A recent poll reportedly found that 70 % of the city's population are against the loud speakers. One hanoi based editor even described the plan as idiotic. Officials argue that they have been useful recently, especially during the pandemic. They used them to remind citizens of virus prevention protocols and blasted out a propaganda style song at seven a m each morning.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a leftist former president, looks well-placed to win a third term. But which Lula would Brazil get—the fiscal conservative or the populist spendthrift? Germany has an earned reputation as an industrial powerhouse, but its dependence on Russian gas and Chinese demand are hobbling it. And why the propaganda-spewing loudspeakers in Vietnam’s capital are firing up again.
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