Large pumps sucked water from a flooded coal mine in Mexico on Saturday as authorities weighed whether to send divers to try to save 10 miners who have been trapped underground for more than three days. The miners became trapped at a mine in the northern border state of Coahuila on Wednesday afternoon when their excavation work caused a tunnel wall to collapse, triggering flooding in three wells. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Saturday would be "decisive" in determining whether divers could safely enter the mine. But by afternoon, Coahuila Governor Miguel Riquelme said water levels were still too high. "Time is against us," he told families at the site, Mexican media reported. Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador visits a coal mine that collapsed leaving miners trapped in Sabinas, Coahuila state, Mexico August 7, 2022. Photo: Mexico Presidency/Handout via Reuters Relatives keeping vigil outside said they were pinning their hopes on the … [Read more...] about ‘Time against us’ in bid to rescue 10 Mexican miners after 3 days underground
High school 10 year reunion
10 killed in stabbing spree in Iran’s south: state media
An attacker stabbed 10 people to death in Kerman province in southern Iran due to "personal differences", before being arrested by police, state media reported Monday. On Sunday, "an Afghan national killed ten people due to personal differences in Rafsanjan," Hossein Rezai, acting governor of the city, was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. He "was arrested by the police as he attempted to leave the province" in the evening, Rezai added. Six Afghans and four Iranians were killed in the attack in a rural area, he said. One person was also wounded. State broadcaster IRIB said that the suspect was reportedly "mentally unstable" and addicted to drugs. Iran has hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades, but fresh waves have flooded through the shared 900-kilometre (550-mile) border between the countries since the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan last year. … [Read more...] about 10 killed in stabbing spree in Iran’s south: state media
Best universities have skyrocketing tuition fees
There has been a difference in tuition fees of many autonomous public universities announced in 2022 compared to the mass training program. According to the announcement of Hanoi Law University, the tuition fee for full-time students will be VND572,000 a credit for the general program and VNA1,605 million a credit for high-quality programs from the academic year 2022-2023. Last year, the tuition fee for the mass training program was VND 280,000 a credit whereas it was VND990,000 a credit for a high-quality program. Thus, this year's tuition fee is almost double the previous year. Meanwhile, the Hanoi Medical University increased annual tuition fees in the academic year 2022-2023 for the Medicine and Pharmacy faculty and Dentistry - Jaw - Facial faculty to VND 24.5 million, an increase of 71 percent compared to VND14.3 million in 2021. The University of Economics under the Hanoi National University planned to increase tuition fees for the 2022 enrollment course, and the fee for … [Read more...] about Best universities have skyrocketing tuition fees
Cashless transaction volumes increase by 76 percent in first 5 months: Ministry
At the meeting The Ministry released the information at today's third session on digital transformation at the government headquarters chaired by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Chairman of the National Committee on Digital Transformation. According to the work plan, the National Committee on Number Transformation meets quarterly. The third meeting aimed to evaluate digital transformation results in the first six months of 2022 and identify solutions and tasks for digital transformation in the coming time. The meeting was connected to the headquarters of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, governmental agencies, and people's committees of provinces and cities virtually. Addressing the opening session, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated: The document of the 13th Party Congress has identified the national digital transformation as a very important task, associated with three main pillars including the digital government, the digital economy and the digital society in … [Read more...] about Cashless transaction volumes increase by 76 percent in first 5 months: Ministry
ECO-FRIENDLY payment initiative launched by Visa
Visa last week announced the launch of Eco Benefits in Asia-Pacific. It is a suite of sustainability-focused solutions that will help Visa cardholders across the region better understand the environmental impact of their day-to-day payments. Over half of Vietnamese consumers now regularly shop online and expect to be able to pay by card Banks that sign up for Eco Benefits will be able to offer these solutions to their Visa cardholders and meet the growing demand for sustainable financial services. According to a new Visa/YouGov survey, 66 per cent of consumers in Asia-Pacific expect their bank to offer eco-friendly payment solutions. Over half (52 per cent) would switch banks in order to access a product or service that helps them understand the carbon footprint of their spending. In Vietnam, Eco Benefits aligns with the National Green Growth Strategy for 2011-2030 by promoting greener lifestyles and sustainable production. The new product is also in line with the … [Read more...] about ECO-FRIENDLY payment initiative launched by Visa
