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Social News 31/1
Lord David Puttnam: Teamwork a key to success
Lord David Puttnam held a dialogue on January 29 with more
than 300 students and teachers from Le Hong Phong high school in
At the talk, the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Vietnam,
Cambodia, Laos, and Burmashared his experiencesandknowledge about
economics,andthe importance of teamwork as a key to success.
Puttnam then stressed that young students should be faithful
to their ideasand should not underestimate the importance of creativity in
the learning process.
Puttnam was chairman and CEO of Columbia Pictures from June
1986 until September 1987.His films have won 10 Oscars, 25 BAFTAs and the
Palme d'Or at
Puttnam was awarded knighthood in 1995 and was appointed to
the House of Lords two years later. He has also received more than 40
honorary degrees from universities in the
No Rubella cases recorded in HCMC
Following the news that of nearly 150 workers in a company in
the southern
Accordingly, local authorities must raise people’s awareness
of the disease through public media as well as the benefit of vaccination
against the disease and encourage parents to take their children to medical
units for immunization.
Medical units in coordination with schools review to inject
all children in the age of one to 14 as per plan. The massive free
vaccination campaign held by the Department of Preventative Medicine has
administered vaccine to more than 12 million children in 50 cities and
provinces achieving 95 percent of the plan.
Police find 48 dead monkeys, arrest trader
Environmental police in central Nghe An Province have arrested
a local man for illegally trading wild and rare animals after a raid that
uncovered 48 dead monkeys inside freezers.
Working with provincial police, environmental police raided
the house of Tran Gia Ngu in Tuong Duong District and discovered the dead
animals.
Two monkeys were found alive in Ngu's basement, but both had
suffered serious leg wounds and were weak from ill health. Dozens of weasels
were also found, as well as four Sunda flying lemurs, and wild boars.
Ngu told police he bought the animals from local people and
was planning to sell them.
Police are expanding their investigation.
The Forest Protection Department says
Police have seized an increasingly large number of wild animal
in the central and central highlands regions in recent months.
Consumers confused of nutritional supplements due to
advertising
A seminar on management of nutritional supplement was held by
the
According to the municipal Department of Food Safety, related
agencies discovered violations in sales and advertising of nutritional
supplement.
35 percent of violation was that the labeling is not matched
with what stamped at registered document; 17 percent of nutritional
supplement importers boasted of nutritional supplement use.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, deputy chairwoman of the municipal
Department of Food Safety, said that advertisings of nutritional supplements
on websites or newspapers are capricious and loosely managed causing
misunderstanding among consumers that they are medications.
670kg of gunpowder seized at
Border guards in the central
The smugglers admitted had been working for a ring to bring
dynamite into the province.
Border guards also stopped a lorry carrying 382kg of
firecrackers on Tuesday, which are prohibited in
Firms fined for trade in untreated waste
Tran Hiep Thanh Textile Corporation, located in Trang Bang
Industrial Zone, worked with Thu Ngan One Member Co.,Ltd in An Tinh Commune
to store 51,880 tonnes of mud. However, Thu Ngan was unable to cope with the
large amount of waste, causing pollution in the surrounding environment.
The committee instructed the textile corporation to sign a
contract with a waste treatment company, and Thu Ngan has been given 30 days
to treat the waste to avoid environmental pollution.
Gasoline tanker explodes, injuring two
A gasoline tanker exploded yesterday in the southernmost
The injured victims, identified as the driver and a local
woman, are being treated at
An eyewitness said the tanker exploded suddenly while a welder
was working at the back of the tanker.
The reason behind the explosion is being investigated.
The Public Security Ministry and
They also arrested seven suspects for allegedly stealing the
fuel from Jetstar Pacific and selling it illegally.
Le Tien Binh, Deputy Head of the Property Infringement
Investigation Division under the Public Security Ministry, said that the
gang, including three Jetstar Pacific drivers working for Jetstar Pacific's
Technical Department, stole the fuel from tanker trucks while servicing
planes at
He said that the drivers pumped the stolen fuel into jerry
cans and carried them to a warehouse at the airport.
The drivers there allegedly shared the fuel into 30-litre cans
and transported them to a warehouse owned by 39-year-old Tran Van Suu in
District 7, he said.
The drivers later allegedly sold the gas to Suu for
VND350,000-390,000 (US$16.6-18.5) each gas can, he added.
Suu is said to have mixed the fuel with diesel oil and
distributed the mix to various cities and provinces, including HCM City, Dong
Nai and Long An for higher prices, he said. The gang is said to have operated
for two years and stolen a total of 600-900 litres of aviation gas each day,
he said.
