Social Headlines December 28 Russian lecture educates A lecture entitled VVER Technologies: Experience and Perspective after The lecture was delivered by Russian expert A. Khrobostov, director of the Institute for Nuclear Energy and Technical Physics of the The event was organised by the The Russian NPP safety programme started long before the ROSATOM is making great efforts to develop nuclear human resources in The Vietnamese specialists were also introduced to state-of-the-art designs used by the company. ROSATOM brings together more than 250 enterprises and scientific institutions including all of Baby with congenital heart disease saved A two-month-old baby in The 2.6kg baby, Pham Tien Dat from suburban My Duc district, was discharged from the hospital on December 23 after 26 days of intensive treatment. The baby was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of respiratory failure and pneumonia. Doctor Nguyen Sinh Hien, Deputy Director of the hospital, said this was a complicated case because the baby was several months old and underweight. He was rescued thanks to emergency operation and promptly intensive treatment. The surgery’s success opened a new prospect on operation and treatment for children with complicatedly congenital heart diseases.- Nearly 200 kids hospitalised for suspected poisoning As many as 185 children from Phuoc The Kindergarten, between one and five years old, have been admitted to hospital for cases of suspected food poisoning. The victims, all attending the Phuoc The communal kindergarten in southern Binh Thuan province’s Tuy Phong district, were hospitalised on the evening of December 25 suffering nausea, stomach pains, and vomiting. Tuy Phong District People’s Committee Vice Chairwoman Pham Thi My Loan confirmed 165 children were taken to Many have already been discharged but some remain in critical conditions, Loan said. The Binh Thuan Provincial Department of Health is investigating the cause of the suspected poisoning. Authorities will test food samples taken from Phuoc The Kindergarten’s December 25 lunches. This is Binh Thuan province’s largest reported case of poisoning. Increase in farmers annual income in last few years: Minister The average income of farmers has continued to grow in the last few years to now touch an annual income of nearly VND20 million (US$952), said Cao Duc Phat, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Minister Phat announced this at a meeting on December 25 in The Minister stated that the growth of agriculture, forestry and aquaculture between 2009 and 2013 saw an annual average increase of 2.9 per cent. For the last five years, the Party Central Committee plan as per Resolution 7 has helped revamp the face of rural districts and farmers’ living conditions. In the agriculture sector, production has soared with higher quality and increased exports. Farmers’ average annual income has hit nearly VND20 million ($952), 2.18 times higher than in 2008. Poverty has also slumped by 12.6 percent compared to 2008. However, the Minister acknowledged that there have been shortcomings in the agriculture sector such as not applying advanced technology in production, low competitiveness, a stagnant restructuring process, and a widening income gap between the rural and urban areas, and between the lowland and mountainous regions. Speaking at the meeting, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung stressed that the governments, ministries, and concerned agencies should realize the role of agriculture and farmers in the nation’s growth. Drinking crackdown nets 10,000 plus Police across the nation have reported more than 10,000 drinking and driving violations in about a month after a campaign to strengthen inspections of the offence was launched, according to Road and Rail Traffic Police Administration. Altogether 9,000 driving licenses have been revoked and more than 10,100 vehicles seized. Cities and provinces that have seen a high number of violations include HCM City, the Mekong Delta's provinces of Tra Vinh, Dong Thap, Ca Mau and Hau Giang, the central provinces of Quang Tri, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Da Nang City, and the northern provinces of Quang Ninh and Phu Tho, the administration said. Human trafficker gets 20 years in prison The indictment said that Ry enticed the woman and girls, all belonging to the Khmer ethnic minority community, to go with him to The four were then handed over to a woman and taken to the Mong Cai border gate in northern Ry was caught by locals in the central province of Quang He confessed to the police that he had previously trafficked three women to Bus fees increase for Tet holiday A mass of transport service companies operating at the HCM City – based Mien Dong (East bound) Coach Station have been raising the price of coach fares for weekdays by five to ten percent since mid-November, aiming to push prices up for the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. According to the station's regulations, travel businesses are allowed to raise fares for coaches from the city to destinations in central and The increase in fares is aimed at making up for lost revenue for coaches that will return to the city with low passenger numbers after taking people to their hometowns for the holiday. The Sao Vang Transport Service Trading Ltd Co has raised fares for trips from the city to the central If the company hadn't increased the fare on weekdays, passengers would only have paid VND512,000 ($24) for a seat and VND592,000 ($28) for a bunk during the holiday. Some transport businesses that sell tickets outside the station have taken advantage of the increase to illegally double their fares. Duong Hong Thanh, Deputy Director of the city's Transport Department, told Tuoi Tre (The Youth) newspaper that inspectors were only responsible for managing and tackling violations involving ticket prices sold inside coach stations. "Currently, there are no regulations