Journalist to be prosecuted

The Supreme People's Procuracy approved a decision on Wednesday to prosecute Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper's Deputy Managing Editor Phan Ha Binh for extortion.

Police discovered Binh receiving bribes amounting to VND220 million (US$11,500) from a Sai Gon-Tan Ky Cement Joint Stock Company employee in a restaurant in HCM City's District 3 last week.

Binh, 41, admitted to the police that he had extorted money from the company.

According to the police investigation, Binh and his colleagues had written critical stories about a Sai Gon Investment Co-operation subsidiary.

Binh was appointed to the position of the paper early this month.

Police are continuing to investigate the case.

Viet Nam, EU exchange views on human rights

A Vietnamese delegation participated in working sessions with relevant agencies from the European Union in Brussels on October 18-19 to exchange views on human rights.

The delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, met with officials from the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Delegation for Relations with the Countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), along with various agencies from the European Commission's Directorate General for External Relations.

At the working session, Vietnamese officials explained Viet Nam's policies on promoting and ensuring human rights, which are manifested through an increasingly improved legal system and a mechanism for implementing human rights. Delegates also presented the results Viet Nam had gained in promoting and ensuring human rights, particularly in freedom of speech, press, belief and religion, as well as social, cultural and economic rights for everyone.

EU officials acknowledged the remarkable changes Viet Nam had recorded in political, socio-economic and legal fields, and affirmed their support for the country's renovation.

The two sides agreed that increasing dialogues and direct information exchange between EU and Vietnamese agencies would be a useful way of broadening mutual understanding and boosting the developing multilateral relations between Viet Nam and the EU.

$8.2m-link road to be built

The Ha Noi People's Committee has approved a plan to build a link road between National Highways 32 and 21A in Phuc Tho District.

The 4.3 kilometre road, which will receive VND160 billion (US$8.2 million) in funds from the district People's Committee, will be built during the 2011-14 period.

The new road will begin at Km38+345 on national highway 32 in Tho Loc commune and will feed into the intersection with the national highway 21 at Km5+050 in Son Dong commune.

The road aims to provide efficient transportation between Phuc Tho and Son Tay districts.

Vietnam listed among nations hardest hit by climate change

Vietnam is listed among 16 nations in Asia which will suffer the most serious consequences of climate change in the next 30 years.

The news was released by the France’s Daily World newspaper recently and is based on a report assessing the impact of climate change on the region.

According to a report by the UK’s Maplecroft Climate Change Risk, Bangladesh, India, Madagascar and Nepal top the list, followed by Mozambique, the Philippines, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malawi.

This is the first time researchers have considered climate change on a large scale looking at such factors as population, agriculture, health systems, infrastructure, as well as economic and social issues.

The report said also stated that if the poor nations were hardest hit by climate change, some of the world’s economic powers have to cope with big risks in terms of ecology and business environment.

Vietnam is now suffering from historic floods in the central region while Cambodia has also been seriously affected by flooding with damages totaling millions of dollars.

VietnamPlus, Siemens announce green-tech award

VietnamPlus and Siemens signed a partnership agreement in Hanoi on October 21 whereby VietnamPlus will be the media sponsor for Siemens Green Technology Journalism Award 2010.

This award is created for the first time in ASEAN in order to acknowledge and reward journalists for excellent reporting on energy efficiency, industrial productivity and sustainability issues. It is open to print and online media from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

All submissions for the Siemens Green Technology Journalism Award 2010 must be published from January 1 to December 31, 2010, in mainstream media such as newspapers, magazines or websites of professional journalist groups.

Articles will be judged in English, so journalists are encouraged to include their own translation for those reports which are written in Vietnamese.

Entries will be evaluated according to their news value, relevance to the three award categories – Energy Efficiency, Industrial Productivity and Sustainability – as well as the journalist’s writing and language skills.

For each category, there will be an award for the category and a merit winner. Winners will receive cash prizes as well as the opportunity to attend a seminar on sustainability and new technologies organised by the Technical University of Berlin, and to visit Siemens’ R&D and production centres in Germany.

Submission ends on December 31, 2010 at 5pm. Registration details and more information are available at www.siemens.vn/SGTJA2010.

Hanoi to host conference on traditional medicines

The second ASEAN Conference on Traditional Medicines will take place in Hanoi from October 31 to November 2.

The conference, themed “Integrating traditional medicines into national health care systems and feasible models for ASEAN countries”, is expecting to attract between 180 and 200 delegates from ASEAN nations and international organisations.

The conference will review the cooperation between ASEAN countries in traditional medicines after the first conference, share experiences and information on various models to integrate traditional medicine into national health care systems.

It will put forward models that are suitable to each ASEAN country and discuss issuing Hanoi Declaration.

Specific plans on ASEAN cooperation in traditional medicines, including training, research and primary health care models based on traditional medicines, will also be discussed.

An exhibition on achievements of ASEAN countries in the field will take place on the sidelines of the conference.

Youngsters ready for SSEAYP 2010

The Ship for Southeast Asia Youth Programme (SSEAYP) is a big regional event with young people from 10 ASEAN and Japan taking part in.

The Vietnamese party will leave for Japan on October 24 to join the ship.

On leaving Japan, the ship Fuji Maru will be at sea from October 27 to December 16, stopping in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam.

The Vietnamese party will hold a “Vietnamese Day” on board on December 5 with traditional music and dancing. They will also promote Vietnam’s traditional culture, such as making ceramic rings, organising a Miss Ao Dai contest, teaching martial arts (Vovinam) and instructing other international friends how to play Vietnamese games. They will hold a photography exhibition to present the country’s traditional cultural values.

They will also attend other activities, such as the Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Summit, and discuss issues of concern to young people.

VNN/VNS/VOV