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☆ I'm the director of innovation at Imperial College London, and I don't think tech is the be-all and end-all to the climate crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Alyssa Gilbert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The global nature of the climate crisis demands innovation that mobilizes international support. This article is part of "Gains in Green Tech," a series showcasing some of the most transformative solutions to the climate crisis. In essence, we need innovation across business models, products, and services to unlock solutions that are already available to us. It implies that we don't need to modify our lifestyles to tackle the climate crisis. Tackling the climate crisis requires plenty of innovation — perhaps not all of it shiny tech.

Persons: Seratech, Sandberg, yasin hm, Alyssa Gilbert Organizations: Green Tech, Service, International Energy Agency

☆ Vietnam EV maker Vinfast expects to break even by end-2024 - founder
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, May 17 (Reuters) - Vietnam's electric automaker VinFast expects to break even by the end of 2024, its founder said on Wednesday. Vinfast will also launch an EV-pickup truck and a city or "mini car" as future models, Pham Nhat Vuong, chairman of conglomerate Vingroup (VIC.HM) and founder of its auto unit VinFast, told investors at the company's annual general meeting. VinFast said earlier this month that it would list in the United States via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Black Spade Acquisition Co (BSAQ.N). VinFast, which is looking to break into the U.S. and European markets for electric cars, had earlier received funding pleges of $2.5 billion from Vingroup, Vietnam's largest conglomerate, and its founder, Vuong, Vietnam's first billionaire. Reporting by Phuong Nguyen in Hanoi and Kevin Krolicki in Singapore; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Cryptos have no intrinsic value and trading in them should be regulated like gambling, UK lawmakers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Trading in cryptocurrencies is akin to gambling and should be treated as such, British lawmakers said. Unbacked tokens like bitcoin and ether aren't underpinned by underlying assets and have "no intrinsic value," lawmakers on the U.K. Treasury Select Committee said in a report published Tuesday. The Treasury committee said it was concerned by government proposals to regulate consumer crypto trading as a financial service. This, lawmakers said, would create a "halo" effect that leads people to believe crypto trading is safe and protected, when this is not the case. Blair Halliday, U.K. managing director for top U.S. crypto exchange Kraken, said: "We fundamentally disagree with the Treasury Select Committee's conclusion that cryptoassets have no intrinsic value.

☆ Vietnam EV maker VinFast sees sales boom, path to breakeven
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Vuong projected sales of between 40,000 and 50,000 cars this year, up from EV sales of about 7,400 in 2022 when the company's only market was Vietnam. In addition, Vuong said VinFast planned to add two other models to its lineup: an electric pickup truck and a battery-powered city or "mini car." VinFast, which began operations in 2019, has a plant in Vietnam and plans for a second plant to open in North Carolina in 2025. An electric pickup truck would face competition from Rivian Automotive Inc (RIVN.O), Ford Motor Co's (F.N) F-150 Lightning and other models. The entry-level, small EV would face competition from Chinese-made electric vehicles, including from BYD.

Total capacity of LNG-fired power plants will be 22.4 GW by 2030, accounting for 14.9% of the mix from zero now. The country will have a fleet of 13 LNG power plants by 2030, with the first one scheduled to go online from the fourth quarter next year. At the end of 2020, installed capacity of all coal-fired power plants was 21.38 GW, or 30.8% of the mix. Capacity of coal-fired power plants will increase to 30.13 GW by 2030, accounting for 20% of the mix. WIND By 2030, wind capacity will reach 27.88 GW, including 6 GW of offshore wind capacity.

☆ Vietnam’s Tesla debuts with wrong kind of power
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Vietnam’s richest man is taking his electric-vehicle company, VinFast, public at a punchy valuation through a merger with casino mogul Lawrence Ho’s special-purpose acquisition company. The tie-up with Black Spade Acquisition Co (BSAQ.N) means VinFast doesn’t have to wait for the market for initial public offerings to improve to make its debut. The SPAC deal values VinFast at 42 times its sales in 2022, a stunning seven times Tesla’s (TSLA.O) multiple and more than twice the multiple of Lucid (LCID.O). But despite the big eye-catching U.S. debut, existing investors will own 99% of the company after the deal. The merger values the Tesla challenger’s equity at $23 billion, not including the $169 million of Black Spade’s cash, and its enterprise including debt at about $27 billion.