to punish transport business that sell tickets outside the stations for an inflated price," Thanh said. The city's Transport Department advised passengers to purchase tickets directly from the station to avoid problems. Transport inspectors have also been asked to strengthen inspections at the city's coach stations. Since early this month, some transport businesses in Ha Noi's My Dinh Coach Station have increased fares for weekdays by 5-18 percent. Police arrest gang ring over credit card fraud A gang of thieves who buy credit card numbers from hackers and make phony bookings at hotels, later cancelling the reservations with hotel sales executives who are also part of the scam has been uncovered. The group includes five men: Nguyen Hoang Anh, 27, of central Nghe An Province, the gang's leader; and Nguyen Hai Ha, 32, Mai Quoc Viet, 25, Dao Viet Anh, 28, and Vo Viet Phuong, 33, all from Ha Noi. Anh and his accomplices were allegedly using the computer and internet to appropriate property, according to the Police Department for High-Tech Crime Prevention under the Ha Noi Police. Investigative documents showed that Anh bought real credit-card numbers from hackers. In June, Anh's group, using the hacked credit-card numbers, reserved rooms at several hotels in Police said the hotel staff cancelled the bookings and then met face-to-face with gang members to give them the money that had been credited to the hotel. Since the middle of 2013, the gang have made bookings at 19 hotels in The gang appropriated a total of VND1.4 billion ($66,500) million, including VND700 million ($33,250) from Ha Noi-based hotels, police said. Anh and his accomplices took 60 per cent of the amount, and the rest was given to the hotel staff taking part in the scam, according to police. Police are continuing to investigate the case. Vietnamese students in The Voice of Russia reports approximately 6,000 Vietnamese students are currently studying in The agreement stipulates the Vietnamese Government will cover all training and accommodation costs for eligible students. Authorities are anticipating a rise in student numbers following President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Vietnamese students are distributed across six Russian universities. The Russian Government now offers 1,000 of its 15,000 total annual scholarships to Vietnamese students. Russian education experts say Vietnamese students have a firm grasp of fundamentals and are serious about their studies. They actively participate in sports and cultural activities at their respective universities. Many Vietnamese students have placed highly in physics, chemistry, maths, and informatics Olympiads. The experts are confident regulatory reforms regarding recruiting overseas students to Russian universities will also encourage more Vietnamese students to pursue Russian educational opportunities. The third conference of the Executive Board of the The meeting reviewed the implementation of trade union activities in 2013 and discussed how to effectively perform the tasks of the sector in 2014. Participants heard and gave comments to the VGCL’s resolution on improving cultural and spiritual life for labourers working in industrial parks and export processing zones. Speaking at the event, VFF President Nguyen Thien Nhan praised the efforts made by trade unions nationwide for obtaining achievements in their work. He said the VFF will propose the Government issue a strategy on implementing the campaign “Vietnamese priorities made-in-Vietnam goods” to 2020 and asked trade unions nationwide to well respond to the campaign. The President also asked the VGCL to attach importance to listening to desire and aspiration of workers and have timely commendation of outstanding individuals and organizations in production. He also urged the trade unions to increase the supervision of the implementation of planning on housing for labourers, especially those in industrials parks in In 2013, the VGCL worked closely with relevant agencies to give advice to the Government for the issue of Resolution on detailed regulations of financial issues in trade unions. The unions have also worked hard to take care of labourers and protect their legitimate rights and interests, creating the workforce’s confidence in the trade unions. Healthy, productive working environment ensured Sexual harassment at workplace needs to be solved thoroughly to protect legitimate rights of every worker and ensure a healthy and productive working environment, Director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Vietnam Gyorgy Sziraczki has said. Sziraczki made the statement at a workshop held in the central city of Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Hoang Van Dung said that the guide will provide enterprises with knowledge and methods to prevent and address the bad behaviour, which will contribute to the development of harmonious labour relations in businesses. Over the past time, the ILO and the VCCI have coordinated to implement a pilot programme on preventing and combating the bad behaviour at several enterprises, especially since this sensitive issue for the first time was prohibited in the amended 2012 Labour Code which started effect on May 1, 2013. With the support of the pilot programme, some enterprises have banned this behaviour in their work regulations. They have also set up communication campaigns and organised training activities to raise the awareness of sexual harassment at workplace. Japanese pump maker helps Ebara hosted an early December seminar in Leading experts discussed the issues commonly arising when operating pumping stations. Ebara established its Hatakeyama Memorial Fund (EHMF) in 1989 as a means of deepening mutual understanding and cultivating amicable international relationships, particularly in Over the 2013 fiscal year, the EHMF organised seven seminars in Khanh Hoa welcomes 3 million tourist arrivals The central coastal The figure included nearly 