Apple CEO Tim Cook visits Vietnam.

Việt Nam•15/04/2024

Along with other news, please follow along: Vietnam U23 finalizes official squad for the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Championship; Numerous accidents after 3 days of Songkran Festival in Thailand; Elderly farmer competes for title of world's oldest person; The place with the cleanest air on the planet.

Apple CEO Tim Cook visits Vietnam.

Apple's CEO, Tim Cook , arrived in Hanoi on the morning of April 15th for a two-day visit to Vietnam.

Immediately that morning, the friendly CEO caused a stir on Vietnamese social media when he posted pictures of himself meeting with artists and content creators in Hanoi.

First, the photo of Tim Cook having coffee with singer My Linh and her daughter My Anh, which he shared at 11:20 AM, quickly received 451,000 views and a huge amount of interaction on the X platform.

"Hello, Vietnam!" he wrote. "Thank you to the talented musicians My Linh and My Anh for the warm welcome. And I'm absolutely in love with egg coffee!"

Next, at 1:15 PM, CEO Tim Cook posted another photo of himself strolling by Hoan Kiem Lake and taking a selfie with reviewer Ngo Duc Duy - a popular Vietnamese YouTube and TikTok content creator, a huge iPhone fan, and someone who has collaborated with Apple for many years.

CEO Tim Cook also met with director Phuong Vu at Antiantiart – his studio – and chatted with him and his colleagues. The young director, born in 1995, has previously served as creative director for several major programs.

Tim Cook will also meet with rapper Suboi and singer Tlinh, prominent representatives of Vietnamese pop music today, as well as some programmers.

During the trip, Apple announced it would strengthen its commitment to Vietnam, increasing spending on suppliers, along with new progress in its initiative to support clean water for local schools. "There's nowhere quite like Vietnam, a vibrant and beautiful country," Tim Cook shared.

Tim Cook, born in 1960, joined Apple in March 1998 as Senior Vice President of Global Operations and later as Executive Vice President. He was appointed CEO of Apple in August 2011.

After assuming the role of CEO, Tim Cook quickly demonstrated his leadership abilities by helping Apple double its revenue and profits from 2011 to 2020. By 2023, Apple became the first company in the world to reach a market capitalization of $3 trillion. Under Tim Cook's leadership, Apple has launched entirely new technology products such as the Apple Watch and the Vision Pro virtual reality glasses.

Vietnam U23 finalizes official squad for the AFC U23 Asian Championship Finals.

Besides defender Phan Tuan Tai who is injured, the Vietnam U23 team has dropped four players to finalize the official squad for the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Championship.

Four players bid farewell to the Vietnam U23 team before the tournament, including: goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien (Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC), center-back Nguyen Thanh Khai (SHB Da Nang), center-back Nguyen Duc Anh (Hanoi FC), and midfielder Ha Van Phuong (Hanoi Police FC).

Of the four players mentioned above, center-back Nguyen Thanh Khai is a newcomer to the team and only recently returned to playing after a long period of injury treatment.

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan stated that before making the final decision on the 23-player squad for the Vietnam U23 team participating in the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Championship, the coaching staff had a very thorough discussion based on assessments following the recent training sessions and friendly matches.

Three criteria are applied to the entire team: expertise, form, and the ability to meet technical and tactical requirements .

