Despite having been in our social lives for less than two decades (Facebook in 2004, Twitter in 2006), social media platforms have rapidly transformed into a global phenomenon where they now serve as the primary medium of communication for billions of people. Once relatively harmless “public squares” where users can easily interact with one another, social media networks have grown into formidable platforms, giving their creators unprecedented supranational power – not just by gathering personal information and collecting trends and being able to sell this information for billions of dollars, but also by dominating, if not directly influencing, social trends through the power of advertisements and information selection. In many cases, this has become a significant matter in national politics for many countries. … [Read more...] about Social media – a revolution to be feared
App use express static
University sets up Institute of Smart Cities and Management
HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics earlier this week launched the Institute of Smart Cities and Management (ISCM), whose mission will be to mobilise international cooperation in addressing urban issues globally. The launch was attended by officials from economics, urban studies, transport, and environment universities and organisations from Asia, Europe and the US. Su Dinh Thanh, Rector of the HCM City University of Economics, said the institute aims to become a smart city training and research institute that uses technology and critical thinking as powerful tools to solve urban problems of the future. “I believe that ISCM and our partners will contribute to improving the quality of education and urban life through three activities — integrated education, research and development, and solving practical problems through projects.” Dr Trinh Tu Anh, director of the new institute, said it aims to develop education integrated … [Read more...] about University sets up Institute of Smart Cities and Management
HCM City speeds up disbursement of public capital
HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City is taking drastic measures to promote disbursement of public funds, which plays an important role in economic development amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the municipal People’s Committee, nearly 32 trillion VND (1.38 billion USD) was disbursed as of December 31, 2020, some 27.3 trillion VND of which came from the city’s budget (accounting for 74.1 percent of the assigned plan) and the remainder from the state budget (equivalent to 57.2 percent of the plan). Director of the municipal Department of Planning and Investment Le Thi Huynh Mai said the results did not live up to expectations of the Government and the city leaders, pointing out tardy disbursement of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) capital affected the city’s outcomes. Since the state budget year 2020 will end on January 31, 2021, the department will ask investors to speed up the work, striving for the disbursement rate of 95 percent for the … [Read more...] about HCM City speeds up disbursement of public capital
PM attends ceremony to start construction of $168mn industrial park in northern Vietnam
Machinery is used in a sod-turning ceremony to start the construction of Lien Ha Thai Industrial Park in Thai Binh Province, northern Vietnam, December 13, 2020 Photo: Khanh Linh / Tuoi Tre The industrial park sits on 588.84 hectares and is projected to cost VND3.885 trillion ($168 million) to build. … [Read more...] about PM attends ceremony to start construction of $168mn industrial park in northern Vietnam
Former Sagri official dies
Nguyen Thanh My, who was out on bail to serve an investigation into the violations at Sagri, has died - PHOTO: THE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY HCMC - Nguyen Thanh My, former deputy head of the planning and investment division at State-owned company Saigon Agriculture Incorporated (Sagri), died of a disease while he was out on bail to serve an investigation into alleged violations of regulations on the management and use of State assets at the company. … [Read more...] about Former Sagri official dies