at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Wednesday.

Steven Dubois of Canada took the silver and the bronze went to Semen Elistratov of the Russian Olympic Committee.

China's Ren Ziwei, who tops the World Cup rankings in this distance, was penalized for an arm block in the semifinals.

Also on Wednesday, China's women's relay team advanced to the 3,000m relay final. They will compete against the Netherlands, Canada and South Korea on Sunday.

China boasts over 1.4 million 5G base stations

China has set up more than 1.4 million 5G base stations as of the end of 2021.

The figure accounted for over 60 percent of the number of 5G base stations worldwide.

Currently every 10,000 people in China enjoy service from around ten 5G base stations, nearly double from the end of 2020.

The country expects to see the number of 5G users exceed 560 million by 2023.