ASEAN meeting on tobacco control opens

VietNamNet Bridge – Nine out of 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered for the second meeting of focal points for tobacco control, which opened in Hanoi on May 11.

Dozen civilians, police slightly injured in Athens protest

At least 14 people were injured, one critically, after clashes between anarchists and police in central Athens on Wednesday.

Power grid examination in Ha Noi and HCM City

VietNamNet Bridge – The country's two largest cities have started large-scale examinations of their power grids in preparation for flooding during the up coming rainy season.

Joint stock banks subprime loans reportedly low

The subprime loans of joint stock banks in Vietnam had reached 22 trillion dong by the end of February 2011, accounting for 1.76 percent of the total outstanding loans, lower than the average ratio of 2.33 percent of the whole banking system.

UN: Vietnam makes effort to reduce inflation's impacts

VietNamNet Bridge – UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam John Hendra met with reporters in Hanoi on May 10 to share his view on the country’s development during five years of his term of office in Vietnam,

Marksmen to compete in US World Cup

VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnamese shooting team will leave for the World Cup ISSF held at Fort Benning in the United States tomorrow, May 13.

Robbery stalking travelers

At the meeting with HCM City’s authorities last week, Deputy Chair of Amcham Christopher C.Twomey advised the local authorities to take necessary measures to prevent robbery, or Vietnam will lose a reputation as a safe destination.

Delta prepares to fight land erosion

VietNamNet Bridge – Authorities in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces are taking several measures to deal with the growing problem of land erosion in a region crisscrossed by thousands of rivers and canals.

UN co-ordinator wins award for help to women

VietNamNet Bridge – UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam John Hendra has received the “For the Development of Vietnamese Women” insignia for his great contributions to fostering gender equality

Buddhists celebrate Buddha's birthday

President of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Huynh Dam congratulated local Buddhists on Buddha's 2011th birth anniversary and the 30th founding anniversary of the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha.

Indian naval ships visit Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge – Indian Rear Admiral HCS Bisht, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet of Indian Navy steered two Indian naval ships named INS Delhi and INS Kirch to pay a visit to Ho Chi Minh City from May 10 – 13.

Number of rubella cases soar in North

VietNamNet Bridge – The number of rubella patients suffering from encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, in the capital and neighbouring provinces has risen sharply this year,

Google launches cloud-based music service without label licenses

Google on Tuesday launched its long-awaited cloud-based music service Music Beta without any label licenses it originally wanted.

Medvedev promises to continue to eliminate al-Qaida agents in Russia

Russian secret services would regularly uncover and destroy the al-Qaida envoys that the international terrorist network sends to Russian territory, President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.

Vietnam wins two bronzes at APhO 2011

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam has won two bronze medals and three credits at the 12th Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO) 2011 held in Israel, the Ministry of Training and Education announced on May 11. 

Imposed overly high tariffs, car manufacturers entreated help

Car manufacturers import car parts to assemble domestically, but they were told to pay the high tariffs applied to the cars imported under the mode of complete built units (CBU).

Four top seeds sail through round three at European women chess

Only four out of the top 12 seeds at the ongoing 2011 European Individual Women Chess Championship on Monday kept their winning streak intact by taking their respective third-round games.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 12/5

Ministry to curb luxury imports; Diseases hit Delta’s tiger shrimp farming hard; Ministry calls for investment in power plant projects; Travel expo set to widen scope of promotion; Travel firms want higher interest from deposits  

A book a day helps keep doctors away

New retirees suddenly confronted with plenty of time on their hands might be happy to learn that reading keeps one mentally alert and abreast of current aff airs,

Palace Museum apologizes for stolen relics, museum security to be tightened

A spokesman with the Beijing-based Palace Museum, located inside the world-famous Forbidden City, offered an apology to the Hong Kong-based Liang Yi Museum on Wednesday

VN Automobile Association calls for black box delay

VietNamNet Bridge – The Viet Nam Automobile Transportation Association has proposed a one-year extension to the deadline for black box data recorders to be installed in coaches and containers.

Banks provides service of keeping gold for clients

Many banks have stopped mobilizing capital and lending in gold, but they still keep gold for clients. Some other banks have become more hesitant in mobilizing capital and considering lowering the interest rates to zero percent.  

7500 computers in Vietnam infected with ‘express service’ viruses

BKAV  has warned that it has found a sharp increase in the number of spam emails; which, assuming the names of famous express delivery companies in the world such as DHL and Post Express, were sent to email users in Vietnam in April.  

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 11/5

Bat Trang’s ceramic industry in spotlight at Idecaf ; ASEAN traditional music festival promotes understanding; Nicolas Stavy to delight HCMC audience; Sunwrae quintet joins forces with Viet artist    

Vietnamese supermodels not so super

Vietnamese models are typically thought to earn an enormous income, but that has changed recently after top male model Vinh Thuy has been indicted for allegedly smuggling to earn extra money.