Giving water to newborns

Milan v Manchester United lights up Europa League last 16 draw

February 27, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

Ajax Amsterdam, the four-time European champions, will take on Swiss club Young Boys, while Arsenal face Greek side Olympiakos and Tottenham Hotspur, the third English club to reach the last 16, will tackle Dinamo Zagreb. European debutants Granada of Spain will face Norwegian club Molde while AS Roma face a tough tie against seasoned European contenders Shakhtar Donetsk.

* Werder Bremen’s United States forward Josh Sargent scored the winner as his struggling side came from a goal down at halftime to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in the Bundesliga on Friday and hand the visitors a first league defeat of the year. Victory moved Werder eight points above the relegation zone while ending fourth-placed Frankfurt’s 11-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga, stretching back to early December.

* Fifteen-time major winner Tiger Woods is recovering and in “good spirits” after he received successful follow-up procedures on injuries sustained this week in a car accident, according to a statement posted to his Twitter account on Friday.

* Dutch driver Nyck De Vries started Formula E’s seventh season with victory for Mercedes in the all-electric world championship’s first night race in Saudi Arabia on Friday. Swiss racer Edoardo Mortara finished four seconds behind for the Monaco-based Venturi team, who also use the Mercedes powertrain, with New Zealander Mitch Evans third for Jaguar.

* Burnley manager Sean Dyche may have no intention of selling goalkeeper Nick Pope anytime soon but crisps and a pint of beer in a pub during lockdown in Britain could tempt him to allow the player to move, the 49-year-old said jokingly on Friday.

* Ferrari Formula One boss Mattia Binotto will not attend all races this season, delegating to racing director Laurent Mekies as the team’s focus turns to making the most of major rule changes for 2022.

* Fernando Alonso will take no part in media activities when his Alpine Formula One team present their new car next Tuesday, with the Spaniard recovering from surgery to his jaw after a road accident, the team said on Friday. The 39-year-old double world champion left hospital on Feb. 15 after being in a collision with a car while cycling near his home in Switzerland.

* Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury which will need surgery, manager Ralph Hasenhuettl said on Friday. The 29-year-old Spaniard was forced off in the 70th minute of Tuesday night’s 3-0 defeat by Leeds United.

* Leicester City playmaker James Maddison has been ruled out of Sunday’s Premier League game against Arsenal due to a niggling hip issue, manager Brendan Rodgers said. The 24-year-old England international was substituted as a precaution in last weekend’s 2-1 league win at Aston Villa after a recurrence of the hip problem and missed Thursday’s 2-0 loss to Slavia Prague that knocked them out of the Europa League.

* Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is rediscovering his best form after his recent problems on and off the pitch and the Gabon striker’s resurgence gives the team a better chance of being successful, manager Mikel Arteta said on Friday. The 31-year-old Aubameyang scored twice, including a late winner, as Arsenal beat Benfica 3-2 on Thursday and 4-3 on aggregate to reach the last 16 of the Europa League.

* West Ham United’s rise to fourth place in the Premier League at this stage of the campaign is down to the big strides they have made under the experienced David Moyes, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday. West Ham, who finished 16th last season, beat London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 last weekend to extend their unbeaten run in the league to four games, pushing themselves into contention for a spot in next season’s Champions League.

* Manchester United forward Anthony Martial is going through a rough patch in front of goal but manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Friday he was confident the Frenchman will rediscover his form on the back of his unquestionable work ethic. Martial was United’s top scorer with 23 goals in all competitions last season but has found the net just seven times so far this term.

* Paris St Germain forward Neymar’s return from injury is on schedule after he was ruled out for four weeks earlier this month with an adductor muscle injury, coach Mauricio Pochettino said on Friday. The Brazil international has been sidelined since limping off the pitch on Feb. 10 in a French Cup game against Caen, which ruled him out of PSG’s Champions League last-16 first leg against Barcelona.

