TalkVietnam

Germany’s Angela Merkel turns to the complex task of sounding out partners in a potentially fragile coalition after securing a fourth term as chancellor in Sunday’s election even though her conservatives bled support to the far-right. Christian Democratic Union CDU party leader and German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacts on first exit polls in the German general election (Bundestagswahl) in Berlin, Germany, September 24, 2017.  Damaged by her handling of the 2015 migrant crisis, Merkel’s conservative bloc won 32.9 percent of the vote, down 8.6 points from the 2013 election and hitting its lowest level since 1949. However, hers was still the biggest parliamentary bloc and Europe’s most powerful leader stressed that as the strongest party, her conservatives have the mandate to form the next government. “There cannot be … [Read more...]

Models for Italian luxury group Salvatore Ferragamo strolled through a garden of daisies in the heart of Milan on Saturday evening to wrap up the city’s fourth day of fashion week. Models parade in front of Milan's stock exchange at the end of the Salvatore Ferragamo Spring/Summer 2018 show at the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, September 23, 2017.  Fulvio Rigoni, director for Ferragamo’s women’s ready to wear, showcased his spring summer 2018 collection on a lawn under the stars, set up for the occasion in front of Palazzo Mezzanotte, the stock exchange in Italy’s fashion capital. “No two women are the same and I wanted to celebrate women’s individuality and style, vivid colours..,” Rigoni said. For this reason the collection included pieces with assorted textures, prints, shapes and … [Read more...]

Merkel, who after 12 years in power held a double-digit lead for most of the campaign, scored around 33 per cent of the vote with her conservative Christian Union (CDU/CSU) bloc, according to preliminary results. It was their worst score since 1949. Its nearest rivals, the Social Democrats and their candidate Martin Schulz, came in a distant second, with a post-war record low of 21 per cent. But in a bombshell for the German establishment, the anti-Islam, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) captured around 13 per cent, catapulting it to become the country’s third biggest political force. Commentators called the AfD’s strong performance a "watershed moment" in the history of the German republic. The top-selling Bild daily spoke of a "political earthquake". AfD supporters gathered at a Berlin club, cheering as public television reported the outcome, many joining in a chorus of the German national anthem. Hundreds of protesters … [Read more...]

Shares were mixed on Monday morning with low market liquidity while large-cap stocks continued performing negatively. — Photo ndh.vn Shares were mixed on Monday morning with low market liquidity while large-cap stocks continued performing negatively. The benchmark VN Index on the HCM Stock Exchange inched down 0.22 per cent to close at 805.35 points. It moved up 0.4 per cent on Friday. The HNX Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, however, extended gains following a three-day increase of 1.7 per cent, gaining 0.22 per cent to end Monday morning at 106.75 points. More than 122.2 million shares were traded on both local bourses, worth VND2.08 trillion (US$92.5 million). Large-cap stocks traded in negative territory as investors shifted attention to speculative stocks. On the VN30 Index, which tracks the performance of the 30 largest companies by market capitalisation and trading liquidity, 18 … [Read more...]

Vietnam is seeking clarification following reports that two of its fishermen died following an altercation with the Philippine Navy on Friday night. Five other fishermen were reportedly arrested for intruding into Filipino waters during the incident. Vietnam's foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday that it has ordered the embassy in Manila to contact local authorities for further update and take necessary measures to protect the remaining fishermen. It said the ministry received news of the shooting on Saturday. The Filipino government said a fishing boat from Phu Yen Province in central Vietnam had been fishing off the town of Bolinao on the Philippines’ west coast on Friday night when it rammed into a Filipino naval vessel during a chase, prompting its officers to fire warning shots. Filipino Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano informed his Vietnamese counterpart, Pham Binh Minh, of the encounter during a meeting at the United Nations in New York on Sunday, assuring … [Read more...]

U.S. taxi firm Uber is prepared to make concessions as it seeks to reverse a decision by London authorities not to renew its license in the city, which represents a potentially big blow for the fast-growing company, a newspaper reported. A photo illustration shows the Uber app on a mobile telephone, as it is held up for a posed photograph in central London, Britain September 22, 2017.  The Sunday Times also quoted sources close to London’s transport body as saying the move was encouraging and suggested the possibility of talks. “While we haven’t been asked to make any changes, we’d like to know what we can do,” Tom Elvidge, Uber’s general manager in London, told the newspaper. “But that requires a dialogue we sadly haven’t been able to have recently.” A spokesman for Transport for London (TfL) … [Read more...]

Online retailer Lazada Group said it will sell select items from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd’s Taobao marketplace in three more countries in Southeast Asia, expanding the partnership between the two e-commerce firms. Taobao Collection will be offered in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand in the next few weeks through Lazada’s platform, it said in a statement on Monday. Lazada began selling Taobao products in Singapore and Malaysia earlier this year. In June, Alibaba invested an additional $1 billion in Lazada to boost its stake to 83 percent. “This is a true testament to the way the Lazada and Alibaba teams have come together to build the business in a fast and efficient way combining consumer insights, technology know-how and local expertise,” said Aimone Ripa di Meana, Lazada’s chief marketplace officer. The products are curated to appeal to local tastes in the different countries and will be offered in the respective local languages on the … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – Public hospitals in HCM City will be allowed to employ doctors and other health staff members without the city’s household registration book starting in November, helping them solve a shortage of medical staff, according to the city Department of Health. Doctors of Trung Vuong Hospital in HCM City’s District 10 perform an endovascular intervention on a patient. — VNS Photo The current regulation which allows state offices, departments and public establishments including hospitals to employ only staff with an HCM City’s household registration book, had caused difficulties for them in hiring. The Department of Health said that public hospitals, such as Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Cu Chi and Can Gio District hospitals, have not been able to hire doctors and other … [Read more...]

Vietnamese dragon fruit went up for sale at Australian grocery stores from September 24 after nine years of negotiations, following lychees and mangoes. (Photo: VNA) Sydney (VNA) – Vietnamese dragon fruit went up for sale at Australian grocery stores from September 24 after nine years of negotiations, following lychees and mangoes. The first batch of Vietnamese dragon fruit was exported to Australia by Hoang Phat one-member Ltd Co in the southern province of Long An. According to Nguyen Thi Hoang Thuy, head of the Vietnamese trade office in Australia, this is a good opportunity for Vietnamese businesses as quality dragon fruit will be sold at high prices. Australian consumers currently purchase off-season dragon fruit at 30 AUD per kilogrammes (23.89 USD). Export enterprises need to pay attention to food safety and hygiene and quarantines to earn a foothold in … [Read more...]

Le Quang Liem has grabbed the eighth gold medal for Vietnam at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in Turkmenistan on September 24. Chess master Le Quang Liem in an interview after his winning. The national No 1 drew the last and seventh match against Adani Pouya of Iran in  the men’s individual standard category to take the title. Liem, No 26 in the world, won 5.5 points from four wins and three draws. Having the same points but smaller parameter, China’s Lu Shanglei came second,  while Krishnan Sasikiran of India was third. “Pouya played well in this tournament. I knew that to win the gold medal I must defeat or at least tie him in that match. I played carefully and took a little advantage in the middle of the match but could not win it. However, I think I had a good performance here and am satisfied with the result,” said Liem. Vietnamese female masters failed to … [Read more...]