HANOI， Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank said Wednesday that it maintained the forecast for Vietnam's gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 6 percent for 2016.


Economic activity in Vietnam moderated in the first half of 2016， due to the impact of a severe drought on agricultural production and slower industrial growth， the bank said at the launch of its East Asia and Pacific Economic Update.


Vietnam saw slower GDP growth of 5.5 percent in the first half of 2016， compared to 6.3 percent during the same period last year.


While the broad poverty reduction trend continues， the contraction in agriculture poses short term risks to livelihoods， in particular among poor households which rely predominantly on farm income， said the World Bank.


Vietnam is facing some downside risks including slowing exports， accumulated fiscal imbalances and lingering non-performing loans problems， the bank said.


Specifically， the country's exports slowed to 6.4 percent year-on-year in the first eight months this year. Although the figure is still far above global trade growth， this is the lowest level for Vietnam since 2009， said the World Bank.


This is mainly due to declining oil exports and slower growth of manufacturing exports following weaker external demand， assessed the bank， warning that further weakening of external markets could dim Vietnam's export performance.


In addition， a fiscal deficit of about six percent of GDP in 2015 push Vietnam's public debt to an estimated 62.2 percent of GDP， nearly 11 percentage points higher than in 2010 and inching quickly toward the legally-mandated ceiling of 65 percent of GDP. Fiscal outturns in the first half of 2016 suggested that budget pressures persist， as lower oil prices and weaker economic activity weigh on revenue performance.


At the same time， slow progress in implementing structural reforms to boost productivity could dampen medium-term growth， while delays in addressing lingering non-performing loans problems and fiscal consolidation could pose risks to future macro-economic stability and growth.


The World Bank called for a bolder implementation of structural， fiscal and banking sector reforms which would help to mitigate macro-economic vulnerabilities and sustain higher medium-term growth.


In late September， the Asian Development Bank also forecast Vietnam's economic growth at 6 percent in 2016 due to contractions in the agriculture and mining sectors in the first half of the year.


In early October， Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc lowered the country's economic growth target to 6.3-6.5 percent in 2016， down from the earlier target of 6.7 percent.


ADEN Mike Evans Jersey , Yemen, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A Yemen-based al-Qaida group said on Thursday that its senior cleric was killed in a recent U.S. drone strike in the country's southeastern province of Shabwa.


In a statement, the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) said that Harith al-Nadhari was among four militants who were killed in the U.S. drone strike that took place in a mountainous area in Shabwa province on Jan. 31.


The terrorist group vowed revenge for the death of al-Nadhari, who was a senior cleric and advisor for the network Jameis Winston Jersey , according to the statement.


On Jan. 31, a U.S. drone strike hit a car carrying several al-Qaida members in Shabwa, leaving four terrorists killed, a government official told Xinhua.


On Jan. 10 Mike Alstott Jersey , al-Nadhari who appeared in an online video praised attacks against the Charlie Hebdo magazine and at a Jewish supermarket in Paris, threatening with more attacks "if they did not stop abusing Muslims."


In the five-minute video posted by the AQAP, al-Nadhari warned France "to stop aggression against Muslims or to face more attacks as a punishment."


Yemen, an impoverished Arab country Custom Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys , has been gripped by one of the most active regional al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East.


AQAP, which emerged in January 2009 and also known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, had claimed responsibility for a number of attacks on some Western countries.


In 2009, AQAP claimed responsibility for an attempt to bomb a U.S.-bound airliner by sending Nigerian bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab Throwback Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys , who visited Yemen and had been trained by the militants there.


Last month, Washington said it has not suspended anti-terror operations against the al-Qaida activities in Yemen following Yemen's Shiite Houthi group took over the country's capital Sanaa.

An electric car is shown at the Qualcomm booth during the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada Jan 6, 2015. [Photo Agencies]

BEIJING -- China has exempted roughly 42 Authentic Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys ,800 buyers of new-energy vehicles from a 10-percent purchase tax since a new policy became effective last September, an official statement said.


The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in the statement on its website that it has designated three types of 377 new energy vehicle models from 57 manufacturers that might benefit from the tax exemption.


From September 2014 to January 2015, about 42,800 owners enjoyed the exemption Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys For Sale , including owners of 36,600 passenger vehicles and 6,207 commercial vehicles.


The Chinese government rolled out the policy in a bid to save energy and reduce pollution.


From Sept. 1, 2014 to the end of 2017 Cheap Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys , buyers of qualified pure electric cars, plug-in hybrid electric cars and fuel cell cars will not have to pay the vehicle purchase tax.


New-energy vehicles, especially purely electric models, will see increased development in 2015 now that the government and businesses are exploring new roads to improve the charging network.


Experts believe that sales in 2015 will surge even higher as it becomes easier to charge newenergy vehicles.

????A car sits at the first solar energy charging station in Beijing. The city has built 1 Keith Tandy Buccaneers Jersey ,500 public .