Tag Archives: Vietnam

News, Newspapers, Views

The New York Times — Monday, Sept 18, 2023

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Biden to Target Industrial Pollution in a 2nd Term, if He Gets One

Steel production at a facility in Indiana. President Biden would take aim at heavy polluting industries that have never had restrictions on carbon emissions in a second term.

If the president wins re-election, his climate team is likely to try to cut greenhouse gases from steel, cement and other hard-to-clean-up manufacturing.

Climate Protesters March on New York, Calling for End to Fossil Fuels

Protest organizers used Sunday’s event to send a message to President Biden as he begins his push for re-election: Do more if you want our votes.

Ahead of U.N. meetings this week, thousands gathered in Midtown to demand that President Biden and other world leaders stop new oil and gas drilling.

As Junta Tightens Grip, Niger Is Being Strangled by Sanctions

Border closures and a freeze on financial transactions imposed after soldiers seized power are hurting millions, while Western nations remain divided over what to do.

In Ukraine, a Rosh Hashana Party Not Even War Can Stop

Every year, thousands of followers of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov descend on the town of Uman to worship, dance and pay homage at the tomb of their spiritual leader.

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The New York Times — Sunday, September 17, 2023

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In Risky Hunt for Secrets, U.S. and China Expand Global Spy Operations

The nations are taking bold steps in the espionage shadow war to try to collect intelligence on leadership thinking and military capabilities.

Dire Warnings About Libya Dams Went Unheeded

Derna, Libya, has been devastated by flooding from storms this week, which washed swaths of the city into the sea.

“The state wasn’t interested,” said an engineer who published a paper on why Derna’s dams, after decades of postponed repairs, might fail under the stress of a powerful storm.

World’s Largest ‘Baby Exporter’ Confronts Its Painful Past

South Korean adoptees have been returning to the country to hold the government accountable for what they call a corrupt adoption system that went largely unchanged until recent decades.

Texas Attorney General Is Acquitted in Landmark Senate Trial

Senators voted largely on party lines against conviction of the attorney general, Ken Paxton, who had been impeached on charges of corruption and abuse of office.

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The New York Times — Saturday, Sept 16, 2023

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U.A.W. Starts Strike Small, but Repercussions Could Prove Far-Reaching

Workers outside a plant hold up signs that read, “UAW; Stand Up; Record Profits; Record Contracts.”

The union targeted three factories: one run by General Motors, one by Ford and one by Stellantis. Prolonged walkouts could hurt the U.S. economy and President Biden.

‘A Ticket to Disney’? Politicians Charge Millions to Send Migrants to U.S.

The journey into the jungle begins, led by a guide from the New Light Darién Foundation.

The Biden administration vowed to “end the illicit movement” of people through the Darién jungle. But the number of migrants moving through the forest has never been greater — and the profits are too big to pass up.

Biden Defends Striking Autoworkers: They Deserve a ‘Fair Share’

White House aides believe the battle between the car companies and their workers underscores many of the president’s policy positions.

Fernando Botero, Artist of Whimsical Rotundity, Is Dead at 91

His voluptuous figures, both in paintings and in sculpture, portrayed the high and mighty as well as everyday people through an enlarging prism.

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The New York Times — Friday, September 15, 2023

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Hunter Biden Indicted on Gun Charges

Hunter Biden outside the federal courthouse in Wilmington, Del., in July.

The Justice Department charged President Biden’s son after the collapse of an earlier plea deal and amid an impeachment investigation by House Republicans.

History Turns Upside Down in a War Where the Koreas Are Suppliers

A photograph released by North Korean state media showing President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia on Wednesday.

Desperate for munitions for the war in Ukraine, the U.S. and Russia have turned to their allies in South and North Korea, which kept stockpiling arms for decades after their own conflict.

What the Wildfire Stole From One Maui Family

A 7-year-old boy, his mom and grandparents tried to flee Hawaii’s deadliest wildfire in over a century, and ran into impossible challenges.

C.I.A. Discloses Identity of Second Spy Involved in ‘Argo’ Operation

The movie about the daring mission to rescue American diplomats from Tehran portrayed a single C.I.A. officer sneaking into the Iranian capital. In reality, the agency sent two officers.

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The New York Times — Thursday, Sept 14, 2023

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Libyan Flood Survivor Recounts Horror After Dams Burst

Ruined buildings and debris on a beach.

“We walked out barefoot and saw our friends and neighbors dying,” said a woman from the hard-hit city of Derna. More than 5,000 are reported dead and 10,000 more are believed to be missing.

Russia Overcomes Sanctions to Expand Missile Production, Officials Say

The site of a missile strike in Kyiv in August.

Moscow’s missile production now exceeds prewar levels, officials say, leaving Ukraine especially vulnerable this coming winter.

A Spectacular Marble Cube Rises at Ground Zero

The Perelman Performing Arts Center, a glamorous $500 million project, may yet turn the World Trade Center into a neighborhood, our critic writes.

