Worsening outdoor air pollution and toxic lead poisoning have kept global deaths from environmental contamination at an estimated 9 million per year since 2015 – countering modest progress made in tackling pollution elsewhere, a team of scientists reported Tuesday. Air pollution from industry processes along with urbanization drove a 7% increase in pollution-related deaths from 2015 to 2019, according to the scientists’ analysis of data on global mortality and pollution levels. "We're sitting in the stew pot and slowly burning," said Richard Fuller, a study co-author and head of the global nonprofit Pure Earth. But unlike climate change, malaria, or HIV, "we haven't given (environmental pollution) much focus." An earlier version of the work published in 2017 also estimated the death toll from pollution at roughly 9 million per year — or about one of every six deaths worldwide — and the cost to the global economy at up to $4.6 trillion per year. That puts pollution on par with … [Read more...] about Pollution killing 9 million people a year, Africa hardest hit: study
Shelled chinese new year treat
Gold appeal sparkles amid rise of inflation
Gold is yet again becoming a safe haven asset, and some customers want more ways to get involved, Le Toan The World Gold Council (WGC) believes that the appetite for gold is often hampered by the interest rate, as when interest rates rise, gold loses its appeal. However, inflation is also a tailwind to gold demand as a common safe-haven asset. The USD tends to weaken when the Fed raises interest rates, which enhances gold’s demand. “Furthermore, what happens in China’s consumer market has had a big impact as it’s the world’s largest consumer market for gold. We expect China to start to emerge from the worst of the pandemic and that will support consumer demand,” the WGC noted last week. “It is difficult to predict how the geopolitical situation will play out. It depends on where inflation goes, but inflation is certainly the biggest driver at the moment, which will probably support institutional investment demand in the next quarter.” Meanwhile, the demand for gold in Vietnam … [Read more...] about Gold appeal sparkles amid rise of inflation
Staying safe in the booming blockchain and GameFi world
Hoang Viet Tien-Head of Strategic Advisory, Insider Mobile games and e-sports account for a major share of the blockchain sphere, and in addition to the play-to-earn wave from blockchain games, new waves are coming such as SocialFi (earning income through social activities), CALO (exercise to collect utility tokens), and Genopets (nurture and evolve Genopes to train and battle for rewards). A new report by DappRadar and the Blockchain Game Alliance suggests that 2022 will be a benchmark year for crypto games developers. The report reveals that $2.5 billion in investments were raised in Q1 alone this year, adding that developers could see this figure balloon to $10 billion by the end of the year. Compared to previous years, these figures also suggest the niche has become a key sector for investors. In 2021, for example, just $4 billion was raised throughout the whole year. In Vietnam, there are about 3.99 million gamers and more than 60 per cent are between the ages of 18 and … [Read more...] about Staying safe in the booming blockchain and GameFi world
President Ho Chi Minh remembered abroad
A delegation of the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand led by Ambassador Phan Chi Thanh visits Ho Chi Minh Museum in Phichit province. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia on May 19 held an incense-offering ceremony to pay tribute to President Ho Chi Minh on his 132nd birthday. In his remarks, Ambassador Nguyen Huy Tang called on the embassy’s staff and Vietnamese people in Cambodia to follow the late President’s ideology, morality and lifestyle. They should seriously observe local law and support each other, he said, lauding Vietnamese firms and agencies in Cambodia for their support to Cambodia ns of Vietnamese origin and local people during the COVID-19 fight. The Vietnamese community in Hungary and Hungarian friends on May 18 also gathered at a ceremony in Zalaegerszeg city where President Ho Chi Minh’s statue is located to pay homage to the late leader. Góra Balázs, Chairman of the Hungarian Socialist Party’s Zalaegerszeg branch, recalled … [Read more...] about President Ho Chi Minh remembered abroad
Developers clamour for legal clarity
Developers clamour for legal clarity, Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Nguyen Manh Ha, vice chairman of the Vietnam Real Estate Association, said that tourism real estate needs to break down barriers to development as soon as possible, in order to move alongside the general economic recovery. “Currently, mechanisms and policies for resort real estate are unclear, especially in terms of new types of real estate such as condotels, officetels, and second-home villas in resorts,” Ha said. The legal framework has not kept pace with the reality of hospitality and resort real estate development, thus partly hindering the growth momentum of these types of property, Ha added. They are not given a right use certificate, known as a red book in Vietnam, because they are built on land plots permitted for developing tourism property only, and not for residential projects. Doan Van Binh, chairman of CEO Group, said that supply is scarce not only in Vietnam but worldwide due to the impact of … [Read more...] about Developers clamour for legal clarity
Vietnam tops SEA Games 31 medal tally with 125 golds
Swimmer Pham Thanh Bao (centre) stands on the podium (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam had claimed 125 gold, 76 silver and 74 bronze medals as of May 18 evening, the sixth official competition day of the ongoing SEA Games 31 , retaining the top position in the medal table. The host country is getting closer to its set target of 140 golds. Thailand ranked second with 53 golds, followed by the Philippines with 37. On the day, the Vietnamese athletics team won three more gold medals in the women’s javelin throw, women’s 10,000m and women’s 4x400m, raising the number in the sport to 19 and surpassing the target of 15-17. Runner Nguyen Thi Oanh obtained triple golds in the women’s 1,000m; 5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase, in which she broke her own record set in the previous SEA Games. Swimmers continued to excite home fans as Ben Tre-born Pham Thanh Bao won the eighth gold for Vietnam in the men’s 50m breaststroke, beating strong rivals from Indonesia and Singapore. … [Read more...] about Vietnam tops SEA Games 31 medal tally with 125 golds