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  Argentina's new President Alberto Fernandez flashes the victory sign during the inauguration ceremony at Plaza de Mayo square in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. —AFP/VNA Photo BUENOS AIRES — Centre-leftist Alberto Fernandez vowed to put his people first ahead of debt repayments after he was sworn in as Argentina's president on Tuesday to singing and applause from lawmakers and supporters. After taking over from the market-friendly Mauricio Macri, Fernandez sent a message to the International Monetary Fund, saying "it's impossible to pay external debt without growth." Fernandez, whose vice president is controversial former leader Cristina Kirchner, will preside over a country beset by recession, high inflation, rising unemployment and poverty. While the South American country wants to pay back its debt, it doesn't have "the means to do so," he said, promising to deal with Argentina's social emergency. Fernandez was swept to power in large part due to a public backlash over … [Read more...] about New president vows to put Argentines before debt repayments

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc talks with more than 300 farmers in Cần Thơ City on Tuesday. — Photo VGP CẦN THƠ — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc emphasised the significance of processing to the agriculture sector during talks with more than 300 farmers in Cần Thơ City on Tuesday. The farmers represented tens of millions of farming households nationwide. Speaking to them in the Mekong Delta city, PM Phúc said enhancing infrastructure, increasing resources for natural disaster combat and planning the husbandry sector should be also prioritised. He asked the Ministries of Industry and Trade and Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Vietnam Farmers’ Union to provide more information about the market and possibilities, especially information regarding incentives, capital, varieties and materials for agriculture, via their websites. Other issues needed to be clarified include those relating to … [Read more...] about Prime Minister holds talks with farmers

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed on Tuesday to demolish three years of stalemate over Brexit, as Britain's political leaders geared up for a frantic final day of general election campaigning. Johnson ploughed a British flag-themed digger, marked "Get Brexit done", through a styrofoam wall with "gridlock" written on it, in a bid to ram home his core message in time for Thursday's snap vote. Johnson's centre-right Conservatives have been consistently ahead in the opinion polls but YouGov's final survey of the campaign predicted they were set only for a narrow majority -- with the race tightening. The pollsters' seat projection put the Conservatives on course for a relatively slender 28-seat majority in parliament's 650-member lower House of Commons -- down from a comfortable 68 forecast by YouGov on November 27. Johnson's current Conservative minority government hopes to secure a majority that would let him pull Britain out of the European Union by the end of next month. … [Read more...] about British PM seeks Brexit breakthrough as polls tighten

    Illustration by Trịnh Lập   By An Phương   “Not everyone is an artist, but everyone is a critic.” I reblog this quote or ones with a similar meaning to my personal Tumblr account every time I feel attacked by a random Internet fellow. Unlike Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, Tumblr is a social networking platform based on genuine respect, at least in my humble experience. Of course, I’m not here praising Tumblr for being a healthy platform but discussing one of the most relevant topics of today’s society, “criticism culture”. With the introduction of the Internet, followed by “keyboard warriors”, defined as those who behave aggressively online but are too shy to do the same face-to-face, criticism culture seems to be a predictable result. “I’m familiar with the concept of keyboard warrior. In fact, I was once a serious 'warrior' defending my K-pop … [Read more...] about What’s wrong with the internet’s criticism culture?

The pause may only last a few weeks, with the massively popular boy band due to play a controversial show in Saudi Arabia in October. AFP Photo  SEOUL — K-pop superstars BTS will take a 'long-term break' from the music scene, their agency said on Monday, after the boy band topped charts in the US and Britain earlier this year. But the pause may only last a few weeks, with the septet due to play a controversial show in Saudi Arabia in October. The K-pop industry is known for cutthroat competition and around-the-clock work hours that include concerts, press events and gruelling singing and dancing training when the stars are offstage. BTS will take their "first official long-term break since their debut" six years ago, managers Big Hit Entertainment said, adding it will be a time to "recharge and refresh as musicians and creators". It would also be a time for them to "enjoy their daily lives as normal 20-something young men", the agency said in a midnight statement. "If you … [Read more...] about K-pop superstars BTS to take ‘long-term break