What does climate change look like? For many people, the first – or perhaps only – image that comes to mind is of smokestacks, or polarbears perched on ice floes. “If you go to Google and click on climate change images, you have to go a long way before you hit many images of people,” says Adam Corner, research director at Climate Outreach, an Oxford-based thinktank that aims to boost public engagement on climate change. But climate change already is affecting billions of people around the world, from farmers in Zimbabwe experimenting with new crops to battle drought to grandmothers in India who earn cash selling solar home lighting systems, or children in the United States coping with a longer allergy season. Getting more of those people-focused images into the media, into NGO campaigns and into other public communications could help more people identify with the problem, see the opportunities and understand the need for action, Corner said. … [Read more...]

A biopic at Cannes about Jean-Luc Godard, the closest thing French cinema has to a living god, might be expected to be worthy and respectful, but "Redoubtable" is anything but - portraying the director as a childish, spiteful bore. After scooping Oscars in 2012 for his silent movie pastiche "The Artist", Michel Hazanavicius has provoked disciples of Godard, the darling of art-house cinema since New Wave classics such as 1960's "Breathless" who is still making challenging avant-garde films. The debate over Godard spilled onto the stage at a news conference in Cannes, with the lead actor accusing the director of being "absurd" by suggesting most people "don't give a damn" about the filmmaker. "Redoubtable" portrays Godard's marriage to Anne Wiazemsky, 16 years his junior, as the student revolt grips Paris in 1968 and the filmmaker rejects his earlier work and that of his contemporaries and plans to make films with a Maoist collective. In scenes reminiscent of Woody Allen's "Stardust … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Việt Nam are ready for their first match against New Zealand in a Group F tie of the FIFA U20 World Cup in South Korea today. At a press conference yesterday, coach Hoàng Anh Tuấn said he was proud to be with his players for the finals in Cheonan City and confirmed Việt Nam's determination to put on a good show, despite being debutants. "It is our first time at the World Cup, where we have a chance to play teams from leading football countries in the world. It will be a strong push for Việt Nam. It will be a big challenge for us, but we will try our best," said Tuấn. "My players can attack, as well as defend, but I will not say anything here. Please wait to see how we perform," Tuấn said, when asked about Việt Nam's strategy for the match against New Zealand this afternoon. Tuấn and his assistants also spent some time watching the New Zealand team play. He said New Zealand players were bigger and taller, but it seemed they were not as "dangerous" as they … [Read more...]

The missile flew about 500 kilometers (310.69 miles), reaching an altitude of 560 km, and landed in waters off the North's east coast, South Korea's military said on Sunday. North Korea said on Monday it has successfully tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile to confirm the reliability of the late-stage guidance of the nuclear warhead, indicating further advances in the ability to hit U.S. targets. The North's KCNA news agency said leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test which also verified the functioning of the solid-fuel engine for the Pukguksong-2 missile and ordered it for deployment in field action. North Korea has defied all calls to rein in its nuclear and missile programmes, even from China, its lone major ally, saying the weapons are needed for legitimate self-defence. The North last conducted a ballistic missile test a week ago. "Saying with pride that the missile's rate of hits is very accurate and Pukguksong-2 is a successful strategic weapon, he approved the … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - International Master Võ Thị Kim Phụng of Việt Nam won the gold medal in the women's standard chess category of the Asian Continental Chess Championships in China on Saturday. Women's International Master (WIM) Phụng grabbed 7.5 points to lead the ranking table after nine rounds. In the final round, Phụng, who is seeded No. 8 in the tournament, drew with No. 10 seed Indian Women's Grandmaster (WGM) Mary Ann Gomes. It was her third draw in the tournament, while she had won the other six matches. WGM Guliskhan Nakhbayeva of Kazakhstan came second with seven points. WIM Ramesh Babu Vaishali of India was third with 6.5 points. It is Phụng's second title of the year, and she received a bonus of US$5,000 and 54.6 points in the world ranking which is enough to make her a Women's Grandmaster. Earlier, she triumphed in the Asian Zone 3.3 Chess Championship in the Philippines in March, which awarded her a berth to compete in the Chess World Cup in 2018 as a … [Read more...]

