Missing one required positional argument

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tested positive for COVID-19 with moderate symptoms, her office said in a statement on Saturday. She will not be in Parliament for the government's Emissions Reduction Plan on Monday and the coming Budget on Thursday. "Travel arrangements for her trade mission to the United States are unaffected at this stage," the statement added. Ardern had been symptomatic since Friday evening, returning a weak positive at night and a clear positive on Saturday morning on a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), the statement said. At this stage her symptoms are moderate and she has been in isolation since May 8 when her partner Clarke Gayford tested positive, it said. Due to the positive RAT, Ardern will be required to isolate until the morning of May 21, and undertake what duties she can remotely this week. Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson will address media in her place on Monday. "This is a milestone week for the Government and I'm gutted I can't … [Read more...] about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tests positive for COVID

American Justin Douglas told VnExpress International he was glad to hear the test requirement went on May 15. "At this point I think Covid is endemic and that testing serves no significant purpose anymore besides presenting a bureaucratic hassle for traveling. "In addition to the high costs, there was the added stress of finding out where you can get a suitable test, and getting it at the right time." "Vietnam is my favorite country and I have been waiting to go back." Yves Badaroux also of the U.S. said he backed the government's decision as many countries across the world have already done so. "Removing the test conveys a message that the country really wants tourists to come back. "We plan to visit Vietnam in October and November. We miss Vietnam. We have been there five times already and cannot wait to come back." Singaporean Ben Teh said: "This is great news. We don't have to bother to get a PCR or antigen rapid test done because it's really costly and makes no … [Read more...] about Foreigners happy as Vietnam lifts Covid testing requirement

Container scarcity, input material price rises, and travel restrictions are just some of the factors damaging supply chains, Photo: Le Toan Demonstrating the wide reach that geopolitical tensions and the drag from global supply chain disruptions are causing worldwide, lowered prospects for mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in Asia-Pacific are being projected for the rest of the year, after the number of such deals fell in the first several months of 2022. A total of 123 finance sector M&A deals were reported in the January-to-March quarter, compared with 165 in the same period of last year, S&P Global Market Intelligence data shows. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine, supply chain bottlenecks, and inflation concerns slowed down deal-making in the first quarter. “We expect to see deals start and stop as companies try to time when best to take the plunge,” said Sophie Mathur, partner and Asia head of corporate at law firm Linklaters. Despite the emerging opportunities, … [Read more...] about Reset required for supply chain woes

Wasted resources About 3.9 million tonnes of PET, LDPE, HDPE and PP plastic are used in Vietnam each year. Of these, only 1.28 million tonnes (33 percent) are collected for recycling (CFR). Thus, Vietnam discards up to 2.62 million tonnes of plastic every year, leading to a loss of 75 percent of the material value of plastic, equivalent to US$2.2 – 2.9 billion per year. The IFC-WB report on “Plastics Circularity Opportunities and Barriers” estimated that if all the plastics used in Vietnam were collected and recycled, the total annual value of the recycled products and materials would be equivalent to US$3.4 billion. Carolyn Turk, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam said the rapid urbanization and the expanding middle class have significantly increased the consumption of plastic products and packaging, turning emerging markets in the region, including Vietnam into hot spots of plastic pollution. As investment in waste management infrastructure has not kept pace with … [Read more...] about The Garbage economy, what Vietnam is missing

Most members of the Committee for Culture and Education disagreed with making History an optional subject at the high school level for many reasons. First, History is a particularly important subject, playing a key role in political and ideological education for the young generation; educating patriotism, national self-esteem, cultural and historical traditions; fostering the thinking capacity and proper actions and behaviors in social life; thereby forming the qualities of Vietnamese citizens in the development trend of the times. Secondly, in terms of age, high school students, from the age of 15 to 17, mature in awareness and have better receptive ability about the national history. This is also the age that determines the formation of worldview, the system of views about nature, society, principles and behavior rules, and human value orientation. Third, History is always a compulsory subject in the high school curriculum in many countries worldwide, such as the US, France, … [Read more...] about History proposed to be compulsory subject in high schools

