Detention extended for vice editor

The nation's highest prosecuting agency has extended the detention of a former deputy managing editor of the Hanoi-based Tien Phong newspaper to investigate a case involving extortion of money from a cement company.

Phan Ha Binh, 41, who was arrested in October last year, will be kept in custody for another three months.

Binh was caught red-handed taking VND220 million (US$11,284) from a representative of the Saigon-Tan Ky Cement Joint-stock Company, under the Tan Tao Group and Saigon Investment Group (SIG), on October 13, 2010.

Initial investigations showed that under his pen name, Ha Phan, Binh wrote a series covering ineffective projects implemented by SIG, including a story unfavorable to the cement company.

After the story was published, Binh met with the company's leaders to ask for money, threatening that if they didn’t agree to pay him, he would continue publishing more unfavorable stories.

On October 20, an official decision was taken to place him under investigation for “extorting property.”

1 killed, 3 injured in Hanoi fire, blast

For illustration purposes onlyA fire broke out Sunday in the house of a man repairing electrical appliances in Hanoi, killing his daughter and injuring three others.

Do Van Nhan, 39, of Tu Liem District was fixing some appliances in the living room when sparks from an electric wire set fire to some wine that had spilled on the floor.

It quickly spread and three motorcycles parked nearby caught fire. When the blaze spread to a cooking-gas canister, there was an explosion.

Nhan, his wife, and two daughters were stuck in the house because all the doors were on fire.

None of the neighbors dared to come into the house to save the family.

However, Nhan’s elder brother, Nguyen Van Vung, rushed in and dragged Nhan, his wife, and one of their daughters to safety.

Another daughter, Do Thu Trang, 20, was stuck inside and died tragically.

Vung, Nhan, and his wife were injured.

Stabbing wife, husband commits suicide in Hanoi

He tried to kill himself while in the Sword LakeA young woman was stabbed many times and fell down near Guom (Sword) Lake in downtown Hanoi last Saturday. The culprit is her husband who later jumped into the iconic lake and slit his own throat.

The two are in critical condition at the Viet-Duc hospital.

The couple resides in the Hanoi’s Old Quarter, the police said.

At about 11am February 12, Do Phuong Lien, 20, and her husband, Cao Phuong Duy, 25, traveled in a taxi which stopped at Ba Kieu Temple on Dinh Tien Hoang Street.

Lien suddenly jumped out of the taxi and ran away crying for help while Duy ran after her with a 20 cm knife in his hand.

Catching Lien, Duy stabbed her many times and when she fell down, he jumped into the lake and stabbed himself 4-5 times in the neck.

Duy later struggled to swim ashore.

Lien was seriously injured by stab wounds, including a deep cut in her neck, according to the police.

Sources say Duy has been suffering from a mental illness ever since he had a brain surgery from a traffic accident last year.

The police are investigating.

One dies as truck crashes into mountain

A truck bearing plate 77H-1904 heading for the South suddenly lost its brake and crashed into a mountain located at Ca Mountain Pass in Phu Yen central province Sunday morning, killing the driver on the spot.

The perished victim was later identified as 34-year-old Nguyen Phi Hung hailing from Binh Dinh central province.

The accident caused National Highway 1A to be clogged when many vehicles tailed up for many hours.

Local traffic police were immediately sent to the scene to handle the gridlock.

Bus overturns, 21 injured

15-year-old boy Nguyen Van Duoc, one of 21 accident victims, receives medical treatment at the hospital

A bus carrying 54 passengers on the Bac Giang – Ho Chi Minh City route overturned early Sunday in Lo Xo mountain pass located at central highlands of Kon Tum, injuring 21.

The accident victims received prompt and proper first aid on the spot at the province's Dak Lei health station. After that, 11 victims said to suffer serious injuries were sent to Kon Tum hospital for further treatment.

Nguyen Huu Hai – vice chairman of Kon Tum People’s Committee – visited the victims at the hospitals and delivered VND1 million in cash each to the seriously injured victims and VND500,000 each to the slightly injured at the same day.

According to the initial investigation, the main cause of the incident is that the driver lost control when the bus’s brake was broken.

HCMC plans lots of roadwork in 2011

Ho Chi Minh City plans to dig up another 343 kilometers of streets this year, officials have said.

There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to the dreaded green traffic barriers that block the flow of traffic on many HCMC streets.

According to the city Transport Department, that the Saigon Water Corporation (Sawaco) will dig up more than 310 kilometers to install new drainage pipes in Districts 12,

Go Vap, Tan Phu, Hoc Mon, Binh Chanh and Nha Be on the city's outskirts and replace the old ones in several downtown districts.

The HCMC Power Company plans to tear up 15.3 kilometers of roadways to bury electrical wires in Districts 3, 5, 6, 10 and 11.

Some digging will be done as part of the flood prevention project and urban traffic management project in the city, which are expected to finish by the end of the year.

Street barriers have left main arterial roads clogged for hours at a time. The poor condition of HCMC roads also heightens the danger for road users.

According to police, most of the city’s traffic jams are caused by roadwork barricades blocking the streets.

87,000 Vienamese workers to go abroad in 2011

Vietnam set to send 87,000 workers abroad this year, around 1,500 more than last year, according to Department of Overseas Labor Management.