CARACAS: A young demonstrator has died from a gunshot wound to the chest, raising to 48 the number of people killed in seven weeks of protests against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, officials said on Sunday (May 21). The attorney general's office said gunmen were alleged to have opened fire on Saturday on an anti-government demonstration in the western city of Valera. "At that moment, (Edy Alejandro) Teran Aguilar received a bullet in the chest," it said in a statement. Also wounded in the shootings were an 18-year-old male and a 50-year-old woman, it said. Teran was 23. The incident came amid massive demonstrations across the country on Saturday demanding elections to replace Maduro. In some cities, the protests degenerated into violent clashes between demonstrators and police and government troops. In Caracas, the mayor of a municipality in the eastern part of the city said 46 people were injured, and in the suburb of San Antonio Los Altos a youth was wounded by gunfire, the … [Read more...]

Lighthizer said that U.S. steps to create free and fair trade were being confused with protectionism. In a stormy first foray abroad for Robert Lighthizer, the new U.S. Trade Representative failed to get Asian and Pacific countries to back the Trump administration's "fair trade" agenda as the two sides disagreed over protectionism. With the United States on one side and the 20 other members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on the other at a meeting in Vietnam, a planned joint statement had to be scrapped because of their differences. In a discussion draft of the proposed document, seen by Reuters, U.S. officials opposed a reference to "protectionist trends that could have strong impacts on the process of global economic recovery and economic integration." But they wanted to include a reference to "unfair trade practices that result in unbalanced trade" and another calling for the removal of barriers that distort trade to ensure that it is "both free and fair". … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge - Will the $80 million project on reforming general education be successful, or will it fail like other multi-trillion projects, including the classification of majors, VNEN and national program on foreign language teaching? The draft of the new general education curriculum released by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) is a part of the general education renovation project worth $80 million which took effect on August 8, 2016 and will end in 2020. Of this, $77 million is from the World Bank’s ODA and $3 million from reciprocal capital. According to the Management Board of the Project on General Education Renovation, the project has seven programs 1) new curriculum for new general education 2) teaching materials and documents guiding the compilation of textbooks for individuals and organizations 3) sets of textbooks compiled by MOIT 4) textbooks to lent to poor students 5) bilingual textbooks (Vietnamese and ethnic minority languages) 6) online … [Read more...]

Ministers responsible for trade of the APEC member economies made their call for free and fair trade after the conclusion of the 23rd APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Hanoi on May 21. At a press conference following the meeting, Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shou Wen said China commits to supporting a global multilateral trade system and making joint efforts to prevent protectionism and reducing trade risk. US trade representative Robert Lighthizer said APEC helps create a consensus on fair global trade, which is also a goal that the US wants to promote. Lighthizer said although the US has withdrawn from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the country will continue to cooperate with TPP member economies on a bilateral basis. The US aims for free and fair trade which is also a goal of such mechanisms as APEC or the World Trade Oganisation (WTO), he stated. Commenting on the prospect of TPP, New Zealand Minister of Industry and Trade Todd Michael … [Read more...]

