A four-kilometer coastal road will be built on Phu Quoc Island to provide visitors with access to public beaches. Kien Giang, the province that is home to the island, the biggest in Vietnam and a top tourist attraction, recently approved the construction of the six-lane road on the western coast. …
Read More »French, Japanese most popular foreign languages in school after English
After English, the most popular foreign languages learned in Vietnam are French and Japanese, according to a report by the education ministry. Reporting on education reform in the 2013-2023 period, the Ministry of Education and Training said foreign language studies have seen positive developments. English education for kindergarteners has begun …
Read More »Thai rice farmer makes art with plantings that depict cats
A sleeping cat hugs a fish in a picture seen from the air, picked out in sprouting rainbow seedlings in a rice field in Thailand to illustrate a traditional proverb about abundance. Farmer Tanyapong Jaikham and a team of workers planted the seedlings at various spots in the field in …
Read More »Rare snowfall in southern China as deep freeze grips the north
The cold weather sweeping China brought rare snowfall on Monday as far south as the province of Guangdong, while temperatures in the chilly north plunged to near historic lows for the month. In a week of unexpectedly frigid weather, temperatures have fallen to lows below zero in northern areas, disrupting …
Read More »More than 110 dead in northwest China earthquake
At least 111 people were killed when an earthquake collapsed buildings in northwest China, state media reported Tuesday, as rescue workers raced to start digging through rubble. About 100 were killed and scores more injured in Gansu province after the strong, shallow tremor struck, state broadcaster CCTV said, citing the …
Read More »86 dead in northwest China earthquake
At least 86 people were killed in an overnight earthquake in China’s northwest Gansu province, state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday. The quake caused significant damage, including collapsed houses, and sent people running into the street for safety, the agency said. Rescue work was underway early Tuesday. The 5.9-magnitude …
Read More »Northern Vietnam’s cold wave to persist until Christmas
An additional mass of cold air arriving Tuesday morning will further plunge northern Vietnam into the cold until Christmas, with average daytime temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius. Temperatures in the north increased slightly on Monday, the second day the region was impacted by a strong cold front. Only eight localities …
Read More »IBM to buy Software AG’s enterprise integration platforms for $2.3 bln
IBM said on Monday that it would buy Software AG’s enterprise integration platforms for 2.13 billion euros ($2.33 billion) to bolster its artificial intelligence and hybrid cloud offerings. IBM will acquire Software AG’s StreamSets and webMethods platforms with available cash on hand, it said. The two units formed Software AG’s …
Read More »China’s economic conditions to improve in 2024: officials
China’s economy is expected to see more favourable conditions and more opportunities than challenges in 2024, state media said citing officials of the Chinese Communist Party’s finance and economy office. Macroeconomic policies will continue to provide support for economic recovery, the official Xinhua said in a detailed readout of the …
Read More »15 suspected drug smugglers killed in Thai army shootout
Thai soldiers killed 15 suspected drug smugglers in a shootout in a remote northern district near the Myanmar border, an army official said Monday. The clash on Saturday evening took place in Chiang Rai province’s Mae Fah Luang district, close to the “Golden Triangle” where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet, …
Read More »