Linh wins bronze in Germany

VietNamNet Bridge – Taekwondo fighter Chu Hoang Dieu Linh won a bronze medal at the German Open in Hamburg yesterday, March 5.

US$187 million for HCM City’s traffic center

VietNamNet Bridge – Investing up to $187 million to build a traffic center, HCM City authorities expect that the center would help them deal with traffic congestion.

ASEAN Television Golden Voice Festival opens

VietNamNet Bridge – In ao tu than, traditional dress, singer Thanh Ngoc performed “Thang Long-Hanoi’s Thousand-year History” in the opening night of the ASEAN Television Golden Voice Festival in HCM City on March 5.

Chess title up for grabs after seventh round

VietNamNet Bridge – A slew of stalemates yesterday, March 5, in the seventh round of the 2012 HD Bank International Open Chess Tournament means no player has been able to seize the upper hand and the title race is still wide open.

Obama says there is still window for diplomacy on Iran

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that there is still a "window" for a diplomatic resolution on Iran's nuclear issue, while the visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that Israel reserved the right to defend itself.

200 native fish released into wild

VietNamNet Bridge – More than 200 native rasbora (Rasbora paviana) and fighting fish (Betta splendens) were released last Sunday into Cau Do Canal in HCM City's Binh Thanh District, a tributary of the Sai Gon River.

French aid sought for traffic centre

VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City has asked the Government to put a US$187 million project on building the most modern traffic control centre in the country on the lists of projects acquiring French official development assistance.

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 6/3

State President visits Marine Police Department; Singapore PM eyes more trade with VN; PM sends condolences over head-on train crash in Poland; Senior leaders congratulate new Russian President

Coffee insurance fund makes it more difficult to export coffee?

Under the new regulations, from October 2012, every member of the Vietnam Cocoa and Coffee Association (Vicofa) would have to pay 2 dollars for every ton of coffee exported. The money would go to the coffee insurance fund.

NA Chairman talks with Danish lawmaker

NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung has praised multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Denmark that have grown well in economics, trade, investment, cooperation, development, culture, education and training and scientific research.

Two Vietnamese sailors die in Korean ship fire

VietNamNet Bridge - Two Vietnamese sailors died and four others were injured when the Korean fishing boat Jung Woo 3 caught fire at Montevideo port in Uruguay on March 3.

3G race proves to be more violent than 2G

The stiff competition among telcos in providing 2G services has led to the sharp falls of the mobile phone charges by two or three times. However, the 3G race proves to be even more violent than the 2G race.

3C product sales online boom

The volume of computers, communication and consumer electronics sold through China's business-to-customer (B2C) market hit 77.02 billion yuan (about 12.23 U.S. dollars) in 2011, according to a report released in Beijing.

China’s parliament begins annual session

VietNamNet Bridge – The 11th National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s parliament, opened its fifth annual session on March 5 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Ranking U.S. senator calls for air raids on Syrian forces

Ranking U.S. Senator John McCain on Monday called for U.S.-led air strikes on Syrian forces to protect key population centers in the Arab nation.

Elephant conservation projects remain on… paper

An action plan to conserve elephants in Nghe An, Dak Lak and Dong Nai was approved by the Prime Minister six years ago, in 2006. However, no considerable progress has been made so far.

Vietnam to become Asian leading motorbike production base?

It is clear that Vietnam is the leading country in the world in terms of the number of motorbikes used. However, this would be shocking news that Vietnam may become a motorbike production base in Asia.

Da Nang’s mayor model – hope and obstruction

VietNamNet Bridge – With a different name, the model that is proposed by the central city of Da Nang, is the mayor model that is applied in many developed countries.

"The Lorax" cashes in with multiple box office records

Universal Studio's latest animated film "The Lorax" has opened atop the North America box office with multiple record-shattering achievements including the highest opening for the studio's animated flick.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 6/3

PetroVietnam plans restructuring; Habubank rumours set off feeding frenzy; Crack down on tax cheats; Check on land-use rights; Jetstar airlines appoints new Director-General; Vietinbank refuses to sell stakes to Nova Scotia

Landlords convert office buildings into flats

Local government authorities as well as building-project owners are making every effort to give the property market a push, at a time when the future growth of the market cannot be foreseen.

Putin wins presidential election: official results

Russian presidential candidate and incumbent Prime Minister Vladimir Putin won Russia's presidential election with about 64 percent of the votes, the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) officially announced Monday.

U19 Vietnam will meet Indonesia in semi-finals

Vietnam’s U19 football team has proceeded to the semi-finals as Group B winners after defeating Timor Leste 2-0 in the fourth round of the ongoing 2012 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy in Brunei on March 4.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 5/3

Local artist wins international photo contest in Spain; Phu Tho prepares for Hung Kings’ Temple Festival; Photographic exhibition on Vietnam’s pink lotus in Hanoi; UNESCO week highlights culture’s role in development  

Profile: Russia's President-elect Vladimir Putin

Official results showed Monday that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin won Sunday's presidential election, obtaining a third term in the Kremlin following his two consecutive terms in 2000-2008.