Latest news with #housewives
France 24
5 days ago
- Automotive
- France 24
Hanoi scooter riders baulk at petrol-powered bikes ban
"Of course everyone wants a better environment," said housewife Dang Thuy Hanh, baulking at the 80 million dong ($3,000) her family would spend replacing their four scooters with electric alternatives. "But why give us the first burden without any proper preparation?" grumbled the 52-year-old. Hanoi's scooter traffic is a fixture of the city's urban buzz. The northern hub of nine million people has nearly seven million two-wheelers, hurtling around at rush hour in a morass of congestion. Their exhausts splutter emissions regularly spurring the city to the top of worldwide smog rankings in a country where pollution claims at least 70,000 lives a year, according to the World Health Organization. The government last weekend announced plans to block fossil-fuelled bikes from Hanoi's 31 square kilometre (12 square mile) centre by next July. It will expand in stages to forbid all gas-fuelled vehicles in urban areas of the city in the next five years. Hanh -- one of the 600,000 people living in the central embargo zone -- said the looming cost of e-bikes has left her fretting over the loss of "a huge amount of savings". While she conceded e-bikes may help relieve pollution, she bemoaned the lack of public charging points near her home down a tiny alley in the heart of the city. "Why force residents to change while the city's infrastructure is not yet able to adapt to the new situation?" she asked. Many families in communist-run Vietnam own at least two motorcycles for daily commutes, school runs, work and leisure. Proposals to reform transport for environmental reasons often sparks allegations the burden of change is felt highest by the working class. London has since 2023 charged a toll for older, higher pollution-emitting vehicles. France's populist "Yellow Vest" protests starting in 2018 were in part sparked by allegations President Emmanuel Macron's "green tax" on fuel was unfair for the masses. 'Cost too high' Hanoi authorities say they are considering alleviating the financial burden by offering subsidies of at least three million dong ($114) per switch to an e-bike, and also increasing public bus services. Food delivery driver Tran Van Tan, who rides his bike 40 kilometres (25 miles) every day from neighbouring Hung Yen province to downtown Hanoi, says he makes his living "on the road". "The cost of changing to an e-bike is simply too high," said the 45-year-old, employed through the delivery app Grab. "Those with a low income like us just cannot suddenly replace our bikes." Compared with a traditional two-wheeler, he also fears the battery life of e-bikes "won't meet the needs for long-distance travel". But citing air pollution as a major threat to human health, the environment and quality of life, deputy mayor Duong Duc Tuan earlier this week said "drastic measures are needed". In a recent report, Hanoi's environment and agriculture ministry said over half of the poisonous smog that blankets the city for much of the year comes from petrol and diesel vehicles. The World Bank puts the figure at 30 percent, with factories and waste incineration also major culprits. Several European cities, such as Barcelona, Paris and Amsterdam have also limited the use of internal combustion engines on their streets -- and other major Vietnamese cities are looking to follow suit. The southern business hub Ho Chi Minh City aims to gradually transition delivery and service motorbikes to electric over the next few years. But with the high costs, office worker Nguyen My Hoa thinks the capital's ban will not be enforceable. "Authorities will not be able to stop the huge amount of gasoline bikes from entering the inner districts," 42-year-old Hoa said. "It simply does not work." © 2025 AFP
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jack Vidgen stuns fans as he announces upcoming Australia tour - after admitting he lost his love for singing: 'So glad to see you're performing again'
Jack Vidgen sent fans wild on Friday when he revealed he would be making a guest appearance on the Bring Back My Wives tour. The drag show will appear in Penrith on July 11 and Sydney on July 12 with the Australia's Got Talent singer set to join the cast on stage. The singer, 28, who previously admitted he lost his love for singing after being 'traumatised' by the music industry, shared the news to Instagram. He posted a gallery of posters which included a glamorous photo of his face and details about the dates and venue. 'SPECIAL GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT. Sydney & Penrith… are you READY?!' he wrote. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Ahhhh SO excited! Getting to perform, hang out with some of my fav housewives, and kiki with some of my favourite drag queens!! DREAM night x,' Jack continued. 'Goudie Events is thrilled to announce that the incredible Jack Vidgen will be joining the cast of Bring Back My Wives! Catch him live: Panthers Penrith – Friday 11 July, Enmore Theatre – Saturday 12 July. Tickets are flying – don't miss out!' Fans flocked to the comments to express their excitement over seeing Jack perform once again. 'Jack!!! So glad to see you are performing again!!!' one person wrote. 'Fantastic news Jack I'm so excited for you honey,' another commented. A third said, 'This is awesome,' as someone else wrote: 'Yes DIVA!' It comes after Jack revealed in November 2023 the heartbreaking reason he stepped away from the musical spotlight in recent years. In a Q&A with fans on Instagram, the musician said he was 'traumatised' by the music industry and no longer felt comfortable singing on social media. 'I'm kind of traumatised by the industry and really lost my love for it all again,' he confessed. 'It's slowly coming back though. I've booked some exciting gigs/shows for next year that I'm looking forward to working on.' Jack added: 'I'm excited to bring the glam and performing together.' He also said he's looking forward to sharing his musical expertise by moving into coaching. Jack shot to fame after winning the fifth season of Australia's Got Talent in 2011. After bowing out of the spotlight for a few years, he returned to prominence in 2019 as a contestant on The Voice. He made it all the way to the semi-finals before being eliminated. Jack has released a number of singles since then, including the Eurovision track I Am King, I Am Queen. In September 2023, the singer opened up about his mental health struggles, which led to him taking a hiatus from social media. 'I've been reflecting a lot over these past 5 weeks about what's important to me and am going through a bit of a life shift right now,' Jack wrote. 'I want to get back to my first love, which is singing.
The Review Geek
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Salon de Holmes Episode 2 Preview: Release Date, Time & Where To Watch
Salon de Holmes Salon de Holmes centers on 4 housewives who are overwhelmed with housework, ignored by others, and are often forced to put aside their own dreams for the sake of their families. The group team up together and solve cases by listening to the stories of victims who have been overlooked, and then work to track down evidence in their daily lives. If you've been interested in this K-drama, you may be curious to find out when the episodes are releasing. Well, wonder no more! Here is everything you need to know about Salon de Holmes episode 2, including its release date, time and where you can watch it. Where Can I Watch Salon de Holmes? Salon de Holmes will be available on South Korean network, ENA, along with streaming on Genie TV. Unfortunately, this is not available to stream internationally anywhere outside of South Korea. Salon de Holmes Episode 2 Release Date Salon de Holmes Episode 2 will release on Tuesday 17th June at approximately 11pm (KST). As mentioned before, no international streamer has picked this up. Expect each episode to be roughly 1 hour 10 minutes long, which is consistent with the time frame for the rest of these dramas, while subtitles should be available on Genie TV. How Many Episodes Will Salon de Holmes Have? Salon de Holmes Season 1 will feature 10 episodes. They will be released every Monday and Tuesday, so Koreans can look forward to bi-weekly releases. So with that in mind, we'll have 8 episodes left after this one. Is There A Trailer For Salon de Holmes? Yes, there is and you can find it right here: What do you hope to see as the series progresses? What's been your favorite moment of Salon de Holmes so far? Let us know in the comments below!
