Eight prosecuted for illegal sand mining

vietnamnews

Update: May, 22/2017 – 16:00

Nguyễn Thị Hương (right), director of Dương Dũng Co., Ltd, and her husband Lương Văn Bình, deputy director of the company, were prosecuted for violating regulations related to natural resource exploitation. – VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Hoàng

QUẢNG NINH — Police in northern Quảng Ninh Province have prosecuted eight people for illegal sand mining in the province.Nguyễn Thị Hương, director of Dương Dũng Co., Ltd, and her husband Lương Văn Bình, deputy director of the company, were prosecuted for violating regulations in connection with natural resources exploitation.

The six other people are Vũ Văn Lật, Vũ Đức Loan, Nguyễn Văn Tuấn and Lương Văn Ty, as well as Nguyễn Văn Đức, and Trần Thị Nhường. Tiếp tục đọc “Eight prosecuted for illegal sand mining”

Company fined for illegal sand mining on Đăk Bla River

vietnamnews

Update: May, 22/2017 – 10:55

Xuan Tai Company in the Highland province of Kon Tum was fined VND40 million ($1,769) for illegal sand exploitation. — Photo thiennhien.net

KON TUM — Xuan Tai Company in the Highland province of Kon Tum was fined VND40 million ($1,769) for illegal sand exploitation, said Chief Inspector of the Department of Environment and Natural Resource Tran Cong Hau yesterday.

According to the department, the company was fined VND8 million for encroaching the Dak Bla River and VND32 million for illegally mining 3,507m3 of sand over an eight-month period.

A report from the Kon Tum Department of Mineral Resources and Environment said the Xuân Tài Co Ltd had used mechanised facilities to dig holes and build embankments to stop the flow of the Đăk Bla River in order to illegally exploit minerals, Tiếp tục đọc “Company fined for illegal sand mining on Đăk Bla River”

PM tells committee to strengthen int’l climate change co-operation

vietnamnews

Update: May, 19/2017 – 09:00

Erosion encroaches houses in coastal area of Vĩnh Nguyên Ward, central Nha Trang City. Climate change has influenced Việt Nam more quickly and strongly than was previously expected. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyên Lý
Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — The National Committee for Climate Change needs to enhance its international co-operation and learn from other countries’ experience to promote climate change response in Việt Nam, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said on Thursday.

At the committee’s eighth meeting in Hà Nội, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that climate change has appeared sooner than previously forecasted. The Mekong Delta, the country’s key agricultural hub, has suffered most severely. Up to 10 of the 13 Mekong Delta provinces declared a state of disaster in the dry season last year. Tiếp tục đọc “PM tells committee to strengthen int’l climate change co-operation”

HCM City keen to develop dental tourism

Vietnam News Update: May, 22/2017 – 09:00

A doctor at HCM City’s Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology treats a patient. Photo Sơn Hà

By Sơn Hà

HCM CITY— With a pool of highly-skilled practitioners, state-of-the-art facilities and affordable costs, HCM City is rapidly emerging as a dental care tourism destination.

A full range of dental services is available, including cleaning, teeth whitening, dental implants, bone reconstruction orthodontics, ceramic veneers, crowns and bridges.

Dương Quốc Chí, 58, an overseas Vietnamese from Italy, combines a quick vacation in HCM City with a visit to a dentist.

“Dental care in Việt Nam costs about a third of the price compared to Italy,” he said. Tiếp tục đọc “HCM City keen to develop dental tourism”

Taiwan’s same-sex marriage ruling could cement its place as Asia’s liberal beacon

Landmark court case this week is likely to determine the success or failure of draft laws currently before parliament
Chi Chia-wei holds a rainbow flag during an anti-homophobia exhibition in Taipei.
Chi Chia-wei holds a rainbow flag during an anti-homophobia exhibition in Taipei. Photograph: David Chang/EPA

Chi Chia-wei will find out on Wednesday if his decades long fight to make Taiwan the first country in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage has been a success.

