According to Reuters, Vietnam's richest woman and chairman of Vietnamese real estate developer Wanshengfa Group, Zhang Meilan, was tried on March 5th in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on suspicion of embezzling over 12 billion US dollars. On March 19th, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Procuratorate stated that Zhang Meilan was sentenced to 19 to 20 years in prison for "violating banking regulations" and 19 to 20 years in prison for bribery, with a total sentence of death. In addition, the prosecutor's office also demanded that Zhang Meilan compensate Saigon Commercial Bank with approximately 677 trillion Vietnamese dong.

transferAccording to the investigators,67 year old Zhang Meilan is suspected of extracting funds equivalent to 11% of Vietnam's 2022 gross domestic product through ghost companies, bribery of government officials, and her illegal control of Saigon Commercial Bank between February 2018 and October 2020. As the mastermind of the case, Zhang Meilan not only failed to plead guilty and show remorse, but also stubbornly accused her subordinates. Therefore, she must be severely punished and expelled from society.

military affairs

01North Korea launches several ballistic missiles into the eastern waters

According to Yonhap News Agency, on March 18th, the South Korean military announced that North Korea had launched several ballistic missiles into the eastern waters. The South Korean military is analyzing specific parameters such as range, altitude, and speed of North Korean missiles. This is February 14th in North KoreaLaunching the "Osprey 6" Navy's New Ground to Ship Cruise Missile towards the Eastern Sea AreaSince then, another round of ammunition has been fired 33 days apart. This is also after January 14thMedium and Long Range Ballistic MissilesAfterwards, North Korea launched ballistic missiles for the second time this year.

The South Korean side stated that the South Korean military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance, and closely shares intelligence related to North Korea's ballistic missiles with relevant departments of the United States and Japan to maintain a comprehensive alert situation and respond to North Korea's repeated missile launches. And it is believed that North Korea may take advantage of next month's South Korean parliamentary elections or the anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army to launch provocations such as firing missiles or launching military reconnaissance satellites again. The North Korean side previously stated that the planThree more military reconnaissance satellites will be launched this year.

According to reports from Xinhua News Agency and Bloomberg, on March 15th, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement after the Israeli wartime cabinet meeting, stating that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu approved the Israeli military's plan to enter the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah for combat and is preparing to evacuate the local population. The statement also stated that Netanyahu's latest ceasefire proposal by Hamas to release Israeli detainees in exchange for the release of Palestinian detainees is still absurd. The Israeli side rejected this proposal but will send representatives to Qatar to continue advancing ceasefire negotiations.

In this regard, the Palestinian Presidential Office calls on the international community to intervene quickly and take responsibility to prevent Israel's "dangerous aggression" against Rafah, and stated that this aggression has doubled the suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip. The statement reiterated that the Palestinian side rejects any practice of forcing Gaza residents to be displaced and stated that "this is a red line.".

It is reported that Rafah is located at the southernmost point of the Gaza Strip, bordering Egypt, and is the gateway for international humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip. Since last yearSince the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian Israeli conflict in OctoberThe Israeli army launched a ground offensive from north to south in the Gaza Strip, and the flames of war have spread to Rafah. According to United Nations data, over 1.5 million people have sought refuge in the southern Gaza city of Rafah near the Egyptian border, equivalent to three-quarters of Gaza's pre war population; Most of them live in temporary tents on the streets.

01Saudi Arabia plans to establish a $40 billion fund to enter AI

The New York Times reported that recently, informed sources revealed that Saudi Arabia plans to establish a fund of approximately $40 billion to promote the development of artificial intelligence. According to sources familiar with the matter, the Saudi Public Investment Fund has been in talks with Anderson Holowitz and other financiers in recent weeks to discuss whether cooperation can be established. It is understood that Anderson Horowitz is a private venture capital firm in the United States.

There are also reports that the Saudi government is interested in supporting cooperation withVarious technology startups related to AI, including chip manufacturers and large corporationsThe investment plan for the data center is expected to be launched in the second half of this year, and there may be other venture capitalists involved besides Anderson Horowitz. As of now, neither the Saudi Public Investment Fund nor Anderson Horowitz have made any public statements on this matter.

02Unilever to lay off 7500 employees worldwide

London news,On March 19th, UK consumer goods giant Unilever, which owns Dove brand products, announced that it will spin off its ice cream business and may cut 7500 jobs globally, which is almost 6% of its global workforce. It is reported that Unilever, with approximately 128000 employees worldwide, owns best-selling products such as Ben&Jerry's and Magnum ice cream. It will integrate the ice cream industry and establish an independent ice cream company. This major restructuring plan will save the group 800 million euros in costs over the next three years.

It is understood that the group's ice cream business isThe sales revenue in 2023 was 7.9 billion euros, but the profit margin is less than half of the group's personal care products business. Because the ice cream business is a seasonal, capital intensive business that requires more complex cold chain logistics. The new CEO of Unilever, Hein Schumacher, hopes to achieve basic sales growth and moderate improvement in profit margins by divesting the ice cream business, eliminating middle management personnel. The company stated that the business spin off will begin immediately and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.