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Secrets of Namibia's fairy circles demystified: Plants self-organize

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Drone image of car driving through the NamibRand Nature Reserve, one of the fairy-circle regions in Namibia where the researchers undertook grass excavations, soil-moisture and infiltration measurements (April 2022). Credit: Dr Stephan Getzin

Scientists have puzzled over the origin of Namibia's fairy circles for nearly half a century. It boiled down to two main theories: either termites were responsible, or plants were somehow self-organizing. Now, researchers from the University of Göttingen, benefitting from two exceptionally good rainfall seasons in the Namib Desert, show that the grasses within the fairy circles died immediately after rainfall, but termite activity did not cause the bare patches.

Instead, continuous soil-moisture measurements demonstrate that the grasses around the circles strongly depleted the water within the circles and thereby likely induced the death of the grasses inside the circles. The results were published in Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics.

About 80-140 kilometers from the coast in the Namib, there are millions of fairy circles -circular gaps in the grassland, each a few meters wide, together forming a distinctive pattern across the whole landscape and visible for miles around. The researchers followed the sporadic rain events in several regions in this desert and examined the grasses, their roots and shoots, and potential root damage induced by termites.

Termites, tiny insects that live in large colonies around the world, have often been blamed for the death of the grasses. The researchers took great care to investigate the circumstances of dying grasses within fairy circles right from straight after the rainfall, which triggered the new growth of the grasses. Additionally, they installed soil-moisture sensors in and around the fairy circles to record the soil-water content at 30-minute intervals starting in the dry season 2020 to the end of the rainy season 2022.

Researchers investigated grass death within the fairy circles in several regions of the Namib. The roots of the yellowish dead grasses from within the fairy circles are as long and as undamaged as the roots of the vital green grasses outside of the circles. There was no sign of termite activity. Credit: Dr Stephan Getzin

This enabled the researchers to record precisely how the growth of the new emerging grasses around the circles affected the soil water within and around the circles. They investigated the differences in water infiltration between the inside and outside of circles at ten regions across the Namib.

The data show that about ten days after rainfall, the grasses were already starting to die within the circles while most of the interior area of the circles did not have grass germination at all. Twenty days after rainfall, the struggling grasses within the circles were completely dead and yellowish in color while the surrounding grasses were vital and green.

When the researchers examined the roots of the grasses from within the circles and compared them to the green grasses on the outside, they found that the roots within the circles were as long as, or even longer than, those outside. This indicated that the grasses were putting effort into the growth of roots in search of water. However, the researchers found no evidence for termites feeding on roots. It was not until fifty to sixty days after the rainfall that root damage became more visible at the dead grasses.

Credit: University of Göttingen

Dr. Stephan Getzin, Department of Ecosystem Modeling at the University of Göttingen, explains that "the sudden absence of grass for most areas within the circles cannot be explained by the activity of termites because there was no biomass for these insects to feed on. But more importantly, we can show that the termites are not responsible because the grasses die immediately after rainfall without any sign of creatures feeding on the root."

When the researchers analyzed the data on soil-moisture fluctuations, they found that the decline in soil water inside and outside of the circles was very slow after initial rainfall, when grasses were not yet established. However, when the surrounding grasses were well established, the decline in soil water after rainfall was very fast in all areas, even though there were almost no grasses within the circles to take the water.

Getzin explains that "under the strong heat in the Namib, the grasses are permanently transpiring and losing water. Hence, they create soil-moisture vacuums around their roots and water is drawn towards them. Our results strongly agree with those of researchers who have shown that water in soil diffuses quickly and horizontally in these sands even over distances greater than seven meters."

Credit: University of Göttingen

Getzin adds that "by forming strongly patterned landscapes of evenly spaced fairy circles, the grasses act as ecosystem engineers and benefit directly from the water resource provided by the vegetation gaps. In fact, we know related self-organized vegetation structures from various other harsh drylands in the world, and in all those cases the plants have no other chance to survive except by growing exactly in such geometrical formations."

This research has implications for understanding similar ecosystems, especially with regard to climate change, because the self-organization of plants buffers against negative effects induced by increasing aridification.

More information: Stephan Getzin et al, Plant water stress, not termite herbivory, causes Namibia's fairy circles, Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.ppees.2022.125698

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Secrets of Namibia's fairy circles demystified: Plants self-organize

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Scientists have puzzled over the origin of Namibia's fairy circles for nearly half a century. It boiled down to two main theories: either termites were responsible, or plants were somehow self-organizing.

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'Beautiful lioness' spotted in Chad's Sena Oura National Park for first time in almost 20 years | CNN

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After a two-decade absence, at least one lion has returned to Chad's Sena Oura National Park.

An image of a "muscular female lion" in the park was captured by a remote camera in February, according to a news release from the Wildlife Conservation Society, which released the image on Thursday in collaboration with the government of Chad.

Lions haven't been spotted in the park for almost 20 years, says the news release. The conservationists who released the image described the big cat as "a beautiful lioness, in her prime and clearly in great health" in the release.

Lions are considered extinct in Sena Oura, located near Chad's border with Cameroon, by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

The border region between Chad and Cameroon "saw a period of ruthless, organized poaching more than a decade ago, but has since benefited from a very strong commitment to conservation by the governments of both Cameroon and Chad," the Wildlife Conservation Society said in the news release.

"This has produced better protection of the national parks and wildlife populations are now starting to recover," it added.

Lions are categorized as "Vulnerable" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with between 23,000 and 39,000 of the big cats left in the wild. Their populations are especially "small and fragmented" in west and central Africa, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. Killing by humans, habitat loss, and the loss of their prey have all contributed to the population's decline.

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international relations and national security

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'Beautiful lioness' spotted in Chad's Sena Oura National Park for first time in almost 20 years | CNN

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After a two-decade absence, at least one lion has returned to Chad's Sena Oura National Park. An image of a "muscular female lion" in the park was captured by a remote camera in February, according to a news release from the Wildlife Conservation Society, which released the image on Thursday in collaboration with the government of Chad.

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Taiwanese woman dies after cosmetic surgery in HCMC - VnExpress International

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Taiwanese woman dies after cosmetic surgery in HCMC - VnExpress International

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HCMC police and the Department of Health are looking into the case of a Taiwanese woman who died after surgery at a cosmetic facility. - VnExpress International

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The heatwave that has been plaguing the states of West Bengal, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh in north-west India is set to continue through the coming week. Daytime temperatures of 40C have been recorded for several consecutive days in these regions, about 5C above the seasonal average.

This excessive heat is linked to a north-westerly flow of air, which is also bringing much drier than usual conditions. The authorities have advised people to be vigilant about their health by staying hydrated, wearing breathable clothing and avoiding street food, which could easily go off in these conditions. They have also closed schools and universities for a week in response to schoolchildren complaining about headaches.

Meanwhile, in China, sandstorms that have been plaguing parts of the country for weeks and are threatening to spread elsewhere in Asia. Much of the sand and dust originates from the Gobi desert, straddling the border between Mongolia and China.

Shanghai has been particularly badly affected in the last month or so, with the concentration of PM10 particles reaching more than 46 times the World Health Organization's recommended safe level. This has resulted in air quality warnings, reduced visibility, and many surfaces being coated in a fine dust.

South Korea and Japan have also been affected. Seoul has recorded PM10 levels at more than double the threshold the government deems "very unhealthy". Sandstorms have become a more regular occurrence in recent decades, owing to a combination of rising temperatures and reduced rainfall in the Gobi desert.

The US also had some short-lived but impactful storms over the weekend. Large hail of about one inch in diameter was reported across many parts of Missouri, alongside strong winds gusting up to 97mph, causing damage to trees, barns and mobile homes.

A four-inch hailstone was reported near the town of Arcola during the early afternoon local time, and a three-inch hailstone was reported near the town of Golden City, 22 miles to the south-west, less than 20 minutes later.

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The heatwave that has been plaguing the states of West Bengal, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh in north-west India is set to continue through the coming week. Daytime temperatures of 40C have been recorded for several consecutive days in these regions, about 5C above the seasonal average.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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By Le Nga &nbspApril 17, 2023 | 05:38 am PT

Hanoi has recorded 493 new Covid-19 cases over the past week, a sevenfold increase from the previous 7 days, and more cases are expected to plague the capital.

Since the beginning of this year, Hanoi has recorded a total of 756 Covid-19 cases, according to the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC).

The CDC has collected 10 samples in 6 districts and towns (Hoang Mai, Thuong Tin, Son Tay, Ba Vi, Ung Hoa and Thanh Oai) and sent them to the Bach Mai hospital for genetic sequencing.

The results of the sequencing have yet to be announced.

The Hanoi CDC has requested units to monitor the Covid-19 situation, as well as any new coronavirus variants, as part of prevention efforts.

Cases are expected to continue to rise in the coming weeks, especially as the Reunification Day-Labor Day holiday is approaching April 30-May 1, according to the center.

Over the past week, Vietnam officially recorded a total of 2,653 new Covid-19 cases across the nation, with 380 new cases recorded per day on average, according to the Ministry of Health. Over 700 cases a day were recorded on each of the past three days alone, the ministry reported.

The number of patients requiring oxygen support has also increased. Most severe cases were elderly patients and those with underlying conditions. In most other cases, however, patients suffered only mild symptoms and stayed home for treatment.

Vietnam has yet to record a Covid-19 death in 2023.

Tran Dac Phu, advisor for the Public Health Emergency Operations Center, said the rising number of cases might be due to waning immunity and changing weather conditions, which could help viruses thrive. People are also not wearing masks as frequently as before, he added.

The presence of the Omicron variant XBB.1.5, known for its high infectivity, was detected in Ho Chi Minh City last week.

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hanoi covid cases jump 7-fold in single week - vnexpress international

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Hanoi Covid cases jump 7-fold in single week - VnExpress International

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By Le Nga &nbspApril 17, 2023 | 05:38 am PT Hanoi has recorded 493 new Covid-19 cases over the past week, a sevenfold increase from the previous 7 days, and more cases are expected to plague the capital. Since the beginning of this year, Hanoi has recorded a total of 756 Covid-19 cases, according to the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC).

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22 new caves discovered in Vietnam’s Quang Binh

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The 22 caves have a total length of 11.7 kilometers

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VnExpress International – Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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Tan Hiep Phat chairman arrested for alleged fraud - VnExpress International

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Tran Qui Thanh, the 70-year-old chairman of Vietnam’s largest beverage producer Tan Hiep Phat (THP), was arrested Monday on charges of illegally appropriating property.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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Answer:

Coconuts are easy to find, reasonably priced and have a moderately sweet taste so they are a favorite especially during the summer. However, nutritionists advise that we should only consume 2-3 coconuts every week, about 500 ml each time. If we exceed this amount, we run the risk of having some side effects such as:
Hypotension
Coconut water is regarded as a drink rich in potassium, which is a necessary nutrient for those suffering from high blood pressure. Nevertheless, an excessive amount of coconut water can result in potassium surplus, hypotension, dizziness, and even fainting.
Indigestion
When you drink a large amount of coconut water in a short period of time, you can get indigestion. Your stomach accumulates too much water, so your abdomen will stretch, causing discomfort.
Risk of hyperglycemia
According to nutrient analysis, every 100 ml of coconut water contains about 5g of glucose. Therefore, those having diabetes should keep an eye on their daily coconut water intake to avoid the risk of hyperglycemia and other serious complications.
Electrolyte imbalance
Electrolyte imbalance, also known as electrolyte disorder, occurs when the potassium and sodium levels in the blood fall below or go over safe limits. Frequent coconut water intake will cause fluctuations in these two blood indicators and slow down blood circulation to the heart, destabilizing the heart rate or, more dangerously, making your heart stop beating.
Increased pressure on the kidneys
You will notice that when you drink a large amount of coconut water, your urination frequency will increase. This phenomenon can cause the kidneys to "work too hard" to excrete waste, causing the kidney's parenchymal cells to swell temporarily. If this phenomenon persists, your kidney function may decline.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Son
The University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City - Campus 3

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is daily consumption of coconut water good for hydration? - vnexpress international

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Is daily consumption of coconut water good for hydration? - VnExpress International

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Answer: Coconuts are easy to find, reasonably priced and have a moderately sweet taste so they are a favorite especially during the summer. However, nutritionists advise that we should only consume 2-3 coconuts every week, about 500 ml each time.

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Japan's government has announced plans to restrict exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment amid a US-led push to restrict China's tech industry [File: Reuters]

Japan's government has announced plans to restrict exports of 23 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, aligning its technology trade controls with a US push to curb China's ability to make advanced chips.

The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry said in a press release on Friday that it will impose export controls on six categories of equipment used in chip manufacturing, including cleaning, deposition, lithography and etching. It did not specify China as the target of those measures, saying equipment makers will need to seek export permission for all regions.

"We are fulfilling our responsibility as a technological nation to contribute to international peace and stability," the ministry said, adding that its goal was to stop advanced technology from being used for military purposes.

The export restrictions, which will come into force in July, are likely to affect equipment manufactured by a dozen Japanese companies, such as Nikon Corp, Tokyo Electron Ltd, Screen Holdings Co Ltd and Advantest Corp.

"We expect the impact on domestic companies to be limited," Japan's Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said at a news briefing. "We don't have one specific country in mind with these measures."

Tokyo's decision, nonetheless, comes after the US in October imposed sweeping restrictions on chipmaking tool exports to China citing concerns that Beijing planned to use advanced semiconductors to enhance its military power. Washington, however, needs Japan and the Netherlands, which are key suppliers of such equipment, to join it to make those restrictions effective.

Japan and the Netherlands in January agreed to join the US in restricting chipmaking equipment exports to China that could be used to manufacture sub-14 nanometre chips, but did not announce the pact to avoid provoking Beijing, sources earlier said. Tokyo has never publicly acknowledged that there was an agreement.

A nanometre, or one-billionth of a metre, refers to a specific semiconductor industry technology, with fewer nanometres generally meaning the chip is more advanced.

The Netherlands' government in a letter to the country's parliament this month also said it plans to restrict chipmaking equipment exports. Dutch company ASML Holding NV dominates the market for lithography systems used to create the minute circuitry of chips.

China, which has accused the US of being a "tech hegemony" because of its export restrictions, urged the Netherlands "not to follow export control measure by certain countries".

Japan, which once dominated chip production but has seen its global market share slip to about 10 percent, is still a major supplier of chipmaking machines and semiconductor materials. Tokyo Electron and Screen make about a fifth of the world's chipmaking tools, while Shin-Etsu Chemical Co Ltd and Sumco Corp produce most silicone wafers.

