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Social
News Headlines 21/3
Ha Noi
blogger to spend 15 months in jail for slander
Ha Noi blogger Pham
Viet Dao has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to
abusing his rights to freedom and democracy.
The court ruled
that his actions had infringed upon State interests, rights and legitimate
interests of organisations or citizens under Article 258 of the Penal Code.
The jail term will
starts from the date he was detained on June 13, 2013, the court ruled.
The indictment read
that Dao, 62, residing in Buoi ward, Tay Ho district, authored three blogs
–Phamvietdao3.blogspot.com, Phamvietdao4.blogspot.com and
Chientranhtrungviet.blogspot.com – on which he posted 91 articles slandering
the Party and State.
At the yesterday's
trial in the capital city, Dao admitted his guilt, saying his actions were a
result of a lack of awareness of the law. He promised not to repeat his
actions.
Dao has 15 days to
appeal the verdict.
200kg of
black coral seized in Quang Binh
Police in the
central
Tran Anh Tuan, the
driver, said that the cargo was being taken from
According to
police, the rare coral has a market value of VND3 million (US$150) per kilo.
An investigation is
underway.
Woman
returns abducted baby
A woman suspected
of taking a baby from
Huynh Thi Ngoc
Thuy, 37, and her husband returned to the hospital's post-natal faculty to
give the baby back to its mother, police said.
Thuy told police
that she had had a miscarriage and wanted to have another baby.
The grandmother of
the baby had reported the missing baby to the hospital and police.
The police are
continuing their investigation.
Northern
mountainous region suffers water shortage
Provinces in the
northern mountain regions including Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Cao Bang,
Lang Son, Yen Bai and Hoa Binh are experiencing severe water shortages.
Muong Khuong
District in
The two communes
have only 3-4 rivulets which run very slowly, said Sung A Tra. Over 1,000
residents experience water shortage and losing 500 hectares of corn grounds.
Residents enter the
forest in search for water sources from March to May every year in Bat Xat,
Muong Khuong, Si Ma Cai and Bac Ha District, said the Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development in
Besides cold snaps,
local people have to reel under unseasonal hot and dry winds in the
northwestern region during the dry season every year, said Luu Minh Hai,
director of the
Thousands of
residents are experiencing the same condition in Ha Giang Province.
The Ministry of
Natural Resources and Environment have surveyed and discovered 23 streams on
the Dong Van Karst Plateau in Ha Giang. They are studying to build a system
to exploit water for four districts.
These streams are
expected to supply 9,000 cubic meters per day to meet demand of about 100,000
people.
Police
seize giant shells
The southern
coastal Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces water police have seized 150 giant shells
from a local fishing ship.
Each shell measures
about 0.6 to 1.2 metres across. The biggest shell weighs more than 70kg.
The shells are
believed to be of giant clams, one of the most endangered clam species.
The police brought
the shells ashore yesterday and asked the authorised agencies to test them to
see whether they are of the giant clam or not.
The exploitation of
the giant clam, scientifically calledTridacna gigas,has been banned asit is
listed asa rare and endangered species by
Blaze guts
market in
A fire broke out
during the evening of March 19 at Pho Hien market in northern Hung Yen
province.
Despite the heroic
rescue efforts of hundreds of firefighters, police, soldiers and local
residents the two-storey market was completely destroyed.
Fire engines and
rescue forces from nearby Ha
All told, about 100
traders have been adversely affected and preliminary estimates of the
property loss is set at VND300 billion (roughly US$15 million).
Since it began operations
in December 2013, the 29,000-sq.m Pho Hien market has been a major venue for
traders of garment and textiles, footwear, electric products, food, and home
appliances.
Colonel Vu Duy
Hien, Head of the Hung Yen City Police, said the fire broke out at
approximately 8pm on March 19, and erupted into flames a few minutes later.
Hundreds of people
flocked to the site to salvage their wares but were unable to enter the
market due to the fierce heat and flames.
