Author: Darrell Anderson

Thailand’s troubled Chinese submarine deal seems to be edging away from the brink of collapse, with the Thai government signaling that it is willing to accept a Chinese-made substitute for the German engine specified in the original contract. Adm. Choengchai Chomchoengpaet, the commander of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), said Tuesday that the Thai government will accept the alternative propulsion system, provided that it is safe and that China compensates Thailand for the delay in the delivery of the boat. “We have three conditions to consider – the engine must be safe. Second, the Chinese navy must guarantee this engine…

A Dutch man suspected of fathering more than 550 children worldwide through sperm donations has been ordered to stop. The man named Jonathan, aged 41, could be fined more than €100,000 (£88,000) if he tries to donate again. He was banned from donating to fertility clinics in the Netherlands in 2017 after it emerged he had fathered more than 100 children. But instead of stopping he carried on donating sperm abroad and online. A court in The Hague has told him to provide a list of all the clinics he had used and to order them to destroy his sperm.…

Airline promotional programs are critical in stimulating tourism demand because of the pandemic’s impact on travel spending. Vietnamese airlines, in cooperation with domestic tour operators, should develop specific products and promotional activities on flights and at destinations to boost both industries. Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Doan Van Viet made the request at the conference “Aviation-Tourism Cooperation: Solutions to attract international tourists” held on April 25 in the seaside city of Nha Trang, the southern province of Khanh Hoa. The Deputy Minister’s proposal came from the forecast that in 2023 and the coming year, the tourism industry will face challenges…

While Russia has suffered thousands of losses in its war against Ukraine, a senior US military commander in Europe told lawmakers Wednesday that they have plenty more firepower left in their arsenal. “[T]he Russian ground force has been degenerated somewhat by this conflict, although it is bigger today than it was at the beginning of the conflict,” Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the commander of US European Command, told the House Armed Services Committee. “The Air Force has lost very little, they’ve lost 80 planes. They have another 1,000 fighters and fighter bombers,” he said. “The Navy has lost one ship.” Classified military…

China’s military has dispatched a pair of navy ships to take part in joint drills with Singapore’s navy and join in a regional maritime security exhibition. The exercises starting Friday (April 28) in the South-East Asian city state come amid China’s growing presence in the South China Sea, which it claims sovereignty over virtually in its entirety. Concerns are especially pronounced in the US, which on Wednesday joined with forces from the Philippines in major exercises in Philippine waters facing the South China Sea that are likely to anger China. Beijing’s more assertive stance comes as its relations with the…

Vietnam is promoting sustainable agricultural trade and production to reduce deforestation and land degradation, local media reported on Thursday. As Vietnam’s economic growth heavily depends on the production and export of agroforestry products, the consumer-driven trend toward eco-friendly products in the world has forced the Southeast Asian country to either get ready for the shift or risk losing its market share, said experts at the fourth Global Conference of the Planet Network’s Sustainable Food Systems Program held in Hanoi. Vietnam is advised not to expand land area for agriculture development, instead, the country should focus on improving the quality and…

The Town of North Haven honored local veterans who served during the Vietnam era at a well-attended April 3 ceremony held at the high school. The Vietnam era spanned Nov. 1, 1955 to May 7, 1975, and March 29 marked 50 years that the last American combat troops departed Vietnam. Since 2017, National Vietnam War Veterans Day has been recognized on March 29. Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz was in attendance at North Haven’s recent salute to veterans of that era. “We are so honored to be joined by more than 150 of our Vietnam veterans. We are so happy they have so many…

In the fall of 2022, United States President Joseph Biden travelled to Cambodia to mark the beginning of a “new era” in the relationship between the United States and Southeast Asia. Announcing the launch of the U.S.-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the President underscored that peace and security in the Indo-Pacific – home to 60 per cent of the world’s population – rests on the ability to work together to tackle the growing challenges to global security, stability, and prosperity. In its approach to the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. is deeply committed to our relationship with ASEAN, to our alliances and partnerships…

With its huge munitions factories and endless rose fields, Kazanlak in central Bulgaria has been really living up to its “Guns and Roses” nickname since Moscow invaded Ukraine. Bulgaria’s booming arms industry has never had it so good, with exports estimated at $4.3 billion last year (about four billion euros) — three times its previous record. The country’s oldest arms maker Arsenal, which already employs 7,000 workers in its Kazanlak plant, is offering seaside holidays and other incentives to attract staff. It has even been tempting back Bulgarians who left the Balkan country to find work abroad. “When they hired…

Since 2022, Vietnam’s government has debated whether to increase the special consumption tax that applies to harmful products such as alcohol, cigarettes and soft drinks. Doing so, some think, would hit two birds with one stone: increase state revenue and make alcoholic products more expensive, thereby discouraging consumption by people with drinking problems. Vietnam’s public debt is falling — down to around 44% of GDP last year, according to official records — but the government needs to recalibrate its revenue collection practices. Free-trade deals have cut tariffs, and the government is under more pressure to invest domestically. As a result, Hanoi knows it needs to…