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Japan to restrict chip equipment exports amid China fears

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Japan's government has announced plans to restrict exports of 23 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, aligning its technology trade controls with a US push to curb China's ability to make advanced chips. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry said in a press release on Friday that it will impose export controls on six categories of equipment used in chip manufacturing, including cleaning, deposition, lithography and etching.

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China state television viewed by people in Hong Kong in 2022. Interviewees in China told Al Jazeera that understanding of the war in Ukraine was made extremely difficult due to Chinese media's pro-Russian reporting on the conflict [File: Tyrone Siu/Reuters]

More than 10,000 Chinese people were in Ukraine when Russia invaded on February 24, 2022.

The "no-limits friendship" Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping announced between their countries three weeks before the invasion did not prevent Chinese people from suddenly finding themselves in a war zone.

Though the Chinese leadership appeared to have been as surprised by Russia's invasion as the rest of the world, that shock did not translate into a condemnation of Moscow's actions, either then or now.

Days into the invasion, China's state newspaper, the People's Daily, published a message on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, in which Beijing's embassy in Kyiv called on its citizens in Ukraine to unite amid the deteriorating situation.

The People's Daily - along with most of China's new media - had by then united behind Russia and its on the Ukraine war.

More than a year on, Chinese media coverage of the war still strongly echoes Moscow's narrative and at times amounts to a mere "copy and paste" of Russian war propaganda.

"I've given up trying to understand what is going on," 24-year-old Yu-Ling Song* from Xiamen told Al Jazeera.

There is one version of the war reported by Chinese media and Chinese people, Song said, and a very different version from Western media and her Western friends.

It has left her very confused, she added.

Different media realities

Hsin-yi Lin from Shanghai has not yet given up entirely on trying to understand the situation in Ukraine. But she has concluded when it comes to the war, China exists in an information bubble cut off from the rest of the world.

"I think the majority of Chinese people don't notice it because they either don't pay attention to the war or they only get their news about it from Chinese media," she told Al Jazeera.

"But if you are able to look beyond the firewall [a term used to describe China's draconian censoring of the internet], you see that the war is talked about very differently and reported on very differently in international and Western media," she told Al Jazeera.

Early on in the invasion, China's state broadcaster CCTV ran claims that the United States had funded the development of biological weapons in Ukrainian labs. It was also reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had fled Kyiv in the wake of the first wave of Russian attacks.

Chinese media then dutifully relayed the Russian assertions that reports of torture and killings of Ukrainian civilians in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv, were "fake news".

All the while, the invasion was, and still is, being referred to as a "special military operation", just as in Russian media.

Despite Chinese leaders' repeated statements that China is a neutral party in Russia's war on Ukraine, the country's state media is far from an impartial observer of the conflict.

Brian Tang from Guangzhou mostly stays updated about the war through foreign media.

According to the 33-year-old, that means he cannot discuss the war with most people in his life because they largely get their information from Chinese TV and Chinese online news, which leaves them with no information or entirely different information about the war than he has.

"It means that you not only have different opinions, you have different realities," Tang said.

There is also no point in turning to Chinese social media to share his thoughts on the war, he said. "What would be the point?" he asked rhetorically.

"Your posts might get removed by censors and your account might get suspended or worse."

At the beginning of the war, several public figures and university professors in China shared critical views of Russia's invasion but their posts were quickly censored and several had their social media accounts deleted.

Big goose becomes the weak goose

Despite the censorship and the information bubble, however, both Lin and Tang have noticed a change in the way the Russian invasion is being addressed on Chinese social media.

Lin saw some anti-war remarks on Chinese social media when the war first broke out but the vast majority of posts she read were pro-Russia and anti-Western.

"Now, I think that there is a lot more posts and comments that are critical of Russia compared to before, and they also stay up longer before they are removed by censors," Lin said.

Lin and Tang have also seen a change in the online discussions of the war, with the term "weak goose" becoming more predominant in posts and comments on Chinese platforms. Russia is often referred to informally as "big goose" in China because the Chinese word for "Russia" and the word for "goose" sound alike.

"When Russia first attacked Ukraine, we all heard that the Russians were going to win very quickly because people thought that they are so strong and the Ukrainians are so weak," Tang explained.

But when the Russian offensive quickly became bogged down, it turned out the "big goose" was not as powerful as had been imagined - it was in fact a "weak goose", Tang said.

With or without censorship, Lin thinks that it is clear to most people that the war is not going great for Russia, which has made some Chinese people abandon their support.

"They were expecting a short war and now no one knows how long it will last," she said.

And as the war drags on, Tang believes it will matter less and less what is posted on Chinese social media and what is reported in Chinese news media.

"Eventually, Chinese people will just want the war to end," he said.
*The names of interviewees have been changed to accommodate requests for anonymity.

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China's media realities clash over truth about war in Ukraine

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More than 10,000 Chinese people were in Ukraine when Russia invaded on February 24, 2022. The "no-limits friendship" Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping announced between their countries three weeks before the invasion did not prevent Chinese people from suddenly finding themselves in a war zone.

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The body of a 2-year-old Florida boy who had been missing since his mother was found slain Thursday was also discovered dead in the mouth of an alligator Friday, police said.

Police were waiting for the medical examiner to examine the body of Taylen Mosley to determine the cause of death, St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway said Friday.

However, Holloway said the boy's father, Thomas Mosley, 21, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the death of the boy's mother, 20-year-old Pashun Jeffery, and their young son, Taylen. The department posted the news on its Facebook page.

A frantic daylong hour search involving local, state and federal authorities including dive teams and officers using drones, had been ongoing since the boy's mother's body was found stabbed to death in her St. Petersburg apartment Thursday afternoon,.

While searching for the boy at the nearby Dell Holmes Park recreational area and Lake Maggiore, detectives saw an alligator in the lake with something in its mouth. When they realized it was a child's body, they fired at and killed the alligator.

"As the detectives got closer they fired one round into the alligator and the alligator dropped the object and we were able to retrieve Taylen's body intact," Holloway said during a Friday night press conference, posted by Tampa Bay area TV station Spectrum Bay News 9.

"We are sorry it has had to end this way," Holloway said during news conference.

Police were waiting for the medical examiner to examine Taylen's body to determine the cause of death, Holloway said.

Police had issued an amber alert Thursday for Taylen after police found his mother's body. Jeffery, who worked at a CVS store, and her son were last seen by family members around 5:20 p.m. Wednesday. Police have said around 8:30 p.m. neighbors heard a loud commotion near their apartment but police were not called.

Jeffery's mother contacted the property manager at the apartment complex after not hearing from her daughter the next day. Family members said Jeffery and Taylen had just moved into about a month ago. That's when Jeffrey was found dead in what Holloway described as "a very violent crime scene" in which she had been stabbed numerous times.

Thomas Mosley went to his mother's house about 9 p.m. Wednesday with the cuts on his arms and hands, Holloway said, and then admitted himself to a local hospital, where he remained Friday night. "He didn't want to talk to a detective and then later on he asked for an attorney," Mosley said.

Contributing: The Associated Press.
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider. What's everyone talking about?:Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news

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St. Petersburg police find body of missing Florida boy, 2, in mouth of an alligator

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The body of a 2-year-old Florida boy who had been missing since his mother was found slain Thursday was also discovered dead in the mouth of an alligator Friday, police said. Police were waiting for the medical examiner to examine the body of Taylen Mosley to determine the cause of death, St.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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By Pham Linh &nbspApril 1, 2023 | 08:41 pm PT

Japan's Chiba City has recalled 640 units of soy milk made by a Vietnamese company after finding coliform bacteria in the containers, although the manufacturer assured that the production was up to par.

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on March 27 said that a testing center had found coliform bacteria in 15 master cartons of Fami Calcium Soy Milk, a product of Vietnamese company Vinasoy, which was imported into Japan by Next Trading, according to NHK.

On March 28, Chiba ordered the product to be recalled and destroyed.

Next Trading said that most of the soy milk had not been sold to the public, except for some 200-milliliter packs that were distributed to a restaurant that sells Vietnamese food in Iga, Mie.

A representative of Next Trading told NHK that the company was "surprised and sorry" to learn that coliform bacteria was found in the batch as the company has done its own tests on the product based on the standards of the health ministry. The soy milk tested negative for coliform.

Vinasoy said it had learned that the importer had submitted the soy milk to a third party testing facility in Japan.

The Vietnamese company has tested other products that were made at the same manufacturing line at its factory and that nothing unusual was found. The company also sent its products to a testing facility.

Vinasoy said it has 25 years of experience in the soy industry and is the leading company in the sector in Vietnam.

It has exported to markets with high standards such as the United States, Japan and South Korea.

"Our products are manufactured in a pasteurized environment and are examined through many processes according to international standards," the company said, adding that it would speed up the independent testing process and announce the results to the public.

Coliform bacteria, which can be found in water and feces of warm-blooded animals, does not often cause serious illness, but a person who has been exposed to them for three or four days may have an upset stomach, vomiting, fever and diarrhea.

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japan finds soy milk imported from vietnam contaminated - vnexpress international

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Japan finds soy milk imported from Vietnam contaminated - VnExpress International

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By Pham Linh &nbspApril 1, 2023 | 08:41 pm PT Japan's Chiba City has recalled 640 units of soy milk made by a Vietnamese company after finding coliform bacteria in the containers, although the manufacturer assured that the production was up to par.

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Is TikTok's time up? CEO's skewering before Congress raises questions about app's future in the US | CNN Business

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Is TikTok's time up? That's the question coursing through the halls of Congress, Wall Street, and the public writ large after the social media company's chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, waffled for hours before US lawmakers on Thursday.

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A mammoth meatball has been created using the resurrected flesh of the long-extinct animal.

It was produced by a cultivated meat company as part of a project trying to demonstrate the potential of growing flesh from cells without slaughtering animals.

Vow, the Australian company behind the innovation, is aiming to use cells from unconventional species to create new kinds of meat, while highlighting the link between large-scale livestock production and the destruction of wildlife and the climate crisis.

But no one has yet tasted the mammoth meatball, as the scientists behind it say they would have "no idea how our immune system would react when we eat it."

The company has already investigated the potential of more than 50 species, including alpaca, buffalo, crocodile, kangaroo, peacocks and different types of fish.

Japanese quail is set to be the first cultivated meat to be sold to diners, and is expected to be available in restaurants in Singapore later this year.

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Pictured: Giant meatball created using woolly mammoth flesh

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A mammoth meatball has been created using the resurrected flesh of the long-extinct animal. It was produced by a cultivated meat company as part of a project trying to demonstrate the potential of growing flesh from cells without slaughtering animals.

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VnExpress International – Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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Expats unhappy with Vietnam visa policy, survey affirms - VnExpress International

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Vietnam’s consternating visa policies helped placed the nation in the bottom 10 of an index ranking countries in terms of how favorable expatriates find their living conditions.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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By Tat Dat &nbspMarch 22, 2023 | 06:15 pm PT

Vietnam's major manufacturers have raised steel prices to a 7-month high despite plunging demand.

On Tuesday, Hoa Phat Group hiked its prices for rebar steel by 0.95% to VND15.99 million ($678.55) per ton.

Local steelmakers Viet Y, Viet Duc, Kyoei and Viet My all made similar adjustments, while Pomina's price tag towered above at VND17.6 million, 10% higher than market average.

Manufacturers said that steel prices, which are now at their highest point since August, have been rising since October last year due to an input materials shortage prompted by declining billet production.

Steel billets are raw steel bars not yet processed for the market, and billet makers reduced production due to low prices in earlier months.

Demand for steel will likely remains meager in upcoming months.

Steel products sales in the first two months of 2023 plunged 23% year-on-year to 3.8 million tons, while exports dropped 10% to 1 million tons.

Analysts at brokerage Mirae Asset Vietnam said that the steel market is largely dependent on the property sector, and the real estate market cooldown this year has thus adversely affected the steel industry.

Steel production is therefore expected to drop 10.5% from last year to under $17.9 million tons this year.

However, manufacturers hope that public spending, which is set to hit an historic high of VND704 trillion this year, will help boost demand as the government aims to disburse at least 95% of that figure.

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steel prices surge in face of declining demand - vnexpress international

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Steel prices surge in face of declining demand - VnExpress International

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By Tat Dat &nbspMarch 22, 2023 | 06:15 pm PT Vietnam's major manufacturers have raised steel prices to a 7-month high despite plunging demand. On Tuesday, Hoa Phat Group hiked its prices for rebar steel by 0.95% to VND15.99 million ($678.55) per ton.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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Four female flight attendants of national carrier Vietnam Airlines have been detained as suspects for allegedly carrying 10 kilograms of drugs from Paris to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).

The four, including the cabin manager Nguyen Thanh Thuy, 37, were put under custody Friday morning shortly after flight VN10, which they served, touched down at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Their arrest came after customs officials found drugs hidden inside toothpaste tubes that were found in their hand luggage.

Police identified the drugs as ecstasy and synthetic drugs. Altogether, the four had carried 10 kilograms of drugs from France to Vietnam.

Questioned by the police, the four attendants appeared to be shocked.

They said when in France, a person, whose identity has yet to be revealed by the police, asked them to carry some packages in their hand luggage. The person allegedly paid the four of them VND10 million (US$422).

As they were all "exhausted" after a long flight, they said they did not check the package carefully and did not notice any abnormal signs.

The flight attendants said the package got through customs in France without any problems and only when arriving in Vietnam did they learn what they had really carried.

HCMC police and officers from the Ministry of Public Security are now working together on the case with the collaboration of Vietnam Airlines.

In Vietnam, those who smuggle narcotics can be punished with at least two years in prison. Depending on the severity of the crime and quantity of drugs involved, those found guilty can even get life imprisonment or death.

Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5kg (5.5 lbs) of methamphetamine face the death penalty.

The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death.

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vietnam airlines flight attendants investigated for allegedly smuggling drugs from france - vnexpress international

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Vietnam Airlines flight attendants investigated for allegedly smuggling drugs from France - VnExpress International

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Four female flight attendants of national carrier Vietnam Airlines have been detained as suspects for allegedly carrying 10 kilograms of drugs from Paris to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). The four, including the cabin manager Nguyen Thanh Thuy, 37, were put under custody Friday morning shortly after flight VN10, which they served, touched down at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

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Vietnam tops region in online cross-border purchase volume - VnExpress International

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By Dang Khoa &nbspJuly 12, 2022 | 09:00 pm PT Vietnam has the highest average volume of cross-border online purchases of up to 104 orders per year in Southeast Asia, higher than the Southeast Asian average of 66.

