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☆ Smoky haze parked over U.S. East Coast with relief days away
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. National Weather Service extended air quality alerts for another day for the East Coast from New England to South Carolina, as well as parts of the Midwest, including Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. The U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) measures five major pollutants, including particulate matter produced by fires. While the faint smell of burning wood lingered, the smothering blanket of yellow and orange-tinged haze appeared to thin out, bringing a modicum of relief. "We urge residents and visitors to follow precautions related to the 'Code Purple' air quality alert." Large swaths of Michigan are also under red flag warnings due to dangerous fire weather conditions in both of the state's peninsulas, according to the weather agency.

Persons: Mike Segar, Peter Mullinax, We're, Mullinax, IQAir, Muriel Bowser, Bill Blair, Tyler Clifford, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Trade Center, REUTERS, The U.S, National Weather Service, Health, U.S . Air, Belmont, Washington, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, Jersey City , New Jersey, United States, The, East Coast from New England, South Carolina, Ohio , Indiana, Michigan, New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Ohio, Newark , New Jersey, U.S, Dhaka, Hanoi, Swiss, Maryland , Pennsylvania, Delaware, Baltimore, Canada

OECD senior tax official John Peterson declined to comment about the outcome of the meeting, citing confidentiality rules. However, he said if one country compensates a multinational with "targeted benefits, for example in the form of grants or tax credits" it would no longer be able to raise revenues from a top-up tax. In that case, the company "will simply be subject to additional top-up tax, equal to the same amount, in another jurisdiction." Decisions on compensation would be taken case by case and no direct link would be established between handouts and the top-up tax, the source added. Asked whether the planned rules could be considered a direct subsidy to offset multinationals' higher taxes, the OECD declined to comment as Vietnam's plans had not been finalised.

Persons: John Peterson, Nguyen Thanh Lam, Francesco Guarascio, Phuong Nguyen Organizations: OECD, Economic Cooperation, Development, Vietnam, Reuters, Samsung Electronics, Intel, Samsung, Thomson Locations: Vietnam, HANOI, China, Hanoi, Korea, handouts

☆ World's first vaccine against deadly swine fever nears approval in Vietnam
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Francesco Guarascio | Thomson Reuters | Francesco Leads A Team Of Reporters In Vietnam That Covers Top Financial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

African swine fever has for years disrupted the $250 billion global pork market. The next step will be nationwide authorisation, the first ever for an African swine fever vaccine, and possible sales overseas. "There will be a specific interest obviously," Vilsack said in an interview with Reuters in April, speaking about possible purchases of the Vietnamese vaccines. Use of unlicensed live-virus vaccines in China in past years raised concerns they caused the emergence of new strains of swine fever. Only limited data are available from China's trials on a live-virus vaccine against swine fever.

Persons: Gregorio Torres, Torres, Thomas Vilsack, Vilsack, WOAH, Francesco Guarascio, Phuong Nguyen, Khanh, Dominique Patton, Sonali Paul Organizations: Organisation for Animal Health, Reuters, Rabobank, United States Department of Agriculture, Thomson Locations: Vietnam, Hanoi, world's, HANOI, China, U.S, United States, Khanh Vu, Beijing

The average May temperature in Hanoi is 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit). “Which is why a humid heat wave is more dangerous than a dry heat wave,” she told CNN. This is above a threshold considered dangerous, especially for people with health problems or those not used to extreme heat. In Thailand, 20 days in April and at least 10 days in May reached feels-like temperatures above 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit). Throughout April and May, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia all had several days with potential to cause extreme heat stress.

Persons: ”, ” Phong, Dinh Van Hung, ” Dinh, Nhac Nguyen, Maximiliano Herrera, Herrera, Mariam Zachariah, Cyclone Mocha, ” Zachariah, Chaya Vaddhanaphuti, ” Emmanuel Raju, ” Raju, Madaree Tohlala, “ Nui, “, ” Nui, Andre Malerba, Chaya, –, Chintanaphone, Boua Seng, Lobia Yaw, Thongsouk, hasn’t Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Getty, ” Workers, Imperial College London, WWA, Chiang Mai University, Copenhagen Center for Disaster Research, Labour Organization, Farmers, Weather, Lao Farmer Network Locations: Hong Kong, Hanoi, Vietnam, Dong Da district, “, Hanoi , Vietnam, AFP, Dinh, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Asia, Thai, Narathiwat, Bangkok, ”

