Qatar pledges support for somalia amid uae tensions

FIFA on Thursday officially brought forward the opening match of this year's World Cup by one day to November 20 in a rare change so that hosts Qatar feature in the gala game. A general view shows the Al Bayt stadium, built for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup. Credit: Reuters Photo Football's top officials universally approved the decision, FIFA said in a statement while Qatar said it would give unspecified help to fans affected by the change. On the old schedule, Qatar against Ecuador was to be the official inauguration match on November 21 but Senegal against Netherlands would be the first match of the day. England against Iran would have been second. Qatar had also been frustrated as it has invested in a huge opening ceremony show. "Host country Qatar will now play Ecuador on Sunday 20 November as part of a stand-alone event," said FIFA. "The opening match and ceremony of this year's tournament at Al Bayt Stadium have been brought forward one … [Read more...] about FIFA officially advances World Cup by a day for Qatar

Illustrative image (Photo: AFP) Hanoi (VNA) – Spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang has stated that Vietnam is closely keeping a close watch on the situation in the Taiwan Strait. At the ministry’s regular press conference in Hanoi on August 11, Hang affirmed Vietnam’s consistent stance on the Taiwanese issue, which, she said, has been clearly reflected in common documents reached during high-level visits by Vietnamese and Chinese leaders. She confirmed Vietnam’s viewpoint that peace, stability and cooperation in the Strait hold significance to the region and the world amid regional and international complicated developments. On the basis of persistently following the 'One China' principle, Vietnam wants parties concerned to exercise self-restraint, prevent increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait , making positive contributions to maintaining peace and stability, and promoting cooperation and development in the region and the … [Read more...] about Vietnam closely monitors situation in Taiwan Strait: Spokeswoman

Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the HCMC People's Committee (right) hands over a souvenir to Tan See Leng, Singapore’s Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry. (Photo: VNA) Chairman of the HCMC People's Committee Phan Van Mai hosted a reception for Tan See Leng, Singapore’s Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry on August 11. He affirmed that the cooperation between HCMC and Singapore not only brings benefits to the city but also is an important factor contributing to the common development of Vietnam-Singapore relations. At the event (Photo: VNA) Along with potential fields such as smart city building, urban management and green economy, the city expects to strengthen collaboration and share experience in startup development, helping the city become an innovative start-up center of the country and the region, the official said. He hoped that Singapore will share experience to improve the dialogue mechanism between the … [Read more...] about HCMC, Singapore enhance cooperation on human resources development

A conference to review first-half operations and set out second-half tasks Significant contributions Despite numerous difficulties and challenges, the industry and trade sector yielded positive results in the first half of the year, making significant contributions to the country’s socioeconomic development, Minister Dien said. Nguyen Thuy Hien, deputy director of the Planning Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, highlighted bright spots related to the industry and trade sector’s growth goals in the first half of the year. Accordingly, the added value of the industrial sector increased by 8.48 percent compared to a year ago. Total export-import turnover reached an estimated US$371.3 billion, with exports increasing by 17.3 percent to more than US$186 billion. In particular, the export growth rate of the domestic sector (19.5 percent) overtook that of the FDI sector (16.6 percent), reflecting intensified efforts of domestic businesses to restore trade, … [Read more...] about Production back to pre-pandemic level

An overview of the meeting (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The impressive economic growth in the first seven months of this year reflects the efficiency of the policies that have been applied recently, stated Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung at the meeting between the Prime Minister and businesses that opened in Hanoi on August 11. The minister said that international organisations have shown optimism about the Vietnamese economy, rating the country’s long-term credit as "stable" and "positive". Many economists held that the Vietnamese economic resilience is relatively good currently, he added. The official cited a recent survey as showing that in the second quarter of this year, 70-80% of total businesses highly valued the effectiveness of the Government’s support to businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic , especially those in taxation. As of the end of July, the country had 871,000 companies, up nearly 13% over 2019. In July alone, more than 130,000 … [Read more...] about Government’s economic stimulation policies prove effective: Minister