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Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found in toilet paper around the world

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Research finds waste flushed down toilets and sent to sewage plants probably responsible for significant source of water pollution

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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By Reuters &nbspMarch 14, 2023 | 07:17 am PT

Meta shares jumped 6% on the news. The widely anticipated job cuts are part of a wider restructuring that will also see the company scrap hiring plans for 5,000 openings, cancel lower-priority projects and flatten layers of middle management.

"I think we should prepare ourselves for the possibility that this new economic reality will continue for many years," Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a message to staff.

Worries of an economic downturn due to rising interest rates have sparked a series of mass job cuts across corporate America: from Wall Street banks such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to Big Tech firms including Amazon.com and Microsoft.

Meta, which is pouring billions of dollars to build the futuristic metaverse, has struggled with a post-pandemic slump in advertising spending from companies worried about the economic outlook.

In response, Zuckerberg has promised to turn 2023 into the "Year of Efficiency". With the latest move, Meta expects expenses in 2023 to come in between $86 billion and $92 billion, lower than the $89 billion to $95 billion forecast previously.

Zuckerberg said Meta will remove multiple layers of management, ask managers to become individual contributors and give them less than 10 direct reports, which would in turn make the organization "flatter."

"We don't expect to grow headcount as quickly, it makes more sense to fully utilize each manager's capacity and defragment layers as much as possible," he said.

Meta's move in November to slash its headcount by 11,000 marked the first mass layoffs in its 18-year history. Its headcount stood at 86,482 at 2022-end, up 20% from a year ago.

The tech industry has laid off nearly 290,000 workers since the start of 2022, with about 40% of them coming this year, according to layoff-tracking site layoffs.fyi.

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000 jobs in second round of layoffs - vnexpress international

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Meta to cut 10,000 jobs in second round of layoffs - VnExpress International

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By Reuters &nbspMarch 14, 2023 | 07:17 am PT Meta shares jumped 6% on the news. The widely anticipated job cuts are part of a wider restructuring that will also see the company scrap hiring plans for 5,000 openings, cancel lower-priority projects and flatten layers of middle management.

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How the Turkey earthquake tore a 300-kilometre rupture in the Earth's surface

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The ground in Turkey and northern Syria was torn, cracked open, and dragged in different directions after the massive 7.8 magnitude quake and its aftershocks on Feb. 6.
The map below illustrates how far the surface moved during the quake. Two clear ruptures now stretch for hundreds of kilometres where the land moved up to 7 metres (23 feet) in opposite directions.

Even at the southern tip of the larger rupture, about 150 km from the epicentre of the initial 7.8 magnitude quake, the village of Tepehan, in Hatay province, witnessed extraordinary cracks tearing through the surface.

Drone footage filmed on Feb. 10 showed fissures slicing across an olive grove in the village.

"At around 4:20 a.m. (0120GMT) at night, we woke up to a noise. With the initial panic, nobody knew whether we could leave home or whether we could survive. We lost hope," said local resident Mehmet Temizkan.

Drone footage filmed on Feb. 10 showed fissures slicing across an olive grove in the village of Tepehan, in Hatay province, Turkey. Photo: Reuters

"These were very large and powerful earthquakes that ruptured all the way up to the surface over a long series of fault segments," Eric Fielding, a geophysicist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement on the agency's Earth Observatory website.

"This generated extremely strong shaking over a very large area that hit many cities and towns full of people," he said. "The rupture length and magnitude of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake was similar to the 1906 earthquake that destroyed San Francisco."

Land on either side of the ruptures moved in opposite directions, settling up to 7 metres from its starting point in some locations, according to data provided by Chris Milliner of the California Institute of Technology.

The main quake had a long rupture with displacements of up to 7m. The shorter rupture from the 7.5 aftershock saw land displaced up to 5m in places.
Joining the dots
The smaller towns directly above the fault line suffered some of the most severe shaking. The main rupture tore straight through many of these settlements as if it were joining the dots on a map.

Susan Hough, a seismologist at the United States Geological Survey, said that in many cases, people end up living next to fault zones for resource reasons.

"If you are living along the base of the mountains, there may be more water there," Hough said.

Many of the towns lie at the foot of a mountain range to the East.

A Reuters analysis of population estimates shows that the settlements built near the fault zone tended to have higher populations the closer they were to the rupture. Many of the fatalities and building collapses happened in larger cities distant from the fault zone, however, which experts said related to the underlying geography.

Margarita Segou, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey, said it is safer to build on mountainous rock than the soft soil of the plains, which tends to amplify ground motion.
Towns torn apart
Satellite images clearly showed the surface displacement. The pinpoint accuracy of the images allows the movement of land to be traced.

Images from Planet Labs show a surface rupture running straight through the middle of a village near Nurdagi, Turkey, with the ground clearly moving a few metres on either side.

Another image shows a long crack and surface movement near the neighbouring village of Tevekkeli, which sits on the fault line south of Kahramanmaras. The entire village appears to have moved a few metres and cracks slice through fields and tracks.
The scale of the event
The earthquakes opened two enormous cracks in Earth's surface, the longer of which stretches about 300km across southern Turkey.

"An earthquake of this size causes the fault to break along quite a long extent," said Roger Musson, an honorary research associate at the British Geological Survey. The maps below show the size of the ruptures relative to other well-known land masses. The crack is comparable to the length of Taiwan, South Korea, or Portugal.

"To have a fault this long fail in a populated area is horrific," said Professor Tim Wright, head of the U.K. Centre for the Observation & Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes & Tectonics (COMET).

Experts say the surface ruptures offer a valuable source of data that will help them understand the processes that caused such a devastating event - and ultimately save lives.

"Scientists around the world are using these kinds of data to build 'source models' of the event," Wright said, adding that such models could predict how structures behave during earthquakes and how they might affect key infrastructure such as bridges and roads. "In the longer-term, forensically understanding every earthquake helps us prepare for future events in different regions."

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vietnam life - how the turkey earthquake tore a 300-kilometre rupture in the earth's surface

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How the Turkey earthquake tore a 300-kilometre rupture in the Earth's surface

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The ground in Turkey and northern Syria was torn, cracked open, and dragged in different directions after the massive 7.8 magnitude quake and its aftershocks on Feb. 6. The map below illustrates how far the surface moved during the quake.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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By Anh Minh &nbspFebruary 12, 2023 | 06:54 pm PT

Power generation will be hit this year if coal supply is interrupted, Vietnam Electricity has warned.

It is expected that coal demand would increase this year with the commissioning of the Thai Binh 2 Thermal Power Plant in the namesake northern province, EVN recently informed the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

If coal supply does not improve, power generation would be affected, it said.

Last year supply to most thermal power plants was unreliable, affecting their operation, it said.

For example, supply by the state-owned Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) and Dong Bac Corporation to the Thai Binh Thermal Power Plant was irregular, it said.

There were times in the fourth quarter when they could only supply imported mixed coal.

As a result, coal stocks at the plant in November and December were only 10,000 tons, enough for about two days of operation, forcing it to shut down a turbine.

In addition, with imported coal being expensive, EVN said it is possible that the group will have to continue cutting coal imports and because of that, the operation of power plants using imported coal, such as Vinh Tan 4 in central Binh Thuan Province, will be affected.

EVN wanted the ministry to direct the two coal suppliers to give priority to power generation.

It also needs to ensure the correct technical requirements of each plant are matched since it is feared that Vinacomin would supply completely mixed coal to EVN's plants this year.

Mixed coal affects power generation, especially during peak times in the dry season.

Last year EVN's production costs skyrocketed as the price of coal went up, and it reported a loss of VND28 trillion (US$1.18 billion).

It had said last year it wanted power prices to be managed in the same way as that of fuel by taking into account the cost of production and not by keeping them fixed at certain levels.

Costs had surged with oil and gas prices rising by double-digits and that of coal by 600%, but electricity prices remained the same as in 2019, EVN CEO Tran Dinh Nhan said at a meeting last December.

The average retail price of electricity is VND1,864.44 per kilowatt-hour.

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evn worried irregular coal supply would affect electricity production - vnexpress international

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EVN worried irregular coal supply would affect electricity production - VnExpress International

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By Anh Minh &nbspFebruary 12, 2023 | 06:54 pm PT Power generation will be hit this year if coal supply is interrupted, Vietnam Electricity has warned. It is expected that coal demand would increase this year with the commissioning of the Thai Binh 2 Thermal Power Plant in the namesake northern province, EVN recently informed the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

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Vietnam’s first digital university opens in Hanoi

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The university calls itself the first digital university in Vietnam

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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A man in Binh Dinh Province tricked his close friend into becoming an illegal worker in Cambodia in order to avoid "being beaten" by his employer.

Huynh Thanh Nhon, from the central province's capital town Quy Nhon, has been detained for four months by the police in Binh Dinh while he is under investigation for human trafficking.

The police said Nhon had cooperated with several people to traffic people into Cambodia to work against their will. Victims were not allowed to leave their workplaces, were beaten and left to starve for several hours. They were forced to pay money if they wanted to go back to Vietnam.

Nhon said he himself was a victim of human trafficking, who was tricked into going to Cambodia and work in precarious situations, unable to return to Vietnam due to his confinement.

He said he was introduced to a job by an unnamed man online in February last year. The man claimed the job's salary was US$700-$1,000 a month. Nhon then traveled to HCMC as requested, where he was taken to his work site by a car. The people there then instructed him to create multiple online accounts to trick others into joining the group.

"After nearly two weeks, I realized I was in Cambodia and not Vietnam, because I was not allowed to go outside," Nhon said.

"Every day, I had to work 16 hours and could only rest at night," he said. "If I didn't do my job properly, I would be beaten, left to starve, or sold to another place."

A few months after he first arrived there, Nhon was sold to another company owned by Chinese people, and was forced to do the same job. He says he had to run cyber scams to make people into paying the company VND200-300 million ($8,396-$12,594) per month, or he would be forced to work overtime and see his salary reduced.

Nhon said he also had to trick people into joining the company, explaining that he was promised $100 for every person he recruited.

"In order to have money and not be starved and be beaten, I tricked three of my friends into coming here," he said. "But I did not receive any money."

In March 2022, Nhon told some of his friends through social media that he was "working on gaming apps on a computer in Tay Ninh (that borders Cambodia)," a job with a light workload and with a salary of VND17-VND24 million. He then persuaded his friends to join him.

An 18-year-old man, a close friend of Nhon's, fell for the trap.

"When I realized I was tricked into going to Cambodia, I called Nhon and he said 'It's ok,' before blocking me on the phone and social media," the friend said.

He said he had to work 16-17 hours a day in an enclosed space. There were people armed with electric whips who were guarding him. They were willing to beat workers and left them to starve if they made any violation, or failed to trick other people into giving away their money.

In the eight months since he was sold to Cambodia, the 18-year-old got sold off to three different companies. In September 2022, he was ransomed by his family for VND80 million. Nhon's family also paid a ransom for his release last year before being arrested by the police.

Truong Van Phung, deputy head of the Investigation Unit of Binh Dinh's Police Department, said human trafficking groups often target young people who dropped out of school early and who were addicted to online games.

Vietnamese have been trafficked to Cambodia as illegal workers for years. The Vietnamese Embassy there said it has managed to repatriate 800 Vietnamese citizens back home from Cambodia so far.

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human trafficking victim tricks to sell close friend to cambodia - vnexpress international

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Human trafficking victim tricks to sell close friend to Cambodia - VnExpress International

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A man in Binh Dinh Province tricked his close friend into becoming an illegal worker in Cambodia in order to avoid "being beaten" by his employer. Huynh Thanh Nhon, from the central province's capital town Quy Nhon, has been detained for four months by the police in Binh Dinh while he is under investigation for human trafficking.

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The number of immigrants who were arrested after illegally crossing the southern border fell to 156,000 in January, the third-lowest total since President Joe Biden took office. This number remains higher than in any month during President Donald Trump 's tenure and is 80,000 arrests higher than Trump's last month in office.

But while illegal border crossings always fall in January, the decline from the record-high December numbers was helped by Biden's increased use of Title 42 to deny illegal immigrants entry on health grounds.

BIDENFLATION IS NOT GOING AWAY

In December, when a record-high 251,000 illegal immigrants were arrested after crossing the border, Biden denied entry to just 1 in 5 of them by invoking Title 42 authority. Most of the rest were granted access to the United States.

In January, however, Biden upped his use of Title 42 to deny entry to more than 2 out of every 5 of those arrested. Unsurprisingly to everyone but libertarians and open-border activists, the January border numbers prove that enforcement works. The more you deny illegal immigrants entry, the fewer who will attempt to do so. It's pretty simple.

Unfortunately, Biden is not planning to ramp up deterrence, but to do the opposite. The administration's lawyers informed the Supreme Court that they intend to end the use of Title 42 when Biden ends the COVID-19 pandemic emergency in May.

What Biden plans to do to deter immigrants from illegal crossings is unclear. In the same legal brief to the Supreme Court, the DOJ also said immigrants who "fail to seek protection in a country through which they traveled on their way to the U.S." could be placed in expedited removal proceedings.

There are two problems with this. First, Biden already has the authority to place illegal border-crossers in expedited removal proceedings. He does not need to issue a new regulation to give the Department of Homeland Security that power.

More importantly, expedited removal proceedings do nothing to prevent illegal immigrants from making meritless claims that they fear persecution, which is their ticket to gain release into the country. Immigrants will continue to be free to cross the border, get arrested, assert asylum as a defense against deportation, and then be released into the U.S. to go wherever they want.

Biden doesn't need Title 42 or new regulations to prevent the release of illegal immigrants into the U.S. Section 212(f) of Title 8 gives him the authority to "suspend the entry of all aliens" if he decides it would be "detrimental to the interests of the United States."

All Biden needs is the political will to use this tool, and he can end the border crisis he created tomorrow.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

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Deterrence up, illegal immigration down at southern border

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The number of immigrants who were arrested after illegally crossing the southern border fell to 156,000 in January, the third-lowest total since President Joe Biden took office. This number remains higher than in any month during President Donald Trump's tenure and is 80,000 arrests higher than...

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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By Luu Quy &nbspFebruary 13, 2023 | 04:30 pm PT

After promises by telecom firms that Vietnam's international Internet speed would be restored last Friday, online data flows still slow at peak hours.

Bich Phuong, from Hanoi's Cau Giay District, said she still felt the reduced connection quality over the weekend as four out of five undersea cables connecting Vietnam with the rest of the world are still encountering issues.

"The Wi-Fi now connects faster, but the mobile 4G has gotten considerably slower. This is the opposite of what happened in the previous weeks, when I had to turn off the Wi-Fi to use 4G," she said.

