Dust most dangerous

Air pollution soared in Beijing on Wednesday as the Chinese capital was hit by a huge sandstorm, and dust also shrouded other parts of the country in a sickly orange haze. This photo taken on March 21, 2023 shows police officers checking train cars at a border checkpoint during a sandstorm in the border city of Erenhot, in China's northern Inner Mongolia region. The official air quality index in Beijing hit the maximum level of 500, indicating "severe pollution", though some unofficial readings were nearly twice that figure. Authorities issued weather warnings and warned people to reduce their outdoor activities, as visibility fell to less than one kilometre in some areas of the city on Wednesday morning. In parts of China's north and northwest, high winds and dust turned the sky a lurid tangerine, appearing to cut visibility to less than a few hundred metres in some places. Authorities said the pollution was largely driven by airborne particles known as … [Read more...] about Dust storms cause air pollution spike across north China

The hearing, which was TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew's first appearance before Congress, comes at a critical moment for the wildly popular video app that is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese tech company. Lawmakers are pressuring the Biden administration to ban the app from the country. U.S. lawmakers from both sides of the aisle quizzed Chew on whether American user data could be accessed by the Chinese government, but also demanded he address examples of harmful content posted on the app. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington, kicked off the hearing saying that within minutes of creating an account on TikTok, the content algorithm promotes self-harm and eating disorder content, and encourages "dangerous" challenges that can put kids' lives at risk. Like other social media platforms, TikTok has long faced scrutiny over its policing of content on the app. The Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit that fights hate speech and disinformation, said … [Read more...] about TikTok’s danger to teens in focus during US congressional hearing

Thousands of vehicles, including motorbikes, bicycles, and tricycles, and other assets mainly seized from violators of traffic regulations are left deserted in impoundment lots across Ho Chi Minh City. They have been staying out in the sun for a long time, so they have broken and deformed. Many vehicles have seriously rusted. Photo: Ai Nhan / Tuoi Tre Bicycles with low values pile up at an impoundment area in Ho Chi Minh City. They have rusted and contorted. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre The shortage of spaces for assets confiscated from traffic violators and poor perseveration conditions have devalued the assets of residents and the state. The issue is raised by members of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council legislation board during an inspection of the District 1 Police on March 15, 2023. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre Deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council legislation board Le Minh Duc inspects motorbikes … [Read more...] about Thousands of vehicles impounded from traffic violators abandoned in Ho Chi Minh City

It took a loaded pistol pointed at Lazzaro D'Auria's head for the Italian landowner to finally say yes to the country's newest and most violent mafia. The Puglia farmer had resisted their extortion attempts in the past –- the threats, the fires, the damage to his crops and property. But surprised by the early morning visit of a dozen men, including a boss with a gun, he agreed to their demand for 150,000 euros a year. Instead of paying up the next day, D'Auria went to the police, making him one of the few people to ever denounce Foggia's little-known mafia, Italy's long-ignored and today its most violent organised crime syndicate. "If more citizens pressed charges, the local mafia could be weakened," D'Auria, who has lived under police protection since 2017, told AFP. "Citizens, speak out!" implored the 57-year-old, who sees recent crackdowns by authorities as a sign the mafia can be weakened if locals overcome their fears. Its bloody clan wars were once dismissed as … [Read more...] about Italy’s ‘Fourth Mafia’, little-known but extremely violent

"I'M BACK," Trump exclaimed, alongside a 12-second video clip that appeared to show him giving his victory speech after winning the 2016 election saying: "Sorry to keep you waiting -- complicated business." The 76-year-old Republican leader -- who is running for president again -- has been unable to post any content for his 34 million Facebook followers and 2.6 million YouTube subscribers. The platforms benched Trump days after the January 6, 2021 insurrection, when a mob of his supporters seeking to halt the certification of his election defeat to Joe Biden stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington. He was sanctioned for posting content that the platforms said incited unrest, with YouTube announcing his reinstatement on Friday, two months after Facebook said it was unlocking his account. The former reality TV star had spent weeks falsely claiming that the presidential election was stolen from him, and he was subsequently impeached for inciting the riot. "Starting today, the … [Read more...] about ‘I’M BACK’: Trump returns to Facebook, YouTube after two-year ban