Chi, 59, a pioneering Taiwanese gay rights activist, is the celebrated face behind one of the most controversial legal cases the island democracy has seen in recent years, where 14 judges must rule if the civil code, which states that marriage is between a man and a woman, is unconstitutional. Tiếp tục đọc “Taiwan’s same-sex marriage ruling could cement its place as Asia’s liberal beacon”

Indonesian police arrest more than 140 men at alleged gay sauna party

LGBT groups say the gay community in Jakarta has been subject to an unprecedented wave of discrimination and attacks

Two men on trial for being in a same-sex relationship are escorted to the courtroom at the Sharia court in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Police in Jakarta have now arrested 141 men for a party at an alleged gay sauna.
Two men on trial for being in a same-sex relationship are escorted to the courtroom at the Sharia court in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Police in Jakarta have now arrested 141 men for a party at an alleged gay sauna. Photograph: Hotli Simanjuntak/EPA

Indonesian police have arrested more than 100 men in a weekend raid on a gay sauna in the capital Jakarta, a day before two men are to be publicly flogged for having same sex relations.

Authorities raided what they said was a sex party promoted as ‘The Wild One,’ held at a sauna and gym venue in Jakarta’s north on Sunday evening. Tiếp tục đọc “Indonesian police arrest more than 140 men at alleged gay sauna party”

Sunny Nha Trang a new hotspot for art

Last update 00:02 | 22/05/2017

VietNamNet Bridge – For many, Nha Trang evokes images of the sea, or memories of holidays spent on the beach. Nha Trang has always been a popular destination for vacationing Vietnamese, but with air travel becoming ever cheaper and easier, international tourists are getting in on the action.

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Northern-nostalgia: Le Hiep’s Teacher’s Pagoda in Ha Tay has a magical light. 

Visitors to Nha Trang expect a relaxing time, however, a group of local artists is looking to change that. The plan is to provide a more cultural experience to sun-and-sand-seeking holidaymakers. Tiếp tục đọc “Sunny Nha Trang a new hotspot for art”

Black gold and a bleak future

Last update 00:00 | 22/05/2017

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam has 20 thermal power plants now and plans to have more than double that by 2050.

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Off the cuff, this makes sense. The nation is growing and needs more energy than ever.

However, if we look beyond mere numbers and visualise the social and environmental impacts of 51 coal-powered plants in the country, the rosy picture is blackened considerably, literally and otherwise.

A study published earlier this year by a group of researchers from Havard University and Greenpeace, an international non-governmental environmental organisation based in Amsterdam, cautions that by 2030, Viet Nam and Indonesia will be among the nations worst affected by coal pollution. Tiếp tục đọc “Black gold and a bleak future”

Mercury crosses border gates, affecting environment

Last update 00:03 | 22/05/2017

VietNamNet Bridge – Acid deposition and photochemical smog have appeared in recent years, mostly in summer months when the weather is dry and hot, especially in large urban areas such as Hanoi and HCMC.

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According to Nguyen Van Thuy, director of the Environment Monitoring Center, besides domestic polluting sources, Vietnam is facing cross-border pollution as it is located next to countries with strong production such as China.

Thuy said Vietnam also bears influences from territories relatively far away from Vietnam. In winter, when the northeast monsoon comes down to the north, the pollutants from China are brought to Vietnam.

Though scientists still have not found clear signs of acid deposition, photochemical smog and cross-border pollution, there have been some certain signs. Tiếp tục đọc “Mercury crosses border gates, affecting environment”

Water supplier says Chinese pipes safe amidst health concern

TUOI TRE NEWS

Updated : 05/21/2017 18:17 GMT + 7

Saigon Water Corporation (Sawaco), a major water supplier in Ho Chi Minh City, has reassured citizens that its ductile iron water pipes provided by Chinese firms pose no threat to public health.

The announcement came at the request of the municipal administration, which had earlier received a letter from a man who claimed to be Truong Van Hai, a former Sawaco official.

