I'm from Hanoi, Viet Nam.
I'm an author of Dot Chuoi Non (dotchuoinon.com/author/hangbelu/), a blog on Positive thinking, founded by Dr. Tran Dinh Hoanh, an attorney in Washington DC.
I'm a co-founder of Conversations on Vietnam Development - cvdvn.net, a virtual think tank. I am a co-founder of two companies in Viet Nam working on children education services. I advise companies on STEAM education, English language education for children and students in Vietnam.
I'm studying the Buddha's teaching and the teaching of Jesus. I practice mindful living including meditation.
I hold a PhD on Sustainable Energy Systems from University of Lisbon and Aalto University.
I graduated from Hanoi University of Technology on Environmental Engineering. I obtained a Master degree of the same major from Stanford University and Nanyang Technological University.
My English-language blog at: hangbelu.wordpress/.
I play table tennis as a hobby.
KASI, Laos — Five decades have elapsed since the signing of the Paris Peace Accords on Jan. 27, 1973 that led to the end of the Vietnam War. The long conflict devastated all of Indochina, and its aftermath continues to stymie the region’s economic development.
Early this month, specialists of the Laotian military detected unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the northern town of Kasi. The team of about 10 found one cluster bomb the size of a tennis ball and used a loudspeaker to warn residents while cordoning off nearby roads before disposing of the device.
LONDON, Aug 17 (Reuters) – The world’s second-biggest fashion retailer H&M (HMb.ST) has decided to gradually stop sourcing from Myanmar, it told Reuters on Thursday, as reports of labour abuses in garment factories in the country increase.
H&M became the latest brand to cut ties with suppliers in the country after Zara owner Inditex (ITX.MC), Primark (ABF.L), Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) and others.
“After careful consideration we have now taken the decision to gradually phase out our operations in Myanmar,” H&M said in an email to Reuters.
“We have been monitoring the latest developments in Myanmar very closely and we see increased challenges to conduct our operations according to our standards and requirements.”
Chiều 20/6, dưới sự điều hành của Phó Chủ tịch Quốc hội Nguyễn Đức Hải, Quốc hội tiến hành biểu quyết thông qua Luật Bảo vệ quyền lợi người tiêu dùng (sửa đổi). Kết quả cho thấy, có 463/465 đại biểu tham gia biểu quyết tán thành với việc thông qua Luật này (đạt tỷ lệ 93,72%).
Sau khi Quốc hội nghe Chủ nhiệm Ủy ban Khoa học, Công nghệ và Môi trường Lê Quang Huy trình bày về Một số vấn đề lớn giải trình, tiếp thu, chỉnh lý dự thảo Luật Bảo vệ quyền lợi người tiêu dùng (sửa đổi), Quốc hội đã biểu quyết thông qua dự án Luật này.
Phát biểu tại Hội trường, Phó Chủ tịch Quốc hội Nguyễn Đức Hải cho biết, kết quả cho thấy, có 463/465 đại biểu tham gia biểu quyết tán thành với việc thông qua Luật này (đạt tỷ lệ 93,72%).
Phó Chủ tịch Quốc hội Nguyễn Đức Hải phát biểu tại Hội trường.
This report aims to contribute to growing conversations about coal finance mechanisms, particularly as they move from concept to reality. RMI believes that financial mechanisms can be a transformational tool in coal transition efforts—but only if implemented well. Ultimately, the devil will be in the detail as to how financial mechanisms are designed and governed to meet the critical needs of all stakeholders and help deliver a rapid and smooth pathway to a climate-safe future.
RMI’s report, Financing the Coal Transition, shows how financial mechanisms can complement policy and regulation to help achieve a rapid, equitable, and smooth coal transition.
The economics of power generation are shifting rapidly in favor of clean energy, challenging coal’s long history as a mainstay of economic development throughout the world. However, much more work needs to be done to transition the existing coal fleet in line with climate and development goals.
The privileged place coal has occupied in power generation for over a century has entrenched complex barriers—from the way that grids have been built to the incentive structures within electricity systems—that prevent markets from catching up to the economic trend toward clean energy. In the absence of solutions to address these barriers, the costs of uneconomic coal will fall largely on local communities through direct costs and unpriced impacts on local health and the environment.
The global community needs new solutions to address the social and economic complexities of the coal transition while responding to the urgency of the climate challenge. One set of solutions currently under development are the innovative financial mechanisms designed to support the transition from coal to clean energy.
This report helps make sense of the various financial mechanisms proposed to date, and models the impacts of using different financial mechanisms to transition existing coal power plants. While it finds that financial mechanisms have the potential to generate wins for both the climate and communities, it also recognizes the risks of using finance to support the coal transition. To manage these risks, RMI proposes five key principles to guide the design of credible financial mechanisms.
Five key principles to guide the design of financial mechanisms for coal transition
As the record-breaking 2023 Women’s World Cup ends, many see an exciting future – and many challenges – for the game.