Another doctor attacked at Ho Chi Minh City hospital
A doctor at the emergency department of a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City was recently attacked by a family member of a patient, just about 10 days after another medical practitioner at the same facility was assaulted. Police in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City confirmed on Saturday they were working with 29-year-old V.H.H. to verify his alleged attack on a doctor at Gia Dinh People’s Hospital. H. said he took his mother, who suffered severe respiratory failure, to the infirmary’s emergency department at around 6:00 am on the same day. On breathing support, H.’s mother needed to go to the toilet. However, doctors stated that it would be dangerous to let the patient go to the toilet in such a condition. Although a nurse had brought necessary sanitary equipment to the bed, H. underlined that he would take his mother to the restroom. A doctor tried to talk to H. once again, but the conversation then escalated to a row. H. left the room and later returned with a nail … [Read more...] about Another doctor attacked at Ho Chi Minh City hospital
CapitaLand Development enhances its operations
CapitaLand Development (CLD) has entered into plenty of new development deals across many different businesses in Vietnam. What is your exact development strategy in Vietnam? Ronald Tay, CEO of CapitaLand Development (Vietnam) Vietnam is one of our core markets, and we are committed to being a long-term partner contributing to Vietnam’s economic development. Having been part of Vietnam’s growth for 28 years, CLD’s portfolio comprises one retail mall, two integrated developments, and more than 13,000 quality homes across 17 residential developments. Over the next five years, we aim to accelerate our investment in the country, doubling our capital allocation to grow our portfolio in Vietnam. Our real estate expertise, coupled with our extensive local knowledge, places us in a strong position to scale up our investments in township developments, logistics, industrial, and business parks as well as seek opportunities to expand into data centres. Our recent investments … [Read more...] about CapitaLand Development enhances its operations
Giants reshape retail pharmaceutical market
A Long Chau drugstore. The pharmaceutical retail market was seeing the rapid expansion of modern drugstore chains. — Photo FPT Retail The winds of change are blowing through Viet Nam’s retail pharmaceutical industry, with giants wrapping up investments to establish modern retail chains in an anticipated fast-growing market, which mom-and-pop stores currently dominate. After Pharmacity, FPT’s Long Chau, and Mobile World Investment Corp’s An Khang pharmacy chains, Masan Group is supposedly gearing up preparations to enter the pharmaceutical retail market. According to the national portal about business registration, Winphar Trading Services Corporation was founded on March 31 with WinCommerce, holding a stake of 80 per cent, Do Thi Hoang Yen and Tran Phuong Bac, 10 per cent each. WinCommerce, a member of Masan Group, currently operates the most significant nationwide grocery modern trade retail platform Winmart and Winmart+ while Yen and Bac both held important positions at … [Read more...] about Giants reshape retail pharmaceutical market
EVFTA underpinning growth in Vietnamese tech market
As Vietnam steps into the post-pandemic era, experiences and learnings from the pandemic serve as a reminder of the importance of digital transformation and its crucial technology component. Eunjung Han, consultant at Rouse Legal Vietnam and vice chair of the Digital Sector Committee of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam Despite COVID-19’s negative economic and social impact, Vietnam remains an attractive destination to European investors. According to the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) 2021 White Book, Vietnam’s stable macro-economic climate, with inflation in the single digits, continues to increase investor confidence in the country’s trade and investment environment. Only adding to that, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is paving the way for continued foreign direct investment (FDI) from the EU and is viewed as a means for shared recovery and economic rebound. As the first comprehensive FTA between the EU and a developing country in … [Read more...] about EVFTA underpinning growth in Vietnamese tech market
Rough waters remain in fuel price pressure
The Government Office last week issued Dispatch No.4648/VPCP-KTTH to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) requiring it to continue proposing a reduction of taxes and fees related to fuel and consumption, especially those that can cause an increase in input costs for production and business. Rough waters remain in fuel price pressure “This aims to help reduce costs and selling prices of products in service of exports, production, and business, contributing to controlling inflation and supporting the government’s monetary policy in the short and medium term,” the dispatch stated. The MoF has also proposed to the government a plan to halve the preferential import tax for petrol and oil from the existing 20 to 10 per cent, in order to help reduce the prices of these items in the local market. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese government has also submitted to the National Assembly a plan on reducing the special consumption tax and VAT for October. According to the General Statistics … [Read more...] about Rough waters remain in fuel price pressure