The country will continue to focus on its traditional labor export markets like Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia, adding a combined 50,000 people will be sent to these destinations.

Meanwhile, labor agencies have reported that they have been signing contracts to send large amounts of workers overseas from the beginning of 2011.

According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, more than half million Vietnamese workers are working in 40 countries and territories, sending home nearly US$2 billion every year.

Vietnam redefines poverty, doubles benchmark

A person earning under VND200,000 a month was previously considered poor in rural areas but now the standard is VND400,000, according to a recent decision by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Under the new poverty lines for 2011-2015, for rural areas, a person considered poor is one earning under VND400,000 a month.

The new near-poverty line in rural regions is set at VND401,000-520,000 per people per month.

For urban areas, the new poverty line was increased to VND500,000 per people per month from the current VND260,000, and the new near-poverty line is fixed at VND501,000-650,000 per people per month.

The above thresholds serve as a basis for the implementation of the government’s economic and social security policies, the decision said.

Last year the country’s proportion of poor households declined to 9.45% from the 22% in 2005, according to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

Based on the old poverty lines, a number of provinces and cities, including Da Nang City, Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong Province, no longer have poor households.

Two of Canada-Vietnam drug smuggling ring nabbed

Ministry of Public Security police have arrested two members of an alleged drug trafficking ring in the northern Quang Ninh Province.

Pham Van Chinh, 37, of Cam Pha town was caught red-handed Friday when he was receiving a parcel of marijuana sent from Canada to Vietnam at a local post office.

The package contains 1,000 grams of dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant.

Based on his testimony, the police arrested Pham Thi Tai, 68, of the same town.

The police said the two are members of an alleged drug smuggling ring that sends drug packages from Canada to Vietnam.

They are still investigating.

Hanoi man lies on railway track, crushed by train

A man killed himself Friday after he lay across the railroad track and were crushed by the oncoming train.

According to eyewitnesses, the unidentified man in his mid 30s stopped his motorcycle before a food shop in Hoang Mai District, buying a water melon.

After eating up the melon, he put the bike near the railroad track while he lay on the rail.

He was crushed by a train soon after.

The eyewitnesses said they screamed warnings to him before but it happened so quickly.

The man did not bring any papers with him.

The accident caused a traffic jam as curious crowds flocked to the scene to see the dead body.

16-floor Golden Tower on fire

Around 10:30 am today, a fire broke out from a 6 sq.m host computer room at the 14th floor of the 16-storey Golden Tower located at District 1's No 6 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St., panicking hundreds of staff at the commercial center.

The 14th floor belongs to an office of HCMC Techcombank branch.

Staff told police when they heard the fire alarm bell, they rushed to escape so fast through staircases that they failed to take any possession, even a motorcycle key.

Firefighters from District 1 and District 3 were mobilized to the scene to extinguish the fire.

By around 12:00 am at the same day, the fire was put under control.

According to initial investigation, the cause is due to a short electrical circuit.

In a related news, at 9am today, an extensive flame occurred at a private house in Nguyen Canh Chan St, Vinh central city, burning to ashes most of its household items, but fortunately no human casualty has been reported.

It spread to a garage nearby.

At around 9:15 am, firefighters were mobilized to the scene and managed to control the blame after less than one hour.

The incident was chaotic as thousands flocked to witness the fire occurring near Vinh market.

According to locals, the house where the fire started is used for trading in fruits and vegetables.

The cause is initially put down to a short electrical circuit.

Phu Yen thieves steal three Buddhist statues

Thieves broke into a pagoda in the central Phu Yen Province and stole three Buddhist statues made of copper last Sunday.

Dao Thi Ly, the 43-year-old janitor of the Tho Lam-Thuong Tien Pagoda in Tuy Hoa City, said the thieves cut through the lock of the door when the chief monk was absent.

They took away three copper statues, each weighing 2-3 kilograms.

Local police are investigating.

Dalat, Tokyo medical facilities in cancer tie-up

Lam Dong General Hospital in Dalat has tied up with Toho Hospital in the Japanese capital Tokyo for cancer treatment.

Under an agreement signed yesterday Toho will provide equipment and know-how to diagnose and treat the disease.

Sanshikai Group, which owns the hospital, will invite three doctors from Lam Dong Hospital to Tokyo for training in cancer treatment, and has promised to provide Lam Dong hospital a dialysis machine.

The Dalat hospital will help patients who want to be treated in Japan with procedures.

The two hospitals will also exchange personnel to improve their professional skills.

Man arrested for hitting female gymnast dead

Hanoi police have arrested a man for crashing a truck into a 14-year-old female gymnast last month, killing her and seriously injuring a Chinese coach.

Vu Van Quang, 25, of the northern Bac Ninh Province was driving the truck loaded with bricks when it crushed into a motorcycle driven by a man with a girl on the back seat.

The girl, identified as Truong Khanh Huyen, a 14-year-old gymnast of the National Sports Center, died on the spot.

The man called Zhaogu, a Chinese gymnastic coach of the center, was seriously injured.

Quang, the truck driver, fled the scene after the accident.

The truck owner, Nguyen Van Thu, then sold the truck to some one else.

The police found out Thu hired Quang to transport bricks since last October.