712,000 foreigners and 2.3 million domestic visitors, up 34% and 28%, respectively, said the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The province also welcomed 11 million others who made one-day visits. With 150,000 arrivals, The number of Russian tourists was followed by those of The time that foreign tourists spend here also increased to more than 3.2 days per person. There are more than 540 tourist residence facilities, including 48 three- to five-star hotels, with nearly 15,000 rooms in Khanh Hoa, where shopping and entertainment centres as well as unique tourism products are mushrooming. In 2014, the province plans to further improve its facilities, provide more tourism products, and become a friendly, safe and healthy destination. It will also increase collaboration with key localities such as The Vietnam Office for Seeking Mission Personnel (VNOSMP) held a ceremony on December 26 to mark its 40th founding anniversary. The office has, over the past 40 years, performed well its function of consulting the Party and State and supporting the ministries in searching for personnel listed as missing in action (MIA) during the American war. The effective settlement of the MIA issue in Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan spoke highly of the contributions by the office as well as the effective support from ministries, agencies and localities in the work MIA over the past time.- Experience in building new rural areas shared with Lao Officials of the Mekong Delta Hosts presented their effective measures in building new rural areas such as focusing on building infrastructure like roads and irrigation facilities and guiding residents in the cultivation of high-value products. After three years, three out of the 11 pilot communes have fulfilled all the 19 national criteria for new rural areas and the rest, 15 or 16 criteria. The provincial Military High Command also shared experience in building reserve such as working out concrete plans basing on tasks assigned to its units each year and paying due attention to training. Around 200 people who are addicted to various types of addictive substances will benefit from the programme, which is undertaken by the drug detoxification and counseling centre run by the department. According to the municipal AIDS Prevention and Control Committee, the pilot application of Methadone therapy has brought concrete outcomes in reducing HIV transmission. As many as 1,334 people are taking the treatment, showing positive changes psychologically and physically. Five years since the therapy was launched, the nation now has 61 methadone clinics in 20 cities and provinces, treating around 14,000 drug users with no fatality due to excessive medication and unexpected side effects recorded. After a 24-month treatment course, the percentage of patients, who are at high risk of depression, slid to 15 percent from 80 percent while a mere 1.3 percent commit to legal violations, reported the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Department of the Ministry of Health. A heath ministry-conducted survey on over 1,000 patients in clinics across Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong, which have piloted the treatment since April, 2008, found 96 percent of them continue with the medication after the recommended treating course finishes while only 15.87 percent relapse into bad habits. Up to 75.9 percent of them now get employed. The medication has also saved over VND1 trillion (US$47.6 million) per year for 13,000 addicts in 11 cities and provinces as a drug user used to spend VND230,000 (US$10.1) on heroin, meaning nearly VND84 million (US$4,000) a year. Truong Thi Mai, Chairwoman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs, has hailed She made the appraisal while inspecting the city’s implementation of policies and laws on poverty reduction during the 2005-2012 period on December 25-26. It recently decided to raise poverty benchmark to 16 million VND (752 USD) per person per year for 2014-2015 from 12 million VND set for the previous period. The move has made it easier for local people to access the State’s policies, she noted, highlighting the city’s mobilisation of various resources to the programme along with its budget. Mai suggested the locality pay more attention to improving living standards of households near the poverty line. A survey conducted by the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs showed that the poverty rate in 2012 was reduced by 2.12 percent, exceeding the target of 2 percent set by the National Assembly. In particular, the rate sharply fell in poor districts with 7.02 percent while the NA target was just 4 percent.- The 9th Lawrence S.Ting Charity Walk will take place on January 11 in Phu My Hung Urban Area of District 7, According to the organsers, 11,500 people have registered to walk the walk with donations of over 1.2 billion VND (roughly 60,000 USD) as by Dec. 26. For the purpose of raising fund for poor people in the city, the charity walk has to date collected more than 14 billion VND, including 2.4 billion VND in 2013. The organiser, the Phu My Hung Company, has eagerly taken part in other community-target programmes, such as granting Lawrence S.Ting scholarships to local students with poor living conditions, and donating wheelchairs to the disabled and medical equipment to hospitals nationwide.