SHANGHAI/BEIJING -- China is battling the worst outbreak of COVID-19 since March 2020, with one province posting a record daily rise in cases, as an independent panel reviewing the global pandemic said China could have acted more forcefully to curb the initial outbreak. … [Read more...] about China’s latest COVID outbreak worst since March 2020
China lifts 25 year ban on tiger and rhino parts
Meet Kyuta: the 10-year-old, 85-kilo sumo in training
Kyuta eats steak, which his father bought him as a reward after training, at 'Chime', a restaurant in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters Over a bowl of chanko nabe, a speciality sumo broth, Taisuke said Kyuta needs to put on another 20 kg by the time he enters middle school in two years. … [Read more...] about Meet Kyuta: the 10-year-old, 85-kilo sumo in training
Vinamilk exports first huge batch of milk to China in 2021
The Vietnamese dairy giant is also ramping up production to ship five containers of sweetened condensed milk to China ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday or Tet. Earlier, the dairy firm exported its first batch of Ong Tho-branded condensed milk to the Chinese market in April last year. … [Read more...] about Vinamilk exports first huge batch of milk to China in 2021
Thailand’s rice exports remain gloomy this year
Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s rice exports are expected to recover slightly from an estimated 5.8 million tonnes in 2020, which was the lowest in 20 years due to weak global purchasing power caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a container shortage and the strong baht. Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association (TREA), said he believes that rice exports will reach 6.5 million tonnes at best this year, up from an anticipated 5.8 million tonnes worth 110-120 billion baht (3.65-3.98 billion USD) in 2020. Rice exports remain gloomy this year, as consumers worldwide are likely to opt to save their money and buy rice at cheaper prices, he stated. He took Malaysia as an example as the country has now started buying more rice from India with cheaper prices, instead of Thailand and Vietnam. According to him, the container shortage is another obstacle for rice export prospects, citing the Thai National Shippers’ Council’s expectation that … [Read more...] about Thailand’s rice exports remain gloomy this year
Soc Trang: Poverty rate plunges to 2.66 pct. in five years
Soc Trang (VNA) - The poverty rate in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang fell from 17.89 percent in 2016 to 2.66 percent in 2020 thanks to the effectiveness of the National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction. The result was revealed by Ma Chi Thanh, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs during a conference reviewing the five-year implementation of the programme in the Mekong Delta province on January 19. Thanh said that the number of poor households in Soc Trang was more than 57,800 in 2016, with Khmer ethnic minority families accounting for nearly 27 percent of the total. Five years later, the number was brought down to just over 8,610, or 2.66 percent of the total, he noted, adding that only 4.13 percent of Khmer ethnic minority households were classified as poor last year. The poverty rate declined more than 3 percent annually over the last five years - higher than the goal set by the provincial Party Committee … [Read more...] about Soc Trang: Poverty rate plunges to 2.66 pct. in five years
