Why glenn quagmire its been 10 years

/ October 1, 2020

Vietnam, UK set upward trajectory for next 10 years

The Hanoitimes - Hanoi hopes trade link will support its export-driven economy while London is trying to secure trade deals ahead of the transition period after Brexit. Vietnam and the UK have agreed refresh and strengthen their strategic partnership and set the framework for forging ahead in the next decade. Vietnam and the UK look to forge ahead the partnership in the next decade. Photo: MOFA The two sides adopted a joint declaration at a meeting between Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh and UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on September 30 during the British diplomat’s visit to Hanoi, the first by a European politician to Vietnam since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The declaration, which marks a milestone of 10 years of the Vietnam-UK Strategic Partnership, outlines the UK and Vietnam’s commitment to further strengthening the bilateral partnership. It includes (1) deepening bilateral trade and investment, and pursuing more open trade through global and regional economic integration; (2) co-operating to support sustainable economic growth, and to combat the urgent challenges presented by climate change; (3) working together on shared security challenges through peace-keeping operations, military healthcare and training and maritime security; (4) enhancing ties in education, vocational training, higher education, particularly in the field of science and technology; (5) enhancing bilateral cooperation in defense and security and to combat serious and organized crime; (6) promoting people-to-people links, equal rights, including promoting gender equality and tackling modern slavery; and (7) committing to a closer coordination through multilateral fora, including the United Nations and within the framework of ASEAN. Trade deal dominates the visit To prepare for partnership in the next 10 years, the two sides highlighted the importance of a bilateral trade agreement that dominates …

/ March 1, 2021

How a 10-second video clip sold for $6.6 million

LONDON -- In October 2020, Miami-based art collector Pablo Rodriguez-Fraile spent almost $67,000 on a 10-second video artwork that he could have watched for free online. Last week, he sold it for $6.6 million. The video by digital artist Beeple, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann, was authenticated by blockchain, which serves as a digital signature to certify who owns it and that it is the original work. It’s a new type of digital asset - known as a non-fungible token (NFT) - that has exploded in popularity during the pandemic as enthusiasts and investors scramble to spend enormous sums of money on items that only exist online. Blockchain technology allows the items to be publicly authenticated as one-of-a-kind, unlike traditional online objects which can be endlessly reproduced. “You can go in the Louvre and take a picture of the Mona Lisa and you can have it there, but it doesn’t have any value because it doesn’t have the provenance or the history of the work,” said Rodriguez-Fraile, who said he first bought Beeple’s piece because of his knowledge of the U.S.-based artist’s work. “The reality here is that this is very, very valuable because of who is behind it.” Examples of NFTs range from digital artworks and sports cards to pieces of land in virtual environments or exclusive use of a cryptocurrency wallet name, akin to the scramble for domain names in the early days of the internet.“Non-fungible” refers to items that cannot be exchanged on a like-for-like basis, as each one is unique - in contrast to “fungible” assets like dollars, stocks or bars of gold. The computer-generated video sold by Rodriguez-Fraile shows what appears to be a giant Donald Trump collapsed on the ground, his body covered in slogans, in an otherwise idyllic setting. OpenSea, a marketplace for NFTs, said it has seen monthly sales volume grow to $86.3 million so far in February, as of Friday, from $8 million in January, citing blockchain data. Monthly sales were at $1.5 …

/ December 4, 2020

Vietnam, UK eye trade deal signing by year-end

The Hanoitimes - Such a deal would ensure a more comprehensive bilateral cooperation in various spheres, especially economy and trade, stated the Spokesperson of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang. Vietnam and the UK are accelerating negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA), with a view to signing the deal by year-end, according to Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang. Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang. Photo: VNA. “Such a deal would ensure a more comprehensive bilateral cooperation in various spheres, especially economy and trade,” said Mrs. Hang at a press conference on December 3. The spokesperson stated that Vietnam will give top priority to cooperative relations with the UK, especially as this year marks 10 th anniversary of the UK – Vietnam strategic partnership. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab previously visited Vietnam from September 29 - 30 with the trade deal at the top of the agenda. Though the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) came into effect in August, the UK will, however, not be part of the deal as the transition period for its departure from the EU is coming to an end. Without a new bilateral trade deal with Vietnam, imports from the UK would face higher tariffs from January 2021. Vietnam is also hopeful of such an FTA with the UK as Covid-19 weighs on its export-driven economy. For this year, the country is aiming for economic growth of 2.5 – 3%, significantly lower than the previous forecast of 5% in May before a resurgence of the virus in July. In 2019, bilateral trade turnover stood at US$6.6 billion while British investment in Vietnam reached US$3.7 billion. …