- Support needed for countryside women to learn jobs Due attention should be given to working out support policies to encourage women in rural areas to voluntarily take vocational training courses to improve their lives and their participation in the national industrialisation and modernisation. Women account for 52 percent of Statistics on gender in Women with university, college and higher education levels in the Red river delta account for 11.2 percent while the rate is only 4.1 percent in the Professor and Doctor Pham Thi Tran Chau, President of the Vietnam Association for Intellectual Women, said that it is necessary to diversify training forms to attract females in rural areas to learn jobs. Vietnam’s population officially hit 90 million on November 1, with about 63 million people in working age, reflecting the ‘golden population structure’ in the country. The country is to see about 1 million people joining workforce annually. As an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for The Government has deployed solutions in terms of law enforcement and international cooperation to surpass challenges regarding the awareness about gender equality, and eliminate gender and domestic violence as well as gender gaps of employment, income and social position. By the end of 2011, female literacy was 92 percent and about 80 percent of girls at remote, far-flung and ethnic regions go to school at the right age. Thanks to such efforts, However, The government will continue working to raise public awareness of gender equality while strengthening international cooperation in dealing with gender inequality, especially among disadvantaged groups and in strategic realms such as education, healthcare and employment.- The capital city of Communication campaigns will be launched widely in diverse forms to encourage people to voluntarily get involved in the movement. The city plans to launch 200 model power saving streets and 60 model power saving families in the year. In 2013, energy saving efforts helped Vietinbank builds houses for needy ethnic people in Ha Giang The Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank) on December 25 handed over seven houses worth 350 million VND (16,450 USD) to poor ethnic households in Meo Vac district, the northern mountainous Since 2009, the bank has provided over 250 billion VND (11,750,000 USD) to poor localities in the province in implementing government’s poverty reduction and social welfare programmes. The money was used to build houses, schools and safe water reservoirs in the locality. Through its assistance, the bank also helped upgrade the Lung Cu flag tower in Dong Van district and presented cattle to poor families and ambulances to hospitals in the province, contributing to promoting socio-economic development and reducing poverty in Ha Giang. On the occasion, the bank’s branch in Ha Giang also gave cows for poor households in Quan Ba district, helping them develop their production and increasing income.- Expert says neglect of duty in mining a form of corruption The neglect of obligations in protecting the environment in exploiting natural resources can be seen a delicate form of corruption, an expert said at a seminar on Wednesday on transparency initiatives to protect the environment. Dang Hung Vo, former deputy minister of natural resources and environment, told the meeting that many investors belittle the task of environment protection in their projects, thus doing harm to the environment and the community. The strategic environment assessment and the environment protection statement required for such projects, especially those in mining, have not properly attended to by project owners, and in many cases, investors prepare such studies only to gain regulatory approval for their projects, Vo said. The community can hardly get access to information on environment protection from each project, while compensations for the community due to environmental damages have not been properly enforced, he said. “The failure to fulfill environment protection obligation in projects to tap natural resources is therefore a form of corruption,” he told the seminar organized by the non-profit organization PanNature in Do Thanh Bai from Chemistry Society of Vietnam said thousands of licenses had been issued to investors as of may 2013 to tap natural resources nationwide. These include 79 licenses issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, 530 licenses issued by other central agencies, and 4,200 licenses granted by provincial governments. However, between 30% and 40% of mining enterprises do not make periodic reports on their operations as required, he said. Under prevailing regulations, of all the taxes payable by mining enterprises, 30% is to be paid to the central State Budget, while the remaining 70% is paid to provincial coffers. Information about the payment of such taxes is not transparent, Bai said. The HCMC government is calling for investment in an anti-flooding dyke project stretching 120 kilometers from the Saigon River to the Vam Thuat River in District 12 and Muong Chuoi Bridge in Nha Be District with the total capital of around VND12 trillion. Nguyen Ngoc Cong, deputy director of the The dyke is designed to be 2.5 meters above sea level. The project along with tidal sluices Tan Thuan, Ben Nghe and Phu Xuan will help reduce flooding in seven districts in the inner city. There are two investors showing interest in the project – a domestic firm and a German company. They have suggested that they would build the dyke with their own funds and in exchange they must be entitled to use some sections as canoe and yacht berths, ports and build riverside ecological tourist sites. Cong said that the center will work with the Singapore Business Association next week to call for investment in the project. Singaporean firms are very strong in dyke and port construction, Cong added. Ho Long Phi, director of the Currently, central districts are short of nearly 4,000 kilometers of sewers, so flooding will occur after heavy rain. For instance, It is necessary to complete anti-flooding measures against flood tides and rainwater, building up dykes, tidal sluices, improving drainage sewers in the inner city and build rainwater reservoirs. Otherwise, the anti-flooding program will not work, he added. Cong of the Up until now, only 31 out of 149 kilometers of dykes and one out of nine large tidal sluices of the project have been completed. Source: VNA/VNS/Nhandan/VOV/SGT |
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