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Behind the scenes of survival: Get to know Vietnam's hospital social workers
HANOI, Vietnam (Viet Nam News/ANN) — Behind the scenes of the health care system, hospital social workers quietly bridge the gap between medical treatment and patients' financial realities, making the difference between life and death for those who cannot afford care. Nguyen Thi Cuc, a social worker at the National Children's Hospital 1, has helped hundreds of families navigate the financial barriers to health care over the past six years. "I saw parents collapse in hallways when doctors told th
April 14, 2025 -
Group claims responsibility for bombing in Greece
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A new extremist group claimed responsibility Sunday for a bomb that exploded near the offices of Hellenic Train, Greece’s main railway services operator and the planting of another near the Labor Ministry in early February. The explosion Friday evening resulted in limited damage and no injuries. The perpetrators had forewarned of the explosion by calling two media organizations about 40 minutes before it happened. In a lengthy posting on the website Athens.indymedia.org on
April 14, 2025 -
Yemen's Houthis say five killed in US strike
SANAA, Yemen (AFP) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Sunday that a United States strike in Sanaa province had killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others. "The death toll from the US aggression on the Al-Sawari factory in the Matna area of Bani Matar has risen to 18, including five martyrs and 13 wounded, in a preliminary toll," the Iran-backed group said in a statement. Houthi media also reported that US strikes targeted various other areas in the country Sunday, including in the Saa
April 14, 2025 -
New certification system to safeguard Bhutan's local handcrafted products
THIMPHU, Bhutan (Kuensel/ANN) — Bhutan‘s Ministry of Home Affairs is working to address concerns regarding the huge influx of mass-produced arts and crafts products from neighboring countries, which undermine the authenticity of Bhutanese handicraft products and threaten the livelihoods of local artisans. At the meet-the-press session on April 1, Home Affairs Minister Tshering said that the situation is not as dire as some have suggested, asserting that Bhutanese traditional arts and crafts cont
April 14, 2025 -
If you have a sweet tooth, Mithai Gali in Pakistan's Karachi is a must visit
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Dawn/ANN) — Upon turning into the street and looking around, one wonders why the people have not gotten fat. In Liaquatabad, the street nicknamed “Mithai Gali” by locals is full of pakwan (commercial kitchen) shops busy preparing sweets in droves. They produce so many sweetmeats or “mithai” that they sell at wholesale rates — about one-fourth of the rates of a regular candy shop. At Azeem Sweets and Rabri House, the per-kilogram rate of gulab jamun is $1.25. Chumchum, the ne
April 14, 2025 -
More than 30 people killed, 84 injured in Russian missile attack on Ukrainian city of Sumy
At least 32 people have been killed in a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday, officials said. Two ballistic missiles struck the heart of the city at around 10:15 a.m. as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, according to officials. Images posted from the scene on official channels showed lines of black body bags lying on the side of the road, while more bodies were seen wrapped in foil blankets among the debris. Video footage also showed fire crews as they fought t
April 13, 2025 -
Trump receives a standing ovation at Miami UFC event
MIAMI (AP) — US President Donald Trump entered to a standing ovation and cheers from a crowd of thousands attending a UFC event on Saturday night, shaking hands with supporters against a backdrop of fans waving his trademark MAGA hats. Just as Trump entered, he greeted podcast host Joe Rogan, who sat to the right of the president. On the other side of Trump sat Elon Musk, billionaire and chief of the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump, who accented his dark suit with a bright yellow tie,
April 13, 2025 -
Israel expanding Gaza offensive, seizes key corridor
Israel said Saturday it planned to expand its military offensive in Gaza after seizing a new corridor as part of a broader effort to take large parts of the war-battered Palestinian territory. It also told tens of thousands of residents of Khan Younis and surrounding areas in southern Gaza to evacuate and launched strikes after projectiles were fired from there. "Soon, IDF operations will intensify and expand to other areas throughout most of Gaza, and you will need to evacuate the combat zones,
April 13, 2025 -
World Expo opens in Japan's Osaka
OSAKA, Japan (AFP) — World Expo opened on Sunday with 160 countries and regions showcasing their technology, culture and food, with host Japan hoping to provide the world with some much-needed hope. Highlights at the show in Osaka until mid-October include a Mars meteorite, a beating artificial heart grown from stem cells and Hello Kitty figures in algae form. Surrounding most of the pavilions — a chance for architects' fancies to run wild — is the world's largest wooden structure, the "Grand Ri
April 13, 2025 -
Russia, Ukraine accuse each other of failing to pause strikes
Russia and Ukraine’s top diplomats on Saturday used a high-level conference in Turkey to once again trade accusations of violating a tentative United States-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure, underscoring the challenges of negotiating an end to the 3-year-old war. The two foreign ministers spoke at separate events at the annual Antalya Diplomacy Forum, a day after US envoy Steve Witkoff met with with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss peace prospects. Ukraine's Eur
April 13, 2025 -
Iran, US hold 'positive' talks in Oman, agree to resume this week
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Reuters) — Iran and the United States held "positive" and "constructive" talks in Oman on Saturday and agreed to reconvene this week, both sides said, a dialogue meant to address Tehran's escalating nuclear program with US President Donald Trump threatening military action if there is no deal. "I think we are very close to a basis for negotiations and if we can conclude this basis (this) week, we’ll have gone a long way and will be able to start real discussions base
April 13, 2025 -
Pope makes another surprise appearance at St. Peter's, greeting restorers of papal tombs
ROME (AP) — Two art restorers were putting the final touches on a months-long restoration of the tomb of Pope Urban VIII, who in 1626 consecrated St. Peter's Basilica, when the convalescing Pope Francis appeared, unannounced, in a wheelchair — his third such surprise appearance in less than a week. Francis thrilled the crowd at St. Peter's during a Jubilee Mass for the ill on Sunday, met privately with King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Wednesday, before the impromptu turn through St. Peter's
April 13, 2025 -
Harvard professors sue over Trump's funding review
BOSTON (Reuters) -- Harvard University professors are suing to block the Trump administration's review of nearly $9 billion in federal contracts and grants awarded to the Ivy League school as part of a crackdown on what it says is antisemitism on college campuses. The Harvard faculty chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the national arm of the academic organization said in a lawsuit filed on Friday in a Boston federal court that the administration was trying to unlawf
April 13, 2025 -
Trump defends policy after China hits US with 125% tariffs
President Donald Trump insisted Friday that his tariff policy was "doing really well" despite China hiking levies on US goods to 125 percent in the spiraling trade war between the world's two biggest economies. Investors dumped US government bonds, the dollar tumbled and stocks seesawed after Beijing's retaliation against Trump deepened concerns on already traumatized global markets. Trump sent financial markets into a tailspin by announcing sweeping import taxes on dozens of trade partners last
April 12, 2025 -
Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil can be deported, immigration judge finds
Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil can be kicked out of the US as a national security risk, an immigration judge in Louisiana found Friday during a hearing over the legality of deporting the activist who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The government’s contention that Khalil’s presence in the US posed “potentially serious foreign policy consequences” was enough to satisfy requirements for his deportation, Immigration Judge Jamee E. Comans said at the conclusion o
April 12, 2025