When she tried to use the Facebook app, Phuong said she frequently encountered images that had not loaded completely, and she would have to wait several seconds before she could open Facebook links. On the other hand, she said she can use her Wi-Fi as usual now.

At a meeting with the Ministry of Information and Communications last Friday, telecom firms promised to share data among one another to resolve Vietnam's slow international Internet speed. Military-run Viettel has since shared 100 Gbps with VNPT, for example.

However, while users have reported faster connections than before, they say that connections remain unstable.

Nguyen Hong Thang, head of the Vietnam Telecommunications Authority, said that following the application of certain technical methods and the inclusion of data delivered on land, connections have become "less stagnated" than before.

"However, Internet speed can still slow down during peak hours," he said.

During normal periods, Vietnam's undersea cables have a total amount of data flow of 18.7 Tbps. Sixty percent of it is used for normal operations, while the rest is put in reserve. However, as four out of five undersea cables are having issues now, 75% of this data flow has been lost. Telecom firms had to purchase another 3 Tbps worth of data flow to be transported over land to keep connections stable.

A representative of the information ministry said that providers need to make sure that "customers' actual data usage during peak hours must never exceed 90% of the international data amount that service providers can afford." This means that the amount of available data must always be at least 10% higher than users' demands.

However, over the weekend, the amount of data that certain telecom firms used already exceeded the 90% threshold.

According to a report by the information ministry, by the end of Sunday, the amount of data usage seen by VNPT was at 95% of the amount of international data flow the firm can support. The figure seen by Viettel during peak hours was at 96%. Meanwhile, FPT's fixed connections and MobiFone's mobile connections saw data flows below 80% of what they can afford.

VNPT has negotiated with its partners to purchase more data using land cables, and the data is expected to be used over the next 1-2 weeks. Viettel said it would buy more data to ensure that its data reserve would be at least 10%.

Several telecom firms in Vietnam said they have managed to compensate for around 50% of the international data flow lost.

But even with enough data, connections can still be slow as the data has to make longer trips using the available cables left, including land cables, according to experts.

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vietnam struggles at peak hours - vnexpress international

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Despite promises of faster Internet, Vietnam struggles at peak hours - VnExpress International

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By Luu Quy &nbspFebruary 13, 2023 | 04:30 pm PT After promises by telecom firms that Vietnam's international Internet speed would be restored last Friday, online data flows still slow at peak hours.

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Panera Bread tests artificial intelligence technology in drive-thru lanes

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Two Panera Bread locations in upstate New York are testing artificial intelligence technology that takes drive-thru orders.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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2023 is shaping up as a challenging year to be a woman or minority working in the tech sector, or even a person with one too many years under their belt.

Surging firings by technology companies last year are disproportionately affecting women and mid-career talent which may make it more difficult to improve diversity in one of the most sought-after industries, according to data from a research firm.

In recent years, U.S. tech majors have stepped up hiring and made diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) a priority. But as the industry grapples with over-hiring since mid-2020, rising interest rates and changes in business and consumer behavior, tech companies have announced deep cuts, risking their diversity efforts.

Amazon.com Inc's layoffs will now include more than 18,000 roles as part of a workforce reduction it previously disclosed, its CEO said on Wednesday. That comes to about 6% of its corporate workforce. Salesforce Inc said on Wednesday it planned to eliminate about 10% of its staff.

The rare shakeup in big tech companies risks further disrupting diversity pledges that have already grown stagnant as companies de-emphasize DEI efforts.

Companies including Meta Platforms Inc, Amazon.com, Twitter Inc and Snap Inc have together cut over 97,000 jobs in 2022 to deal with the slowing economy and shareholder pressures, according to a report from employment firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. That is up 649% from 2021.

Women and Latino workers represent 46.64% and 11.49%, respectively, of the tech layoffs from September to December 2022, while those segments make up 39.09% and 9.96%, respectively, of the entire industry, according to data from Revelio Labs Inc, a startup that analyzed data from tech layoff tracker Layoffs.fyi and talent database Parachute List by Rocket.

Mid-career talent is also overrepresented in layoffs, said Reyhan Ayas, Revelio Labs senior economist.

Meta, for instance, committed in 2019 to doubling the number of Black and Hispanic employees in its U.S. workforce as well as doubling the number of women in its global workforce by 2024.

Donald Tomaskovic-Devey, sociology professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who studied U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity data for 2008-2016, found that about 7% of tech firms are actively trying to diversify their workforce.

Tomaskovic-Devey said if the same pattern holds, the current round of layoffs will lead to fewer women and non-Asian minorities in tech firms and further entrench the dominance of white and Asian males in the industry.

Twitter was hit with a lawsuit that claimed the social media company disproportionately targeted female employees in layoffs.

Snap and Twitter did not respond to requests for comment. Meta declined to comment.
Disrupt diversity
Black and Asian talent has been less affected by the job cuts but the unexpected layoffs in tech may make it more difficult to attract diverse early-career talent to "the cool kid on the block" or well-known tech companies, said Morgan DeBaun, CEO of Blavity Inc, which hosts the largest annual Black tech conference, AfroTech.

This will disrupt diversity efforts even further, said Benjamin Juarez, a recruiting consultant and co-founder of Latinos in Tech. Underrepresented talent will face increased competition for entry-level roles as experienced workers settle for those jobs, he added.

Entry-level jobs often present the best option for diverse candidates to get a foothold in the tech industry.

"Someone looking to break in to tech for the first time should anticipate that it could be a long road," said Amanda Daering, co-founder of HR consulting firm Newance which builds finance and tech teams at startups.

Companies have made cuts to budgets allocated to make workplaces more diverse, said Nadiyah Johnson, CEO of Milky Way Tech Hub, which helps corporations source diverse candidates.

"There's been patterns of pushing back projects that at one point in time were a priority, especially the first year or two since the George Floyd murder," she said.

Still, some are hopeful.

Latinos in Tech's Juarez said he is hopeful that massive layoffs will give rise to minority led-startups, his preferred solution to the stagnant DEI efforts.

"We want to increase the amount of Latinos in the tech space but we're starting to see that some of these DEI efforts just don't work and we just need to essentially build our own path."

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big tech layoffs may further disrupt equity and diversity efforts - vnexpress international

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Big tech layoffs may further disrupt equity and diversity efforts - VnExpress International

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2023 is shaping up as a challenging year to be a woman or minority working in the tech sector, or even a person with one too many years under their belt. Surging firings by technology companies last year are disproportionately affecting women and mid-career talent which may make it more difficult to improve diversity in one of the most sought-after industries, according to data from a research firm.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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By VNA &nbspFebruary 2, 2023 | 11:48 pm PT

Last year, the total revenue from retail sales of goods and services rose 21%, exceeding the target of 8%.

A survey by Vietnam Report showed that over 53.8% of total retail firms enjoyed similar and higher business results compared to the pre-pandemic level.

Experts held that growth of retail sales is being supported by rise in income and the strong recovery of the tourism sector as well as relevant sectors such as transport and accommodations, as well as the effectiveness of inflation control measures.

There are signs of vibrant retail activities as many foreign investors have announced their plans to return after Covid-19.

Recently, Thailand's Central Retail said that it will pump an additional VND20 trillion (US$852.87 million) into the Vietnamese market in the next five years, pushing its investments in Vietnam in the 2022-2026 period to VND65 trillion. With this plan, Central Retail will raise their coverage from 40 localities currently to 55.

Meanwhile, Japanese giant retailer Aeon Group plans to build another megamall in Hanoi, raising its total trade centres in Vietnam to 20.

In 2023, four trade centres are scheduled to be launched - Central Premium Plaza, Vincom Megamall Grand Park, Sunrise City Central and Emart 2 with a total area of over 116,000 sq.m.

Many experts predicted that this year, retailers will expand their selling channels, bringing their products to different trading platforms to optimise online retail channels.

Vietnam's total retail sales of goods and services in January was estimated at VND544.8 trillion, up 5.2% from the previous month and 20% as compared with the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The office explained that the hike was attributed to the growing consumption demand as Tet (Lunar New Year), the biggest and longest festival in the Southeast Asian nation, fell in the month.

Of the total, the retail sales of goods were VND435.4 trillion, a year-on-year rise of 18.1%, with the biggest increase seen in garments (27%).

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retail sales forecast to reach $350b by 2025 - vnexpress international

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Retail sales forecast to reach $350B by 2025 - VnExpress International

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By VNA &nbspFebruary 2, 2023 | 11:48 pm PT Last year, the total revenue from retail sales of goods and services rose 21%, exceeding the target of 8%. A survey by Vietnam Report showed that over 53.8% of total retail firms enjoyed similar and higher business results compared to the pre-pandemic level.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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By Thu Hang &nbspFebruary 4, 2023 | 05:28 pm PT

In a draft decree that is being reviewed by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Vietnam's largest city listed two new property taxing options.

In the first option, it wants to impose a tax on owners who do not directly use their land and building.

The tax amount and duration will be determined by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.

In the second option, it wants to impose higher taxes and fees on the second property of each owner, such as registration fees (when purchasing a property), a tax on non-agriculture land, and a personal income tax when selling a property.

The increase amounts will be determined by the city.

Registration fees will be increased from the current 0.5% of a property value to 2%, and the maximum collection will be raised from VND500 million to VND1 billion.

Non-agriculture land fees will not be raised more than five times the current level, and personal income tax will not be raised more than double the current level.

The city will collect the new taxes and will not need to share this revenue with the central government.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment will comment on the proposal before forwarding it to the government for submission to the National Assembly.

The surge in property prices in recent years, mostly due to speculation, has encouraged authorities to find solutions to contain prices to ensure that there is enough affordable housing to meet increasing demand.

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hcmc seeks to tax second property - vnexpress international

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HCMC seeks to tax second property - VnExpress International

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By Thu Hang &nbspFebruary 4, 2023 | 05:28 pm PT In a draft decree that is being reviewed by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Vietnam's largest city listed two new property taxing options. In the first option, it wants to impose a tax on owners who do not directly use their land and building.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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Businesses that resumed operations after Tet at major industrial hubs across Vietnam reported around 95% of their employees have returned to work.

Instead of resuming operations on the sixth day of the lunar year on Friday as usual, many companies in the north this year opted to reopen on Monday to give their workers, especially those living in the northern highlands provinces, more time with their families.

All 1,190 businesses in Bac Ninh's industrial parks, home to many foreign enterprises, have resumed operations with more than 99.6% of workers returning to work, according to a report by the province Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The rest are returning late because they could not book train or coach tickets due to the rush or switched jobs, it said.

Companies outside industrial zones reported 99.5% of their employees have returned.

Bac Giang Province, also a major industrial hub in the north, has no labor shortage now unlike at the beginning of 2022 when the country started to reopen its economy post-pandemic.

Tran Van Ha, deputy director of the province's labor department, said many companies, especially in the electronics sector, plan to expand production and so need to recruit 17,000 workers this quarter.

Thai Nguyen Province has more than 8,700 businesses with more than 230,000 employees.

Nearly 95% of them have returned to work after Tet.

In Hanoi, more than 83% of enterprises have resumed work and 95% of their workers have returned.

In the southern province of Dong Nai, major garment and textile businesses that employ tens of thousands of workers resumed operation on Monday and saw a high rate of returning workers.

Nike and Adidas suppliers Taekwang Vina, Pouchen and Changshin reported 93-99% of their workers have come back to work after Tet, according to the province's Labor Confederation.

Binh Duong Province's labor department also reported "stable" return of workers after the holiday, with around 86% of workers coming back by Monday, while a number of businesses have plans to delay reopening until the first two weeks of February.

Earlier on Friday, hundreds of companies that resumed operations in Ho Chi Minh City after the Tet holiday reported that 95% of their laborers have returned to work.

The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs has said labor-intensive industries such as textile and garment, leather and footwear, wood processing, and supporting industries would continue to lose orders and face difficulties until the end of the first quarter.

Hundreds of companies with 637,000 workers have been affected so far.

The labor ministry estimated nearly 272,000 workers would have their working hours reduced after Tet while 15,800 would lose their jobs altogether.

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95% of workers return to work after tet - vnexpress international

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95% of workers return to work after Tet - VnExpress International

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Businesses that resumed operations after Tet at major industrial hubs across Vietnam reported around 95% of their employees have returned to work. Instead of resuming operations on the sixth day of the lunar year on Friday as usual, many companies in the north this year opted to reopen on Monday to give their workers, especially those living in the northern highlands provinces, more time with their families.

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Google is to make its chatbot technology available to the public in "the coming weeks and months" as it responds to the success of ChatGPT, a Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence chatbot that has become a global phenomenon after it was made available free of charge.

Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Google's owner, Alphabet, said the use of AI had reached an "inflection point" and the company was "extremely well positioned" in the field.

Pichai referred to two so-called large language models developed by the company, LaMDA and PaLM, with the former set to be released soon. This week CNBC reported that Google had begun testing an AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT called Apprentice Bard, which uses LaMDA technology.

LaMDA shot to prominence last year when Google suspended and then dismissed an engineer after he went public with claims that LaMDA was "sentient". Google said Blake Lemoine's claims about LaMDA - an acronym for language model for dialogue applications - were "wholly unfounded".

Pichai said in a conference call with Alphabet investors on Thursday: "In the coming weeks and months, we'll make these language models available, starting with LaMDA so that people can engage directly with them."

Large language models such as LaMDA and the one behind ChatGPT are types of neural network - which mimic the underlying architecture of the brain in computer form - that are fed vast amounts of text in order to be taught how to generate plausible sentences. ChatGPT has become a sensation after being used to create all sorts of content from school essays to job applications.

Pichai indicated that chatbot technology would be integrated into Google as part of the rollout. "Very soon, people will be able to interact directly with our newest, most powerful language models as a companion to search in experimental and innovative ways," he said. Last year Google released a set of LaMDA demos, available to small groups, as part of an "AI Test Kitchen".

He also flagged the achievements of Alphabet's UK-based AI unit DeepMind, saying its database of "all 200m proteins known to science have been used by 1 million biologists around the world".

Analysts estimate that ChatGPT, developed by the San Francisco-based company OpenAI, has reached 100 million users since its launch on 30 November. Describing the growth as unprecedented, analysts at the investment bank UBS wrote: "In 20 years following the internet space, we cannot recall a faster ramp in a consumer internet app."

Microsoft, one of OpenAI's financial backers, is integrating ChatGPT into its products and has already launched a premium version of its Teams communications product, offering AI-powered extras such as automatically generated meeting notes. Microsoft is also expected to deploy OpenAI's artificial intelligence models in its Bing search engine.