The cause of the
blaze has been attributed to an electrical short at one of the pavilions.
Gamblers,
ring leaders get prison terms in Bac Ninh
The Bac Ninh
People's Court yesterday sentenced two leaders of a gambling ring to five
years and 42 months in jail respectively.
Duong Anh Duc, 50,
from the
They will also have
to pay fines of VND20 million (US$950) and VND15 million ($710) respectively.
The indictment said
Duc and Huong had collaborated in organising the gambling ring since October,
2012. They were caught red-handed together at a massage parlour with 102
other individuals engaged in illegal gambling on December 29, 2012.
Police seized more
than VND5.8 billion ($281,000) in cash, 69 cell phones, and two tablets. The
court ruled that the money and the gadgets will be submitted to the State
Treasury.
The court in the
Localities
urged to monitor bird flu spread
Localities need to
monitor bird flu virus spread and potency of vaccines, urged the National
Steering Committee on Avian Flu Control at a meeting in
There remain 24
hotbeds of bird flu in 14 cities and provinces, namely Ca Mau, Can Tho,
SocTrang, Vinh Long, TayNinh, Dong Thap, Khanh Hoa, Gia Lai, Hai Duong, Hung
Yen, Ben Tre, Ha Giang, Quang
The total number of
culled poultry has to date hit nearly 58,000, largely from southern
localities with 1.1 and 2.3.2.1 virus strains. The rate of ducks positive for
H5N1 virus in the south-western and south-eastern regions make up over 61
percent of sick ducks across the nation.
Deputy head of the
Animal Health Department Dam XuanThanh said in addition to bird flu, the
foot-and-mouth disease is emerging across the central
He called on
localities to take more samples for tests, offer vaccination, set up
quarantine areas while cracking down on the trading of sick or smuggled
poultry and their products.
According to the
Ministry of Public Health, preventive measures continue to prevent H7N9
entering the country as it has so far affected 390 people in 15 Chinese
cities and provinces, of whom 121 were fatal.
The entire ground
floor of City Hall will be upgraded into a public area available to a number
of public activities while HCMC’s government offices will move to the upper
floor and other neighboring constructions, according to a blueprint suggested
by municipal authorities.
“This is an idea in
the scheme of comprehensive site planning and architectural design of the
city’s administrative center suggested by the city government,” said Nguyen
Trong Hoa, head of the HCMC Institute for Development Studies.
The local
government will pay close attention to the conservation in designing and
development. The city wants to create a cozy relationship between citizens
and authorities, he asserted at a seminar on heritage conservation here on
March 18.
The city
authorities have ordered an immediate repair of block A 255 located on
The city’s
government has earlier approved a plan to host an international contest on
idea, site planning and architectural design of central administrative
constructions in the area restricted by the streets of Le Thanh Ton, Pasteur,
Ly Tu Trong and Dong Khoi.
According to the
city’s Department of Zoning and Architecture, the facade of City Hall will be
extended to
Swiss man
receives award for building suspension bridges
Tony Ruttimann from
Ben Tre is
considered to be one of leading provinces in the Mekong Delta region to
eliminate cau khi (monkey bridges) and build the most suspension bridges,
said Trinh Van Y, chairman of Ben Tre Province's Bridge and Road Science and
Technology Association.
After the collapse
of the suspension bridge in Cha Va Village in the
Residents praise
Ruttimann whenever they cross the suspension bridges, said Dr. Le Khanh in
Cam Son Commune when crossing a 40-meter suspension bridge over Binh Phu
River.
The association was
set up in 2003 when Ruttimann designed three suspension bridges in
The province was
much in poverty therefore Ruttimann decided to collaborate with charities in
Local citizens and
the government constructed pillars as foundations for the bridges. Building a
suspension bridge takes only one month. Ruttiman designs the bridges 40-80
meters long, 1.4 – 1.6 meters wide as he just wants to allow only pedestrians
and two-wheeled vehicles travelling on.
