Chucky joke at bus stop

US President Joe Biden(C) leaves Holy Trinity Catholic Church in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington,DC on January 24, 2021. Joe Biden has begun his presidency with sharp breaks from Donald Trump in both substance and tone, from climate change to immigration to a general openness to working with the rest of the world.(Nicholas Kamm / AFP) Biden will also on Monday extend the ban to travelers who have recently been to South Africa amid warnings that new, more transmissible coronavirus variants are already establishing themselves in the United States, the official said, confirming US media reports. The new president last week tightened mask wearing rules and ordered quarantine for people flying into the United States, as he seeks to tackle the country's worsening coronavirus crisis. Biden has said that the Covid-19 death toll would likely rise from 420,000 to half a million next month -- and that drastic action was needed. "We're in a national emergency. It's time we … [Read more...] about Biden to reinstate Covid travel bans: White House official

Vietnam needs over US$128 billion for power investment next 10 years A drone is used to inspect a power transmission system in Vietnam. The country will need an estimated US$128.3 billion for developing the power system in the next decade The Institute of Energy, under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, on February 22 continued to collect feedback over the plan from the relevant agencies. According to the plan, during the 10-year period, Vietnam will need to pour some US$12.8 billion on average into the power sector per year. The total investment for the following 15 years from 2031 to 2045 will be some US$192 billion, including some US$140 billion for power sources and US$52 billion for the grid. The draft zoning plan also revealed that Vietnam will continue to import electricity from China, Laos and Cambodia in the next 10 years. The State-run Vietnam Electricity Group is purchasing electricity from China through two 220kV power lines, with 1.5 billion kWh of … [Read more...] about VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS FEB. 26

Warnings of fierce winds and storm surges for western Europe, as of 1400 GMT on Feb 9 AFP Swathes of northern France were placed on orange alert with people advised to avoid the coast due to possible storm surges. Britain, which bore the brunt of the storm Sunday with widespread flooding across the north of the country, remained on alert with the Meteorological Office warning of strong winds, heavy rain and snow. "While Storm Ciara is clearing away, that doesn't mean we're entering a quieter period of weather," Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said. "It's going to stay very unsettled," he said, warning "blizzards aren't out of the question". Transport was disrupted across the country with planes, trains and ferries cancelled or delayed after Ciara brought torrential rains and hurricane-force winds. The highest wind speed recorded was 150km per hour in the northwest Welsh village of Aberdaron. At Wet Sleddale Reservoir in northwest England's Lake District national … [Read more...] about Transport disrupted across Europe as Storm Ciara sweeps in

Pham Nguyen Quy Do you agree to a 30-50 percent cut in your income? Will you refrain from going out to meet friends and family for extended periods of time, maybe forever? These were much-debated questions in Japan where I live, as the country faced arguably the most impactful event of the decade in the form of a pandemic. Last year when the disease hit the country, authorities asked citizens to "refrain from going outside unless it was necessary or urgent." But it was difficult to pin down a definition of "necessary" or "urgent." For the first few months, people heeded the request. Not surprising, considering the nature of news coming in, of deaths in the thousands, and suffering in the millions. Over time, that sense of danger diminished, albeit slowly. People began to pay more attention to the costs of social distancing. For many, their jobs were their literal lifelines, keeping them and their family afloat. A pandemic disruption could lead them to ruin. And reports … [Read more...] about The Covid-19 challenge: reclaiming normalcy from the new normal

Israel is said to be the number one nation in the world in deploying Covid-19 vaccines, followed by the UAE. Israel has administered at least one dose of the U.S.’s Pfizer vaccine to more than 46 percent of its nine million population, and the risk of illness from Covid-19 has dropped 95.8 percent among people who received both shots, Reuters reported. On February 21, Israel reopened large swathes of its economy with the government saying the start of a return to routine has been enabled by Covid-19 vaccines administered to almost half the population. "I had two doses of vaccine at the end of January and mid February and it felt good," said Doan Thi Nga, a Vietnamese living in Jerusalem. She said she suffered some tiredness and pain in the arm after receiving the shot, but these reactions disappeared the next day. She can return to normal life and has got the "green pass" from the authorities, meaning she can go to public spaces such as markets and restaurants; and travel to … [Read more...] about Middle-east Vietnamese diaspora: vaccination a relief, but it’s not over