ChatGPT is an example of generative AI, or technology trained on vast amounts of text and images that can create content from a simple text prompt. OpenAI has also developed Dall-E, an AI-powered image generator.

Michael Wooldridge, a professor of computer science at the University of Oxford, said OpenAI had "put a firework" under big tech companies with the release of ChatGPT.

"They achieved that with a fraction of the number of employees of big tech companies, which must have caused consternation in Silicon Valley boardrooms," he said. "My guess is we'll see a massive pivot in other big tech companies towards large language models and generative AI - and a frantic rush to get products to market and secure a user base."

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Google poised to release chatbot technology after ChatGPT success

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Google is to make its chatbot technology available to the public in "the coming weeks and months" as it responds to the success of ChatGPT, a Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence chatbot that has become a global phenomenon after it was made available free of charge.

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Acrobatic Vietnamese brothers set new world record - VnExpress International

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Circus artists Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep set a new head-to-head balancing walk record in their final international performance on Friday.

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Urgent action needed to curb rise in prison deaths linked to spice, say UK researchers

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Synthetic cannabinoids involved in nearly half of male prisoner deaths analysed in England and Wales

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1. turbulence /ˈtɜː.bjə.ləns/
a state of confusion without any order

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Economy

The leader of Quảng Ninh Customs Department said the authority has deployed information technology systems to ensure the industry's continuous, stable and secure operations. It also deployed GPS seals to support the customs supervision.

Economy

For September alone, Market Surveillance Task Force Number 1 seized contrabands and counterfeit goods valued at VNĐ1.4 billion.

Economy

Total capital set aside for the province's five-year plan increased by VNĐ289 billion, partly thanks to a bonus of nearly VNĐ94.9 trillion (US$3.83 billion) for exceeding revenue in 2021, approved by the Prime Minister in July.

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Organic farming key to healthy value chains

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Economy The leader of Quảng Ninh Customs Department said the authority has deployed information technology systems to ensure the industry's continuous, stable and secure operations. It also deployed GPS seals to support the customs supervision. Economy For September alone, Market Surveillance Task Force Number 1 seized contrabands and counterfeit goods valued at VNĐ1.4 billion.

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According to experts, the licensing and control of producers of new-generation tobacco products have not been made clear.

Since 2020, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has submitted to the government a plan to manage new-generation tobacco products and proposed piloting the management of the trade of heated tobacco products.
Public signboards
As introduced by a group of high school students in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters reached an e-cigarette store on Nguyen Trong Tuyen Street in Phu Nhuan.

A large signboard of the store, where various kinds of e-cigarettes, accessories, and e-liquid are displayed for sale, caught their eyes.

The store's manager introduced tens of products with prices ranging from hundreds to millions of Vietnam dong. (VND1 million=US$40.3).

"There are two kinds of e-cigarettes: open and closed systems, but open system e-cigarettes are more preferable as users can refill e-cigarettes with the e-liquid of their choice. There are also single-use e-cigarettes," the manager introduced.

Being asked about heated tobacco products, the manager said the products are popular in Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea but are more expensive. Buyers need to place orders in advance.

"My store prioritizes selling e-cigarettes as youngsters are less interested in heated tobacco products, which are less diversified and more expensive and require particular e-liquid. With heated tobacco, smokers cannot mix e-liquid."

The manager affirmed that most of the e-cigarettes at the store are imported from China. The store also offers hand-carried products from Canada and the U.S..

However, he failed to show certificates proving the origin of the products.

There are many similar stores on Nguyen Dinh Chinh Street in Phu Nhuan District, Cach Mang Thang Tam Street in District 10, and Hoang Sa Street in District 3.

A violator of e-cigarette management regulations is fined. Photo: D.K. / Tuoi Tre

In Hanoi, similar stores are easily found on Truong Han Sieu, Nguyen Thi Dinh, and Nha Chung streets.

The online trade of e-cigarettes is even more bustling with many private and public groups on Facebook, TikTok, and e-commerce platforms, such as Lazada, Tiki, and Shopee.

However, no matter whether e-cigarettes are offered by online or brick-and-mortar stores, anyone at any age with demand and money can buy them.

Just with a click, a message, or a phone call, customers can receive the products within 24 hours.
Illegal business
Nguyen Tien Dat, deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance Agency, affirmed that the operation of these stores is illegal as they are not licensed.

Those deliberately displaying or advertising e-cigarettes in a public manner will face sanctions.

However, the specific penalties to force these stores terminate their illegal business are unclear.

Dat added that in 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the municipal Market Surveillance Agency detected and seized nearly 3,600 e-cigarette products worth some VND680 million (US$27,436) and fined violators VND331 million ($13,354).

In the January-July period of this year, the agency confiscated 940 e-cigarette products valued at about VND250 million ($10,085) and fined violators more than VND100 million ($4,034).

At present, violations relating to e-cigarettes are considered those in the business of smuggled, counterfeit, banned and poor-quality products and those with unclear origins and involved in trade frauds.

Compared with penalties against cigarette traders, penalties for those trading e-cigarettes are obviously slighter, contributing to abetting illegal acts.

The Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms does not include regulations on controlling e-cigarettes and new-generation cigarettes as a whole.

Besides the unclear origin and poor quality of smuggled e-cigarettes, their information is misleading.

In the Vietnamese black market, traders have advertised new-generation cigarettes, including e-cigarettes, as harmless.

It is more worrying that they eye youngsters, who consider using e-cigarettes as a way to prove that they are connoisseurs.

A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance Agency said that the control of such products with heavy sanctions for violators will prevent the waste of resources, time and efforts of law enforcement agencies, and minimize the state's losses.

Pursuant to Item 2, Article 3 of the government's Decree 67/2013/ND-CP, tobacco products are defined as those manufactured wholly or partially from tobacco ingredients and in the form of cigarettes, cigars, and shredded tobacco that are used for smoking pipes, smoking, chewing, or sniffing.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

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vietnam life - smuggled e-cigarettes cause chaos in vietnamese market

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Smuggled e-cigarettes cause chaos in Vietnamese market

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According to experts, the licensing and control of producers of new-generation tobacco products have not been made clear. Since 2020, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has submitted to the government a plan to manage new-generation tobacco products and proposed piloting the management of the trade of heated tobacco products.

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663 Saigon families to be relocated for ring road construction - VnExpress International

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Ring Road No.3 will affect 1,670 families in Ho Chi Minh City and 663 of them will be resettled, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment said.

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South Korea truckers strike again, threatening supply chains - VnExpress International

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South Korean truckers staged their second major strike in less than six months Thursday, in an action that could disrupt critical global supply chains in sectors from cars to steel.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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A baby born somewhere on Tuesday will be the world's eight billionth person, according to a projection by the United Nations.

"The milestone is an occasion to celebrate diversity and advancements while considering humanity's shared responsibility for the planet," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

The UN attributes the growth to human development, with people living longer thanks to improvements in public health, nutrition, personal hygiene and medicine.

It is also the result of higher fertility rates, particularly in the world's poorest countries -- most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa -- putting their development goals at risk.
How many is too many?
Population growth has also magnified the environmental impacts of economic development.

But while some worry that eight billion humans is too many for planet Earth, most experts say the bigger problem is the overconsumption of resources by the wealthiest people.

"Some express concerns that our world is overpopulated," said United Nations Population Fund chief Natalia Kanem. "I am here to say clearly that the sheer number of human lives is not a cause for fear."

Joel Cohen of Rockefeller University's Laboratory of Populations told AFP the question of how many people Earth can support has two sides: natural limits and human choices.

Our choices result in humans consuming far more biological resources, such as forests and land, than the planet can regenerate each year.

The overconsumption of fossil fuels, for example, leads to more carbon dioxide emissions, responsible for global warming.

"We are stupid. We lacked foresight. We are greedy. We don't use the information we have. That's where the choices and the problems lie," said Cohen.

However, he rejects the idea that humans are a curse on the planet, saying people should be given better choices.
Slowing growth
The current population is more than three times higher than the 2.5 billion global headcount in 1950.

However, after a peak in the early 1960s, the world's population growth rate has decelerated dramatically, Rachel Snow of the UN Population Fund told AFP.

Annual growth has fallen from a high of 2.1 percent between 1962 and 1965 to below 1 percent in 2020.

That could potentially fall further to around 0.5 percent by 2050 due to a continued decline in fertility rates, the United Nations projects.

The UN projects the population to continue growing to about 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and peaking around 10.4 billion in the 2080s.

Other groups have, however, calculated different figures.

The U.S.-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated in a 2020 study that the global population would max out by 2064, without ever reaching 10 billion, and decline to 8.8 billion by 2100.
Black Death
Since the emergence of the first humans in Africa over two million years ago the world's population has ballooned, with only fleeting pauses to the increasing number of people sharing Earth.

Our ancestors were hunter-gatherers, who had few children compared to later settled populations in order to maintain their nomadic lifestyle.

The introduction of agriculture in the Neolithic era, around 10,000 BC, brought the first known major population leap.

With agriculture came sedentarization and the ability to store food, which caused birth rates to soar.

From around six million in 10,000 BC, the global population leapt to 100 million in 2,000 BC and then to 250 million in the first century AD, according to the French Institute for Demographic Studies.

As a result of the Black Death, the human population dropped between 1300 and 1400, from 429 to 374 million.

Other events, like the Plague of Justinian, which hit the Mediterranean over two centuries from 541-767, and the wars of the early Middle Ages in western Europe, also caused temporary dips in the number of humans on Earth.

From the 19th century on, the population began to explode, due largely to the development of modern medicine and the industrialization of agriculture, which boosted global food supplies.

Since 1800, the world's population has jumped eight-fold, from an estimated one billion to eight billion.

The development of vaccines was key, with the smallpox jab particularly helping zap one of history's biggest killers.

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humanity hits the eight billion mark - vnexpress international

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Humanity hits the eight billion mark - VnExpress International

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A baby born somewhere on Tuesday will be the world's eight billionth person, according to a projection by the United Nations. "The milestone is an occasion to celebrate diversity and advancements while considering humanity's shared responsibility for the planet," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

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Climate justice gets harder as world population passes 8 billion

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The world population surged past 8 billion people on Tuesday, the United Nations said, warning that more hardship is in store for regions already facing resource scarcity due to climate change

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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By Duc Hung &nbspNovember 4, 2022 | 11:30 pm PT

A woman who was tricked and trafficked into China in 1995 has been reunited with her family in central Vietnam, but she yearns to be back with her children in China.

Tran Thi Lo, 54 this year, was born into a family of nine siblings in Loc Ha District in Ha Tinh Province.

In 1992, she and some family members visited the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak to do business.

Her family describes Lo as "slow" and of unstable mental health.

In 1995, when she was 27, Lo went missing while staying with her brother in Dak Lak.

Her family searched for her for many years with help from the police and the media, but there was no sign of her anywhere, said Nguyen Duc Dieu, 70, Lo's brother-in-law.

Dieu's son, Nguyen Duc Diep, 35, began to post information about his missing aunt on social media and the online community kept spreading the message.

A month ago, Chinese police cracked down on illegal citizens and found Lo without any legal papers. They deported her and handed her over to Vietnamese police.

Lo was sent to a social work center in Nghe An Province on Nov. 1. The same day, staff at the center discovered the information that her nephew had posted on social media.

The very next day, they put the nephew in touch with her on the phone.

Once it was confirmed that she'd found her family, Lo was returned to her siblings last Thursday (Nov. 3). Both her parents had passed away.

Lo said she was tricked and taken to China where she was forced to marry an old Chinese man. She gave birth to his children who are adults now. Her husband has died.

She can only speak a few Chinese words and though she has been reunited with her long-lost family, she wishes to return to China and be with her children.

Her family is helping her to complete the needed procedures and fulfill her wish.

According to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, around 40 million men in China needed to look abroad for a wife, as of 2020. This situation has resulted from China's former one-child policy, which saw families abort female fetuses for decades.

Hundreds of thousands of women from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar have been smuggled or taken to China to wed local men, activists say. Some end up happily married, but many others suffer violence and forced labor.

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trafficked woman back home after 27 years in china - vnexpress international

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Trafficked woman back home after 27 years in China - VnExpress International

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By Duc Hung &nbspNovember 4, 2022 | 11:30 pm PT A woman who was tricked and trafficked into China in 1995 has been reunited with her family in central Vietnam, but she yearns to be back with her children in China.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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By Pham Linh &nbspNovember 5, 2022 | 11:59 pm PT

According to the refinery operator, Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical (BSR), production was steadily increased to 112% from the night of November 5 to the morning of November 6 to relieve supply pressure across the country.

BSR has said it plans to raise output and replenish crude oil stocks in the remaining two months of the year, importing more intermediate materials while assessing technological and safe transportation solutions in order to operate at full capacity.

BSR has stated that it has distributed the majority of its products to retailers nationwide.

The company sold about 6.6 million cubic meters of petroleum in the first ten months of this year, exceeding its committed volume by 450,000 cubic meters. As a result, the refinery's inventory is at a low level.

This plant currently meets around 35% of domestic gasoline demand.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh informed the National Assembly Saturday that he had authorized the country's two operational oil refineries-Dung Quat and Nghi Son- to work at full capacity to meet 70-80% of the domestic market demand.

In response to a rapid surge in global gasoline prices, the government immediately decreased the petroleum import tax and requested that the National Assembly Standing Committee allows reductions in the environmental protection tax on petrol and oil in order to assist individuals and businesses.

Many localities have been suffering fuel shortages with gas stations running out of stock or selling limited quantities as a running battle over commissions with oil companies disrupted supply.

Chinh said the main cause of fuel shortage, particularly in some major cities, was that the supply of petrol and oil continued to fluctuate rapidly and input costs were rising.

At the same time, coordination between management agencies was loose and they were not responding in a timely manner to domestic and foreign market developments.

The fuel market in Vietnam is regulated by both the trade and finance ministries, but the latter has called on the government to let the former take over and resolve the issue.

PM Chinh told VnExpress earlier this month that he has asked government bodies to study the possibility of letting the Ministry of Industry and Trade become sole regulator of the domestic fuel market.

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gasoline shortage prompts dung quat refinery to increase production - vnexpress international

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Gasoline shortage prompts Dung Quat refinery to increase production - VnExpress International

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By Pham Linh &nbspNovember 5, 2022 | 11:59 pm PT According to the refinery operator, Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical (BSR), production was steadily increased to 112% from the night of November 5 to the morning of November 6 to relieve supply pressure across the country.

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English Heritage has accepted a £1.25m donation from Airbnb to support its bid to "boost heritage tourism" and to continue the conservation of the UK's most important historical attractions and houses.