The Bridge and Road
Science and Technology Association appealed to social contribution to build
over 1,550 cement bridges in rural countryside districts and over 200
kilometer roads worth over VND250 billion (US$11,860,000) during a 10-year
operation.
The association
also helped build over 200 bridges in other provinces.
Popularisation
stepped up for ethnic, religious policies
The Southwest
Region Steering Committee this year will coordinate with ministries, central
agencies and localities to step up popularisation work among ethnic minority
people and religious followers in the region.
The task was
launched by the committee at a conference in the Mekong Delta city of
The publicised
content will focus on highlighting the development of the southeastern region
as well as its achievements in promoting socio-economic development and
ensuring security and defence.
The ethnic and
religious policies of the Party and State and action programmes to implement
ethnic development work by 2020 will also be on the agenda.
The work will be
implemented through different channels, including presentations and dialogues
at community meetings.
According to Nguyen
Phong Quang, deputy head of the committee, the popularisation work for ethnic
and religious people in the region recorded noteworthy results last year.
The committee, in
collaboration with central agencies and regional localities, organised 52
meetings with ethnic and religious communities, drawing more than 11,000
participants.
The work helped
better the understanding of ethnic minority people, religious dignitaries and
followers about the guidelines and policies of the Party and State,
especially those related to ethnic groups and religions, he said.
It also raised
their vigilance over sabotage schemes of hostile and reactionary forces as
well as their pride of national traditions, cultural and religious values, he
added.
In parallel with
popularisation work, the committee cooperated with agencies and localities to
actively implement the Party and State’s policies for ethnic groups and
religions, covering socio-economic development, social security guarantees,
poverty reduction, vocational training, job generation, health care and
support for the poor.
Deputy PM
guides preparations for 2014 Vesak
Deputy Prime
Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked relevant authorities and localities to
closely work with each other to ensure security and safety for the United
Nations Day of Vesak (Buddha’s Birthday, Enlightenment and Passing Away).
Celebrations for
the 2014 Vesak will take place in the
Phuc was informed
that plans for security, traffic safety and fire prevention have been
devised.
The government’s
Committee for Religious Affairs has partnered with ministries, branches and
localities to guide the VBS in carrying out essential tasks.
Under the theme of
"Buddhist Perspective towards Achieving the United Nations Millennium Development
Goals", the event, to take place in Bai Dinh pagoda, is being organised
by the VBS in collaboration with the International Council for the Day of
Vesak.
The event is
expected to welcome around 5,000 guests, including 1,500 from 95 countries
and territories worldwide.
This will be the
second time
A list of the top
ten most outstanding young people in
The honoured
individuals have shown their active role and enormous achievements in a wide
range of fields, from studying, scientific research, production and business,
national security and defence, culture-art, sports, and social activities in
the interests of the community.
The finalists were
chosen from over a hundred entries nominated by 54 agencies and organisations
across the country by a judging panel and online votes via prestigious press
agencies such as VTV6 youth channel, Tien Phong (Vanguard), Tuoi tre (Young
Age), Thanh Nien (Youth), and VietnamNet.
A grand ceremony
will be held in
The ten awardees
include Nguyen Duong Kim Hao, a 6th grader in HCM City; Bui Quang Tu, a 12th
grader in Hanoi-Amsterdam high school; and Associate Professor and Dr. Le Anh
Vinh, born in 1983, from the Hanoi-based National University.
Nguyen Sy Luan,
born in 1985, Director of Binh Minh joint stock company, is also among the
honoured, together with Dang Quoc Khanh, born in 1978, a military officer in
central Nghe An province; and Mai Hoang, born in 1979, a police officer
in north-western Son La province.