HANOI/BEIJING, June 6 (Reuters) - A Chinese research ship and its escort, which operated for nearly a month in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, left those waters on Monday night, vessel-tracking experts said, just after high-level U.S.-China talks. "The Chinese scientific research vessel carrying out normal research activities in maritime waters under China's jurisdiction is legitimate and proper. At 0300 GMT on Tuesday the Chinese research ship was seen approaching Hainan, said Ray Powell, who leads Stanford University's Project Myoushu on the South China Sea. Vietnam's fisheries surveillance ships turned back after the Chinese vessel and its escort left Vietnam's EEZ around midnight Vietnam time, Powell added. Vietnam's foreign ministry did not reply to requests for comment.

Persons: Xiang Yang Hong, Dmitry Medvedev, Ray Powell, Powell, Van Pham, Francesco Guarascio, Laurie Chen, Khanh Vu, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Stanford, China, Chronicle Initiative, Thomson Locations: HANOI, BEIJING, South China, China, Vietnam's, Beijing, Hainan, Hanoi, Vietnam

☆ Caged and cut open for bile: The fight to free Asia’s farmed bears
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But international experts say it remains a lucrative industry in China, where domestic sales of bear bile remain legal. “They’ve got massive hair loss, they’ve often got broken teeth from (biting the bars of their cages) in frustration and pain.”But eliminating bile farming has proved difficult. But China is “the biggest market for bear bile products by far,” with roughly 15,000 bile bears in captivity and plenty of demand, he said. Ursodeoxycholic acid, one of the main components in bear bile, has been medically proven to help dissolve gallstones and treat liver disease. And there’s no internationally recognized scientific evidence showing bear bile can cure other ailments promoted in TCM.

Persons: Eve Sevim, Jill Robinson, “ They’ve, they’ve, Robinson, David Garshelis, aren’t, Garshelis, ” Robinson, ”, ” Garshelis, Tan, Qing, it’s Organizations: CNN, Animals Asia, International Union for Conservation, Nature’s, Bear Specialist Group, TCM, Animals, Forestry Administration, Farmers, China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration, State Forestry Administration, Bears, Getty, IUCN Locations: Haiphong, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Asia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hui'an, Animals Asia, Hanoi, “, Tam Dao, Hanoi –, Ma

HANOI, May 30 (Reuters) - Samsung and other foreign companies are pushing Vietnam to introduce a multi-million-dollar reform that would compensate them for higher levies they face from next year under a global overhaul of tax rules, a source involved in the talks said. The discussions precede the introduction from January of a minimum tax rate of 15% for large multinationals under a landmark global reform led by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The global rule requires companies paying less in a low-tax jurisdiction to face a top-up levy in their home country. Samsung's tax rate varies by district, and ranged between 5.1% and 6.2% in 2019 in the two northern provinces where it produces smartphones, according to government data cited by local media. Smaller companies that are not within the scope of the new global rules may also receive handouts, the source said.

☆ This former Vietnam War POW spent 10 months in a 'tiger cage'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Instead he scrambled out of a porthole and found himself face-to-face with the North Vietnamese. A day that Wallingford recalled as clearly as if it were yesterday, as he recounted it to CNN at a recent reunion for surviving Vietnam War POWs in California. As a longtime veteran of combat in Vietnam, Smith also had battlefield wisdom to impart to his brothers in arms. But what can’t be disputed is that soon after those bombings took place, early in 1973, North Vietnam did finally agree to a peace deal. “He had the stones to go to Hanoi and bomb them for (12) days, which ended the war,” Wallingford said.

☆ I flew from Dubai to London in economy class on an Emirates A380. The service was exceptional, but the colossal plane felt outdated.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

I took a seven-and-a-half-hour flight from Dubai to London on an Emirates A380. The food was surprisingly good and the Emirates service was exceptional as usual. Morning Brew Insider recommends waking up with, a daily newsletter. On my return journey, I flew from Vietnam's chaotic but enchanting capital City, Hanoi, to Dubai, before taking a connecting flight back to London. As I shifted from vacation mode back into work mode, I thought it would be a good opportunity to review the "superjumbo."

