Wang Zhishen was thrilled when Danish shipper A.P. Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO) gave him two months’ paid leave, relishing the chance to spend time with his wife and daughters in China’s remote northwestern Gansu province. But his euphoria over what he thought was an unexpected bonus quickly turned to despair when Maersk fired Wang on January 3, less than a month after he packed his bags in the southern Chinese manufacturing center of Dongguan. Wang said he was one of 2,000 workers laid off at the company’s Dongguan transport container factory which has been idle since early December, as the impact of a trade war between Washington and Beijing ripples through industries from logistics to autos and technology. "I was sure it was a holiday," said Wang, 35, who said he worked as a painter at Maersk for nearly six years until he was sacked two weeks ago via China’s WeChat messaging service. Maersk, the world’s biggest container shipper, confirmed in an email to … [Read more...] about Job jitters mount as China’s factories sputter ahead of Lunar New Year
Leaving message for boss
Queen Elizabeth II warns of “tribalism” in Christmas address
The tone of the 92-year-old monarch's annual TV appearances reflected a sombre mood sweeping Britain as it ponders the perils of leaving the European Union in March after 46 years. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II poses for a photograph after she recorded her annual Christmas Day message, in the White Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace in central London. (John Stillwell/POOL/AFP) LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II warned of religious "tribalism" in a Christmas message on Tuesday (Dec 25) delivered against a backdrop of Britain bickering over its impending exit from the EU. The tone of the 92-year-old monarch's annual TV appearances reflected a sombre mood sweeping the island nation as it ponders the perils of leaving the European Union in March after 46 years. British royalty traditionally steer well clear of politics - a unifying position that puts them above the daily fray of Westminster and Downing Street. But the queen came close to breaking that mould on several occasions during a … [Read more...] about Queen Elizabeth II warns of “tribalism” in Christmas address
Juggling billion-dollar career and home: how this Vietnamese woman copes
Trang Nguyen. Photo courtesy of Trang Nguyen Trang Nguyen and her colleagues at SMBC Nikko Capital Markets Limited, a Japanese investment bank, have sealed five deals worth over $16.45 billion so far this year. The largest was a $10-billion deal with AB Inbev of Belgium, the world’s biggest beer company. Trang is a director at Nikko, and her role is to advise clients on bond issuance. Last year she closed two deals for the firm worth over $2.6 billion with TenneT, a Dutch power company, and Airbus. Trang tells VnExpress with a laugh: "It seems I am destined to be in the financial industry. I used to run away because there was way too much pressure." In 2000 Trang left her hometown Hanoi to study in Connecticut College in the U.S. After graduation she spent five months as an intern in Singapore and then joined Barclays bank in London because it offered "a higher salary than in the United States." For the next three years she was constantly in a state of stress, mentally and … [Read more...] about Juggling billion-dollar career and home: how this Vietnamese woman copes
Stuck in paradise
Viet Nam News By Nguyễn Hữu Tài Quân walked in, drew shut all window curtains, threw off his clothes, then strolled around the apartment. It was early and the kids were still at school. He had at least several hours to relax before the apartment was crowded and he would have to flee. The three-room apartment was too cramped. Sometimes he visited his friends and found them residing in huge houses that cost several hundred thousand to one million dollars, had nearly 10 bedrooms, five restrooms and orchards laden with fruits which made him so envious. If only he had such a house. In the morning he would sip a cup of coffee. In the afternoon he would go home from work and cut the grass and fertilise the trees. At night he would set up a hammock to lie in and look at the stars. He wouldn’t have to fret and pound on the restroom door to hurry whoever was inside. Yet real estate prices in California were skyrocketing. He heard the Chinese were flocking here … [Read more...] about Stuck in paradise
Bournemouth leave it late as Stanislas sinks Palace
Viet Nam News BOURNEMOUTH, United Kingdom — Bournemouth snatched a dramatic 2-1 win over Crystal Palace as Junior Stanislas’s last-gasp penalty sealed the points at Dean Court on Monday. Eddie Howe’s side took an early lead through David Brooks before Patrick Van Aanholt bagged a controversial second-half equaliser for Palace. Van Aanholt looked well offside when he fired home, but Bournemouth hit back to maintain their impressive start to the season. With three minutes left, substitute Stanislas coolly converted a penalty awarded after Mamadou Sakho elbowed Jefferson Lerma. Bournemouth’s fourth win of the season lifted them to seventh place in the Premier League. "It’s a massive win for us. Palace have got some very good players. It was all hands to the pump to keep them out," Howe said. It was the Cherries’ first home league win against Palace since November 1988. "The penalty we gave away at the end was very disappointing," frustrated … [Read more...] about Bournemouth leave it late as Stanislas sinks Palace
Handling of US trade dispute causes rift in Chinese leadership: sources
