Additional 485 covid 19 cases confirmed on wednesday

The government's rebranding campaign, "Hello, Hong Kong", bills itself as an effort to tell "good stories" about the southern Chinese city. Promising "no isolation, no quarantine and no restrictions" during a speech to business and tourism heavyweights, Chief Executive John Lee announced 500,000 free air tickets for visitors to experience the city's "hustle and bustle." The giveaway will open in March, with another 80,000 tickets up for grabs to residents in the summer. "This, ladies and gentlemen, is probably the world's biggest welcome ever," Lee said. Adherence to Beijing's zero-Covid doctrine of quarantine, closed borders and face masks kept Hong Kong largely virus-free until a deadly Omicron outbreak at the start of 2022. But it also contributed to an economic recession and the exodus of more than 2.5% of the population. Even as business leaders warned Hong Kong would need a full Covid exit plan before any meaningful reboot, officials insisted on gradually rolling back … [Read more...] about Hong Kong offers free flights after Covid isolation

Riccardo Puliti, IFC’s new regional vice president for Asia and the Pacific. — Photo courtesy of IFC Riccardo Puliti, who was on Wednesday appointed IFC’s new regional Vice President for Asia and the Pacific, will focus on addressing multiple crises amid global economic slowdown. An Italian national, Puliti will oversee IFC’s regional efforts in spurring private sector growth and identifying impactful collaborations for a green, resilient, and inclusive recovery in response to multiple crises and a deteriorating global economic outlook. Economies in the Asia and Pacific region continue to suffer from COVID-19 disruptions. At the same time, Russia’s war in Ukraine, tightening global financial conditions, weaker global growth, and more frequent disruptive weather events linked to climate change threaten to dampen the region’s growth trajectory, according to the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report. In taking on the role of IFC’s Vice President for Asia and the … [Read more...] about IFC appoints new regional Asia-Pacific VP

Vietnamese artists are set to participate in Chingay Parade Singapore 2023, one of the largest street parades throughout Asia, on February 3 - 4. A float at the 2018 Chingay Parade (Photo: rove.me) The ensemble is made up of 20 members from Ho Chi Minh City Light Music Center. The local artists are expected to introduce Vietnamese culture to international friends through Ao Dai (traditional long dress) performances during fashion shows to be held at the function. Chingay is an annual street parade which is held in Singapore in celebration of the birthdays of the Chinese deities, or in some cases the procession of the Goddess of Mercy as part of the Chinese New Year festivities. The event, first held in 1973, has become the largest street parade throughout Asia. After two years of holding the event online due to the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chingay Parade Singapore is set to resume this year, drawing the participation of art … [Read more...] about Local artists to attend Chingay Parade Singapore 2023

By the end of December 31 the national flag carrier alone (not including its subsidiaries) was recording an accumulated loss of VND34.2 trillion ($1.46 billion). Its equity was a negative VND10.2 trillion. Vietnam Airlines still needs to publish its consolidated financial statement, which would include the earnings of its subsidiaries. If the report shows an accumulated loss, 2022 would be the third straight year the airline has posted a loss and its shares will be delisted from the HoSE. Under the current regulation, a company will have its ticker delisted if it reports losses for three consecutive years, its accumulated losses exceed the charter capital, or its equity is negative. The last time Vietnam Airlines received this warning was in September last year when it reported an accumulated loss of over VND5.1 trillion. The two years of Covid-19 created major difficulties for Vietnam Airlines and its subsidiaries Pacific Airlines and Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO). … [Read more...] about Vietnam Airlines once again threatened with delisting

Luan provides the service to strangers for a small fee, and to friends for free. The artificial intelligence (AI) app chats with users as though it were a human being with the ability to apply encyclopedic knowledge in a variety of ways. More than one million people around the globe signed up for the app during the first week of its release in early December of last year. The AI-based chatbot became highly sought-after in Vietnam shortly thereafter. Luan said he received about 300 requests to create accounts with the chatbot in December. By mid-January, ChatGPT had taken the world by storm and the number of global users had skyrocketed. ChatGPT had signed up 10 million subscribers across the world 40 days after its launch. According to Google Trends statistics over the past three days, "ChatGPT" and "OpenAI" (the U.S. startup that created ChatGPT) have been two of the most searched keywords in Vietnam. Luan said the number of account set up requests he received last … [Read more...] about AI trend ChatGPT taking over Vietnam

A construction site of Phat Dat Real Estate Development Joint Stock Company (PDR). PDR reported net revenue of VND14.6 billion (US$622,600) in the last 3 months of 2022. — VNA/VNS Photo A volatile real estate market caused revenues and profits of realty businesses to decrease sharply in the fourth quarter of 2022. Phat Dat Real Estate Development Joint Stock Company (PDR) reported net revenue of VND14.6 billion (US$622,600) in the last three months of 2022, a sharp decrease compared to the VND1.29 trillion recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021. The company suffered an after-tax loss of VND229.4 billion in Q4 of 2022, while in the same period in 2021, it reported a net profit of VND751.4 billion. This was considered Phat Dat's "failure" quarter as the company reported a loss for the first time since it announced business results. Dat Xanh Group Joint Stock Company (DXG) reported a loss of VND460 billion in the last quarter of 2022. During the period, the company's net revenue … [Read more...] about Volatile real estate market puts pressure on business results

Dao Van Chieu, from the north-central province of Thanh Hoa, said that he received a call on Monday, his first day back in the city after a visit to his hometown for Tet . "They offered me a job listening to music and liking songs on an online music site for VND10,000 (43 cents) per song," Chieu said. Despite having previously read warnings about online tricksters, he still tried out the gig as a way to investigate and possibly warn other people of the scam. "They actually paid me VND10,000," Chieu said, "then they tempted me to send in money for high commission. The online group they established had attracted nearly 4,000 members." As soon as he joined the group, his phone began receiving a relentless flow of chat notifications. Every time someone completed a task, they would send a message to the group. "Receiving hundreds of messages means hundreds of people believed in the system and had completed the tasks," Chieu said. "Among them, many might have been deceived." … [Read more...] about Hundreds fall for post-Tet online scams