* Ronald Koeman called on Barcelona’s players to step up and reduce the club’s reliance on Lionel Messi for goals ahead of Saturday’s La Liga trip to Sevilla. Messi, 33, has scored 18 times in the league this season with Antoine Griezmann the next highest scorer on six, and once again scored the opening two goals in Wednesday’s league victory over Elche.

* Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish will miss Saturday’s Premier League trip to Leeds United as he has still not recovered from the leg injury that ruled him out of last week’s defeat by Leicester City, manager Dean Smith has confirmed.

* Brighton & Hove Albion wing back Tariq Lamptey will return for Saturday’s Premier League trip to second-bottom West Bromwich Albion after being out for more than two months with a hamstring problem, manager Graham Potter said. Lamptey sustained the injury in a Premier League match against Fulham on Dec. 16.

* Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson will be sidelined for at least five weeks after undergoing groin surgery, the Premier League champions said on Friday. The 30-year-old England international sustained the injury during Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat by Everton.

Heat wave strikes southern Vietnam

March 4, 2021 by vov.vn

According to reports by Le Dinh Quyet, deputy head of the forecasting department at the Southern Regional Hydrometeorology Station, the current heat wave is caused by a subtropical high-pressure system crossing the south.

Moving forward over the coming days, Quyet anticipates that the region’s UV Index will remain at a ‘very high’ level, from nine to 10.

He therefore predicts that the next five days will see the average temperature in the southern region remain around 34 to 36 degrees Celsius. In Ho Chi Minh City, average temperatures will be around 35 to 36 degrees Celsius, although the real feel may be higher, around 37 to 38 degrees Celsius.

Local residents are therefore advised to wear sun protective clothing alongside sunglasses, hats, face masks, and sunscreen when going out during the daytime. They are also encouraged to drink more water to avoid dehydration in the scorching sun.

Nothing to lose: Vietnamese crypto investors rest hopes on unlisted coin

March 4, 2021 by tuoitrenews.vn

Armed with little more than a smartphone and a dream, inexperienced cryptocurrency investors in Vietnam are hoping to hit it big with Pi – a cryptocurrency that can be mined from a phone.

As the crypto-craze in Vietnam continues being fueled by skyrocketing bitcoin prices and overnight millionaires, investors in the country are looking for low-barrier avenues to make their own fortunes on digital currency.

Enter Pi, a relatively new digital token that can be mined through the Pi Network app, advertised as “breakthrough tech [that] allows you to mine [Pi] on your phone without draining your battery.”

Unlike conventional cryptocurrency mining, which involves the use of significant computer power to verify the legitimacy of transactions in order to earn tokens as a reward, obtaining Pi only requires ‘miners’ to log into the application and tap a button every few hours.

With such a low barrier to entry, Pi mining has pulled in scores of Vietnamese crypto-newbies in recent weeks.

“We’ve missed the boat on bitcoin, so many of us have switched to mining Pi,” said Duc Danh, a Facebook user in Ho Chi Minh City.

“There’s nothing to lose.

“After a few years, if the project succeeds, each Pi could be worth dozens of U.S. dollars.”

Also in on the Pi hype is Vinh from Phu Nhuan District, a Pi miner who has recruited 70 other ‘miners’ and aggregated over 1,000 Pi coins for doing so as part of a Pi Network program akin to a multi-level marketing scheme.

“Pi mining costs nothing but bits of phone storage,” Vinh argued.

“What if the price shoots up to a few hundred U.S. dollars in the future?

“No one expected bitcoin to soar to $50,000.”

New members on the Pi Network receive one free Pi coin and start with a mining speed of 0.1 Pi per hour.

This velocity will increase with more accepted referrals, thus incentivizing users to gather as many new recruits under their umbrella as possible.

On Facebook, Pi Network groups have amassed hundreds of thousands of members curious about crypto mining, Pi’s identity verification system, and security.

K., a newbie in one of these groups, shared great optimism for the cryptocurrency.

“I learnt about Pi the other day on Facebook, and have had high hopes for it ever since,” he said.