Ho Sy Tien, Director General of Criminal Police Authority,
said that the case had shown a lack of management by the Technical Department
of Jetstar Pacific.
He said that the criminals had mixed the fuel with diesel oil
without permits or licences, making it dangerous for those who used it.
Ha Noi to raise smuggling fines
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved Ha Noi's
proposal to increase administrative fines for smugglers and manufacturers of
fake products.
He asked the Ministry of Finance to study the proposal and
provide funding and equipment to Ha Noi to implement the plan.
The proposal was made at a meeting held on Wednesday to
discuss ways to tackle trade fraud, smuggling and fake products this year.
Ha Noi Police Department Director Nguyen Duc Chung also said
the city should auction seized goods to prevent losses or damage. At present,
authorised agencies have to wait until trials are finished to sell the
assets.
Vice chairman of the municipal People's Committee, Nguyen Ngoc
Tuan, who is also chairman of the city's Steering Committee on Trade Fraud,
Smuggling and Fake Product Prevention and Control, said Ha Noi was a hot spot
for consumption and production in the northern region.
To deal with this, the city has carried out inspections at
wholesale markets, major storage facilities, train and bus stations, ports
and the airport. Inspections have also been carried out at key transport
routes linking Ha Noi with Lang Son, Mong Cai, Hai Phong, Lao Cai, Cao Bang
and
Last Friday, Market Watch forces and police stopped a car
transporting four tonnes of cosmetics and 3.1 tonnes of spices of unknown
origin.
In 2014, the city handled nearly 21,000 cases of smuggling and
fake product production and trade, and prosecuted 154 people. The total
administrative fines and the value of the seized products amounted to more
than VND3.6 trillion (US$171 million).
However, Chung said police still faced many difficulties in
the fight against smuggling and fake goods.
For example, smugglers make use of a policy that allows people
living along the border who are exempt from import taxes for products worth
less than VND2 million ($95) per person per day to smuggle goods, causing
difficulties for authorised agencies.
Other participants at the conference also pointed out a
shortage of manpower to carry out regular checks, especially when smugglers
use the cover of night or rainy days to illegally transport goods.
Deputy PM Phuc said Ha Noi had made progress in this fight,
but more was still needed, particularly with Tet approaching.
Apart from increasing inspections at high-risk areas such as
wholesale markets and transport hubs, a mechanism was needed so members of
the public could provide information about smugglers and counterfeiters, he
said.
Labour relations better, but problems persist
Employers using "sophisticated" ways to take
"revenge" on union officials and the latter's poor negotiation and
communication skills were among labour relations problems highlighted at a
workshop on Tuesday.
However, recent years have seen a marked improvement in the
situation, workers' union and labour federation officials asserted.
Union officials said that industrial workers were continuing
to use work stoppages and strikes as a first option to make their claims
because current legal procedures are cumbersome and time-consuming.
Mai Duc Chinh, vice president of Viet Nam Labour Confederation
said at a workshop held in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) on Tuesday that workers
were not following the two-step procedure they are supposed to.
He said workers were required to take their problems to
district level labour arbitration councils first and their provincial
counterparts next before corporate unions can organise a strike.
"But, in fact, over the last nine years, the Labour
Arbitration Council of HCM City has only worked on a single case," he
said.
However, Cu Phat Nghiep, president of the HCM City-based Pou
Yuen Company Workers'
"By the means of a spontaneous strike, they can get to
meet the top management of their company immediately."
Despite the "unlawful" practice, labour relations
have improved in the country, participants said at the workshop that focused
on "Unions' Involvement in Prevention and Resolution of Labour Disputes
and Strikes, Current Situation and Resolutions."
Chinh said that the incidence of collective labour disputes
and strikes had reduced in recent years by 25 per cent, from the peak of 993
in 2011 to 293 incidents in 2014.
He attributed the reduction to authorities, unions and
employers working hard to implement instructions issued by the Party
Secretariat on improving labour relations.
He noted that labour disputes resulting in stoppages often
occurred around the Tet holiday, surrounding the issue of salaries, wages and
Tet bonuses.
None of the work stoppages and strikes were political in
nature, and did not involve any damage to property or life, he said.
Typically, it was the employers' violations of the Labour Law
that caused the disputes, he added.
Statistics compiled by the Viet Nam Labour Confederation show
that between 2009 and 2014, there were 3,120 work stoppages and strikes. Of
them, 959 (30.74 per cent) related to worker's rights; 1,272 (40.77 per cent)
pertained to worker's interests; 832 involved both rights and interests; and
57 were triggered by other reasons (1.83 per cent).