The donation to the charity, which acts as a custodian to the country's architectural legacy, follows the launch of the rental giant's new historical homes category in July, which includes listings for historic places in which to stay.

Airbnb has come under criticism recently after new figures revealed there had been a sharp rise in the number of Airbnb listings in coastal areas of England and Wales, prompting fears of "theme parks for the wealthy". Housing campaigners say the trend indicates landlords in popular holiday spots may be favouring tourists over tenants at a time when many communities are being hit by rising living costs.

But the Silicon Valley company said the donation was part of a broader project designed to "enhance the cultural heritage" promoted by the platform.

It said bookings for historical homes on its platform had doubled since 2019. Its own data suggests that, last year, over 90% of bookings were from local UK residents seeking homes in more remote rural locations. Family travel made up one in every four of these bookings in the first half of 2022.

"We are proud to be making a contribution to English Heritage that will benefit both local communities and tourists so they can enjoy England's rich cultural history, including hidden gems in some of the less-visited rural areas and countryside," said Amanda Cupples, Airbnb's northern Europe general manager.

In my view [Airbnb] are making corporate donations to offset the poor publicity they are now receiving

Will McMahon, Action on Empty Homes

Kate Mavor CBE, chief executive at English Heritage, said they were very grateful for the donation: "English Heritage is an independent charity and support like Airbnb's is vital to protect the great stone circles and castles, abbeys and historic houses in our care."

English Heritage manages more than 400 historic sites across England, from Stonehenge to Hadrian's Wall, Dover Castle to the York Cold War Bunker, and as a registered charity, relies on donation support to protect the future of these iconic sites.

But Will McMahon, director of the charity Action on Empty Homes, who coordinated an Action on Short Lets campaign, questioned whether English Heritage should be accepting a donation from Airbnb.

"Airbnb's donation seems to serve one purpose - it is a sort of cultural greenwashing for what has become an investment platform taking homes out of residential use and worsening our housing crisis," he said.

He added: "Airbnb clearly has a strategic understanding of their own vulnerabilities and in my view are making corporate donations to offset the poor publicity they are now receiving countrywide due to short lets impacting on long-standing local communities in city, coast and countryside alike."

This article was amended on 22 October 2022. An earlier version of the main image caption placed Stonehenge in Derbyshire, rather than Wiltshire.

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Airbnb donates £1.25m to English Heritage to 'boost heritage tourism'

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English Heritage has accepted a £1.25m donation from Airbnb to support its bid to "boost heritage tourism" and to continue the conservation of the UK's most important historical attractions and houses. The donation to the charity, which acts as a custodian to the country's architectural legacy, follows the launch of the rental giant's new historical homes category in July, which includes listings for historic places in which to stay.

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On October 20, Ms Truss said she would step down as her economic agenda caused turmoil in financial markets and divided the Conservative Party. The decision was made just six weeks after she took office.

A vote to elect the leader of the ruling Conservative Party will be completed next week to find a replacement for Ms. Truss. Before her, Mr. George Canning was the person to hold the post of British Prime Minister for the shortest time. He was prime minister for 119 days until his death in 1827.

Speaking at the Prime Minister's Office at 10 Downing Street, Ms. Truss accepted that she could not deliver on her promise when running for Conservative leader, thus losing the confidence of her party.

"I admit, given the situation, I am unable to carry out the duties that I have been entrusted with by the Conservatives. Therefore, I have spoken to the King to announce that I will step down as leader of the Conservative Party," Ms. Truss said.

Ms. Truss also said she had met Mr. Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, to discuss and agree that the Conservatives would have a new leadership election next week. This is done to ensure the ruling party continues to implement its fiscal plans and maintain economic stability and national security for the UK.

"I will continue to serve as prime minister until a successor is found. Thank you," Ms. Truss said.

Earlier, a growing number of Conservative lawmakers called for Ms. Truss to step down after she was forced to scrap much of her tumultuous economic agenda. The so-called "mini-budget" backed by Ms. Truss' government has sent sterling and government bonds plummeting.

Ms. Truss had previously fired the Finance Secretary and replaced Mr. Jeremy Hunt. The new finance minister has scrapped almost all of Ms. Truss' economic lines. Hours ago, another senior minister in the Truss Administration announced his resignation.

Conservative lawmakers say her successor is likely to be her opponent, former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, or Penny Mordaunt, who finished third in the race for prime minister six weeks ago.

Mrs. Truss was born on July 26, 1975, in Oxford. Her father was a math professor and her mother was a nurse. In 1996, Ms. Truss graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE). After graduation, she worked as an accountant for Shell, and Cable & Wireless.

Before becoming prime minister, she held six ministerial positions under three prime ministers, David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson. She served as British Foreign Secretary for 11 months.

During her campaign, Ms. Truss focused on her pledge to cut taxes. She also pledged to take immediate action to help households cope with soaring gas and electricity prices.
Reference: Reuters

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The British Prime Minister announced her resignation, becoming the shortest prime minister in British history.

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On October 20, Ms Truss said she would step down as her economic agenda caused turmoil in financial markets and divided the Conservative Party. The decision was made just six weeks after she took office. A vote to elect the leader of the ruling Conservative Party will be completed next week to find a replacement for Ms. Truss.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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Bich Thao and her husband are still trying to get a son after seven years and five in vitro fertilization attempts despite knowing sex selection is illegal.

The couple, both 34 and from the northern Vinh Phuc Province, say they have been unlucky in that all five IVF attempts failed either to faulty embryos or a faulty Y (male) chromosome.

Thao married her husband in 2010 and their first child was a girl. With her husband being the oldest son, the expectation is that she, too, will produce a male heir.

When they decided to have a second child, they opted for IVF, which works by combining a woman's egg and a man's sperm in a laboratory to create an embryo. It also enables sex selection before the embryo is implanted in the uterus.

Mai Huong and her husband, both of whom work for the government, also had a girl child and decided to shell out more than VND100 million (over $4,000) for IVF to have a son.

"I don't want to be a topic of discussion for not bearing a son for my husband's family," she says.

The women with vastly different educational, economic, and social backgrounds were all coerced into giving birth to a son.

Many other Vietnamese women too find themselves in a similar situation.

According to a 2020 report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Vietnam is among the three countries with the greatest sex ratio imbalance at birth along with China and India.

Son La, Hoa Binh, Bac Giang, Hung Yen, Ha Nam, and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces have a sex ratio of more than 120 boys for every 100 girls.

According to a 2014 report by the General Statistic Office, married couples who are better educated and economically well-off are more likely to desire sons.

The preference for male children has existed in Vietnam for a long time and is the primary source of the sex ratio imbalance at birth.

Recent changes have also contributed to this phenomenon like low birth rates and sophisticated and easily accessible reproductive technologies.

If one wanted to undergo IVF until a decade ago, they had to travel to Thailand or Singapore and spend billions of dong. In recent years IVF techniques and technologies have progressed enormously in Vietnam.

The cost of IVF at more than 40 institutions and hospitals in the country that offer the procedure is VND70-100 million, or only equivalent to 20-25 percent of the cost in other countries.

Since 2017 Vietnam has had the highest number of IVF procedures performed annually in Southeast Asia.

For instance, in 2019 some 35,000 were done in the country.

It is unclear how many of these cases involved sex selection, but the use of IVF to give birth to a boy is a hot topic on social media, with people listing reliable IVF centers and doctors and even talking about what coded language to use so that the medical staff understand that one wants a son.

According to Ha Thi Quynh Anh, a UNFPA specialist on gender and human rights, the mentality of desiring males and degrading girls has had severe implications.

According to the 2020 World Population Report, the long-standing preference for boys in Vietnam's society terminates 40,800 baby girls before they are born every year.

According to estimates, if the sex ratio at birth continues to remain unchanged, Vietnam will have a surplus of 1.5 million males aged 15-49 by 2034, and more than 2.5 million by 2059.

If this scenario plays out, Vietnamese men will almost certainly have to seek brides like China and India.

UNFPA regional director for Asia and the Pacific, Bjorn Andersson, said at a conference in Vietnam in early October that around 140 million women are believed to be "missing" around the world as a result of the preference for sons and gender-biased sex selection, which is a pervasive form of gender inequality and discrimination.

He said it is critical to recognize that sex selection based on gender stereotypes is largely a problem of gender inequality and violates women's human rights.

Sex inequality has occurred in China, South Korea and India, and governments there have taken numerous initiatives to bring the birth rates of boys and girls closer to parity.

Many measures have been taken in Vietnam too to combat gender imbalance, including a fine of up to VND20 million for using tools, drugs or applications to determine the sex of the fetus and researching into methods to select the sex.

Thao and her husband were unhappy after seven years of IVF treatment to conceive a son and spending up to VND1 billion.

She says: "I could not believe it when I took a test in my ninth week of pregnancy and discovered I had a son. After five failed IVF attempts, it feels better than winning the lottery now that I have naturally conceived a son."

Thao is now in her fifth month of pregnancy.

As for Huong, she was told to see a fortune teller after her IVF procedure failed. She was greatly relieved to hear the man say giving birth this year will increase her chance of having a son.

However, an ultrasound at 12 weeks showed that the baby was a female.

She says: "We are not sad after learning about the baby's sex and have stopped caring about what people say. All we need is a healthy baby to be born."

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couples rely on ivf to have baby boys - vnexpress international

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Couples rely on IVF to have baby boys - VnExpress International

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Bich Thao and her husband are still trying to get a son after seven years and five in vitro fertilization attempts despite knowing sex selection is illegal. The couple, both 34 and from the northern Vinh Phuc Province, say they have been unlucky in that all five IVF attempts failed either to faulty embryos or a faulty Y (male) chromosome.

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1. pilot programme

experimental trial, is a small-scale, short-term experiment

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Finance Ministry seeks to extend allowing Vietnamese people to gamble at Phú Quốc casino

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The casino has paid VNĐ1.73 trillion ($71.74 million) in taxes to the state coffers over the last three years.

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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By Dong Hang &nbspOctober 24, 2022 | 01:01 am PT

Over 30 parents have filed the complaint about the Apax English - Apax Leaders center, Mai Tan Linh, deputy director of the Da Nang Department of Education and Training, said Friday. The department would verify information from both sides, he added.

"If there are signs of legal violations, we will deal with that," Linh said.

Parents said they have filed the complaints to both the municipal People's Committee and the People's Council since October 11. The center had organized online classes from May 2021 to April 2022 due to impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, but it frequently called off classes at short notice, parents added.

Reasons for calling off classes include teachers going for vaccination, teachers getting Covid-19 and Internet connections getting disrupted. Despite the fact that the center announced that operations would resume to normal starting April 12, classes were still getting called off frequently.

"For the entire year of 2022, students only got to study for two months in total. There were some who only got to study 5-6 lessons," the complaint read. Parents said the education quality also dropped, and now they demanded the center to refund them.

Parents said they would not accept refunds in the form of tuition for future courses or as scholarships.

They said they have been trying to contact the representative of the center from October 13 to October 18, but received no response.

Linh said if the center fails to keep its promises on education schedule and quality, it would have to refund, and if it refuses to do so, parents can take the matter to court.

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000 refund from english center over subpar education quality - vnexpress international

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Parents demand $29,000 refund from English center over subpar education quality - VnExpress International

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By Dong Hang &nbspOctober 24, 2022 | 01:01 am PT Over 30 parents have filed the complaint about the Apax English - Apax Leaders center, Mai Tan Linh, deputy director of the Da Nang Department of Education and Training, said Friday. The department would verify information from both sides, he added.

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ouse prices are predicted to drop next year due to a mixture of financial instability caused by the misjudged mini-budget and the Bank of England accelerating interest rate hikes. This will be disastrous for many households struggling to afford increased mortgage repayments.

At the same time there are many struggling to buy their first home. In 2021, UK house prices grew at their fastest pace in over a decade, despite the economy still recovering from one of the worst contractions in 300 years. This disconnect between the housing market and the rest of the economy only benefits those who use housing as an asset for accumulating wealth.

The gains of this wealth are unevenly distributed across society. The average white family gained £115,000 in property wealth in the past decade, while the average Black household accumulated nothing, and almost half of housing wealth in the UK is owned by the over-65s. Many people are struggling to put together the large deposits required, and those in the rented sector or social housing face higher housing costs relative to those with mortgages, and greater insecurity of tenancy.

The dominant narrative has been that prices reached all-time highs this year due to shortage of supply, but as many economists have argued since the crash, it is bank lending, rather than supply of housing, that is a primary driver of house price rises. And high land prices result in even less social housing being built.

Lending into real estate generates a self-sustaining cycle of credit supply, credit demand and rapid house prices increases. And when fewer people can afford to repay their mortgages, lending dries up, confidence drops and the cycle works in the opposite direction, making prices suddenly drop.

Overnight people can find themselves in negative equity and be forced from their homes, and banks and real estate investors cash in. While this dynamic was understood in great detail after the last crash, memories are short, and the post-crash powers to reduce financial instability from the housing market have done little to dampen the inflationary effect of mortgage lending, or reduce the attractiveness of homes as financial assets. Government policies, from the stamp duty holidays to the resurrection of "right to buy", have only exacerbated this problem. This destructive pattern of boom and bust needs to come to an end.

As we're seeing with the departure of Liz Truss, governments in the UK have been made and broken on the back of mortgage rate rises, and with mortgage repayments already climbing and likely to soar, regardless of how big the housing downturn is, it is highly likely that the public will boot the Conservatives out of office at the first opportunity. Stabilising house prices is always going to be a difficult political sell, with 65% of England's households being homeowners, or more accurately large debt/mortgage owners, and their family wealth inextricably tied to house prices.

Even Labour doesn't want to change course, by targeting 70% home ownership through mortgage guarantees. However, public opinion may have reached a tipping point: in March, when prices grew at their fastest pace since 2004, more than half of British homeowners said they would be happy if their own home did not rise in value in the next 10 years if it meant houses were more affordable for those who didn't own property.

The economic turmoil right now is revealing how fundamentally fragile the UK economy is. Escaping our structural dependence on house price rises driven by an oversized financial sector won't be easy. However, there are some important places to start. We need to prioritise policies that protect renters and social housing, rather than treating them as an afterthought. This will entail vastly scaling up social housing, and implementing rent controls and renter protections to ensure high quality homes, with long-term security.

Banks also need to be reined in. Having a concentrated banking sector with 50% of its assets secured against UK property is not a healthy position to be in. We need a diverse ecosystem of banks lending into more productive and socially useful activities. Fairer taxation on property and land would dampen speculation and also unlock much needed funds for social housing.

