Over 50 workers admitted to hospital for food poisoning

As many as 54 employees of a footwear company in the southern city of Vung Tau were hospitalised shortly after a lunch break on November 27.

The incident occurred at Uy Viet Footwear Company in Dong Xuyen industry park, Vung Tau City.

The employees said their lunch included beans, mushrooms, carrots, cabbage soup and other vegetarian dishes.
Shortly after having lunch together, many showed symptoms of stomachache and vomiting. They were then taken to Le Loi hospital and Vietsopetro clinic centre due to fears of mass food poisoning.

The employees have been provided with intensive care and are showing signs of recovery.

Local authorities and relevant agencies are investigating the cause of the suspected food poisoning.

City aims to rein in adolescent gangs

The number of dangerous adolescent criminals and child abusers in Ha Noi will fall by 3-5 per cent per year if the Ha Noi People's Committee meets its targets on crime prevention and control in Ha Noi from 2013-15.

Last year the city police caught more than 400 adolescents suspected of crimes, more than 50 per cent of them serious, according to Ha Noi People's Procuracy statistics.

Of them, 70 were between 14 and 16 years old and the rest were between 16 and 18. Twenty five were female.
The city would attempt to snuff out organised underworld gangs in the early stages and keep a lid on the number of criminals, including foreigners, the committee said.

The city would investigate and take action against ruffian gangs, bully-boys and people using arms to commit murders and appropriate property. It would also take action to prevent economic criminals.

The target also was to reduce the rate of repeat criminals by 2-3 per cent a year. It proposed to give amnesty to 80 per cent of offenders to help them re-integrate into the community.

To reach the target, the city would arm police investigators, improve their capacity, prevent possible use of high-tech devices in making crimes, improve vocational training for offenders and tighten supervision on the programme.

The programme is to cost VND38.2 billion (US$1.8 million) with $1 million coming from the State budget and the remainder from the city budget.

Doctor saves premature infant

A 10-week premature infant was recently reported healthy after 26 days of treatment at a local hospital in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Doctor Nguyen Hong Hanh, director of Quang Ninh's hospital, said that surgery to save the newborn and her mother was successful, despite the multiple risks involved. The woman, who previously suffered from hypertension, received multiple injuries in an accident earlier this month and her pregnant infant weighed barely 0.8 kg.

"This was the smallest and youngest premature baby we have saved at the hospital," said Hanh. "Normally, the mortality rate of 9- or 10-week premature birth cases is very high, up to 90 per cent of the total."

The infant now weighs 1.4 kg.

Vietnam, Thailand join hands to combat drug crime

Bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand is essential to successfully combat drug crime and has, in fact, proved effective over recent years.

Sokum Opasnipth—Secretary-General of the Thai Office of the Narcotics Control Board—and Major General Do Kim Tuyen—Deputy Director-General of the General Department for Crime Prevention and Suppression—emphasised this at a November 27 conference on Vietnam-Thailand cooperation on drug prevention, held in Ba Ria–Vung Tau province.

Both sides stressed the complicated dynamics of drug crime, noting the increase in cannabis cultivation areas and the emergence of sophisticated international crime rings.

They proposed closer collaboration to protect the stability of each nation and ensure a drug-free ASEAN region.
The two sides updated each other about their domestic drug control campaigns and reviewed the results of their cooperation since their previous meeting. They also discussed ways to reduce their respective domestic demand for illicit drugs.

Vietnam and Thailand have been working together to prevent narcotic crime since 1998. Various activities exchanging experiences in rehabilitation and drug addiction prevention have been held ever since.

Nation to join with US state in disaster preparedness training

Viet Nam and the state of Oregon in the US will co-operate in disaster response, humanitarian aid, and search and rescue activities.

An agreement to this effect was signed between the National Committee for Search and Rescue of Viet Nam and the state of Oregon in Ha Noi yesterday.

During the discussions, the Vietnamese side proposed aspects of co-operation for 2013, especially the study of US disaster management, emergency response and search and rescue, as well as co-operating with Oregon directly on issues of training for Vietnamese staff and improving their English skills.

Additionally, the Vietnamese side asked to share information, technology and experience in disaster warning and forecasting, humanitarian aid and search and rescue.

The two sides expressed their wish that in the future, they will be able to co-operate to mitigate losses caused by disasters.

Students to enter home design contest

Third-year students of architecture at six universities have been invited to participate in a contest to design houses that can cope with climate change and disasters.

Contestants should design houses that cost less than VND100 million (US$5,000) to build. Construction materials should help save water and energy and reduce waste.

Entrants must register by December 15. Only students at HCM City University of Architecture, HCM City University of Technology, Van Lang University, HCM City University of Technology and Education, Ton Duc Thang University and Can Tho University are eligible to participate.

The winners will be declared on April 9, with the first prize being a trip to Thailand for the Thailand Architect Fair 2013, the opportunity to help Habitat for Humanity Thailand with the construction of a housing site and a cash prize of US$1,200.

The winner's design will also be used to build homes in a disaster-stricken area.

The contest was launched by Habitat for Humanity Vietnam (HHV) and Thai business group SCG.

Road layover stations offer free services

Road layover stations are now required to offer public services for free such as car parks, rest-rooms, leisure spaces and first aid for traffic accident victims as well as local traffic maps, under a circular issued by the Ministry of Transport.

There are four types of road layover stations, spanning between 1,000sq.m and 10,000sq.m.

Girl electrocuted at Delta amusement part

A seven-year-old girl in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta City of Can Tho's Thoi Lai town died from electrocution on Sunday by touching an electrified metal wire in an amusement park.

The two managers of the park confessed that they had used an electric wire to prevent theft. They have been held for further investigation on charges of murder.

Three die when rowboat overturns on river

Three women drowned while rowing in the Da River near Huoi So Commune, Tua Chua District in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien on Sunday.

The three victims, all related, were rowing to collect firewood in the river. The strong wind and big waves suddenly overturned the boat.

One body was recovered on Monday afternoon, while rescuers continue to search for the others.

VNN/VOV/VNS