Le Trong Sang, head of the Confederation's Labour Relations
Department, said that from a practical standpoint, labour disputes can be
seen to arise from both the employer and the employee.
"The employers fail to pay due attention to their
employees and violate regulations on employees' rights and interests in terms
of wages, work hours and vacations.
On the other hand, due to poor education, traditional work
habits and low awareness, employees are often ignorant of the terms of labour
contracts that they sign," Sang said.
He added that collective labour disputes occurred most in
foreign-invested enterprises, partly because of language barriers that led to
misunderstandings. Chinh urged corporate unions to act as a bridge between
the employer and the employee.
"They (the unions) should take the initiative in working
with employers to organise regular dialogues and meetings with employees,
which are not only opportunities for both sides to exchange information but
also for employers to clear claims and solve complaints of employees,
contributing to better labour relations."
However, there are some serious challenges facing unions, the
workshop heard.
One member of the Dong Nai Labour Federation who did not want
to be named told the Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper that union officials worked
part-time for the most part, and did not have enough time for proper union
activities.
"Worse still, their negotiation and communication skills
are so poor that they are unable to fight for or protect the employees'
interests," he said.
Lao Dong also cited other unnamed delegates from Binh Duong
and Bac Ninh provinces who said in several cases, employers took revenge in
"sophisticated fashion" on unionists involved in stoppages and
strikes.
The workshop was organised by the National Labour
Confederation in collaboration with the German Frienrich Ebert Foundation.
British surgeons help ‘children of Agent Orange’
Though the Vietnam War ended nearly 4 decades ago, the casualties
continue as birth defects plague the country due to the 20 million gallons of
Agent Orange sprayed by the
Top plastic surgeons affiliated with the
The charity’s invaluable support has changed the lives of
hundreds of severely disfigured youngsters and their families and contributed
to improving
Since 2008, the charity has established a relationship with
the
So far, the programme has provided successful surgeries to
more than 90 Vietnamese youngsters.
It has also provided the hospital three 3D printers and
training courses for medical staff on their use as well as training on the
use advanced equipment in the craniofacial surgery field.
Dr Kirkpatrick, a consultant plastic surgeon and medical
director of the charity said doctors from
In the future, FTW plans to expand the model to
National human vaccine programme commences
The national human vaccine programme got off the ground with the
signing of contracts between the programme office and four vaccine makers at
a ceremony in
Speaking at the event, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien
said the signing marks the beginning of a new age in
The national programme, implemented under Decision 2441/QD-TTg
issued by the Prime Minister on December 31, 2012, aims to ensure the
availability of domestic supply for the country’s extended vaccination
programme to deal with common diseases.
Accordingly, by 2020, Vietnam targets to produce on commercial
scale seven vital vaccines using advanced technology, namely combination
vaccine and those for hepatitis A, rabies, typhoid, Japanese encephalitis,
rotavirus and influenza. Its goal also includes improving the performance of
relevant domestic establishments in terms of research and quality monitoring
as well as exporting the products to other countries.
PM
sends condolences to families of helicopter crash victims
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has extended his deep
condolences to families of military officials who died when their helicopter
crashed during training in Ho Chi Minh City on January 28.
The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of National Defence
to work with relevant agencies, units, and localities to quickly examine the
cause of the accident.
Lt. Gen. Vo Van Tuan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the
Vietnam People’s Army said the cause of the crash is being investigated but
it could be confirmed that it is only an accident with no connection with
sabotage.
The UH-1 helicopter crashed in the morning of January 28,
killing all four people on board.
The victims are Sen. Lt. Col. Tran Van Duc, senior pilot; Sen.
Lt. Col. Do Van Chinh, engineer; Major Le Hong Quan, pilot and navigator; and
Lt. Nguyen Viet Cuong, pilot.
The chopper, which was on a training mission, departed from
the southern city’s Tan Son Nhat Airport at 7:15 a.m. and disappeared from
the radar just eight minutes later, Tuan said.
It was found going down in hamlet 4 of Pham Van Hai commune,
Ho Chi Minh City’s outlying Binh Chanh district, which is about 15km
west-south west from the airport.
RoK national praised for cultural exchange activities
Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations
(VUFO) Vu Xuan Hong presented the insignia “For Peace and Friendship among
Nations” to Hwang Geum-Chu, Chairman of the Republic of Korea- Vietnam
Cultural Exchange Association in Hanoi on January 29.
The decoration recognised the Korean national’s contributions
to boosting cooperation between the RoK and Vietnam via cultural exchange
activities.