Former Buildings Chief Accused of Trading Favors for $150,000 in Bribes

The former commissioner, Eric Ulrich, pleaded not guilty, as did five other men, several of whom raised money for the campaign of Mayor Eric Adams.

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The New York Times — Wednesday, Sept 13, 2023

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More Than 5,000 Dead in Libya as Collapsed Dams Worsen Flood Disaster

In a catastrophe recalling Hurricane Katrina, a heavy storm burst through dams to unleash their waters on the city of Derna, sweeping away entire neighborhoods.

McCarthy, Facing an Ouster and a Shutdown, Orders an Impeachment Inquiry

Speaker Kevin McCarthy had long signaled he was moving toward an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

The move against President Biden, which Speaker Kevin McCarthy had been signaling for weeks, comes as some far-right House Republicans are irate over spending and threatening to depose him.

‘Wounds Will Need to Be Healed’: Collisions in a Fractured Israel

Israelis are deeply split about what kind of country Israel should be. Four encounters at four recent protests show how that division plays out in daily life.

Theaters of War That Make Up the Fighting in Ukraine

A “striking fist” in the North, and river crossings in the South. Along a jagged 1,000-mile front, the fighting is multifaceted — and relentless.

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The New York Times — Tuesday, Sept 12, 2023

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China Sows Disinformation About Hawaii Fires Using New Techniques

China’s most recent influence campaign suggests that it is making more direct attempts to sow discord in the United States.

Beijing’s influence campaign using artificial intelligence is a rapid change in tactics, researchers from Microsoft and other organizations say.

Fury as Quake Help Finally Arrives: ‘How Many Hours Has It Been?’

Men helping Mohamed Abarada, left, in green, search for his missing daughter in Douar Tnirt, Morocco, on Monday.

The people of a village high in the Atlas Mountains erupted in anger when the Moroccan government left them alone for three days to dig out and bury their loved ones.

Michelin’s Coveted Stars Can Come With Some Costs

As its universe of dining guides expands to new places, the company is asking those regions to help pay the bill. And some chefs fear the honors are fostering a world of restaurant clones.

America’s Fire Spotters Aren’t Ready to Fade Away Just Yet

Officials say the future of wildfire detection is cameras. But in northwest Montana, solitary humans on mountaintops still do more than machines alone can offer.

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The New York Times — Monday, Sept 11, 2023

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In Quake-Battered Mountains, Many Moroccans Must Fend for Themselves

Family members searching for missing relatives in Douar Tnirt, Morocco, on Sunday.

In a critical period for search-and-rescue teams, the Moroccan government has given few updates about its response and the scope of the destruction.

Biden Forges Deeper Ties With Vietnam as China’s Ambition Mounts

President Biden and Nguyen Phu Trong, the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday.

Visiting Hanoi, the president cemented a new strategic partnership that puts the memories of the past behind them and focuses on mutual concerns over Beijing’s assertiveness in the region.

Spain’s Top Soccer Official Resigns Over Unwanted World Cup Kiss

Pressure had been building on Luis Rubiales, with prosecutors opening an investigation, his soccer federation calling for him to step down and FIFA suspending him.

In Post-Roe America, Nikki Haley Seeks a New Path on Abortion for G.O.P.

In crafting an anti-abortion message that doesn’t alienate moderate Republicans and swing voters, her approach has won both supporters and detractors.

Photography, Travel, Videos, Views

Vietnam: Tràng An Karst Landscape Complex Tour

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Edd Lloyd Films (May 24, 2023) – A journey through the Tràng An Karst Landscape Complex. The video features stunning aerial footage of the limestone karsts and caves, as well as close-up shots of the plants and animal life.

Situated near the southern margin of the Red River Delta, the Trang An Landscape Complex is a spectacular landscape of limestone karst peaks permeated with valleys, many of them partly submerged and surrounded by steep, almost vertical cliffs.

Exploration of caves at different altitudes has revealed archaeological traces of human activity over a continuous period of more than 30,000 years. They illustrate the occupation of these mountains by seasonal hunter-gatherers and how they adapted to major climatic and environmental changes, especially the repeated inundation of the landscape by the sea after the last ice age.

The story of human occupation continues through the Neolithic and Bronze Ages to the historical era. Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Viet Nam, was strategically established here in the 10th and 11th centuries AD. The property also contains temples, pagodas, paddy-fields and small villages. 

Filmed and edited by Edward Lloyd

Cities, Travel, Videos, Views

Travel: A Walking Tour Of Hội An In Central Vietnam

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Morning Nhu (April 2, 2023) – Hội An is a city on Vietnam’s central coast known for its well-preserved Ancient Town, cut through with canals. The former port city’s melting-pot history is reflected in its architecture, a mix of eras and styles from wooden Chinese shophouses and temples to colorful French colonial buildings, ornate Vietnamese tube houses and the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge with its pagoda.