US entertainment giant Disney on Wednesday blew past expectations for new subscribers to its flagship streaming service, as its big studio muscle brings the fight to rival Netflix. Disney+ reached 129.8 million subscribers worldwide, some five million more than analysts had predicted, resulting in a roughly eight percent jump in …
Read More »‘Don’t say gay:’ Sex education fuels US culture wars
Schools have been focal points of U.S. political debate throughout the pandemic, with heated confrontations over masking policies, social issues like race and history, and now sexual and gender identity. Swelling mobilization by American conservatives over what is taught in schools has led several states to push for new curbs …
Read More »Majority parents agree with Covid vaccination for kids aged 5-11: health ministry
Over 60 percent of parents have agreed to let their children aged 5-11 be vaccinated against Covid-19, according to a Health Ministry survey. A survey on 450,000 parents with children aged under 12, issued Wednesday by the Ministry of Health, revealed 60.6 percent of respondents agreed with vaccinating their children …
Read More »Vietnam confirms 23,953 new cases
The Health Ministry announced 23,953 new domestic Covid-19 patients Wednesday, up 9.4 percent from Tuesday. Most of the new cases were detected in Hanoi at 2,949, followed by Nghe An Province with 1,900 cases and Hai Phong City, 1,295 cases. In the past 24 hours, 93 Covid-19 patients have died, …
Read More »Vietnam probes influential climate activist for tax evasion
Hanoi police have detained Nguy Thi Khanh, director of Hanoi-based Green Innovation and Development Center (GreenID), over alleged tax evasion allegations. Khanh, 46, a resident in Nam Tu Liem District, is now under investigation for evading tax in accordance with the Penal Code, Hanoi police announced Wednesday. The case is …
Read More »Hanoi resumes motorbike ride-hailing services
Hanoi has allowed motorbike ride-hailing services to resume operations, the municipal transport department announced Wednesday. All drivers must be fully vaccinated and abide by basic coronavirus prevention measures to prevent infection, the Hanoi Department of Transport said in a statement to units that provide apps for motorbike ride-hailing services, Vietnam …
Read More »Six killed after truck falls off cliff
Six people were killed and three were injured in the Central Highlands’ Gia Lai Province Wednesday after the truck carrying them fell off a cliff. Huynh Duc Nguyen, 39, was driving a 16-ton truck carrying cassava in Dak Doa District down a slope at around 1 a.m.. The truck then …
Read More »Vietnam has no high Covid risk areas
Under the Health Ministry’s new Covid assessment criteria, 48 cities and provinces in Vietnam are safe zones and the remaining 15 are medium-risk areas. The only two high-risk provinces from last week, Tra Vinh and Binh Phuoc, both in the south, have had their Covid-19 risk level drop. Tra Vinh …
Read More »Chinese funding of sub-Saharan African infrastructure dwarfs that of West, says think tank
China’s development banks provided $23 billion in financing for infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa from 2007 to 2020, more than double the amount lent by such banks in the United States, Germany, Japan and France combined, a new study showed. The Center for Global Development think tank said a review …
Read More »Taiwan sees ‘enormous’ room for chip cooperation with EU
Taiwan’s government believes there is “enormous” room for cooperation with the European Union on semiconductors, responding to plans from the bloc to boost its chip industry and cut its dependence on U.S. and Asian supplies. The EU’s plan mentions Taiwan, home to the world’s largest contract chipmaker TSMC and other …
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