Others on the list
are Nguyen Dang Quang, born in 1998, from the Vietnam National Academy of
Music; Mai Van Phuong, born in 1982, an engineer from the PTSC Geos and
Subsea Services Company Ltd.; Lai Van Diep, born in 1980, Director of a
handicraft Co. Ltd. for the disabled in northern Thai Binh province; and
Nguyen Thi Anh Vien, born in 1996, from a military-run sport and training
centre in HCM City.
More than 100
Vietnamese and German scientists gathered at a conference in
Participants
discussed water and environment issues, and their international cooperation
programme to protect climate and environment by sustainable technology and
services.
Key projects such
as textile dyeing wastewater treatment, online urban traffic monitoring
systems, and strategies for industrial sewage management were also put on the
table.
The conference
heard that the sewage discharged from the textile industry amounts to 25-30
million cubic meters annually, yet only 20 percent of which is treated.
Experts from the
project had met with over 70 Vietnamese companies operating in the fields of
dyeing, food, medicine, hospital, and hotel to introduce the latest
technologies in treating industrial waste.
Andreas Suthof from
the Department of International Relations and European Studies under the
Asian Management Institute called for creative solutions and close
collaboration between governmental offices and organisations to effectively
carry out the joint projects between
Northern
mountainous provinces to benefit more from poverty project
A consultative
conference regarding the expansion of a World Bank-funded poverty reduction
project in
The six-year
project, starting from 2010, has a budget of 165 million USD with 150 million
USD coming from the WB and the rest from the Vietnamese Government.
It targets more
than 2,300 villages in 27 districts of the six northern mountainous provinces
of Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Son La, Hoa Binh, Lai Chau and Dien Bien.
Participants at the
event focused their discussion on the adjustment of the project’s components
and how to encourage communes to keep up the activities started by the
project.
They proposed the
World Bank and the project’s coordinating board organise more training
courses in bidding, financial management and contract control for local
officials.
In Hoa Binh
province alone, the project has helped build farmer groups to grow ginger,
passion fruit and sugar-cane in Mai Chau, Lac Son, Yen Thuy, Tan Lac and Da
Bac districts, benefiting about 19,000 households.
Conference
discusses research nuclear reactor
A conference on the
design and safe operation of research nuclear power reactors was held in Da
Lat city, the Central Highland
The conference drew
the participation of more than 100 scientists from various countries
including
Experts from the
Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation (Rosatom) introduced specific
features of research reactors in
Meanwhile,
scientists from the RoK,
They also touched
upon safety inspection following incidents at research reactors as well as
neutron experiments at
It has served
research on nuclear and neutron physics as well as on nuclear applications.-
Seminar
updates carbon capture, storage technology
More than 50
domestic and foreign scientists gathered at a seminar in
The function was
held by the Vietnam Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, the
Vietnam Petroleum Institute and the Global Carbon Capture and Storage
Institute.
Nguyen Dac Hong,
Director of the Department of Science and Technology under the Ministry of
Natural Resources and Environment, said under the National Target Programme
on Climate Change Response, there are a number of researches into ways to
reduce CO2 emission, of which CCS is an important one.
At the seminar,
foreign experts shared solutions that have been applied by developed
countries.
They also suggested
areas with geological features suitable for CCS activities in
Participants also
tabled the CCS commercialisation, which is encountering financial,
technological, environmental and political barriers, and the scenario that
the storage fails and carbon is released into the environment.
Italian Red
Cross funds reproductive health project in Binh Thuan
The Italian Red
Cross (IRC) has funded a project to helped improve reproductive health care
for women in the southern central
Results of the
project were reviewed at a seminar held by the Vietnam Red Cross’ chapter in
Binh Thuan and the IRC Office in Phan Thiet city on March 19.
The project
targeted women between the ages of 15-49 in Tan Tien and La Gi districts, the
areas with the highest rates of reproductive health issues in the province.
The project
provided consultancy and early diagnosis and treatment for women in the
community, and organised campaigns to raise awareness of harmful everyday
habits that increase the risk of catching diseases related to reproductive
health.
