California's Pacific Gas and Electric will pay $13.5 billion to settle lawsuits over its role in a series of wildfires that killed scores of people and destroyed thousands of homes, the utility giant said Friday. Faulty PG&E powerlines were blamed for sparking last year's so-called Camp Fire in northern California -- the deadliest in the state's history -- that left 86 people dead Faulty PG&E powerlines were blamed for sparking last year's so-called Camp Fire in northern California -- the deadliest in the state's history -- that left 86 people dead. Outdated facilities including vulnerable wooden poles and failure to deforest land surrounding high-voltage transmission lines were blamed for the inferno, prompting accusations the San Francisco-based firm had put profit before safety. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in January, saying it faced more than $30 billion in claims over the blaze. It was also sued over three other fires dating back to 2015, including … [Read more...] about PG&E agrees to $13.5 billion payout for deadly California fires
5 7 perfect score
Int’l confab on human resources training for integration
An overview of the conference (Source:http://hoinhabaovietnam.vn/) Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi Interior University under the Interior Ministry, the French Embassy in Vietnam and the Chandler Institute of Governance on December 6 jointly held an international conference on the training of the human resources in service of international integration. Opening the function with the participation of managers, experts and scientists from Vietnam, France, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Nigeria, Deputy Minister Trieu Van Cuong said the Vietnamese Government has implemented varous cooperation activities with countries having rich experiences in administrative reform. This conference comes within the common efforts aimed at raising the quality of the personnel, thus pushing up the administrative reform, the official said, adding experiences learned from the function will create important theoretical and practical foundations for the ministry in providing … [Read more...] about Int’l confab on human resources training for integration
Vietnam makes progress in improving competitiveness
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks at a meeting organised by the National Council for Sustainable Development and Competitiveness Improvement held in Hanoi on December 6. (Photo: chinhphu.vn) Hanoi (VNA) - Although Vietnam has made strides in bettering the business environment and competitiveness capacity, there’s still room for improvement, heard participants at a meeting held in Hanoi on December 6. The meeting, organised by the National Council for Sustainable Development and Competitiveness Improvement, aimed at reviewing the implementation of the government’s efforts on the issues from 2019 and assign tasks for next year. Dau Anh Tuan, Director of the Legal Department of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said results of surveys on administrative procedure and tax procedure reform and business environment improvement in 63 provinces and cities showed the proportion of enterprises with positive assessment continued to increase for the third … [Read more...] about Vietnam makes progress in improving competitiveness
Smuggling up as New Year approaches
Smuggled cigarettes in Binh Phuoc province are destroyed (Photo: sggp.org.vn) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Prevention of smuggling of goods across the country’s borders is becoming more difficult as the New Year season approaches, according to border authorities. Three districts in Binh Phuoc province (Bu Gia Map, Bu Dop and Loc Ninh) which border Cambodia have seen an increase in smuggled goods. For the first nine months of the year, authorities detected 2,659 smuggling cases. Smuggled goods were mostly cigarettes, sugar and clothing. The amount of issued fines and back taxes totalled over 37 billion VND (1.6 million USD). The smuggling cases are usually carried out by small groups of individuals in a number of ways that have become more sophisticated. Many smugglers use shortcuts through the rocky terrain and rivers that help them elude capture by authorities. Smugglers travel to Cambodia to purchase goods, split up the goods in smaller portions, and then smuggle them into … [Read more...] about Smuggling up as New Year approaches
Int’l conference on human resources training for integration
The Hanoi Interior University under the Interior Ministry, the French Embassy in Vietnam and the Chandler Institute of Governance on December 6 jointly held an international conference on the training of the human resources in service of international integration. Photo for illustration. Source: baokiemtoannhanuoc.vn Opening the function with the participation of managers, experts and scientists from Vietnam, France, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Nigeria, Deputy Minister Trieu Van Cuong said the Vietnamese Government has implemented various cooperation activities with countries having rich experiences in administrative reform. This conference comes within the common efforts aimed at raising the quality of the personnel, thus pushing up the administrative reform, the official said, adding experiences learned from the function will create important theoretical and practical foundations for the ministry in providing consultations and … [Read more...] about Int’l conference on human resources training for integration