Despite not being listed on big-name cryptocurrency exchanges, Pi’s trading value is already receiving real-world recognition, with one coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City accepting the token as payment.

There are also reports of an e-commerce platform that accepts Pi as payment at a rate of VND100,000 ($4.5) for one Pi token, though the website was taken down on February 28.

No free lunch

Vietnamese users should take careful consideration before joining the Pi Network, said Dang Minh Tuan, a blockchain expert at the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology in Hanoi, during a conversation with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

The most obvious thing, according to Tuan, is the risk of giving away personal data to the app developers.

With a community estimated at over 15 million users worldwide, Pi is currently a gold mine of personal data that can be abused for targeted ads on Google, Facebook, and TikTok.

On top of that, Pi’s core team has not yet registered itself as a legal entity, which renders the contracts and ownership accords between users and Pi unprotected by law.

Pi has also not yet released its source code to the public, making the aggregate supply and demand of Pi tokens unidentifiable.

This indicates a huge risk for users involved because the developers have the power to inflate the currency as they please.

Sharing the skeptic’s view, financial expert Lam Minh Chanh sounded the alarm about scams in the likes of Onecoin, Skyway, or MyAladdinz.

According to Chanh, Pi is not completely free as users have to invest a great amount of time and phone resources.

They also face data security risks in return for the hopes of high investment returns that are fanned by vague speculation.

“Miners are unlikely to get rich. There is no free lunch,” he said.

According to Nguyen Hoang Minh, deputy director of the State Bank branch in Ho Chi Minh City, bitcoin and other similar types of cryptocurrency are not methods of payment compliant with law in Vietnam.

Issuing, supplying, and using bitcoin as well as other similar types of cryptocurrency as forms of payment are also prohibited.

Accordingly, users and suppliers of cryptocurrency in the country will be declared culpable and subject to penalties.

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‘Workation’: The rise of a hybrid travel trend after the pandemic

March 4, 2021 by hanoitimes.vn

The Hanoitimes – According to the survey, 52% of Vietnamese travelers have already considered booking somewhere to stay in order to work from a different destination, while 57% would be willing to quarantine if they could work remotely.

A recently survey conducted by Booking.com showed that workcation looks set to form a key part of people future travels, at least for the next couple of years.

‘Workation’, as the word suggests, is ‘Work’ + ‘Vacation’ and involves working away from office, blending leisure with business. While not a completely new concept, it seems to garner the attention of travelers worldwide since the outbreak of Covid-19 last year that meant working from home was the new normal.

Post Covid-19 pandemic: Remote working is becoming a likely long-term reality as health and safety is a top priority. Photo: Booking.com.

According to the survey, 52% of Vietnamese travelers have already considered booking somewhere to stay in order to work from a different destination, while 57% would be willing to quarantine if they could work remotely.

“Remote working is becoming a likely long-term reality as health and safety is a top priority in the current environment,” Anthony Lu, Regional Director, Vietnam at Booking.com said.

He also predicts that instead of hotel, more work-friendly accommodation alternatives, like homes and apartments will be on high demand by for both business and leisure travelers who are looking to work remotely.

In addition, more and more travelers think that having relaxing while during a business trip is an essential, especially on the “new normal” of working after Covid-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, 58% of Vietnamese travelers on the survey said they would take the opportunity to extend any business trip so that they could schedule some leisure time. Many are also likely to add a week or two to their holiday in order to work remotely.

More comfortable workspaces with fewer interruptions give individuals more time to focus and be more productive in their work, while also travelling and unwinding to improve their wellbeing. Photo: Booking.com.

Although working from one’s own home has its perks in the coming time, people still want to book somewhere to stay for a welcome change of scenery.

Laptops become the newest travel necessity of 2021, with 61% agreeing that due to the increase in working from home and reliance on technology, business travel will be considered less essential than before. Instead, “workation” may become more prevalent and preferable.

These travelers are mostly looking for accommodation that has home office facilities, fast WiFi and most importantly, a spectacular view or cozy area to help make the workday fly by. Good health and safety precautions at each destination is again a top priority. It is tough to focus on work if our mind is caught up with safety or security concerns around the property.