Ministers and Vice Ministers from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore and Viet Nam met today to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade. The Ministers reaffirmed the balanced outcome and the strategic and economic significance of the TPP highlighting its principles and high standards as a way to promote regional economic integration, contribute positively to the economic growth prospects of its member countries, and create new opportunities for workers, families, farmers, businesses and consumers. The Ministers agreed on the value of realising the TPP’s benefits and to that end, they agreed to launch a process to assess options to bring the comprehensive, high quality Agreement into force expeditiously, including how to facilitate membership for the original signatories. The Ministers tasked their senior trade officials … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Trade representatives of the 21 Pacific Rim countries, meeting this weekend in Hà Nội, reaffirmed their commitment to support free and open trade and pledged to fight all forms of protectionism. The trade representatives agreed to make concrete actions to foster the leading role of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in promoting global economic growth and regional economic integration for the benefits of people. Taking into account the diverse opinions at the meeting, APEC member economies underscored the importance of ensuring the effective functioning of a rules-based, transparent, non-discriminatory multilateral trading system as embodied in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). "We reaffirm the importance of the WTO's trade monitoring work, which is essential to the functioning of the multilateral trading system, by achieving greater transparency in, and understanding of the trade policies and practices of members," the closing statement of … [Read more...]

'This system, last tested in February, has a shorter range than the missiles launched in North Korea's three most recent tests.' A White House official on Sunday confirmed that North Korea had test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile, despite threats of tougher US sanctions over its missile tests. "We are aware that North Korea launched an MRBM. This system, last tested in February, has a shorter range than the missiles launched in North Korea's three most recent tests," the official said in Saudi Arabia, where US President Donald Trump is on a two-day visit. Officials in Seoul had earlier reported the test, with South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff saying it could not yet identify the type of missile fired Sunday from Pukchang in South Pyongan province but that it travelled about 500 kilometres (310 miles). The latest launch came just a week after a similar test sparked international condemnation and a warning from Washington that new sanctions could be imposed on Pyongyang. … [Read more...]

RIYADH: Washington has agreed arms deals with Saudi Arabia worth almost US$110 billion, a White House official said on Saturday (May 20), the first day of President Donald Trump's visit to the traditional US ally. "This package of defence equipment and services support the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in the face of Iranian threats," the official said. It will also bolster the kingdom's "ability to contribute to counter-terrorism operations across the region, reducing the burden on the US military to conduct those operations," the official added. Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "will attend a signing ceremony" for the deals, the official said. The official described the agreements as "a significant expansion of the over seven-decade-long security relationship between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." The official did not provide details of the agreements with Riyadh, which is one of the world's biggest defence spenders. A … [Read more...]

The tug-of-war between tobacco smugglers and anti-smuggling forces in border localities in Vietnam remains tough despite local authorities’ ceaseless efforts. While cigarette smuggling remains rife in provinces bordering Cambodia to the detriment of the state budget as well as people’s health, local cigarette producers are concerned that contraband tobacco may get officially circulated in a controversial move proposed by the government. Despite heavier traffic in Chau Doc City in the Mekong Delta of An Giang as the locality has entered its peak tourism season, tobacco smugglers are often spotted carrying their illicit goods and driving their motorcycles with no license plates at high speed on several streets. They typically speed off in small groups every 10 minutes. The 389 National Steering Committee, tasked with combating smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeiting, disclosed the opposite periphery is currently home to 26 warehouses storing contraband tobacco which … [Read more...]

She has climbed Mount Everest five times. An Indian climber Sunday reached the summit of Mount Everest for the second time in less than a week, her expedition team said, setting a women's record for a double ascent of the world's highest mountain in a single season. Anshu Jamsenpa, 37, returned from the 8,848-metre (29,028-feet) peak on May 16, before turning around after a short rest to repeat the feat. "Anshu reached the summit of Everest at 8:00 am (0215 GMT) today for the second time this season, setting a new record," said Dawa Lama of Dream Himalaya Adventures. Jamsenpa, a mother of two, was blessed by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama before leaving for the expedition. The current female record, certified by Guinness World Records, is held by Nepali climber Chhurim Sherpa, who in 2012 become the first woman to scale the peak twice in a season. Jamsenpa has climbed Mount Everest five times. She intended to make the summit in 2014 but the climbing season was … [Read more...]