Finally, we need our regulators to take seriously the task of stabilising house prices, ideally adding it as a secondary objective to the Bank of England's policymaking committees.

The dysfunctional nature of our housing market can't be fixed quickly or overnight, it's intimately connected to our politics and culture. But since the last crash we've had more than a decade of missed opportunities when it comes to housing affordability, and it's time for change.

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We face peril because the UK economy relies on house prices. Here are three ways to fix that | Fran Boait

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ouse prices are predicted to drop next year due to a mixture of financial instability caused by the misjudged mini-budget and the Bank of England accelerating interest rate hikes. This will be disastrous for many households struggling to afford increased mortgage repayments. At the same time there are many struggling to buy their first home.

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1. flatter /ˈflæt̬.ɚ/

Làm cho (ai) hy vọng hão

tâng bốc

to praise someone in order to make them feel attractive or important, sometimes in a way that is not sincere

2. stutter (v)

Nói lắp, cà lăm, lúng túng

to speak or say something, especially the first part of a word, with difficulty, for example pausing before it or repeating it several times

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Many students in Vietnam are now chasing rote learning in order to achieve a high band score in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, regardless of their ability to actually utilize the language in daily life. Furthermore, some learners are willing to pay a fortune merely to purchase a forecast test from numerous online English learning fan pages.
Minh Huyen, 17, an eleventh grader at a high school in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City, has spent roughly VND115 million (US$4,724) on IELTS training courses over the past year but has yet to reach her desired score.
Spending fortune on preparation courses, forecast exams
At the start of tenth grade, Huyen's parents pushed her to take the IELTS exam in order to obtain an international language certificate in case she wants to study abroad, or at the very least to have an advantage during the university admissions process.

In August last year, Huyen started enrolling in an one-on-one online IELTS preparation class, with a monthly fee of VND7 million ($290).

Only good at natural science subjects, Huyen asked her lecturer to build her own learning path in order for her to obtain the 6.5-7.0 overall band in IELTS after a year.

This screenshot shows an advertisement from a fan page selling IELTS exam predictions with a guarantee.

Huyen attended the online session three times each week, focusing on reading and listening simulation tests. For other components, she solely memorized the examples provided by her teacher.

She took the IELTS paper-based test in Ho Chi Minh City in the middle of this year, but only gained an overall score of 5.0.

As a result, Huyen continued to register for another group cram course for the IELTS exam in person beginning in June, for a monthly charge of VND4 million ($164), in addition to her personal online class.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters asked Huyen whether she felt pressured to acquire a high IELTS band in a short time despite not being proficient in English.

"It's challenging, but I'm out of time. The sooner I achieve the target score, the more relieved I will be," Huyen stated.

According to the director of a well-known English center in Ho Chi Minh City, the number of students enrolling in IELTS training classes at the center has skyrocketed since most universities began to add the international language certificate as one of the admissions requirements.

During peak demand periods, K-12 students studying IELTS far outnumber college students or working learners.

Aside from throwing money into learning courses, with the demand to achieve high band scores in the test as fast as possible, some test takers also squander a packet to buy forecast exams.

A.T., 25, a former student of Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, said that she used to spend money buying forecast tests from two different online fan pages.

T. split the fee with four other students so each had to pay VND2 million ($82) for the first fan page.

She was then given a packet of 80 test samples to practice, which included all of the components of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The dealer guaranteed that when the actual test was conducted, each component would match at least one part of the samples.

For the other fan page, T. signed up for the test by herself, with the price of VND8 million ($330).

On the morning of the test day, the dealer instructed T. to keep an eye on her phone and wait for the answer message, which was sent as a string of letters A, B, C, and D in the order of the test's multiple-choice questions.

The closer the exam time comes, the more accurate answers the supplier would provide.

"At that time, the forecast tests that I bought matched one reading part and all the listening parts," T. said.

On social media platforms, nowadays, it is not difficult to come across sites that promote IELTS test prediction packages.

Depending on how accurate the forecast is, the cost of each package varies from a few million VND to tens of millions of VND. (VND1 million = $41)

One page, for example, promotes a package of nine practice exams that are claimed to have a 100 percent probability of matching the actual test.

Some pages even offer candidates a VIP practice test, promising that the test takers will only need to review a single sample exam.

If the predicted exam does not correspond to the actual paper, the merchant will reimburse all payments.
Flattered with certificate but stuttering to use language
Phung Quang Huy, an English teacher at the High School of Education Sciences under the Vietnam National University-Hanoi, claimed that a large number people are looking to purchase IELTS prediction tests.

One time, four of his students walked into the IELTS exam room with a set of forecast answers in hand.

There is a chance that the predicted samples will match the actual test, but the likelihood is not high, especially considering that IELTS exam organizers have increased security procedures in recent times.

If there is any indication that the official test has been leaked, they can alter the test materials at the eleventh hour.

This screenshot shows an advertisement from a fan page selling IELTS exam predictions with a guarantee.

According to Huy, the vast majority of candidates study IELTS solely to achieve the desired band score without understanding the test's primary purpose.

Furthermore, some well-to-do parents believe that their children will need to take the IELTS exam sooner or later, therefore they encourage them by investing a substantial amount of money in learning courses at once.

Tran Tin Nghi, head of the foreign language department at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry, indicated that despite achieving a high score in IELTS or another international or domestic English language tests, some individuals still face various obstacles in the workplace or academic setting.

Meanwhile, Pham Vu Phi Ho, deputy head of the foreign language department at Van Lang University in Ho Chi Minh City, explained that IELTS or any language tests are all forms to test learners' ability to use the language.

Therefore, if a person's English proficiency is average, they can score between 6.0 and 6.5 on the IELTS.

Consequently, the approach of rote learning that focuses solely on memorizing sample exams in order to achieve a high score misrepresents the original purpose of the IELTS test.

According to Ho, in order for students to enhance their English skills, they should spend more time practicing the language or join an online English-learning group where they will have the opportunity to communicate in English.
Be wary of getting banned from taking the exam
The British Council and IDP Education, who administer IELTS alongside Cambridge English Language Assessment, have sent a notification to test takers in Vietnam of numerous violations of the reputation of the IELTS exam, including claims to supply test papers before the official test date.

The British Council and IDP both require candidates to be vigilant when receiving such information and confirm that major cases of cheating may result in the cancelation of test results, a two-year test suspension, and denial of approval for a length of time determined by the worldwide IELTS certifying authorities.
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not smarter: vietnamese learners risk it all to achieve high ielts scores

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Study harder, not smarter: Vietnamese learners risk it all to achieve high IELTS scores

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Many students in Vietnam are now chasing rote learning in order to achieve a high band score in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, regardless of their ability to actually utilize the language in daily life. Furthermore, some learners are willing to pay a fortune merely to purchase a forecast test from numerous online English learning fan pages.

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1. mutant /ˈmjuː.tənt/ (n)

Đột biến

an organism that is different from others of its type because of a permanent change in its genes

2. dub /dʌb/

được gọi là

to give something or someone a particular name, especially describing what you think of it, him, or her

3. keiki

chồi của lan được gọi là keiki

a keiki is a plant produced asexually by an orchid plant

4. propagation /ˌprɒp.əˈɡeɪ.ʃən/

Sự nhân giống

the act of producing a new plant from a parent plant

5. ornamental /ˌɔːrnəˈmentl/

có tính chất trang trí

used as decoration rather than for a practical purpose

6. cash in on something

to get money or another advantage from an event or situation, often in an unfair way

7. fad  /fæd/

a style, activity, or interest that is very popular for a short period of time

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VnExpress International - Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam

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Nguyen Van Hoa, 45, has several mutant orchids that were worth a few billion dong just two years ago but unsellable now.

Once "equivalent to a family's entire savings," they are still kept in a secure iron cage equipped with a camera at Hoa's home in Hanoi.

"Two years ago a Phan Tri mutant orchid fetched VND700-800 million ($28,700-32,850) while a pot with a few bulbs could reach billions. Now no one buys them for even a few million."

He owns a 1,000-square-meter flower garden in Dong La Commune in Hoai Duc District, dubbed the "orchid paradise of the north."

He says the same thing has happened to five white petals Phu Tho, five white petals Di Linh, Mat Nai and many other mutant orchids, which were once "more expensive than gold."

Hoang Lien, 40, another orchid farm owner in Dong La, says a keiki, a product of asexual propagation by a mature orchid, used to fetch up to several hundred million dong, but has since fallen to a fraction of that.

"My phone used to ring nonstop from morning to night with people inquiring about acquiring a rare keiki in my garden. My orchid garden was once worth billions of dong, but nowadays no one is interested in mutant orchids, and so I just keep them alive and treat them like houseplants."

Lien said the Covid-19 pandemic in the last two years had made it impossible for plant enthusiasts who wanted to trade mutant orchids to get together and talk about them.

Everyone tightened their spending after the outbreak, and the sudden trend faded, leaving traders shocked to see the value of their flowers drop every day.

Nguyen Nhu Cuong, director of the Department of Crop Production, says the price of the mutant orchid is now fair and will no longer go down.

"In the past ... prices were inflated beyond what it was actually worth. This caused chaos in the market, but authorities stepped in to bring the price back to normal."

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development helps people who have an interest in orchids set up legal associations that will provide accurate estimates of their value and even act as an intermediary and set prices for orchids so that hype does not cause prices to go up.

Quoc Dat, 45, of Me Linh District in Hanoi borrowed money to sell mutant orchids hoping to get rich quickly.

He was in the family business of growing roses and other ornamental flowers when he decided to make a big investment three years ago after seeing mutant orchids sell for billions.

Though he did not have much experience, he kept spending billions of dong on the same five white petals Phu Tho and a few other varieties including in some bigger ones that he hoped to sell by the centimeter.

Orchid prices plummeted in 2021, with some species going from being worth hundreds of millions of dong to just a few hundred thousand.

"Previously I had to put up a robust fence, install a security camera and have a guard dog to defend my mutant orchid garden," Dat says.

Sometimes he is wistful about how much better off he would have been if he had sold his orchids sooner and made a little bit of money.

Many long-time orchid growers, not just merchants, were also trying to cash in on the fad.

Nguyen Van Hoa, who started growing orchids 12 years ago, says everything was going well until 2017 when a craze for so-called mutant orchids began.

"I was surprised. I did not understand how a pot of mutant orchids can cost as much as a house."

However, soon people like him who grew and sell wild orchids started paying attention to the word "mutant."

"It was like a game of fire relay between merchants. Whoever got stuck with the plant at the end burned their hands," he said.

Even worse, he saw people pay a heavy price for selling fake mutant orchids.

Ta Duy Binh, chairman of the Dong La Orchid Garden Association, says many people lost money on the mutant orchids, most of them traders and middlemen who did not know much about orchids.

He thinks collecting orchids, whether wild or a mutant, will go back to being a hobby for people who love and appreciate beauty.

Cuong of the cultivation department warns orchid growers, sellers and collectors to be on the lookout for scams that use mutant orchids to raise prices.

When the mutant orchid fever died down, the price of common wild orchids went down too.

Lien, who lost plenty of money, decided around a year ago that she wanted to return to conventional orchids, but says there has been a 50% decline in demand.

"I've never seen the orchid market look so gloomy."

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​interest in mutant orchids withers away - vnexpress international

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​Interest in mutant orchids withers away - VnExpress International

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Nguyen Van Hoa, 45, has several mutant orchids that were worth a few billion dong just two years ago but unsellable now. Once "equivalent to a family's entire savings," they are still kept in a secure iron cage equipped with a camera at Hoa's home in Hanoi.

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Japan finance minister declines to say whether government intervened to prop up yen - VnExpress International

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Japanese currency authorities declined on Monday to confirm whether the government had intervened in the currency market on Friday, signalling their determination to engage in a war of nerves with traders selling the yen.

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Rising inflation poses challenge to businesses

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Rising inflation poses challenge to businesses

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Vietnamese businesses are expected to face headwinds from inflation, tightening monetary policy and a growing cost-of-living crisis in many of the country’s export markets, experts have warned.

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In Vietnam's Mekong Delta region, catfish hubs struggle with shortage of juvenile fish

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An Giang and Dong Thap Provinces, considered the largest suppliers of catfish in Vietnam's Mekong Delta region, are suffering from a significant shortage of high-quality juvenile fish, causing great concerns to fish farmers here.
Due to the poor quality of catfish fingerlings, fish farmers find themselves in a difficult situation as they could harvest less.

In fact, the supply of high-quality juvenile fish can only meet about 15 percent of the fish farmers' needs.

The rest had to be obtained from unknown sources in the market, which are sometimes substandard.

Ha Khuu Duc Thanh, a farmer in My Thanh District, Long Xuyen City, An Giang Province, said that in the past fourteen years of fish farming, he had never seen such low-quality juvenile fish as now.

The great loss due to poor-quality juvenile fish puts many fish farmers in limbo.

"I just recently released a new school of fry, but just a week later they were all dead and I had to buy another one," Thanh said.

"From this experience, I created a body of water where I can raise the fry myself and take care of them for later seasons.

"I would like to cooperate with companies that provide juvenile fish and fish food but I hope their kind of cooperation is suitable for fish farmers with small water surface."

Speaking to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper about the dearth of catfish offspring, Tran Anh Dung, director of the An Giang Fisheries Department, said the problem has become a serious challenge for fish farmers in many cities and provinces.

Currently, both fish farmers and aquaculture enterprises are facing huge losses because they buy low-quality young fish from unknown suppliers.

"In An Giang, there are four suppliers of baby catfish that can meet about 15 percent of demand, which means that demand exceeds supply," Dung added.

"Against this background, fish farmers have to incur excessive costs if they buy substandard juvenile fish from unknown suppliers."

Vo Be Hien, director of the Dong Thap Fisheries Department, admitted that the survival rate of baby catfish is low due to the mediocre quality of breeding materials.

To solve the problem, the Aquaculture Research Institute No. 2 has conducted a program to improve farmed fish, identifying genes that are not genetically linked to provide provinces with high-quality breeding materials, but the number is still limited.

"Catfish fingerlings are the critical factor," Hien said.

"A school of fish can go down to zero if fish farmers are unlucky enough to buy low-quality fry.

"Low-quality fry can lead to slow growth, higher susceptibility to disease, and weak defenses."

Hien said Dong Thap has asked institutes and universities to supply the province with more good fry as soon as possible.

However, the thousands of fry they have sent to the province cannot meet farmers' demand.

