President Joe Biden said on Thursday he has chosen Karine Jean-Pierre to be White House press secretary, succeeding Jen Psaki and becoming the first Black and openly gay person to serve as the public face of a U.S. administration. Psaki, who leaves the job on May 13, had said early …
Read More »Philippine consumers use app to counter record retail fuel prices
Philippine motorcycle enthusiast John Aldwin Bagabagon rode easier than many other local motorcyclists and drivers this year as domestic fuel prices surged to record levels. Bagabagon, 35, and his family are among 200,000 consumers turning to a homegrown app to secure credits for bulk fuel supplies at low prices, saving …
Read More »Sobbing Amber Heard accuses Johnny Depp of sexual assault
“Aquaman” actor Amber Heard broke down in tears on the witness stand on Thursday as she said ex-husband Johnny Depp sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle and threatened her life shortly after the pair were married. Testifying in a widely watched defamation trial, Heard said she visited Depp in …
Read More »Oil falls as demand concerns weigh against tight supply
Oil prices dipped at the start of Asian trade on Friday as worries about an economic downturn that could dampen demand for crude vied with concerns over new sanctions from the European Union against Russia, including an embargo on crude oil. Brent futures fell 37 cents, or 0.3 percent, to …
Read More »Covid-19 led to 15 million deaths globally, not the 5 million reported: WHO
Almost three times as many people have died as a result of Covid-19 as official data show, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report. There were 14.9 million excess deaths associated with Covid-19 by the end of 2021, the U.N. body said on Thursday. The official count of …
Read More »Vietnam’s $2.4 mln project to improve population data quality
Vietnam launched a $2.4 million plus project Thursday to generate and use quality population and development data to promote evidence-based policy making and assessing progress in achieving Sustianable Development Goals. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will provide more than $1.9 million to implement the project and the Vietnamese government …
Read More »45,000 HCMC businesses owe $172 mln in social security payments
As of March, 44,493 HCMC businesses owed social security totaling over VND4 trillion ($172.4 million), according to the municipal social security office. Nguyen Thi My Dung, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Social Security Office, said Thursday around 25,000 businesses owe between 1-3 months worth of social security …
Read More »Vietnam aviation authorities report uptick in bird hits
With as many as seven bird hits in the last 10 days, forcing aircraft to undergo maintenance, the civil aviation authority is reporting a spike in such accidents. Following a flight from Da Lat in the Central Highlands to HCMC on April 25, authorities found a dead bird inside an …
Read More »Covid test requirement for foreign entrants no longer necessary: doctor
It is no longer necessary for Vietnam to request coronavirus test results from foreign entrants as it only causes more trouble at arrival, a medical expert said. As currently ruled, anyone entering Vietnam must be tested negative for the new coronavirus within 72 hours if the test is done via …
Read More »Germany invites Vietnamese nationals to study and work as nurses
A German government program will allow Vietnamese citizens to study and work as nurses in Germany, according to the Department of Overseas Labor. The department, which functions under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, announced Wednesday a program to choose candidates to work as nurses at general hospitals …
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