Last year, Qatar's finance minister Ali Sharif Al-Emadi said his country was determined to have everything ready for the 2022 World Cup well before fans started landing in the Gulf. The already-completed Khalifa International Stadium in Doha will host the World Athletics Championships next year AFP/KARIM JAAFAR "We don't want to be painting while people arrive in the country," he said, before going on to reveal Qatar is spending almost US$500 million (430 million euros) a week on infrastructure projects for football's biggest tournament. It is highly unlikely that any visitor to the World Cup is going to see rushed last-minute preparations. With four and a half years until the 2022 World Cup kicks off, Qatar is ahead of schedule when it comes to venues, related major projects and even paint. Of the eight stadiums it will build or renovate for 2022, one - Khalifa International - is already open and will host the World Athletics Championships next year. Two more, Al-Wakrah and … [Read more...] about Qatar ploughs ahead with World Cup plans despite crises
Tracks ahead schedule
Thăng Long Homes
Thăng Long Homes - Hiệp Phước, whose construction started in January this year, is expected to be a high-class residential area in Đồng Nai Province’s Nhơn Trạch District. The recent launch of its international standard tennis court points to the likelihood of completing the development earlier than scheduled and underlined the reputation of the developer, Thăng Long Real Group. The company announced that the project is a month ahead of schedule and construction of the main infrastructure is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year, enabling the company to hand over houses to buyers before schedule. Among the project’s most important facilities are its two indoor tennis courts build to international standards. One is ready for use, measures 78 ft x 27 ft and is meant for singles, while the other is 78 ft x 36 ft and meant for doubles. Caption: The International standard tennis court is … [Read more...] about Thăng Long Homes
Japan, China hold first high level economic dialogue in eight years
(Photo: Kyodo/VNA)The 4th high level economic dialogue was co-chaired by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the dialogue was restarted after an eight-year hiatus, amid improvement in bilateral relationship. “The dialogue was a huge step toward improving the bilateral relationship,” Japanese Foreign Minister Kono said. “We look forward to developing our economic cooperation.” Over the two days of the talks, much more than just trade policy has been on the table. Japanese Foreign Minister Kono expressed the hope of the Japanese government that the two countries can work together to address concerns regarding the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Prior to the dialogue, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on April 15th met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, and the two diplomats agreed to promote mutual visits by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese … [Read more...] about Japan, China hold first high level economic dialogue in eight years
China, Japan vow to promote cooperation
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi (Photo: Kyodo/VNA)"I hope this will be an important step toward returning China - Japan relations to a normal track," Mr. Wang told reporters after arriving in Japan ahead of his meeting and working dinner with Mr. Kono. Foreign Minister Wang Yi is the first Chinese Foreign Minister to visit Japan in a bilateral context in nine years. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping last year promised to reset the sometimes fraught relations between Asia’s two largest economies. The talks between the two diplomats came ahead of a summit between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (RoK) this month and a meeting between DPRK’s leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump. President Kim Jong-un is scheduled to meet with the RoK President Moon Jae-in on April 27th, the first meeting between the leaders in a decade. Mr Trump also … [Read more...] about China, Japan vow to promote cooperation
France faces second day of transport chaos as rail workers strike
Weeks of disruption lie ahead for France's 4.5 million daily train passengers AFP/ludovic MARIN Only one in seven high-speed TGV trains and one in five regional trains were expected to be running, state rail operator SNCF warned, after similar stoppages on the first day of the walkout that French media dubbed "Black Tuesday". The strike is being led by SNCF staff but workers at Air France as well as garbage collectors and some energy workers also staged separate walkouts in a growing atmosphere of social strife 11 months after 40-year-old Macron came to power. Macron's government says the heavily-indebted SNCF needs deep reforms as EU countries prepare to open passenger rail to competition by 2020, arguing it is 30 per cent more expensive to run a train in France than elsewhere. Unions fear the changes are a first step towards privatising the national rail operator - a claim the government denies - and object to plans to strip new hires of a special rail workers' status guaranteeing … [Read more...] about France faces second day of transport chaos as rail workers strike