German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD) reached agreement on energy and agriculture on Saturday, but were still in dispute over healthcare during talks to form a government, more than four months after the election. The two camps aim to seal a deal by the end of Sunday to renew the "grand coalition" that has governed since 2013, although some politicians say they could run into Monday or Tuesday. Speaking at the end of talks on Saturday, conservative politician Michael Grosse-Broemer said the two blocs intended to stick to the timeframe but issues like labour policy, healthcare and rents still needed to be resolved. "The coalition treaty is slowly taking shape but we'll only be able to say with more certainty tomorrow whether it will come to a conclusion," he said. SPD deputy Manuela Schwesig urged the conservatives to compromise on abolishing fixed-term contracts for workers and reforming Germany's public-private healthcare system. "I don't think … [Read more...] about Germany’s potential coalition partners agree on energy, wrangle over health
Why energy conservation
Minerals exported dirt-cheap to China
According to GDC (General Department of Customs), Vietnam exported 4.4 million tons of ore and minerals worth US$167 million in 2017. Of this, 3.5 million tons, or 85% of total exports, went to China, but the export turnover was only 51.4% of total mineral export turnover.The problem was that while the average export price was US$38 per ton, the export price to the Chinese market was only US$23 per ton.In 2017, Vietnam exploited 2.5 million tons of ores and minerals, an increase of 130%, but export turnover increased by 20%, or US$27 million only.Khuong Quang Dong, an energy expert, said that China is pursuing an energy conservation policy by increasing cooperation to exploit minerals overseas and imported raw materials for domestic processing. “Vietnam is an attractive market for China to implement the policy. In fact, the exploitation output can satisfy demand of the country’s industries. However, China is still trying to import minerals with no … [Read more...] about Minerals exported dirt-cheap to China
Social News 16/3
Hoi An International Food Festival opens The Hoi An International Food Festival "Taste the World", the first of its kind, opened at An Hoi sculpture garden on March 14, attracting 12 chefs from 12 countries worldwide. During the week-long event, the chefs will demonstrate their cooking skills at 12 local restaurants, namely Cargo club, Morning Glory, Inflame club, Mango I, Mango II, Rice Drum, Seafood Garden, Vinh Hung, Seedlings, Mangorooms, Tam Tam and Hai café. The participating restaurants will be decorated and themed to the countries of the visiting chefs, who will prepare traditional dishes from their respective countries. The festival, a new tourism product of Hoi An in 2016, is expected to bring the local cuisine to countries and territories worldwide, thereby popularising the city, its land and people. The ancient city of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam was a renowned international trade port in the 17th century where ships from Japan, China, and European … [Read more...] about Social News 16/3
Production Enterprises and the Energy Question
(VEN) - Facing a low energy supply and difficulties in production and trade, construction material companies in Hanoi have highlighted energy efficient production as a way out. At the Training Conference "Promotion of Energy Efficient Building Material Production" organized by the Vietnam Ministry of Construction and the Hanoi Energy Conservation Center (EEC-Hanoi), Vietnam Economic News' reporter Bao Ngoc spoke with Nguyen Minh An, the deputy director of EEC-Hanoi. In recent years, the growth of Vietnamese enterprises has been recognized generally at an annual 10-percent rate. Increased production has caused an increase in related energy consumption. At present, the total energy consumed by the building material sector accounts for approximately 20 percent of the country's total consumption. However the sector has great potential to save 10-40 percent energy consumption which makes it a key focus in the energy efficient production campaign. The existing global economic … [Read more...] about Production Enterprises and the Energy Question
Power Supply Ensured for Upcoming National Holidays
Although Ho Chi Minh City's Power Company will ensure a stable supply of power during the upcoming national holidays, power must be conserved to the maximum extent possible, said the utilities Director Le Van Phuoc. Asked why there haven't been any power cuts in the city since April 9, Mr. Phuoc explained that after some earlier technical problems, power plants at Pha Lai and Phu My are back online, generating 1,000 MW or 10 percent of the system's capacity. Power plants in Uong Bi and Ca Mau have also joined the national grid and power imported from China via the 220kV Ha Giang-Thai Nguyen transmission is also available. He added, however, that every organization and household still needs to conserve power as much as possible since the amount of water available for hydroelectric power generation is lower than the same period last year while demand in the southern provinces is high due to hot, dry conditions there. "In order to accomplish the city's target of saving 90 million … [Read more...] about Power Supply Ensured for Upcoming National Holidays