Official list of Vietnam U23 players participating in the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Championship:
Goalkeepers (3): Quan Van Chuan (Hanoi) , Nguyen Van Viet (Song Lam Nghe An), Doan Huy Hoang (Binh Phuoc).
Defenders (7): Luong Duy Cuong (SHB Da Nang), Tran Quang Thinh (Hoang Anh Gia Lai), Le Nguyen Hoang (Song Lam Nghe An), Ho Van Cuong (Hanoi Police), Nguyen Hong Phuc (The Cong - Viettel), Nguyen Ngoc Thang (Hong Linh Ha Tinh), Nguyen Manh Hung (Binh Phuoc).
Midfielders (7): Vo Hoang Minh Khoa (B.Binh Duong), Hoang Van Toan (Hanoi Police), Nguyen Duc Viet (Hoang Anh Gia Lai), Nguyen Thai Son (Thanh Hoa), Nguyen Duc Phu (PVF-CAND), Nguyen Van Truong (Hanoi), Khuat Van Khang (The Cong - Viettel).
Forwards (6): Nguyen Quoc Viet (Hoang Anh Gia Lai), Vo Nguyen Hoang (Thanh Hoa), Bui Vi Hao (B.Binh Duong), Nguyen Van Tung (Hanoi), Nguyen Dinh Bac (Quang Nam) , Nguyen Minh Quang (SHB Da Nang).

Numerous accidents occurred after the three-day Songkran festival in Thailand.

Thailand recorded 936 road accidents and 116 deaths, including both tourists and locals, during the three days of Songkran.

These figures were recorded by the Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation from April 11th to 13th, the three peak days of the Songkran festival. Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla cities had the highest number of accidents with 39 each, with Songkhla having the highest number of injuries with 45. Bangkok topped the list of fatalities with 8 recorded cases.

The leading causes of accidents are speeding (40.05%), drunk driving (27.81%), and collisions (16.84%). Motorcycles are the most frequently involved vehicle, accounting for 85.5%. Accidents mainly occur on straight roads (81.63%), with 35.97% occurring on highways and 30.1% on city streets.

The 2024 Songkran Festival, held from April 11th to 21st, is a large-scale event taking place nationwide. Several provinces and cities have begun organizing water-throwing events for tourists throughout April. Songkran in Thailand is recognized as one of the top 10 global events. The 2023 festival attracted over 300,000 international visitors and generated revenue exceeding 18 billion baht (nearly US$537 million), according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Elderly farmer vies for title of world's oldest person.

Mr. Abad, 124 years old, is completing the process to be recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest man, replacing the 111-year-old who was awarded the title last week.

The Peruvian government claims that citizen Marcelino Abad Tolentino from the Huanuco region of central Peru is currently 124 years old. If this is proven, he would become the oldest living person and possibly even top the list of the oldest people ever verified by the Guinness World Records .

Mr. Abad lives in a small village in the Andean mountains. He was granted identification by the authorities in 2019 and received an allowance for the elderly.

At his birthday celebration, he revealed that the secret to his longevity was a diet rich in fruit and lamb. He also has a habit of chewing coca leaves, a tradition among the Andean communities in Peru. He currently lives in a senior citizen 's home.

The Peruvian government has stated that it is doing everything possible to help Tolentino receive Guinness World Record recognition.

If proven, Mr. Abad would dethrone the current record holder, John Alfred Tinniswood (pictured above) , 111 years old from England. This World War II veteran only recently won the title after the death of Juan Vicente Pérez, 114 years old, on April 2nd.

The oldest living woman is 117 years old, while the oldest person ever verified is 122 years old.

The place with the cleanest air on the planet.

The Southern Ocean has clean air with very little aerosol – tiny particulate matter that forms naturally or is caused by human activity.

This place is far removed from much of the world's human activity, but that's not the only reason why the air here is the cleanest in the world.

In a new study published in the journal Nature, a team of experts from Monash University and the University of Melbourne discovered new information about cloud structure that reveals how Southern Ocean and unique honeycomb-like clouds play a major role in regulating the climate. They also discovered the crucial role of clouds and rain in cleaning the air.

These honeycomb clouds can have a closed-cell structure—the kind of bright white clouds that reflect sunlight back into space, cooling the Earth—or an open structure, allowing more sunlight to reach the Earth.

Although aerosol density in the air above the Southern Ocean is influenced by many factors, rainfall plays a key role. "Precipitation is crucial, especially rain from these open, honeycomb-like clouds. Rain washes away airborne aerosol particles much like a washing machine cleans clothes," the research team wrote.

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