'Serious consequences,' U.S. warns, after Venezuela moves on GuaidoThe Saigon Times Daily Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido gestures as he attends a session of the Venezuela's National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela January 29, 2019 – PHOTO: REUTERS CARACAS (REUTERS) - Venezuela’s government struck back at self-declared interim president Juan Guaido on Tuesday, seeking a travel ban and freeze on his bank accounts that prompted a warning from Washington of “consequences” after imposing oil sanctions. The sweeping U.S. sanctions on oil firm PDVSA, announced on Monday, means the state-run company may not be able to fulfill contracts with North American buyers, the government of President Nicolas Maduro said. Aimed at driving Maduro from power, the sanctions were the strongest measures yet against the 56-year-old former union leader, who has overseen economic collapse and an exodus of millions of Venezuelans in … [Read more...] about ‘Serious consequences,’ U.S. warns, after Venezuela moves on Guaido
It rsquo s meaning
Where a flower is worth its weight in gold
When Tet, the Lunar New Year Festival, is around the corner Nam Van Trang's family in Trai Thanh Commune, Ba Che District, Quang Ninh Province, 95 miles east of Hanoi, harvest golden camellia. People began to grow the flower in Ba Che District in 2006 when Chinese traders came and paid good money for it. Thang's family began in 2009 on its hill farm. It has more than 10,000 trees on an area of three hectares. Golden camellia flowers usually bud in the sixth lunar month. The harvest begins at the end of the 10th lunar month and goes on through the lunar year. But since it is a wild plant, farmers have yet to find a way to intervene and improve yields. If the seed is good, it takes two years for the first flowers to appear, but most trees don't blossom until they are four years old. The process of growing golden camellia is divided into organic fertilization, harvest and manual processing. "In 2018, after expenses, my family earned about VND3 billion ($130,000)," Thang … [Read more...] about Where a flower is worth its weight in gold
Pacific trade pact almost upon it, Vietnam’s privatization remains sluggish
The privatization process was behind schedule "though the government has ordered SOEs to speed up the process and threatened them with penalties," Dang Quyet Tien, head of the Finance Ministry’s corporate finance department recently said. He blamed the extremely sluggish pace on the tortuous process of determining the extent of lands owned by state firms to make their valuation. "However, many companies have already undergone several transitions in the past, followed by changes in papers, seals, and asset certificates, and sorting through them is a complicated task." In December 2016 the government had set a target of reducing the number of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) from 583 to 103 by 2020. By the end of last year there were still more than 500 after only 11 were privatized against the target of 64, according to the Ministry of Finance. With the number of state firms remaining high, Vietnam could have a hard time fulfilling its obligations under the of the Comprehensive and … [Read more...] about Pacific trade pact almost upon it, Vietnam’s privatization remains sluggish
Private buyers of Iran crude had no problems exporting it: oil minister
Private buyers of Iranian crude have had "no problems" exporting it, Iran's oil minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday by state news agency IRNA, despite U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's oil exports. Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh arrives for an OPEC meeting in Vienna, Austria in June 2018 - Photo: REUTERS Private buyers of Iranian crude have had "no problems" exporting it, Iran's oil minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday by state news agency IRNA, despite U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's oil exports. Iran began selling crude oil to private companies for export in late October, just ahead of U.S. sanctions on sectors including oil which came into effect on Nov. 5. "Those who bought oil on the bourse have been able to export and there have been no problems in this regard," IRNA quoted Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh as saying. Theo Channelnewsasia/Reuters … [Read more...] about Private buyers of Iran crude had no problems exporting it: oil minister
Inadequate human resources hinder IT sector’s growth
By the end of this year, Vietnam will need a workforce of 350,000 IT employees. However, to date the supply can meet only half of the requirement. Furthermore, the country’s supply of highly skilled and qualified IT personnel is seriously lagging behind demand. Statistics showed that IT is the sector with the highest demand for personnel over the last three years. To meet the demand, more and more facilities providing IT training have been launched. Still, the deprivation of a high-quality IT workforce is worrisome. In order to ensure the quality of training, many facilities have actively changed their approach, as well as incorporated well-researched training programs to meet the actual needs of the market. However, with the rapid change of technology and the lack of coordination between businesses and universities in training IT human resources, the question of ensuring the quality of students is still up in the air. There are over 400 IT training facilities in the country, … [Read more...] about Inadequate human resources hinder IT sector’s growth