In his letter sent to multiple agencies in Ho Chi Minh City, Hai suggested that Chinese-made water pipes used by Sawaco were made from ductile cast iron that had been recycled from waste products, unexploded ordnance and expired weapons that could affect the water quality. Tiếp tục đọc “Water supplier says Chinese pipes safe amidst health concern”

Saigon submerged following torrential rain for 2nd time this week

Tuoi Tre News

Updated : 05/21/2017 10:27 GMT + 7

A prolonged deluge early in the rainy season swept through Ho Chi Minh City, resulting in severe flooding in many locations on Saturday, the second time this week.

The two-hour-long downpour caused congestion and inundation in various areas in the southern Vietnamese hub.

As observed by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters, sections of Le Van Viet Street in District 9 sank under 0.5 meters of rainwater, causing motorbikes to break down. Tiếp tục đọc “Saigon submerged following torrential rain for 2nd time this week”

US, Japan naval vessels visit Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Port for PP17

TUOI TRE NEWS

Updated : 05/21/2017 11:07 GMT + 7

Japan’s JS Izumo 183 is docked at Cam Ranh Port in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam.

One vessel of the U.S. navy and two ships of the Japanese self-defense forces arrived at Cam Ranh Port in south-central Vietnam on Saturday afternoon for activities to accelerate cooperation in the region.

The visit is part of the Pacific Partnership 2017 (PP17), a U.S. Navy-initiated mission to enhance regional coordination in areas such as medical readiness and preparedness for man-made and natural disasters. Tiếp tục đọc “US, Japan naval vessels visit Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Port for PP17”

Doan Ngoc Hai barred from leading campaign; disorder returns to Saigon sidewalks

TUOI TRE NEWS

Updated : 05/21/2017 14:48 GMT + 7

Motorbikes and plastic chairs occupy the sidewalk of Ly Tu Trong Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, May 20, 2017.

Sidewalks in Ho Chi Minh City are once again in disorder as the initiator of the sidewalk clearance movement says he is not allowed to continue leading the campaign.

Locals complain vendors and business owners have re-occupied the sidewalks after seeing inaction from city authorities over the past few weeks.

“At first, there were drastic measures taken by authorities [to clear the sidewalks], but after a month or so they stopped enforcing the rules,” said Nguyen Thi Nhiem, a business owner on Bach Dang Street in Binh Thanh District. Tiếp tục đọc “Doan Ngoc Hai barred from leading campaign; disorder returns to Saigon sidewalks”

New airport terminal in Đà Nẵng officially opens

vietnamnews

Update: May, 20/2017 – 07:00

Passengers check-in at Đà Nẵng International Airport’s new terminal yesterday. — VNS Photo Lê Lâm
ĐÀ NĂNG — After 18 months of construction, Đà Nẵng International Airport officially launched its new terminal at a ceremony held yesterday.

The project is a key part of preparations for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Summit, which will be hosted in the city this November.

The new terminal, which covers an area of 21,000sq.m, with total investment of VNĐ3.5 trillion (US$155 million), offers 82 counters for check-in, check-out, migration and immigration, as well as 10 boarding gates that will accommodate six million passengers per year, and serve 1,600 passengers at peak hours. Tiếp tục đọc “New airport terminal in Đà Nẵng officially opens”

Cát Bà, a sanctuary for endangered species

vietnamnews

Update: May, 21/2017 – 09:00

Sight to behold: There are currently just 60 langur individuals left, and the animals are known to only live on the island of Cát Bà, according to the Cát Bà Langur Conservation Project.
With unspoiled beaches, ancient fishing villages, hundreds of serene islands covered with dense greenery and a national park with a diverse range of wild species, the Cát Bà Archipelago is truly a hidden gem for those in love with natural beauty. Hồng Vân reports.Kayaking through the crystal waters of Lan Hạ, a small bay lying to the northeast of Cát Bà Archipelago, 30 kilometres from the port city of Hải Phòng, one has the opportunity to glimpse the white-headed langur, a species endemic to the archipelago and now found nowhere else on earth. Tiếp tục đọc “Cát Bà, a sanctuary for endangered species”