SOCIETY IN BRIEF 26/12

Construction work begins on new railway intersection; Social, health insurance covers 56 million people; Man seized for selling fake meteorite for $95,000; Province receives new planes

Taekwondo fighters finalise training plan ahead of Olympics

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese taekwondo martial artists have finalised their preparations for the coming London Olympics next August.

Seven found dead in Dallas-area apartment

Seven people were found dead in a Dallas-area apartment after police in Texas, U.S. entered the unit on Sunday, according to local media reports.

National Assembly's report predicts continued dong depreciation

The VN dong may continue to depreciate against the US dollar early next year, said a report of the National Assembly Economic Committee.

39 killed in 5 bomb blasts in Nigeria

Terror attacks across Nigeria by a radical Muslim sect have killed at least 39 people. The majority died on the steps of a Catholic church as a massive explosion occured during Christmas Mass.

Pianist marks 50-year career

VietNamNet Bridge – Pianist Nguyen Anh 9 will celebrate 50 years in music with an one-night concert in Ha Noi's Au Co Theatre on Thursday.

Climate response lacks resources

VietNamNet Bridge – Insufficient human resources was a major challenge for Viet Nam in responding to climate change, said head of the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry's Personnel and Organisation Department Ta Dinh Thi.

Khanh Hoa give Sai Gon a scare in last 16

VietNamNet Bridge – Sai Gon Xuan Thanh team struggled to a 3-2 win against Khatoco Khanh Hoa in the last 16 of the National Cup in HCM City on Saturday.

SBV sets stricter rules on new bank establishment

The statements made by the State Bank of Vietnam recently make people understand that while Vietnam is still busy “putting the banking system in order,” it would nearly say “no” to the establishment of any new banks.

60% of crime committed by people aged 16 to 18 - forum

VietNamNet Bridge – Thirty per cent of juvenile crimes were committed by young people in rural areas, the Ministry of Public Security said at a recent workshop on measures to increase understanding of the law for rural and ethnic youth.

Vietnamese travelers now the targeted clients for foreign travel firms

The increasingly high number of Vietnamese travelers going abroad year after year has helped Vietnam list its name into the list of the key markets of many countries, such as Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.

Vietnamese made goods, services declared reliable

VietNamNet Bridge – More than 100 products and services developed by Vietnamese businesses were honoured as reliable and trustworthy this year in a ceremony held yesterday, Dec 25.

Kim Jong Un hailed as great leader as his father: DPRK media

Official media of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Sunday that Kim Jong Un is the Korean people's leader as great as his father Kim Jong Il.

Protective forest turns into private farm

Nearly 10 hectares of the protective forest in the area belonging to the two hamlets of Thanh Loc and Tan An in Ngoc Thanh commune of Vinh Phuc province have been destroyed by a private business.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 26/12

Minh Huong wins best actress title at Russian film festival; Local rock tour concludes in Ho Chi Minh City; Private war museum marks fourth birthday; Hanoi circus to perform belly dance; Spring flower festival arouses love for sea and island    

Short circuit in battery, possible cause of motorbike explosions

Police under the Ministry of Public Security has so far concluded the possible cause of the recent motorbike and car explosions to be short circuit of battery wires.

Man jailed for making fireworks after blast

VietNamNet Bridge – Doan Van Dung, a 32-year-old man who was alleged of illegally producing fireworks and causing a large explosion on Saturday afternoon in northern Thai Binh Province, was temporarily jailed and prosecuted on the same day.

At least 25 killed in Nigeria's Abuja church bombing

At least 25 bodies had been recovered from Abuja Christmas day bomb blast scene, said Xinhua's reporter on Sunday in the Nigerian capital city.

Poachers hack wild elephant to death

VietNamNet Bridge – A wild elephant was found hacked to death with its tusk cut off in the southern province of Dong Nai last Friday, local authorities have said.

Vietnamese student receives UN award

Nguyen Sieu Hanh, in his final year as a student of the Business Administration Department at the Belgian United Business Institute, has received the World Summit Youth Award.

VN tops mobile Net spending

A survey conducted by Yahoo! on the use of internet via smart phones and other mobile devices in Southeast Asia found that consumers in Vietnam spent on average US$24 a month accessing the internet while on the move.

Gov't eyes telco mergers

The Government will strictly manage telecoms businesses and allow ailing and small-scale businesses in the sector to carry out mergers and acquisitions in line with the market economy.

2011: a rewarding year for athletes

2011 marked a milestone for several Vietnamese athletes who their pocketed biggest-ever rewards for their successes at major tournaments, such as the Southeast Asian Games, Asian, and world championships.

Hanoi makes drastic changes to parking rules

Ha Noi authorities have defined a series of norms to follow for the re-arrangement of the public parking system to ensure it is suitable with the city's socio-economic development and facilitates traffic order.

MOT kicks off plan to organize container transport by rail

Transport and logistics companies will benefit from the Ministry of Transport’s plan to organize the carrying of containers by rail.