A view of HCM City. Many banks have temporarily ceased lending to the property sector. — Photo vneconomy.vn Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam, Dao Minh Tu, announced at the Government’s March press conference that credit growth in the first quarter of the year had been 5.04 per cent, much higher than the 2.16 per cent rise in the same period last year. He described it as a “quite positive result” that showed the economy had made a significant recovery with people’s lives and businesses returning to normal thanks to the Government’s effective measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report by the SBV’s HCM City office, credit growth in the country’s main economic hub was estimated at 3.65 per cent in the first quarter. The positive performance has encouraged many banks to set high goals for the full year. At its annual general meeting on March 16, VIB approved a growth target of 30 per cent, much higher than the cap of 14 per cent set by the central … [Read more...] about Not lending to property sector will have mixed effects: analysts

Prime Ministe Pham Minh Chinh addresses the Centre for Strategic and International Studies ( CSIS ) in Washington D.C. (Photo: VNA) Washington D.C. (VNA) – Prime Ministe Pham Minh Chinh has delivered a speech at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C. during his ongoing working trip to US. The following is the full text of the speech. “SINCERITY, TRUST AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR A BETTER WORLD” Dear Dr. John Hamre, President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Ladies and gentlemen, I am very happy to visit the Center for Strategic and International Studies for the first time today, though this is far from the first time I hear of the CSIS, a top American think tank in the field of foreign strategies and policies and international issues. Seventy-seven years ago, President Ho Chi Minh, the national hero of Vietnam and great man of culture, prefaced the Declaration of Independence establishing the … [Read more...] about Remarks by PM Pham Minh Chinh at CSIS in Washington D.C

The following is the full text of the speech. “SINCERITY, TRUST AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR A BETTER WORLD” Dear Dr. John Hamre, President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Ladies and gentlemen, I am very happy to visit the Center for Strategic and International Studies for the first time today, though this is far from the first time I hear of the CSIS, a top American think tank in the field of foreign strategies and policies and international issues. Seventy-seven years ago, President Ho Chi Minh, the national hero of Vietnam and great man of culture, prefaced the Declaration of Independence establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam with this untarnishable fact, “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.” This was the spirit enshrined within the 1776 Declaration of Independence of the United States of America; it … [Read more...] about Remarks by PM Pham Minh Chinh at CSIS in Washington D.C.

Truong Hung Long, director of the Department of Debt Management and External Finance under the Ministry of Finance. Improving the national credit rating is implemented with a long-term vision to reduce the cost of capital mobilisation, enhance the country's reputation, and meet the needs of socio-economic development in the future. Truong Hung Long, director of the Department of Debt Management and External Finance under the Ministry of Finance, spoke with Vietnam News Agency about the issues. The Prime Minister has just approved a project to improve the national credit rating by 2030. The Department of Debt Management and External Finance is assigned to develop and implement the project. What will the department do to fulfil this task? The Government issued Decision 304/QD-TTg on February 6, 2013 to approve a project on improving the national credit rating. That created favourable conditions for the Government in accessing the international capital market. It is also a way … [Read more...] about Viet Nam promotes solutions to improve national credit rating

Three parties signed a strategic cooperation agreement On May 13, C.P. Vietnam announced at its head office in Bien Hoa that it has kick-started its digital transformation journey with SAP SuccessFactors solutions. The move will help the company enhance its HR capabilities and leverage real-time analytics for better business decisions and capabilities. C.P. Vietnam expects not only to reduce costs and drive greater operational efficiency but also to deliver an enhanced employee experience consistent with its mobile-first, cloud-first philosophy that attracts and retains talent, fosters employee engagement, and drives improved business outcomes. The company is a foreign direct investment enterprise that operates in the closed agro and food industry. Established in 1993, it has steadily grown to become Vietnam’s leading food conglomerate, covering both livestock and aquaculture businesses. The company’s food products not only meet the needs of the domestic market but are also … [Read more...] about C.P. Vietnam’s digital transformation with
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