Sidewalks in Ho Chi Minh City are once again in disorder as the initiator of the sidewalk clearance movement says he is not allowed to continue leading the campaign. Sidewalks in Ho Chi Minh City are once again in disorder as the initiator of the sidewalk clearance movement says he is not allowed to continue leading the campaign. Locals complain vendors and business owners have re-occupied the sidewalks after seeing inaction from city authorities over the past few weeks. "At first, there were drastic measures taken by authorities [to clear the sidewalks], but after a month or so they stopped enforcing the rules," said Nguyen Thi Nhiem, a business owner on Bach Dang Street in Binh Thanh District. "Some locals jumped at the chance to resume their occupancy of the sidewalks. The situation now is hardly any different than it was before the campaign, except for the newly-painted lines," she added, referring to the boundaries marking the areas where things can be placed or vehicles can … [Read more...]

The Hanoitimes - The 23rd Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT 23) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum officially opened at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi on May 20 in the presence of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. As one of the most prominent ministerial meetings in APEC’s framework, MRT 23 also saw the participation of ministers responsible for trade and senior officials from 21 APEC member economies as well as Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Roberto Azevedo.In his opening remarks, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc said since its inception in 1989, APEC has always been an important economic driver and growth engine of the Asia-Pacific region and the world. APEC has a combined population of more than 2.8 billion people, approximately 40 percent of the world population. After nearly three decades, APEC member economies have strongly expanded, accounting for approximated 60 percent of the world GDP and 49 percent of the … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News With unspoiled beaches, ancient fishing villages, hundreds of serene islands covered with dense greenery and a national park with a diverse range of wild species, the Cát Bà Archipelago is truly a hidden gem for those in love with natural beauty. Hồng Vân reports. Kayaking through the crystal waters of Lan Hạ, a small bay lying to the northeast of Cát Bà Archipelago, 30 kilometres from the port city of Hải Phòng, one has the opportunity to glimpse the white-headed langur, a species endemic to the archipelago and now found nowhere else on earth. The Cát Bà langur, as it is commonly called, often sleeps in the caves and seeks food around the mountains - leaves, fresh shoots, flowers, tree barks and some fruits that are not palatable to humans. Visitors, therefore, can have a chance to see them as they travel among the islands. There are currently just 60 langur individuals left, and the animals are known to only live on the islands of Cát Bà, according to the Cát Bà … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Trade ministers from the 21 Pacific Rim countries gathered during a major trade meeting on Saturday in Hà Nội to discuss future plans for regional trade co-operation amid growing fears of protectionism, as well as changes in politics, economies and technology. As one of APEC's most prominent ministerial gatherings, the 23rd Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT23) kicked off in the presence of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc. In his opening remarks, PM Phúc highlighted APEC's three decades of growth and endorsed its important role as the economic driver and growth engine of the Asia-Pacific region and the world. With a combined population of over 2.8 billion people, about 40 per cent of the world population, APEC member economies have significantly expanded and account for roughly 60 per cent of the world GDP and 49 per cent of global trade. Of note, the average regional tariff has been reduced from 17 per cent since its inception in … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News For the last 10 years Cao Chí Thịnh has worked to liven up the area around his home. The murals he has created are an attempt to teach valuable lessons, and have a bit of fun. Bạch Liên reports. If you live in Hà Nội, you may already be familiar with the city's dirty public walls, which are often covered with graffiti and scraps of advertisements, tainting the face of the capital. There is, however, a unique alley in Hà Nội where you can admire walls decorated with colourful scenes and pleasant murals. Even more interesting is that these paintings were created by an old citizen over the last ten years, with a modest pension and a lot of passion. The unique location is Ao Dài Alley, just off Điện Cơ Street (in Bắc Từ Liêm District), and the 94-year-old amateur artist is named Cao Chí Thịnh. Over the last 10 years, despite the difficulties of old age, he has worked tirelessly to brighten up the alley with his murals. Thịnh's neighbours say that he suffers from heart … [Read more...]