Nguyen Tran Quan,
Chairman of the provincial Red Cross, said the project has laid the
foundation for more efforts to improve healthcare in the locality, especially
in remote and island areas.
During the
2010-2012 period, the IRC also provided 150,000 EUR for similar projects in
southern Tien Giang, Binh Phuoc and Long An provinces.
The projects in
Tien Giang and Binh Phuoc have benefited 2,100 mothers and 1,800 children.
Authorities in
Under the
newly-issued regulation, all sidewalk shops on Pham Ngu Lao, Bui Vien, De
Tham, and Do Quang Dau Streets have been forced to shut down, starting from
March 15, according to Le Thanh Tuan, chairman of the People’s Committee of
Pham Ngu Lao District.
Tuan said his
committee had informed local people and businesses of the shutdown in a
meeting held a week before the rule was officially enforced.
He added that
vehicles are allowed to park on the sidewalk and local officials will
consider allowing local inhabitants who have small houses or are financially
poor to run their business in some parts of the sidewalk.
However, Tuan said
there is no longer space for trade operations in the area at night.
Pham Thanh Kien,
chairman of the People’s Committee of District 1, told Tuoi Tre that they do not
have any plans yet to arrange a night trade area to serve visitors to the
city’s popular tourist spot.
The HCMC People’s
Committee had previously given a two-year license to Cuu Long Commercial
& Investment Ltd Company to provide tourists with shopping and
entertainment services in September 23 Park.
On Sunday, one day
after the rule enforcement, an expat posted on Facebook a photo showing some
foreigners placing their bottles of beer on newspaper sheets on a sidewalk on
The photo has
attracted more than 200 comments in just a few days, mostly coming from
expats and foreign tourists.
Some people said
they love street food in the area so they might not come there anymore if
their favorite street food is not available.
Others supported
the government’s rule because they said it will give more space for
pedestrians.
The photo was taken
by Chris Dewaele, owner of Hidden Café in an alley behind
Chris, who has run
his shop for five months, told Tuoi Tre: “Maybe more regulations are needed
in the area because sometimes there are a lot of chairs on the sidewalk,
making it impossible for pedestrians to walk.”
“But some street
shops are also good for the animation and the vivacity of the city,” he said.
The French man
estimated that the number of visitors to the backpacker area now drops by 30
percent compared to the previous time.
Ten
outstanding young people to receive award
Tien phong
(Vanguard) Newspaper has announced ten individuals who will receive the 2013
Vietnam Outstanding Young Talent Award.
This year’s
awardees include Nguyen Duong Kim Hao, a 6th grade student at Nguyen Gia
Thieu Secondary School, Ho Chi Minh City; Bui Quang Tu, a 12th grade student
at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School; Dr. Le Anh Vinh (1983), associate professor
at Vietnam National University in Hanoi; Nguyen Sy Luan (1985), director of
Binh Minh JSC; Lt. Dang Quoc Khanh (1978) of the Hanh Dich border station,
Nghe An Province; Capt. Mai Hoang (1979), deputy police chief of Van Ho
District, Son La Province; Nguyen Dang Quang (1998) of the Vietnam National
Academy of Music; Mai Van Phuong (1982), chief engineer at PetroVietnam
Technical Services Corporation; Lai Van Diep (1980), director of the Vu Ninh
Company, Thai Binh Province; and Lt. Nguyen Thi Anh Vien (1996), a swimmer at
National Defense Sports and Physical Training Centre 4.
The award is
presented by the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union Central Committee to recognise
individuals who serve as role models for the younger generation.
This year’s winners
were chosen from a list of 20 nominees who made major contributions or
innovations at school or work over the past year.
Source: SGT/VNA/SGGP/VOV/Nhandan/VIR/VNS
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Thứ Năm, 20 tháng 3, 2014
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