☆ Vietnam rebukes China, Philippines over South China Sea conduct
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HANOI, May 18 (Reuters) - Vietnam criticised on Thursday the recent conduct in the South China Sea of a Chinese research ship and the Philippines coast guard, accusing its neighbours of separate actions that were violating its sovereign rights. Tensions are currently high in contested parts of the South China Sea, one of the world's most important trade routes and a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce. China had said that scientific research was a normal activity in areas under Chinese jurisdiction. China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory, based on what it says are old maps, including waters that lie within the EEZ of Vietnam and four other Southeast Asian countries. Asked about the Philippines' move, Hang said: "Vietnam strongly opposes all acts violating Vietnam's sovereign rights."

☆ 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.

☆ 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 PM approves $135 billion power plan for 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, May 16 (Reuters) - Vietnam's prime minister has approved a power plan that needs $134.7 billion of funding to develop new power plants and grids between 2021 and 2030, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said late on Monday. The ministry said half of office buildings and homes in Vietnam would be powered by rooftop solar panels by 2030. The country would also aim to generate green energy for exports, with a target of 5-10 gigawatts (GW) by 2030. A draft of the PDP8 seen by Reuters shortly before the ministry statement showed the plan would more than double the country's power generation capacity to 158 GW by 2030 from 69 GW at the end of 2020. Power plants using domestic gas and imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) would be the main source of the country's power generation mix by 2030, accounting for 37.33 GW, or 23.6%, according to the draft.

☆ Cluster of Chinese vessels spotted near Russian rig off Vietnam - ship monitors
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Francesco Guarascio | Thomson Reuters | Francesco Leads A Team Of Reporters In Vietnam That Covers Top Financial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Strong relations between Russia and China are a major factor supporting global stability, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in March, but the two countries have conflicting interests in the South China Sea. "Chinese fishing and scientific research vessels carry out normal production and work activities in maritime areas under China's jurisdiction," it said. It made similar remarks on Tuesday after Chinese boats approached an area where the navies of India and Southeast Asian countries held exercises. On Wednesday, the Chinese vessels were about 10 nautical miles (18 km) from the Japanese operating rig and about 20 miles from the Russia-Vietnam rig, according to South China Sea Chronicle Initiative (SCSCI), an independent non-profit. The Chinese research vessel moved at full speed before entering Vietnam's EEZ but slowed to 4-5 knots, suggesting the ship was conducting a survey there, said SCSCI's Van Pham.

They were in the Vietnamese Exclusive Economic Zone when the Chinese boats moved towards them, the Indian sources said. Ray Powell, who leads Project Myoushu on the South China Sea at Stanford University, said the boats belong to the Qiong Sansha Yu militia fleet in the area. Such militias consist of commercial fishing boats, which work in coordination with the Chinese authorities for political objectives in the South China Sea. Several of China’s littoral neighbours have accused it of using its official and militia vessels to harass and intimidate their fishing and military boats in the South China Sea. China has for years claimed sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, and has been sensitive to the presence of other militaries in the region.

☆ Vietnam to require social media users to verify identity
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, May 8 (Reuters) - Vietnam is preparing to make it mandatory for social media users of both local and foreign platforms to verify their identity in a bid to rein in online scams, state media reported on Monday. The measure, part of the Telecommunications Law Amendment to be issued by the end of this year, will enable law enforcement agencies to track down offenders using social media to break the law, state-run Voice of Vietnam (VOV) newspaper reported. "There are times the authorities can identify social media account holders that violate the laws but cannot track them down because those criminals use cross-border applications," VOV cited information deputy minister Nguyen Thanh Lam as saying. "Unverified accounts, no matter on local or foreign platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, will be dealt with." Vietnam in recent years has issued several regulations together with a cybersecurity law that target foreign social media platforms in a bid to battle disinformation in news and force foreign tech firms to establish representative offices in Vietnam and store data in the country.

