France

Close to 1 ton of Vietnamese lychees arrive in France

June 14, 2021 by en.qdnd.vn

Labeled with Vietnam’s itrace247 origin tracing stamp, the batch was shipped thanks to trade promotion efforts by the Vietnam Trade Office in France and the ministry’s Trade Promotion Agency (Viettrade) following a series of business matching sessions involving Hai Duong lychees.

The batch, transported to France by the Red Dragon Service Trading Manufacture Co., Ltd., will be available at the Asia supermarket chain in Paris.

Vu Anh Son, head of the office, said collaboration between Vietnamese agencies and businesses and French importers encountered various difficulties due to COVID-19.

Before the arrival of the batch, the Vietnamese fruit was imported in a small amount and made almost no appearance at big local shopping malls.

A plan has been set for more than 10 tons of Vietnamese lychees to enter the market by sea and air in 2022.

Source: VNA

G7 agrees to end new gov’t support for coal power by end of 2021

June 14, 2021 by tuoitrenews.vn

The Group of Seven nations on Sunday pledged to rapidly scale up technologies and policies that accelerate the transition away from unabated coal capacity, including ending new government support for coal power by the end of this year.

The countries, in a communique following their summit in Britain, confirmed pledges to increase climate finance contributions as part of efforts to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change and help a move toward cleaner energy, although climate groups said firm cash promises and other details were missing.

“Coal power generation is the single biggest cause of greenhouse gas emissions,” the seven nations – the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan – said, adding “continued global investment in unabated coal power generation is incompatible with keeping 1.5°C within reach.”

“We stress that international investments in unabated coal must stop now and we commit now to an end to new direct government support for unabated international thermal coal power generation by the end of 2021,” they said.

U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking after the summit, noted a commitment of up to $2 billion “to support developing countries as they transition away from unabated coal-fired power.”

The nations, in their statement, vowed to focus on other technologies, including carbon capture, to help speed up the transition away from coal.

“We will focus on accelerating progress on electrification and batteries, hydrogen, carbon capture, usage and storage, zero emission aviation and shipping, and for those countries that opt to use it, nuclear power,” the communique said.

Neymar on target but PSG draw leaves Lille closer to Ligue 1 title

May 10, 2021 by www.vir.com.vn

Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian forward Neymar (L) is challenged during the French L1 football match between Stade Rennais Football Club and Paris Saint-Germain at the Roazhon Park stadium in Rennes, northwestern France on May 9, 2021.(FRED TANNEAU / AFP)

PSG led at half-time after Neymar converted a controversial penalty award, but they were pegged back in the second half as Serhou Guirassy headed in the equaliser.

Presnel Kimpembe was later sent off for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who could not get back to winning ways on their return to domestic action following their Champions League semi-final exit against Manchester City.

PSG are now three points adrift of Ligue 1 leaders Lille, who know they will be champions for the first time since 2011 by taking four points from their remaining two matches of the season.

The Parisians have won the French title in seven of the last eight years but they have regularly wobbled this season and the decision to replace coach Thomas Tuchel with Pochettino during the winter break looks like it will not have the desired impact.

“We will keep believing until the end, we won’t lose faith, but at Paris Saint-Germain we need to do much better,” captain Marquinhos told broadcaster Canal Plus.

“Lille are a really good side and are winning every match. We have two games left and we need to believe, focus on ourselves and perform better.”

Lille had opened up a provisional four-point lead by winning 3-0 at Lens on Friday, with Burak Yilmaz scoring twice.

It appeared PSG might respond in kind, despite being without the suspended Kylian Mbappe or the injured Marco Verratti in Brittany.

They were given the chance to take the lead in first-half stoppage time when referee Ruddy Buquet surprisingly awarded a penalty after reviewing footage of Rennes defender Nayef Aguerd attempting to block a Layvin Kurzawa shot.

Neymar marked Saturday’s announcement that he had extended his contract until 2025 by stroking home from the spot.

However, Rennes are chasing European qualification and they went looking for the equaliser, getting their reward 20 minutes from time when Guirassy headed in Benjamin Bourigeaud’s corner.