In recent years, Hwang Geum-Chu has supported the organisation
of academic workshops on “Nhat ky trong tu” (President Ho Chi Minh’s Prison
Diary), Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly)
archipelagos, and an international workshop on poet Nguyen Du and Truyen Kieu
(The Tale of Kieu).
He has given assistance to Vietnamese brides and students who
are living and studying in the RoK.
Speaking at the event, VUFO Chairman underscored that Hwang
Geum-Chu’s contributions have brought the two peoples closer.
Hwang Geum-Chu expressed his honour to receive the award from
VUFO.
He said his association’s purpose is sharing experience with
Vietnam in the construction of new style rural area as well as organising
cultural exchange activities to help promote bilateral relations.-
Over 33 million USD for poverty alleviation in Ha Giang
Thirty communes in five districts in the northern mountainous
province of Ha Giang will benefit from a 33 million USD poverty reduction
project, according to Nguyen Minh Tien, Vice Chairman of the provincial
People’s Committee.
The Commodity-oriented Poverty Reduction Programme will
receive 20 million USD in Official Development Assistance (ODA) capital
provided by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), while
the Vietnamese Government will provide 9.5 million USD and the beneficiaries
will contribute the remaining 4.2 million USD.
The programme, to run from 2015 to 2020, aims to sustainably
improve income and reduce the risk of economic losses for poor households in
the target communes in the districts of Hoang Su Phi, Xin Man, Vi Xuyen, Bac
Quang and Quang Binh.
One of the specific goals of the programme is to reduce the
rate of poor households by half and malnutrition among children by 30 percent
by 2020 in beneficiary communes.
At the same time, the programme also seeks more balanced
income between women-run households and men-run households.
Hoang Su Phi and Xin Man are among six districts of Ha Giang
listed among the nation’s 61 poorest.
The rate of poverty in those six districts is over 50 percent
and the annual average income per capita is 3.6 million VND (around 170 USD).
Hanoi celebrates Indian Republic Day
The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and the
Vietnam-India Friendship Association co-hosted a get-together in Hanoi on
January 29 celebrating the 66th Indian Republic Day (January 26).
Addressing the event, President of the Vietnam-India
Friendship Association Hoang Van Phong talked about immense, crucial
accomplishments recorded by Indian people and India’s significant position
and influence on the global stage.
He noted that the two countries’ people have been bonded by
friendship, solidarity, and support before and now. In recent years,
bilateral cooperation has been growing across politics, trade, investment,
security, defence, agriculture, education, and healthcare.
The two countries are working to achieve a 10 billion USD
two-way trade value this year and bring the figure to 15 billion USD by 2020.
Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Preeti Saran said the celebration
of the Indian Republic Day is meant to remember national heroes who won back
freedom for India and those leaders who laid the foundation for the
friendship between India and Vietnam.
Built on their support in the past struggle for national
liberation and current economic development effort, the two countries will
move forward their strategic partnership and bolster connection across the
board, the Ambassador said.
The diplomat expressed the hope that the Vietnam-India
Friendship Association continues working closely with the Indian Embassy to
launch various cultural exchange activities for the two people.
The Vietnamese and Indian officials shared the belief that
greater cooperative achievements will be reaped by the two countries for
their people’s practical benefits and for peace, stability, cooperation, and
prosperity in the region and across the world.
Workshop on parliamentary cooperation in cyber war prevention
Vietnam applauds the 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary
Union (IPU-132)’s intention of adopting a resolution on cyber warfare – a
serious threat to world peace and security, said National Assembly Vice
Chairman Huynh Ngoc Son.
Son addressed a workshop themed “Parliaments in the prevention
of cyber warfare’s threats to world peace and security” in Hanoi on January
28.
Speeches delivered at the event focused on discussing issues
relating to information safety, network security and cyber warfare.
Participants proposed Vietnam ’s State agencies, international
organisations and parliaments boost cooperation in combating cyber warfare,
which has become a common concern of any nations and organisations.
They also gave opinions on the content of the cyber warfare
resolution.
In Vietnam, in recent years, thousands of websites, including
those belonging to State agencies, have been attacked intentionally, causing
total losses of up to thousands of billion VND.
The 132nd Assembly of the IPU is scheduled to take place from
March 28 to April 1 in Hanoi under the theme “Sustainable Development Goals:
Turning Words into Actions”.
Central, southern localities asked to use water efficiently
Localities in the central, Central Highlands and southeast
regions have been urged to intensify measures to prevent drought impacts and
control saltwater intrusion to ensure adequate water supply for irrigation
during the Winter-Spring rice crop.
At the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s
conference in Ninh Thuan province on January 27, Deputy Minister Hoang Van
Thang suggested relevant agencies design plans to provide water for
production and daily use in the event of water shortages.