Selex Motors, a Vietnamese start-up developing a smart electric scooter ecosystem in Vietnam, has helped define ‘Made-in-Vietnam’ electric vehicles (EVs), specifically electric scooters, as its products are completely manufactured in the Southeast Asian nation. Selex Motors co-founders are Nguyen Huu Phuoc Nguyen, Nguyen Trong Hai, and Nguyen Dinh Quang. Both Nguyen and Hai earned a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and worked for many companies in both the U.S. and Vietnam. Meanwhile, Quang is an expert in software engineering and the Internet of Things (IoT), and has developed complicated national defense systems for enterprises in Israel. Since late last year, Selex Motors’ first smart electric scooters have run on the streets in Hanoi. The company has been expanding its ecosystem to many large cities, heading toward exporting the ecosystem to other Southeast Asian countries. An event to experience Selex Motors’ electric scooters. … [Read more...] about Start-up realizes dream of ‘made-in-Vietnam’ electric scooters

Over 1,300 motorbikes have gathered dust for years in a 2,000-m2 police lot in District 6. Many of them have become badly damaged over time, and with the storage running out of space, hundreds of others are left out in the elements. To prevent them from bursting into flames in the heat of the sun, they are occasionally hosed. Some 10 km away, thousands of other vehicles lie in another lot belonging to the Binh Tan District police. New and old vehicles alike are stacked on top of each other. There is row after row of vehicles for hundreds of meters, but no fire alarm or even a fire extinguisher. In the city, there are around 90,000 vehicles with the police either seized following traffic violations or as evidence in criminal cases. Regulations require storage areas for seized evidence to comply with safety standards, including firefighting systems and protective fences. They must also have roofs to protect the stored items from the elements. But several police divisions do … [Read more...] about In HCMC, seized vehicles go to police lots to die

Nguyen Van Luu, a Meo Vac official, told VnExpress the man slipped and fell off while taking selfies on a cliff in Ma Pi Leng Pass, an attraction for daring tourists. He was rushed to a local hospital with injuries to his leg before being sent to Hanoi. Fences are erected around roads leading to a cliff in Meo Vac in Ha Giang Province, northern Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Tien Ha Tourists are banned from climbing up the cliff due to the permanent fog there, slippery terrain and other dangers, and fences have been put up on roads leading to it. Nevertheless, officials said, many tourists ignore the warnings and take selfies on the cliff. A tourist with a mesmerizing photo from a cliff in Meo Vac District in Ha Giang. Photo by Abtrip Ha Giang has become a popular tourist destination for western tourists in recent years, but it is not an easy trip for amateur travelers due to its narrow, twisting roads and dangerous mountain passes. … [Read more...] about British tourist falls off cliff in Ha Giang, hospitalized

Vinh City Central Park is finding a place to release more than 10 crocodiles as they no longer are a home for wild animals. Vinh City Central Park is finding a place to release more than 10 crocodiles as they no longer are a home for wild animals. The 26-hectare park, the largest in Nghe An Province, opened to visitors in 2005 in the city centre. With a vast area of trees and dozens kinds of wild animals, the park was expected to be a recreation place for local people and help regulate the temperatures of the city. However, the park has failed to attract visitors and many facilities have deteriorated in recent years. The park's investor, Trung Long Company, recently decided to open the park for free. Since that decision, it has become more popular with locals. After stopping selling tickets at Vinh City Central Park, the investors released nearly all the animals into the wild. There is now only a group of over 10 crocodiles … [Read more...] about Nghe An Park seeks place to release crocodiles

While climbing a high rock cliff, widely known as the ‘death cliff,’ in Vietnam’s northern mountainous province of Ha Giang to take photos last week, a British tourist slipped, fell about two meters off the cliff, and had his left leg injured. Authorities of Meo Vac District in Ha Giang Province, where the cliff is located, on Sunday night confirmed the incident, saying that it happed last Friday afternoon in Pai Lung Commune. The foreigner suffered profuse bleeding due to his injuries. Upon receiving reports of the incident, police and medical workers in Pai Lung Commune rushed to the scene to give first aid to the man. He was later transferred to Hanoi. The ‘death cliff’ is a dangerous site with many large rocks overlapping each other but they are loose in places. The rock where tourists often stand to take photos is smooth, so tourists may easily slip. To ensure safety for tourists, the authorities of Pai Lung Commune and Meo Vac District have repeatedly called on … [Read more...] about British traveler injured after falling off cliff in northern Vietnam