PSG were then reduced to 10 men three minutes from time when Kimpembe’s lunge on Jeremy Doku earned the defender a straight red card.

PSG’s last two games are at home to Reims and away at relegation-threatened Brest, while Lille finish at home to Saint-Etienne and away at Angers.

– Monaco eye Champions League –

Earlier, a first senior goal for Belgian youngster Eliot Matazo gave Monaco a 1-0 win at Reims that kept the principality club on course for a top-three finish and a return to the Champions League.

Teenager Matazo, signed from Anderlecht aged 16 in 2018, struck in the 20th minute and Monaco then saw out the victory to get back on track after losing at home to rivals Lyon last weekend.

The principality side were beaten 3-2 in that game and were then leapfrogged by Lyon after they defeated Lorient 4-1 on Saturday.

However, Sunday’s victory took Niko Kovac’s side back up to third on 74 points, one point better off than Lyon.

“The pressure is not on us but on Lyon because they were not in the Champions League this season and they need to be there,” said Kovac.

“Before the match I told the players to enjoy themselves because they were fourth and they have had a great season.”

Champions and Champions League semi-finalists in 2017, Monaco are also five points adrift of Lille and two points behind PSG.

Only the top three in France qualify for the Champions League, with the top two going straight into the group stage of Europe’s elite club competition and third entering in the third qualifying round.

Fourth will have to settle for the Europa League with fifth set to go into the new Europa Conference League.

Marseille remain fifth, above Lens on goal difference, despite losing 1-0 at Saint-Etienne. Rennes are a point behind them in seventh.

AFP

Artist offers a new take on nude silk painting

June 3, 2021 by vietnamnet.vn

Artist Bui Tien Tuan has debuted his nude paintings on silk which experts say are rare in Vietnamese fine arts.

Artist offers a new take on nude silk painting

A visitor looks at the paintings. — Photos from facebook of the artist

The exhibition in HCM City entitled Nguyệt Sáng Gương Trong (The Mirror of The Moon) displays 58 silk paintings which Tuan painted in the last five years.

The artist drew nude women to explore all aspects and all possibilities of feminine charm.

“I don’t paint a specific female figure,” said Tuan. “I portray beauty. Silk material is soft and supple helping me to express my ideas.”

He features beauty in different postures and in different spaces such as in a bar, in the bedroom, floating on a water surface or drifting into the infinite vacuum of the universe.

The women in Tuan’s paintings are different from most previous depictions of women in silk paintings, according to fine art researcher Ha Vu Trong.

“Artist generations from Indochina Fine Arts College, Gia Dinh Fine Arts College or Hue Fine Arts School in the past drew Vietnamese women with elegant beauty,” said Trong.

“Tuan’s women step out of his studio and go to the modern world which is a noisy and glittery urban area full of glamour and temptation.

“The exhibition goers can easily see the difference from Tuan’s paintings at the exhibition,” said critic Dang Than.

One of the latest silk paintings by Bui Tien Tuan.

“The nude paintings are light breath,” Than said. “They are not dreamy like Vietnamese traditional silk paintings and they are not fierce like Japanese shunga silk painting or like Egon Schiele’s paintings.

“Tuan has spent time to practice making his drawing style light as a leaf and silently drifting like a swan.”

Tuan, 50, was born in Hoi An, the central province of Quảag Nam and teaches at the HCM City University of Fine Arts.

He has had many solo and group exhibitions in the UK, France, and South Korea. He won a silver medal at the National Fine Arts Exhibition in 2010 and his paintings are in collections at Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, HCM City Fine Arts Museum and private collections.

He also released a painting book called The Mirror of The Moo at this exhibition. It is the first Vietnamese book with silk nude paintings. The bilingual book is written in English and Vietnamese with words by artist Tran Hau Tuan and other critics.

His first book was Hơi Thở Nhẹ (Light Breath) in 2010. The two books were distributed by Fine Arts Publishing House.

The exhibition runs until June 6 at Eight Gallery, No 8 Phung Khac Khoan Street, District 1, HCM City.

VNS