He also asked locals to consider planting new crops that
require less water, intensify the clean-up of canals, ponds and wells, and
build dams to prevent seawater encroachment.
The regions facing water shortages should manage the resource
strictly, using it sparingly and effectively to avoid losses, and promote the
application of advanced technologies in irrigation, he added.
The official requested the General Department of Irrigation,
the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecast, the Electricity of
Vietnam, and local Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development to well
operate hydropower reservoirs and irrigational facilities.
On this occasion, the General Department of Irrigation and the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development co-organised an exhibit to
introduce outstanding irrigation technological products that increase the
efficiency of water use and the quality of farm produce while reducing labour
and fertiliser costs.
Gifts to impoverished households in Yen Bai
As many as 200 gift packages worth about 100 million VND
(4,700 USD) were given to impoverished households in Luc Yen and Yen Binh
districts of the northern province of Yen Bai on January 27 and 28.
The drive was organised by the Steering Committee for the
Northwest Region on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.
Deputy head of the Steering Committee Truong Xuan Cu lauded
families who made significant contributions to the struggle for national
independence.
He also requested relevant authorities implement policies to
improve living conditions for impoverished households that focus on economic
development and anti-hunger initiatives.
The Steering Committee for the Northwest Region will continue
distributing gift packages and 40 television sets to impoverished households
in other districts of the province before the annual Tet festival which falls
on February 19.-
HCM City to upgrade workforce's skills
Ho Chi Minh City will implement measures to improve the
quality of vocational training and raise the number of trained workers to 72
percent of the city's total employees this year from the rate of 68 percent
in 2014, according to the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social
Affairs.
Vocational training schools will recruit about 401,000
students this year, Nguoi Lao Dong (Labourer) newspaper quoted the source as
saying.
Last year, vocational training schools recruited more than
443,500 students and provided training for 2,000 poor labourers, 1,090 people
with disabilities and 611 ethnic minority youth.
Int’l hydro-meteorology cooperation projects implemented
The National Hydro-Meteorology Centre will fortify its
collaboration with foreign organisations and countries such as Japan, the
Republic of Korea (RoK), Italy and the US to deploy technological potential
in forecasting and monitoring hydrological meteorology.
The centre has actively joined international cooperation
activities, especially in forecasting natural disasters in the Southeast
Asian region and operating the World Meteorological Organisation’s (WMO)
website.
It is implementing numerous projects funded through foreign
aid and loans in strengthening weather forecast systems and early warning
systems for natural disasters, as well as the Swiss funded Capacity Building
and Twinning for Climate Observing System (CATCOS) project.
Meanwhile, the centre has proposed modernising the early
warning system in the Northeast region to the Ministry of Environment and
Natural Resources through assistance from the RoK, as well as fortifying the
second phase of flood forecasting system in Vietnam using by the Italian
government’s loans
A number of projects were also submitted for the ministry’s
approval to build the efficacy of the country’s hydrological meteorology
initiatives.
Support for disadvantaged, war veterans for upcoming New Year
Localities across the country are working to provide for local
disadvantaged individuals and war veterans on the quickly-approaching Lunar
New Year (Tet) holiday.
The Mekong Delta province of An Giang set aside more than 47
billion VND (2.2 million USD) to cover activities in celebration of the holiday.
Accordingly, the province will offer 350,000 VND (16 USD) to
around 70,000 people covered by social security, and 600,000 VND (28 USD) to
nearly 34,000 individuals and families who served the nation in wartime.
As many as 271 local poor households will be able to enjoy the
upcoming holiday comfortably in donated new homes, thanks to contributions
from the Vietnam Commercial Bank and the An Giang Lottery Company.
The provincial Fatherland Front Committee also plans to give
gifts worth at least 300,000 VND (14 USD) to every household below the
poverty line, or about 46,000 families.
Similarly, thousands of gifts worth billions of Vietnamese
dong have been offered to impoverished individuals in central Quang Binh
province.
Another 200 gifts, each worth 300,000 VND (14 USD) have been
presented to poor households in the Truong Xuan commune of Quang Ninh
district.
More than 200 ethnic minority elderly and children in the
district have also received free health check-ups on the occasion.
Meanwhile in central Quang Ngai province, more than 660
million VND (31 million USD) donated by teachers and students at the Republic
of Korea’s Chung Ang University and Doosan Vietnam – Doosan Vina Company will
be spent on activities to support residents in Ly Son island district, among
others.
The activities include hygiene demonstrations, making
handicrafts, drawing, and art performances, which take place from January 26
to February 6.
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/ND
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Thứ Sáu, 30 tháng 1, 2015
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