☆ Chinese automaker BYD to make EVs in Vietnam
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, May 8 (Reuters) - Chinese automaker BYD Co. (002594.SZ) plans to expand into electric vehicles manufacturing and assembly in Vietnam, according to a Vietnamese government statement citing the company's chair. Reuters in January exclusively reported that the Xian-based EV maker had plans to open a plant in Vietnam to produce car parts, with the aim to export components to an assembly plant planned in neighbouring Thailand. The statement did not mention how much new investment BYD would top up for the expansion. The presence of BYD would pose a direct challenge to VinFast, a Vietnamese EV maker that began selling cars in 2019 and plans to expand in the United States and Europe. Last September, BYD, backed by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, announced that it would build an EV assembly plant in Thailand with annual capacity of 150,000 cars from 2024.

2 producer Chile to nationalise its lithium sector may curb long-term supply growth, but it is not expected to have an immediate impact, analysts said. Battery-grade lithium carbonate prices in China rose 10.6% from a week earlier to 182,500 yuan ($26,380) a tonne, the first weekly increase since November 2022, data by Fastmarkets on Refinitiv Eikon showed. But prices tumbled 72% after China curbed EV subsidies in January, demand faltered and inventories rose. Global EV sales jumped 55% last year to 10 million and are expected to climb another 35% this year. Chinese state-backed research house Antaike expects lithium carbonate prices to average 220,000 yuan a tonne this year, down 54% from 2022, it said at a conference last week.

Reuters GraphicsMany U.S. importers are still sanguine, but their supply chains could still be disrupted as Vietnam's apparel makers depend on China for about half of their input materials, according to the country's industry association. XINJIANG LINKSWhile the halted shipments represent a tiny portion of the $27 billion worth of garments and footwear Vietnam exported to the U.S. last year, compliance risks may lead to more painful adjustments for Vietnam. That, in turn, will hit U.S. consumers as Vietnam is their main source of cotton apparel, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. However Nike has significantly reduced its output of apparel and footwear in Vietnam despite the country remaining its main manufacturing hub, according to its latest annual report updated to May 2022. Two officials from U.S. footwear and apparel industry trade associations said the new rules have had no major impact so far on Vietnam and blamed recent job cuts on lower global demand.

☆ Trump mocked John McCain and complained that he had the 'world's longest funeral:' 'Much like his wars, it never ended'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump again mocked John McCain in his new book, per an excerpt published by The New York Post. Trump claimed that McCain had "the world's longest funeral" back in 2018. Trump claimed that he, as president, granted McCain "the world's longest funeral," erroneously claiming that the mourning lasted 11 days, per The New York Post's published excerpt. Trump's claim that he gave permission for McCain's funeral also does not hold water. This was after she called Trump's daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner "funeral crashers" for showing up at John McCain's memorial service.

☆ Inside Biden’s Renewed Promise to Protect South Korea From Nuclear Weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( David E. Sanger | Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — In the four years since President Donald J. Trump’s leader-to-leader diplomacy with Kim Jong-un of North Korea collapsed after a failed meeting in Hanoi, the North’s arsenal of nuclear weapons has expanded so fast that American and South Korean officials admit they have stopped trying to keep a precise count. North Korea’s missile tests are so frequent that they prompt more shrugs than big headlines in Seoul. So when President Biden welcomes President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea to the White House on Wednesday, only the second state visit of Mr. Biden’s presidency, there will be few pretenses that disarming North Korea remains a plausible goal. Instead, American officials say, Mr. Biden’s most vivid commitment to Mr. Yoon will focus on what arms control experts call “extended deterrence,” renewing a vow that America’s nuclear arsenal will be used, if necessary, to dissuade or respond to a North Korean nuclear attack on the South.

☆ 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.

[1/2] A Vietnamese officer tries a weapon at the stalls of Czech security firms, including Colt, at the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam, December 8, 2022. REUTERS/Khanh VuHANOI, April 24 (Reuters) - Vietnam is in talks with the Czech Republic for military supplies, including aircraft, radars, upgrades of armoured vehicles and firearms, a Czech government source told Reuters, as Hanoi aims at diversifying its mostly Russian arsenal. Hanoi ordered a dozen L-39NG light-combat aircraft in 2021 from Czech manufacturer Aero Vodochody, with delivery to begin this year. Of the 15 companies that composed the Czech business delegation, four were security firms. The Vietnam foreign ministry and the Czech embassy in Hanoi had no immediate comment.

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