Head of the organization commission of the Communist Party’s Central Committee Truong Thi Mai has become the permanent member of the Secretariat, replacing Vo Van Thuong after he became Vietnam’s president. Mai, 65, was appointed into the new position by the Politburo after a Monday meeting, the office of the …
Read More »Indonesia banks on dams to tackle water crisis, but at what cost?
Keen to store more irrigation water to shore up food security and protect itself from longer climate change-fuelled droughts and extreme rainfall, Indonesia has embarked on a dam-building project that aims see 57 new dams in place by 2024. But for those in their path, the work has not always …
Read More »US flies B-52 in joint drill with S. Korea: defense ministry
The U.S. deployed a B-52 bomber for a joint drill with its ally South Korea on Monday, in a show of force against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, South Korea’s defense ministry said. B-52 bombers are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The air drill came ahead of combined large-scale …
Read More »China’s chip sector needs more than state money to dull impact of US restrictions
China plans to splurge to help its chip sector overcome U.S. export curbs, but money can only do so much unless Chinese firms can break from a cycle that hinders innovation and traps them at the low end of the value chain. The government has earmarked $140 billion that could …
Read More »Bank loans proposed for ex-convicts to start businesses
The Ministry of Public Security proposed for ex-convicts to be allowed to borrow up to VND100 million ($4,225) from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies to start businesses. A draft on ex-convicts’ credit, which would be surveyed within two months starting from March 2, said that ex-convicts should be allowed …
Read More »HCMC police raid F88 debt collecting firm
Hundreds of police officers raided the F88 company in HCMC’s Go Vap District on Monday to investigate its use of “extortion” measures in debt collection. Police officers of Go Vap District and HCMC barricaded a section of Nguyen Oanh Street as authorities raided the 7th and 8th floor of an …
Read More »31 arrested in debt collection ring
A group of 31 people running seven debt collecting firms in Hanoi were detained Sunday facing charges for “appropriating properties.” The companies, all based in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 11, bought more than 330,000 lending contracts worth thousands of billions of dong of bad debts from financial companies and …
Read More »Seven missing as boat capsizes off disputed Japan islands
Japan’s coastguard said Monday it was searching for seven people missing after their boat capsized and was spotted in waters off the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku islets, which are also claimed by China. The overturned boat was spotted on Sunday afternoon, drifting in waters north of the islands by a Japanese navy …
Read More »31 arrested in Hanoi for running debt collecting firms
A group of 31 people running seven debt collecting firms in Hanoi were detained Sunday facing charges for “appropriating properties.” The companies, all based in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 11, bought more than 330,000 lending contracts worth thousands of billions of dong of bad debts from financial companies and …
Read More »US soldiers receive Muay Thai lessons from Thai champion
American soldiers received Muay Thai lessons from a champion fighter in Thailand during the annual multilateral “Cobra Gold” military drills hosted by the Asian nation. Soldiers took instruction and punched and kicked alongside Thai champion Sombat Banchamek, or Buakaw (White Lotus) as he is widely known in the country. “For …
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