Spain’s Jennifer Hermoso celebrates after winning the World Cup [Amanda Perobelli/Reuters]
By Alex Thomas Published On 21 Aug 202321 Aug 2023
Sydney, Australia – The success of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand has led to some grand predictions about the future of women’s football – and perhaps the boldest is that it will eventually surpass the men’s game.
“I’ve always said this and people thought I’m crazy but I think women’s football will be bigger than men’s football”, former New Zealand captain Rebecca Smith told Al Jazeera.
It might look like a contentious claim but few know the game as well as Smith.
The climate crisis has begun to disrupt human societies by severely affecting the very foundations of human livelihood and social organisation. Climate impacts are not equally distributed across the world: on average, low- and middle-income countries suffer greater impacts than their richer counterparts. At the same time, the climate crisis is also marked by significant inequalities within countries. Recent research reveals a high concentration of global greenhouse gas emissions among a relatively small fraction of the population, living in emerging and rich countries. In addition, vulnerability to numerous climate impacts is strongly linked to income and wealth, not just between countries but also within them.
The aim of this report is twofold. It endeavours first to shed light on these various dimensions of climate inequality in a systematic and detailed analysis, focusing on low- and middle-income countries in particular. It then builds on these insights, together with additional empirical work and interviews with experts, to suggest pathways to development cooperation,and tax and social policies that tackle climate inequalities at their core.
Can progressive carbon taxes help alleviate poverty?
With unsustainable industrial development and unfettered capitalism driving climate change, it is no surprise that income inequality and carbon inequality are intrinsically linked. The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights the indisputable inequitable human impacts of climate change. Can climate policy interventions like carbon taxes address the complex and interconnected nature of global warming and wealth?
More money, more carbon
Research shows that the richest 1% are responsible for twice as much carbon pollution as the poorest half of humanity. Yet those living in low-income areas and who are already facing the multidimensional burdens of poverty will bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change.
The 2022 World Inequality report further emphasises the notion of “carbon inequality”, finding that global greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions are concentrated amongst a small percentage of people: the top 10% of emitters are responsible for close to 50% of GHG emissions. As the findings show, this is not necessarily a “rich” vs “poor” country problem, as there are high emitters across all regions. Those high emitters, however, are almost always part of a high-income earning bracket.
If carbon taxes are effectively redistributed, they can fund policies that address both the social and environmental implications of climate change.
Can progressive carbon taxes help tackle carbon and income inequality?
Instruments like carbon taxes are essential to curbing emissions—something The Economist has argued for years. Some believe, however, that these types of policy interventions can be regressive, and end up disproportionately burdening low-income communities and small businesses while allowing richer, high-emitting individuals and corporations to continue to pollute—as long as they can pay. These concerns sparked the now infamous 2018 “yellow vest” protests in Paris.
Fortunately, if carbon taxes are effectively redistributed, they can fund policies that address both the social and environmental implications of climate change. Analysis shows that if every country adopted a uniform global carbon tax and returned revenues to citizens on an equal per-capita basis, it is possible to limit global warming to 2 degrees celsius by 2100 above pre-industrial levels. This type of redistributive carbon tax would also increase wellbeing, reduce inequality and could alleviate poverty across the world.
GENEVA (19 June 2023) – Relentless edicts issued by the Taliban since taking power in Afghanistan in August 2021 have severely restricted the rights of women and girls and suffocated every dimension of their lives, UN experts* said today.
“Women and girls in Afghanistan are experiencing severe discrimination that may amount to gender persecution – a crime against humanity – and be characterised as gender apartheid, as the de facto authorities appear to be governing by systemic discrimination with the intention to subject women and girls to total domination,” the experts said.
A documentary about the life of Stalin and his rise to power. The film includes interviews with surviving members of Stalins family who corroborate historical facts from their perspective.
[1/2]View of French utility EDF’s Penly Nuclear Power Plant in Petit-Caux, near Dieppe, France, December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier Acquire Licensing Rights
PARIS, Dec 9 (Reuters) – France is bracing for possible power outages in the coming days as falling temperatures push up demand while state-controlled nuclear group EDF struggles to bring more production on line.
WHY CAN’T FRANCE MEET DEMAND?
France is one of the most nuclear-powered countries in the world, typically producing over 70% of its electricity with its fleet of 56 reactors and providing about 15% of Europe’s total power through exports.
The new strategic partnership agreement opens the door to closer diplomatic, economic and technological cooperation with former foe — and China’s neighbor — Hanoi.
The deal adds to President Joe Biden’s string of successful diplomatic initiatives aimed to reassert U.S. influence in Asia in the face of China’s growing economic, diplomatic and military muscle in the region. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo
President Joe Biden will chalk up a fresh victory in his campaign to boost U.S. influence in the Indo-Pacific by sealing a deal with Vietnam next month aimed to draw Hanoi closer to Washington at a time of rising tensions with Beijing.
Biden will sign a strategic partnership agreement with Vietnam during a state visit to the Southeast Asian country in mid-September, according to three people with knowledge of the deal’s planning. They were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak on the record about the agreement.