☆ Chocolate King Charles III sculpture unveiled to celebrate coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A life-sized chocolate bust of Britain’s King Charles III weighing 23 kilograms (more than 50 pounds) has been unveiled by confectionery brand Celebrations to mark the forthcoming coronation. One of each of the Celebrations chocolates, including Snickers, was used to create the medals on his chest. Celebrations is all about bringing people together and we are thrilled to be sharing this occasion with so many chocolate lovers up and down the country,” she added. The chocolate bust will be on display in the southeastern English town of Slough at Mars Wrigley UK HQ, the headquarters of Mars, which owns the Celebrations brand. King Charles III’s coronation will take place on May 6 in London’s Westminster Abbey.

☆ Vietnam EV maker VinFast gets fresh funding pledges of $2.5 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, April 26 (Reuters) - Vietnamese electric vehicle maker Vinfast said on Wednesday it has received a fresh round of funding pledges worth $2.5 billion for its future development. Of the pledges, $1 billion will be provided as a grant from its founder Pham Nhat Vuong within the next year, the company said in a statement. Its parent Vingroup (VIC.HM), Vietnam's biggest conglomerate, will provide a grant of $500 million plus a $1 billion loan with maturity of up to five years. The grants and loan will "give a push for Vinfast to accelerate its development," the company said. VinFast first flagged its U.S. IPO in April 2021, aiming to raise $2 billion with valuation of about $60 billion.

☆ VinFast ships 2nd batch of longer-range electric SUVs to North America
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Vinfast is pictured at the 2022 Paris Auto Show in Paris, France October 18, 2022. REUTERS/Stephane MaheHANOI, April 17 (Reuters) - Vietnam's electric vehicle maker VinFast said on Monday it had shipped a second batch of 1,879 longer-range VF 8 sport utility vehicles (SUVs), as it seeks to expand its foothold in overseas markets. Currently, VinFast is offering a monthly lease price of $399 for the VF 8 City Edition model for a 24-month lease. The automaker delivered 865 VF 8 units domestically in the first quarter and has an annual production capacity of 250,000. VinFast has said it secured 55,000 orders globally as of December last year, of which 12,000 are from the U.S. market.

☆ A man got sent 580 letters on one day demanding tax payments after Chinese companies used his address, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

11,000 companies used a man's address to register for sales tax, BBC News reported. Dylan Davies, from Cardiff, Wales, was sent 580 letters in one day in connection with sales tax. "You'd think there'd be a systems with the technology today that would have picked it up immediately," Davies told BBC News. Harra added that its investigation had found "no evidence of fraud or fraudulent intent" and that 70% of the companies registered to Davies' address were online marketplaces. It meant that overseas sellers on platforms such as Amazon and eBay should collect sales tax from overseas traders and pay HMRC.

SINGAPORE/HANOI, March 29 (Reuters) - Vietnam's largest conglomerate, Vingroup (VIC.HM), is in discussions to sell a stake in its shopping mall arm as it seeks to bring in strategic investors, five sources told Reuters on Wednesday. Vincom Retail (VRE.HM), Vietnam's biggest shopping mall operator, which is nearly 60% controlled by Vingroup, commands a market value of $2.8 billion. The sources said Thailand's biggest retailer Central Group and other companies are in negotiations to buy a stake in Vincom Retail. Vincom Retail owns 83 shopping malls in Vietnam - a country that grew at 8% last year and emerged as Asia's fastest growing economy. Vincom Retail, which was spun off from Vingroup, listed on the local stock exchange in 2017.

☆ Vietnam's VPBank completes $1.5 bln stake sale to Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, March 27 (Reuters) - Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank (VPB.HM) said on Monday it has sold a 15% stake for $1.5 billion to Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (8316.T), expanding the Japanese bank's presence in one of Asia's fastest-growing economies. Following the investment, VPBank, whose business ranges across retail, corporate, consumer finance and wealth management operations, will become Vietnam's second-largest private lender by charter capital, with $5.96 billion. The deal comes as Vietnam's central bank seeks to tighten limits on holding stakes in banks, a move that may make the banking sector less attractive to foreigners. Sumitomo Mitsui, Japan's second-largest banking group is seeking to capture growth in Asian emerging markets through acquisitions, spurred by limited business opportunities at home with ultra-low interest rates and an ageing population. In late 2021, it acquired a 49% stake in Vietnamese consumer lender FE Credit from VPBank.