Some critics are saying that an overly nationalistic Chinese stance may have hardened the U.S. position, according to four sources close to the government. President Xi Jinping still has a firm grip on power, but an unusual surge of criticism about economic policy and how the government has handled the trade war has revealed rare cracks in the ruling Communist Party. A backlash is being felt at the highest levels of the government, possibly hitting a close aide to Xi, his ideology chief and strategist Wang Huning, according to two sources familiar with discussions in leadership circles. A prominent and influential academic whose views have found favor in some party quarters has also come under attack for his strident views on Chinese power. Wang, who was the architect of the “China Dream”, Xi’s vision for China to become a strong and prosperous nation, has been taken to task by the Chinese leader for crafting an excessively nationalistic image for the country, which … [Read more...] about Handling of US trade dispute causes rift in Chinese leadership: sources
Ancelotti replaces Sarri with promise to end Napoli’s 28-year title wait
Viet Nam News Footballl MILAN — Carlo Ancelotti promised to end Napoli’s 28-year wait for a Serie A title after it was confirmed on Wednesday he would take over from Maurizio Sarri as coach of the Italian club on a three-year deal. Ancelotti, sacked by Bayern Munich last September, steps in after Sarri was pushed out of the San Paolo Stadium after finishing second in Serie A behind Juventus. Napoli have not won Serie A since the days of Argentina legend Diego Maradona who led them to to their only two titles in 1987 and 1990. "I’m very happy to return to my country and to one of the greatest teams in Italy," Ancelotti said in a statement on his personal website. "(The) aim is to conquer the Scudetto after 28 years. We are thrilled by this challenge and ready to open a new chapter in football." It will be Ancelotti’s first job in Italian football since leaving AC Milan in 2009 after leading the club to a Scudetto and two Champions League titles. His son … [Read more...] about Ancelotti replaces Sarri with promise to end Napoli’s 28-year title wait
Angry Myanmar activists grab Zuckerberg’s attention on hate speech
Zuckerberg recently replied to activists in Myanmar who have spent years pushing Facebook to do more to clamp down on hate speech. (Photo: AFP/SAUL LOEB) In a week that saw the Facebook CEO field questions in Washington over privacy breaches and election interference, angry online warriors have thrust Myanmar and its volatile social situation into the forefront of the debate on how to fix the platform. They say Facebook is used as a tool to spread incendiary posts, bringing bloodshed to the largely Buddhist country that has expelled some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to Bangladesh since late last year. "It's not just problematic. It's dangerous and they need to take more responsibility," said Htaike Htaike Aung, executive director of MIDO, which promotes digital rights. While battling power outages from their front-room office in a Yangon suburb, they penned a letter along with five other Myanmar groups to Zuckerberg questioning his recent assertions about combatting hate speech in the … [Read more...] about Angry Myanmar activists grab Zuckerberg’s attention on hate speech
Social News 4/4 (Hourly Updated)
New hospital building delayed due to slow compensation for residents A design of the new facility for HCM City Hospital for Traumatology and Orthopaedics. Source http://www.medinet.hochiminhcity.gov.vn Slow compensation for residents affected by the construction project has delayed construction on a new facility for HCM City Hospital for Traumatology and Orthopaedics for six years. The project to build the new facility was approved by the Prime Minister in 2010. In 2011, investors designed to build a 5,000-square metre facility, which was later expanded to more than 7,000 square metres. HCM City People’s Committee has instructed the authorities of Bình Chánh District, where the new facility will be located, and investors to speed up the construction many times, but the project still has not yet been started. In 2016, for instance, the committee required that the project begin in December of that year and would be expected to be completed this year. According to the … [Read more...] about Social News 4/4 (Hourly Updated)
Trump’s pick for new CIA chief dogged by secret prisons
Gina Haspel, the veteran CIA undercover officer President Donald Trump picked on Tuesday to head the agency, is supported by many in the U.S. intelligence community but has faced criticism for overseeing a secret CIA prison in Thailand where detainees were tortured. Intelligence officers who served with her, and congressional officials said that in 2002, during Republican President George W. Bush's administration, she was responsible for the secret prison code-named "Cat's Eye." Two suspected members of the al Qaeda militant group were subjected to waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques at the facility. Three years later, still during Bush's presidency, she carried out an order to destroy videotapes of the waterboarding, which simulates drowning and is considered a form of torture, according to those people. Haspel is generally held in high regard at the CIA, working as deputy director under Mike Pompeo, whom Trump nominated to be the next secretary of state on … [Read more...] about Trump’s pick for new CIA chief dogged by secret prisons