The agreement will allow for new bilateral collaboration that will boost Vietnam’s efforts to develop its high technology sector in areas including semiconductor production and artificial intelligence.
“Quan điểm là chắc chắn không thể đánh đổi và thực hiện như tỉnh Thái Bình đang làm được. Bởi khu vực này nằm trong nhiều chương trình liên quan đến ứng phó với biển đổi khí hậu theo Nghị quyết 102 của Quốc hội, và được nhiều tổ chức quốc tế đầu tư vào đây”.
Ông Đoàn Hoài Nam – Trưởng phòng Quản lý rừng đặc dụng, phòng hộ (Cục Lâm nghiệp)
TP – Đại diện Cục Lâm nghiệp – Bộ Nông nghiệp và Phát triển Nông thôn cho biết, việc điều chỉnh quy hoạch ở khu vực Bảo tồn thiên nhiên đất ngập nước Tiền Hải cần sự đồng thuận của các bộ, ngành. Tuy nhiên, sau khi gửi văn bản mang tính chất thông báo, UBND tỉnh Thái Bình lại im lặng không phản hồi và tự ra quyết định thay đổi quy hoạch khiến bộ hết sức ngỡ ngàng.
Trao đổi với PV Tiền Phong, ông Đoàn Hoài Nam – Trưởng phòng Quản lý rừng đặc dụng, phòng hộ, Cục Lâm nghiệp – cho biết, khu Bảo tồn thiên nhiên đất ngập nước Tiền Hải, một trong hai vùng lõi của khu Dự trữ sinh quyển châu thổ sông Hồng và được UNESCO công nhận là một trong những vùng lõi quan trọng của khu dự trữ sinh quyển thế giới.
Tiếp tục đọc “Vụ thu hẹp khu bảo tồn thiên nhiên Tiền Hải: ‘Không thể đánh đổi như Thái Bình’”→
The ruling, the first of its kind, is reverberating worldwide, especially among young climate activists. But it still faces hurdles.
Plaintiffs in the landmark Held v. Montana climate change lawsuit arrive at the Lewis and Clark County Courthouse on June 12 in Helena, Mont. (Robin Loznak/AFP/Getty Images)
Explaining the UN cybercrime treaty, its potential benefits and risks, key issues in the negotiations, and likely paths forward.
What is the UN cybercrime treaty?
Since May 2021, UN member states have been negotiating an international treaty on countering cybercrime. If adopted by the UN General Assembly, it would be the first binding UN instrument on a cyber issue. The treaty could become an important global legal framework for international cooperation on preventing and investigating cybercrime, and prosecuting cybercriminals.
But without a clearly defined scope and sufficient safeguards, the treaty could endanger human rights – both online and offline – and repressive governments could abuse its provisions to criminalize online free speech. It could also threaten digital rights by legitimizing intrusive investigations and unhindered law enforcement access to personal information.
What is cybercrime?
There is no universally accepted definition of cybercrime. A common approach is to define it in two categories: cyber-dependent crimes and cyber-enabled crimes.
Cyber-dependent crimes are crimes that can only be committed by using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). A notorious example is ransomware: hacking into an organization or individual’s device, encrypting data and demanding payment for decryption.
Without a clearly defined scope and sufficient safeguards, the treaty could endanger human rights – both online and offline – and repressive governments could abuse its provisions to criminalize online free speech.
Công ước Quốc tế về các Quyền Dân sự và Chính trị (tiếng Anh: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, viết tắt: ICCPR) là một công ước quốc tế do Đại hội đồng Liên Hiệp Quốc thông qua ngày 16 tháng 12 năm 1966 và có hiệu lực từ ngày 23 tháng 03 năm 1976, nêu tổng quan các quyền dân sự và chính trị cơ bản của con người. Cụ thể, các bên tham gia ký kết sẽ phải tôn trọng các quyền dân sự và chính trị của từng cá nhân, bao gồm quyền sống, quyền tự do tôn giáo, tự do phát biểu, tự do hội họp, quyền bầu cử và quyền được xét xử bình đẳng và theo đúng trình tự pháp luật. Công ước này, cùng với Tuyên ngôn toàn thế giới về nhân quyền (1948, viết tắt là UDHR) và Công ước quốc tế về các quyền kinh tế, xã hội và văn hóa (1966, viết tắt là ICESCR) hợp thành một “bộ luật nhân quyền quốc tế”. Ngoài ra, trong năm 2012, có thêm hai Nghị định thư bổ sung cho ICCPR liên quan đến giải quyết khiếu nại cá nhân và bãi bỏ hình phạt tử hình. Tính đến nay, đã có 72 nước ký vào Công ước và 167 bên tham gia. Việt Nam trở thành thành viên của ICCPR (Việt Nam gia nhập Công ước này vào ngày 24/9/1982).
Five key principles to guide the design of financial mechanisms for coal transition
CVD 