“There is always a way to jazz up work and yet achieve your travel passion, now more than ever. Travelers could now set themselves free from the long-working time of nine hours for five consecutive days at the office because they can work from anywhere,” experts from Booking.com said.

Vietnam repatriate citizens from Myanmar

March 4, 2021 by hanoitimes.vn

The Hanoitimes – The situation in Myanmar becomes worse with dozens of protesters killed daily over the past few days.

Vietnam has repatriated nearly 400 Vietnamese citizens from Myanmar following deadly escalations after the military coup in early February.

Returnees arrive in Danang International Airport. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

Passengers landed in the home country on Thursday afternoon from two flights operated by Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier.

The returnees, who are those working and living in many parts of Myanmar, arrived in Danang for quarantine.

Vietnam Airlines said it took days to make the flights possible with the focus on safety measures against the pandemic.

All crew members and passengers equipped with personal protection equipment.

All crew members and passengers were required to wear personal protection equipment (PPE) during the flight and to undertake compulsory quarantine upon arrival.

Vietnam suspended international flights since March 2020 but it has maintained repatriation flights and Vietnam Airlines is responsible for almost all flights.

In 2020, Vietnam Airlines operated more than 180 flights bringing home more than 52,500 Vietnamese nationals who were stranded in more than 30 countries and territories.

The repatriation of Vietnamese nationals gives priority to children under 18, the elderly, the sick, students having no dormitories, those facing hardships, and special cases.

Vietnam continues repatriating thousands of citizens amid global border closures

May 6, 2020 by hanoitimes.vn

The Hanoitimes – The repatriation gives priority to children under 18, the elderly, the sick, and people of special cases.

Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier, has been repatriating thousands of citizens and taking foreigners back to their home countries amid the global lockdown.

Vietnamese citizens from Japan arrive at Vietnam’s airport. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

The repatriation of Vietnamese nationals gives priority to children under 18, the elderly, the sick, students having no dormitories, and those of special cases. It must ensure the safety requirements of related parties and meeting Vietnam’s mass quarantine capacity.

So far, Vietnam Airlines has conducted a number of flights to repatriate Vietnamese citizens from European countries, Canada, the UK, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, among others, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed.

Vietnamese people check in for flight back home in Paris . Photo: Vietnam Airlines

On May 5-6, Vietnam Airlines brought back 240 Vietnamese people from Paris to Van Don airport in Quang Ninh province, including children under 14. On the Hanoi-Paris flight, it flew nearly 200 French nationals and carried on board medical supplies that the government of Vietnam donated to French people.

Vietnamese citizens arrive home country from Dubai (UAE) . Photo: Vietnam Airlines

On May 3, Vietnam Airlines VN88 flight brought nearly 300 Vietnamese citizens back to the country from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. This is the first repatriation flight from the Middle East.

As Dubai is not a regular destination of Vietnam Airlines, the airlines needed to bring technicians and ground staff to work at Dubai airport.

Inside a flight from Canada . Photo: Vietnam Airlines

On May 1, nearly 300 Vietnamese citizens were repatriated on flight VN08 by Vietnam Airlines. On way to Canada, the airlines brought back a number of Canadians.

A group of 30 crewmember served the return flight of nearly 42 hours.

On April 22, Vietnam Airlines again brought back nearly 300 Vietnamese citizens who are the sick, pregnant women, students and workers of expired residency permits from Japan after having carried Vietnam’s pandemic medical aid to Japanese people.

Check-in for Italian passenger . Photo: Vietnam Airlines

On April 16, a flight operated by Vietnam Airlines and financed by ENI, an Italian multinational oil and gas company, repatriated more than 50 Italians and carried on board four tons of medical supplies to donate Italian people.

Over the past time, Vietnam Airlines has send aircraft to repatriate foreigners and taken medical aid to five European countries, including Germany, the UK, Laos, and Cambodia.