☆ VinFast rolls out long-awaited electric SUVs, eyes overseas deliveries
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, March 23 (Reuters) - Vietnamese carmaker VinFast said on Thursday it will begin delivering its new electric sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to local customers this week and targets overseas deliveries in the coming months. VinFast, which began operations in 2019, is gearing up to expand in the United States, where it hopes to compete with legacy automakers with its two electric SUV models. The VF9 model was initially scheduled to debut at the beginning of this year. The company has said it would ship the second batch to the U.S. in the second quarter of 2023. As of December last year, VinFast said it secured 55,000 orders globally, of which 12,000 were from the U.S. market.

It exceeds in being a smart alarm clock, and it can you give control of your smart devices. It's meant to function as a very smart alarm clock while giving you the ability to control your smart home, video chat, see pictures of cute animals, and stream video. Lowest Price Amazon Echo Show 5 The second-gen Echo Show 5 is a compact smart display that's perfect for use as a smart alarm clock on your bedside table. And while it works as a decent smart alarm clock, it won't blow you away as anything beyond that. The Amazon Echo Show 8 offers a much larger screen and better speakers than the Amazon Echo Show 5.

☆ Vietnam's VinFast says three sales executives have left EV company
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Lisa Baertlein/File PhotoHANOI, March 17 (Reuters) - Vietnamese electric-vehicle (EV) start-up VinFast said on Friday three senior sales and customer-service have left the company this week. In a statement to Reuters, VinFast said Gareth Dunsmore, deputy chief executive for global sales and marketing, had left "due to personal reasons and we respect his decision". VinFast has been selling the first batch of VF8s, rebranded as the City Edition to account for the lower range, on lease in California. In June, VinFast said it had ended its contract with Franck Euvrard, the predecessor as deputy CEO for global sales to just-departed Dunsmore. VinFast lost $2.1 billion in 2022 on revenue of $634 million, it said in a registration statement for an IPO.

SINGAPORE/HANOI, March 17 (Reuters) - Asian real estate giant CapitaLand Group is in talks to acquire assets worth roughly $1.5 billion from Vietnam's biggest listed property firm Vinhomes JSC (VHM.HM), two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. A deal of that size would mark one of the largest real estate transactions in Southeast Asia in the last few years. The talks come as Vietnam's property sector is struggling with a cash crunch following an anti-graft campaign launched by the government last year. Vinhomes, Vietnam's biggest real estate developer by market capitalization, is part of Vingroup (VIC.HM), the country's largest conglomerate. Shares of Vinhomes have lost 10% so far this year, after tumbling 40% in 2022 as the property crisis deepened.

☆ Vietnam plans tighter limits on stakes in banks in blow to foreign investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Currently, the combined stake of foreign investors in a bank cannot exceed 30%, while the cap for stakes in companies in many other sectors is set at 49%. The central bank said its proposed changes would reduce risks of market manipulation. A Bangkok-based fund manager who declined to be named as he was not authorised to talk to media, said the lower cap would impact foreign investors more as their holdings were more often closer to the current maximum. Analysts said tighter caps on banks' stake holders and borrowing could exacerbate liquidity challenges in Vietnam, at a time when the country's property developers are under pressure. The central bank also cut interest rates this week to spur growth and reduce pressure on debtors.

☆ VinFast delays US electric vehicle plant operation to 2025
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We need more time to complete administrative procedures," VinFast said in a statement on the delay, which did not specify when in 2025 the plant was expected to start operations. Last year VinFast filed for an initial public offering in the United States to list on the Nasdaq to fund its the plant construction. VinFast started its first sales outside Vietnam last week, delivering its first 45 cars in California on the first day. Its revenue in 2022 was 14.9 trillion dong ($631 million), down about 6.9% against 2021. Net losses rose 55% to 49.8 trillion dong from 32.2 trillion dong, its latest prospectus showed.