Therefore, farmers and fisheries have to rely on dubious suppliers despite the inferior quality, Hien added.
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vietnam life - in vietnam's mekong delta region

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catfish hubs struggle with shortage of juvenile fish

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In Vietnam's Mekong Delta region, catfish hubs struggle with shortage of juvenile fish

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An Giang and Dong Thap Provinces, considered the largest suppliers of catfish in Vietnam's Mekong Delta region, are suffering from a significant shortage of high-quality juvenile fish, causing great concerns to fish farmers here. Due to the poor quality of catfish fingerlings, fish farmers find themselves in a difficult situation as they could harvest less.

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Can't believe we are discussing this on Vietnamese Women's Day!

1. Sway /swei/

bị ảnh hưởng

to persuade someone to believe or do one thing rather than another

2. vouching /ˈvaʊtʃɪŋ/

xác minh

confirm

3. anaesthetize (v)  /əˈnes.θə.taɪz/

gây tê

to give anaesthetic (= a substance that makes you unable to feel pain) to a person or animal

4. rhinoplasty /ˈraɪ.nəˌplæs.ti/

Tạo hình mũi

an operation to change the shape of the nose

5. abdominal /æbˈdɑː.mə.nəl/

liên quan đến bụng

relate to the part of the body that contains stomach, bowels, and other organs in a person or animal

6. liposuction  /ˈlaɪ.poʊˌsʌk.ʃən/

giảm mỡ

an operation in which fat is sucked out from under the skin

7. scam /skæm/

trò lừa tiền

an illegal plan for making money, especially one that involves tricking people:

8. dubious  /ˈduː.bi.əs/

đáng nghi

thought not to be completely true or not able to be trusted

9. inflammation /ˌɪn.fləˈmeɪ.ʃən/

viêm

a red, painful, and often swollen area in or on a part of your body

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Illegal procedures at beauty salons deliver ugly results - VnExpress International

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Tricked into having cosmetic surgery and other esthetic procedures at unlicensed beauty salons, many people suffer consequences.

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Fruit and vegetable imports from China increase sharply

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In the first 8 months of this year, Vietnam spent nearly 1.26 billion USD importing vegetables and fruits, of which imports from China increased by 74% over the same period last year and accounted for more than 37% of total import turnover.

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1. balut /ba·​lut /

hột vịt lộn

a fertilized duck eggs incubated almost to the point of hatching and then boiled

2. embryo /ˈem.bri.əʊ/ (n)

phôi thai

an animal that is developing either in its mother's womb or in an egg, or a plant that is developing in a seed:

3. eatery  /ˈiː.tər.i/

a restaurant

4. yolk /jəʊk/

lòng đỏ trứng

the yellow, middle part of an egg

5. Tamarind /ˈtæm.ər.ɪnd/

quả me

(fruit of) a type of tropical tree

6. pork rind /ˈpɔːrk ˌraɪndz/

bì/ mỡ lợn

small, hard pieces of fried pork skin eaten cold and usually sold in bags

7. aroma  /əˈrəʊ.mə/

mùi

a strong, pleasant smell, usually from food or drink

8. grind /ɡraɪnd/

nghiền

to make something into small pieces or a powder by pressing between hard surfaces

9. kumquat /ˈkʌm.kwɒt/

kim quất

a small, oval fruit that looks like an orange and has a sweet skin that can be eaten

10. savory /ˈseɪ.vər.i/ (a)

thơm ngon

Savoury food is salty or spicy and not sweet in taste

11. pungent /´pʌndʒənt/ (a)

Hăng; cay (ớt...)

smelling or tasting very strong and sharp

12.

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How to sell 3,000 baluts a day in HCMC - VnExpress International

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A stall in Ho Chi Minh City sells over 3,000 duck egg embryos daily thanks to the owner’s unique way of cooking and preparing.

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Vietnam's Foreign Trade University won awards at Social Business Creation Contest

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Vietnam's Foreign Trade University won awards at Social Business Creation Contest

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Overcoming more than 140 competing teams from more than 20 countries, Vietnam's Foreign Trade University has excellently won several awards and titles in the final round of the Social Business Creation (SBC) Contest 2022.

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1. shrinkage /ˈʃrɪŋ.kɪdʒ/

a reduction in the size of something, or the process of becoming smaller:

2. cortical (a)

vỏ <não....>

(belongs to) the outer layer

3. Cortical volume

Cortical volume represents the amount and size of neurons

4. (The) limbic (system)

The limbic system: a part of the brain

5. heterosexual

straight, not gay

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There's been a fair bit of studies regarding how the physiology of parents can change when having a baby, but now a new study has revealed the distinct possibility of males experiencing brain shrinkage when becoming dads for the first time.

Researchers from the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid, Spain have found that first-time dads may actually lose between one to two percent of their brain's cortical volume following the birth of their first child.

While previous studies have shown mothers experiencing some changes to their brains - such as in the limbic subcortical networks (or the part of the brain linked to pregnancy hormones) - this study is breaking in that it now shows fathers also experiencing a degree of change to their gray matter.

In the paper published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, the research team explained that studying fathers provided the opportunity to see how the experience of parenting could affect the human brain, even without directly experiencing pregnancy and childbirth.

IMAGE: FirstCry Parenting

The study involved using an MRI brain scan on 40 heterosexual first-time fathers, with half of them coming from Spain and the other half based in the U.S. The scans were used to measure the structures of the men's brains alongside their volumes and thickness.

The group from Spain had their brains scanned before their partners' pregnancies, and then again several months after the birth of their first child. The group from the U.S. had their brains scanned during the mid-to-late stages of their partners' pregnancies, and once more seven to eight months following the birth of their kid.

All throughout, there was also a control group involving 17 men without children in Spain.

The results showed that while there were no changes to the limbic subcortical networks (just like in mothers), there were actual changes to the cortical gray matter (the part dealing with social understanding) as well as reductions in volume of the part of the brain dealing with the visual system.

While it may all sound pretty alarming for dads, the team reasoned that there may be an upside to these changes, more specifically to help them bond better with their child and become better fathers overall.

"These findings may suggest a unique role of the visual system in helping fathers to recognize their infants and respond accordingly, a hypothesis to be confirmed by future studies," wrote the team in the paper.

"Understanding how the structural changes associated with fatherhood translate into parenting and child outcomes is a largely unexplored topic, providing exciting avenues for future research."

Here's what others are currently reading:
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Cover image sourced from theAsianparent and Psychology Today.

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Becoming a dad for the first time can shrink your brain, study finds

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There's been a fair bit of studies regarding how the physiology of parents can change when having a baby, but now a new study has revealed the distinct possibility of males experiencing brain shrinkage when becoming dads for the first time.

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Link post <Click here>

1. peninsula /pəˈnɪn.sjə.lə/

bán đảo

a long piece of land that sticks out from a larger area of land into the sea or into a lake

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Please click on the above picture to download the pdf file.

After a new window appears, please find the "..." (3 dots) section on the upper right corner of the screen. Click that dots pattern and you can download the file by choosing "Download attachment"

1. saturated /ˈsætʃ.ər.eɪ.tɪd/ (a)

[CHEMISTRY] containing all of a substance that can be absorbed

completely filled with something so that no more can be added

completely wet

2. saturated fat

Chất béo bão hòa hay chất béo no

A saturated fat is a type of fat in which the fatty acid chains have all single bonds.

3. chicken pox

Bệnh thủy đậu

Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). It can cause an itchy, blister-like rash

rash: phát ban

4. immunization  /ˌim.jə.naɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/

sự tạo miễn dịch

the process of protecting a person or animal from an infectious disease by putting a substance into the body that makes it produce antibodies

5. molecule /ˈmɒl.ɪ.kjuːl/ (n)

phân tử

the simplest unit of a chemical substance, usually a group of two or more atoms

6. immunity /ɪˈmjuː.nə.ti/

miễn dịch

a situation in which you are protected against disease or from legal action

7. interim /ˈɪn.tər.ɪm/

Tạm thời, lâm thời

temporary and intended to be used or accepted until something permanent exists

8.  in the interim

Thời gian chuyển tiếp

in the time between two particular periods or events:

The new secretary starts in June, but in the interim we're having to type our own letters.

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Please feel free to request any changes if you think this article is too long. I will replace another one ^^

If there's a request to sign up for a free account, you can choose "I'll do it later" in the right-hand side of the sign-up option. This article is free.

1. hail /heɪl/

to call out - draw critical attention to someone's unacceptable actions or behavior.

2. crunch /krʌntʃ/

a difficult situation which forces you to make a decision or act

3. galvanise /ˈɡæl.və.naɪz/ (v)

kích động, khích động

to cause someone to suddenly take action, especially by shocking or exciting them in some way

4. Coincide /ˌkəʊ.ɪnˈsaɪd/

Xảy ra đồng thời; trùng với

to happen at or near the same time

5. prompt

xúi giục, thúc đẩy

to make something happen

6. Forecourt /ˈfɔː.kɔːt/
Sân ngoài, sân trước

a flat area in front of a large building

7. Cram /kræm/

[Đám đông] chật ních, chen chúc

to force something into a small space, or to fill an area with people

8. faction /ˈfæk.ʃən/

Bè phái, nhóm nhỏ

a group within a larger group, especially one with slightly different ideas from the main group

9. artery /ˈɑː.tər.i/

Đường giao thông chính

an important road or railway line

10. standstill /ˈstænd.stɪl/

Sự dừng lại, sự đứng lại, sự bế tắc

a condition in which all movement or activity has stopped

11. congregate /ˈkɒŋ.ɡrɪ.ɡeɪt/

Tập hợp, tụ hợp, nhóm hợp, hội nghị

to come together in a large group of people or animals

12. denounce /dɪˈnaʊns/ (v)

Tố cáo, tố giác, vạch mặt

to criticize something or someone strongly and publicly

13.  petition /pəˈtɪʃ.ən/ (n)

Đơn xin, đơn thỉnh cầu; kiến nghị

a document signed by a large number of people demanding or asking for some action from the government or another authority

14.

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‘It’s scary – things are escalating fast’: protesters fill UK streets to highlight climate crisis and cost of living

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Organisers hail largest wave of simultaneous protests seen in Britain for years as people turn out in over 50 towns and cities

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1.  Cholera:  /ˈkɒl.ər.ə/ or /ˈkɑː.lɚ.ə/: bệnh tả
2.  ingestion /ɪnˈʤes.tʃən/ (n):

sự nuốt vào -

the process of absorbing nutrients or medications into the body by eating or drinking them

3.  acute /əˈkjuːt/:

severe (problems or illness/pain)

nặng, nghiêm trọng

4.  diarrhoea /ˌdaɪ.əˈriː.ə/ (n):

bệnh tiêu chảy

an illness in which the body's solid waste is more liquid than usual and comes out of the body more often:

5. displaced (a):

bị thải ra, cách chức (một công chức... ). Chiếm chỗ, hất ra khỏi chỗ.

Thay thế

the displaced: (N) người tị nạn/ bị cách chức

having been forced to leave your home, for example by a war or dangerous event

6. stockpile /ˈstɒk.paɪl/ (n)

dự trữ (1 đống)

a large amount of food, goods, or weapons that are kept ready for future use

7. surveillance (n) səˈveɪ.ləns/

sự giám sát

the careful watching of a person or place, especially by the police or army, because of a crime that has happened or is  expected

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Cholera cases have surged this year, especially in places of poverty and conflict, with outbreaks reported in 26 countries and fatality rates rising sharply, a World Health Organization official said on Friday.
In a typical year, fewer than 20 countries report outbreaks of the disease which is spread by the ingestion of contaminated food or water and can cause acute diarrhoea.

"After years of declining numbers, we are seeing a very worrying upsurge of cholera outbreaks around the globe over the past year," Philippe Barboza, WHO Team Lead for Cholera, told a press briefing in Geneva.

The average fatality rate so far this year has almost tripled compared with the five-year average and is currently around 3% in Africa, he added.

While most of those affected will have mild or no symptoms, cholera can kill within hours if untreated.

A cholera outbreak in Syria has already killed at least 33 people, posing a danger across the frontlines of the country's 11-year-long war and stirring fears in crowded camps for the displaced.

Barboza also expressed concern about outbreaks in the Horn of Africa and parts of Asia, including Pakistan, where some regions are flooded.

He said only a few million doses of vaccines were available for use before the end of this year, citing a shortage of manufacturers among the problems.

WHO maintains an emergency stockpile of cholera vaccines.

"So it's very clear that we do not have enough vaccine to respond to both acute outbreaks and even less to be able to implement preventive vaccination campaigns that could be a way to reduce the risk for many countries," he said.

There was no overall estimate of the number of cholera cases across the world because of differences in countries' surveillance systems, he said.

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vietnam life - cholera outbreaks surging worldwide

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Cholera outbreaks surging worldwide, fatality rates rising, WHO official says

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Cholera cases have surged this year, especially in places of poverty and conflict, with outbreaks reported in 26 countries and fatality rates rising sharply, a World Health Organization official said on Friday. In a typical year, fewer than 20 countries report outbreaks of the disease which is spread by the ingestion of contaminated food or water and can cause acute diarrhoea.

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Link post <Click here>

1. stampede /stæmˈpiːd/ (n)

Sự chạy tán loạn (người, súc vật)

an occasion when many large animals or many people suddenly all move quickly and in an uncontrolled way, usually in the same direction at the same time, especially because of fear

2. hooliganism /ˈhuː.lɪ.ɡən.ɪ.zəm/

chủ nghĩa côn đồ

the behaviour of a violent person who fights or causes damage in public places

3. melee /ˈmeɪ.leɪ/ (n)

sự hỗn loạn

a situation that is confused and not under control, esp. a fight involving a number of people

4. disperse (v) /dɪˈspɝːs/

phân tán

to spread across or move away over a large area, or to make something do this

5. chant (v) /tʃænt/

tụng (kinh)

to repeat or sing a word or phrase  continuously

6. vigil  /ˈvɪdʒ.əl/

sự thức đêm (để cầu nguyện )/ lễ vọng

an act of staying awake, especially at night, in order to be with a person who is very ill or dying, or to make a protest, or to pray

7. (pay) condolence /kənˈdəʊ.ləns/

sự chia buồn

sympathy and sadness for the family or close friends of a person who has recently died, or an expression of this, especially in written form

8. downplay

làm giảm

to make something seem less important or less bad than it really is

9. undermine ˌʌn.dɚˈmaɪn/

to gradually weaken or destroy someone or something

(nghĩa bóng) làm giảm, làm suy yếu dần dần, làm suy yếu ngấm ngầm, phá hoại ngầm

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Seventeen children among the dead in Indonesian soccer stampede

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Violence and hooliganism have long been features of Indonesian football