President thanks Belarus for independence support

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam highly valued the great support and assistance given by the people of Belarus in its past struggle for national independence and the present cause of national reconstruction,

Businesses struggle to earn money in year-end sale season

VietNamNet Bridge – Businesses have geared up to boost sales in the year-end sales seasons. They have also changed the product structure to satisfy the taste of customers.

Viet Nam, Thailand vow to step up co-operation

VietNamNet Bridge – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Thai counterpart, Yingluck Shinawatra, vowed to do their utmost to deepen comprehensive co-operation between Viet Nam and Thailand at talks in the capital held yesterday.

Heading football causes brain damage

Heading football frequently may cause brain damage leading to subtle but serious declines in thinking and coordination skills, a new study suggested as quoted by media reports Wednesday.

HCMC to invest US$70 million in bio-technology

Ho Chi Minh City plans to invest around VND1.4 trillion (US$70 million) in bio-technology during the period 2010-2015, with 89 percent of the amount or VND1.2 trillion coming from state budget.

It’s difficult to find English teachers ‘cause of cultural differences

Native English teachers speak too fast that students cannot understand them, or teachers make “strange gestures” as snipping cheeks and touching the bodies of students are the things that occurred at many schools.

Reconstruction one-horn rhino’s skeleton: it’s difficult to recreate lost bones

It is expected that the skeleton of the dead Java rhino (rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus), the last one in Vietnam, would be reconstructed for displaying at the Cat Tien National Park.

It’s better to encourage to produce games instead of prohibiting

Domestic enterprises need to be encouraged to produce online games, especially educational games, said Le Manh Ha, Deputy Mayor of HCM City.

China to lower RRR for first time in three years

China's central bank said on Wednesday that it will lower banks' reserve requirement ratio (RRR) by 50 basis points starting Dec. 5.

Transparency doesn’t need explanation!

VietNamNet Bridge – The impacts of hydropower plants on the virgin forest in Cat Tien National Park, Dong Nai River and over ten of million of people in the downstream area are real. But the truth has not been checked thoroughly.

UNESCO adds 11 new items to Intangible Heritage List

The Paris-based UNESCO on Tuesday added 11 new items to the List of Intangible Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding as it concluded the sixth session of its Intergovernmental Committee.

HP refutes printer security flaw claims

Hewlett-Packard (HP) on Tuesday issued a statement to refute some security flaw claims on its LaserJet printers.

Wozniacki named Danish tennis player of the year for successive fifth time

World number one women's tennis player Caroline Wozniacki won the Danish Tennis Association (DTA) Player of the Year Award for the fifth year in a row here on Tuesday.

Paracel Islands belong to Vietnam many centuries ago

VietNamNet Bridge – Many pictures, maps and items that prove Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa Archipelago (Paracel Islands) several centuries ago are preserved at the Museums of Quang Ngai province and Da Nang city.

Despite bad news, bank shares remain “king shares”

All the current factors make people think that bank shares are losing their attractiveness. But things are quite different in reality.

Britain withdraws embassy staff from Iran

Britain is withdrawing diplomats from Iran following the incursion into its embassy in Tehran on Tuesday, British Foreign Office said in a statement on Wednesday.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 1/12

Paper makers face challenges; Saigon Centre's second phase begins; Plastics firm hits record low on market; State enterprises need restructure; IZs, support sector link up to push growth; Water prices likely to be hiked by 4 times  

Hanoi to tighten control over taxi firms

VietNamNet Bridge – Hanoi authorities will apply various measures to restore order in the taxi market, including halting the establishment of new taxi companies, setting rules on color of taxis, etc.

EVENTS SCHEDULED ON DEC. 1-10

Exhibition “Nguyen Linh III”; Music Night “A Journey of 55 Years”; Screening of “Un Secret”; Screening of “Les Mains en L’Air”; Run for Children Hanoi 2011; Art in the Auditorium; Exhibition “Assumption”; Landscape Painting Exhibition

Michael Jackson's personal physician sentenced to 4 years in prison

A Los Angeles judge Tuesday sentenced Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's personal physician, to a maximum of 4 years of imprisonment on involuntary manslaughter charge stemming from the death of the pop star.

VietJet Air to take off next month

VietJet Air announced it would begin domestic flights from December 25, four years after it gained approval to become a privately owned airline in Viet Nam.

Funny 3D paintings exhibited in HCM City

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese actress Ngoc Trinh and her Korean husband have opened a 3D painting exhibition at Thien Son building in Phu My Hung urban area in HCM City.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 30/11

Int’l photos exhibited in Hanoi; Ethnic costumes go on parade in Hanoi; Columbian Pacific Salsa group to perform in Vietnam; Festival spotlights creativity of young artists; Hanoi contemporary female artists to exhibit women’s conflicting status    

U.S. growth facing serious headwinds: Fed official

Growth in the United States faces serious headwinds and the country's high unemployment will linger for many years, said a high-ranking official of the Federal Reserve on Tuesday.

Charming designs at Vietnam Spring Summer 2012 fashion week

VietNamNet Bridge – The event opened on November 28 in Hanoi. Below are designs that were introduced on November 28 and 29.