☆ VinFast delivers first 45 cars in US market
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] VinFast electric vehicles are parked before delivery to their first customers at a store in Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 1, 2023. REUTERS/Lisa BaertleinMarch 2 (Reuters) - Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast delivered its first 45 cars to customers in California on Wednesday, its first sales outside Vietnam. Last week, the company slashed the lease price on the VF8 electric crossover by 50%. It also dropped an option for consumers to rent the electric car's battery, a plan it had advertised as a way to bring down the cost of ownership. Andrew and Nikki Le, who ordered 11 VinFast cars, took delivery of the first of those at the store.

☆ VinFast slashes lease prices for first U.S. buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Vietnam's VinFast, a fledgling electric vehicle (EV) maker, is pictured in a sales location at a shopping mall in Santa Monica, California, U.S., May 23, 2022. Its website showed as of Monday a monthly lease price of $399 for the vehicle for a 24-month lease. That amounts to a discount of between 33% and 54% from the initially advertised monthly lease price. VinFast said earlier this month that US Bancorp (USB.N) would provide lease financing for the company's sales in the United States. Vehicle subscription service Autonomy has a deal with VinFast to purchase 2,500 EVs, the companies said in November.

☆ EV startup Vinfast to cut U.S. jobs amid restructuring
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Vietnamese company, a subsidiary of conglomerate Vingroup JSC (VIC.HM), has been moving to expand in the United States, where it hopes to compete with existing automakers. A VinFast spokesperson said headcount would not shrink in Vietnam where most of the company's staff, including its factory and engineering operations, are located. It was not immediately clear how many jobs would be affected by the U.S. restructuring. VinFast said it had hired about 150 people in the United States, many in sales, support and distribution roles as part of a model that bypasses traditional dealerships. VinFast vehicles are not eligible for the $7,500 tax credit in the United States because they are not built in North America.

☆ Bank of England and Treasury think UK is 'likely' to need digital currency, the Telegraph reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - The Bank of England (BoE) and Britain's finance ministry think the UK is likely to need to create a central bank digital currency (CBDC) later this decade, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday, citing an unreleased government report. The BoE declined to comment on the Telegraph article, but said a joint consultation on CBDC issues would be published shortly. BoE Deputy Governor Jon Cunliffe is due to give a speech on Tuesday to update the finance industry on the BoE's CBDC work. The European Central Bank is working on a digital version of its currency and is in the process of outlining the broader design. Last month it said it would not offer personal bank accounts but would allow person-to-person payments.

☆ Vietnam EV-maker VinFast delays first U.S. car deliveries to late Feb
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

HANOI, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Vietnam's electric automaker VinFast said on Friday it will delay deliveries to its first customers in the United States to the second half of February after it finishes updating the vehicles with latest software. The Vietnamese company, a unit of conglomerate Vingroup JSC (VIC.HM), started to ship its first batch of 999 electric vehicles in November last year but has not delivered them to customers yet. The second batch will be shipped to the U.S. in the second quarter of 2023. Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK trade union says 100,000 public sector workers to strike on Feb. 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Ambulance workers keep a fire going to keep warm outside their Waterloo station, amid a strike due to a dispute with the government over pay, in London, Britain January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Britain's Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said on Wednesday 100,000 of its members across 124 government departments would take strike action on Feb. 1 in a dispute over pay, pensions and job security. Britain is experiencing a wave of strikes across sectors ranging from healthcare to railways, as pay rises fail to keep pace with double-digit inflation. Thousands of ambulance workers held a second day of strikes on Wednesday, while many schools in Scotland were closed by a teacher walk out. The PCS union has been carrying out a rolling programme of strikes across different government departments and other public sector bodies over the last month, which has included driving test examiners, border force staff and road traffic officers.

☆ Greece's last king Constantine II to be buried privately in Athens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Sons of Greece's former King Constantine II, Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos and Prince Philippos leave the Maximos Mansion following a meeting with members of the Greek government, in Athens, Greece, January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Alkis KonstantinidisATHENS, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Greece's former King Constantine II, who died on Tuesday night aged 82, will be buried privately at a former royal estate north of Athens, the Greek government said on Wednesday. Deposed by military rulers and spurned by his subjects who voted to ditch the monarchy in 1974, Constantine II was the only son of King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece. Constantine II, godfather to Britain's Prince William and a second cousin to King Charles, would be buried privately in Tatoi, the summer palace of the former Greek royal family, where his ancestors are also laid to rest, the government said. Constantine II was 27 years old and had only recently ascended to the throne, in 1964, when he was forced into exile with a young family in late 1967.

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