Ho Chi Minh City rises

The eastern part of HCM City has been transforming rapidly thanks to several key transport projects and new modern urban areas with high rises that are springing up along the Saigon River. The East-West Highway, which was given the name of former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet last week, was partially completed last year and acts as an artery for the city, facilitating traffic between the downtown and outlying areas and, thus, their development. When the Thu Thiem Tunnel under the Sai Gon River is opened in the middle of this year, the 20 kilometer, six – to eight-lane highway will be completed. Beginning from National Highway 1A in Binh Chanh District in the west, it will run through districts 6,5,4,1, and 2 to link up with the Ha Noi Highway, allowing traffic from Sai Gon Port...

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Posted in: Society,Vietnam

Central bank says to refrain from policy tightening

The central bank said it plans to stop tightening monetary policy further in the next three to six months, even after inflation reached its peak in April. Nguyen Dong Tien, the central bank’s deputy governor, said at a government meeting last week that money supply expanded 1.5 percent in the first four months this year. That compares to a money supply growth target of 15 percent for the whole year, he added. Meanwhile, loans grew at 5 percent in the period, which means the central bank still needs to be cautious in controlling credit to achieve the annual credit growth target of less than 20 percent, he said. Tien said the central bank would not tighten its monetary policy while waiting for the market to...

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Posted in: Business,Society,Vietnam

Thailand-Cambodia border crossing reopens

Tens of thousands of villagers have been displaced by the fighting A border crossing between Thailand and Cambodia, closed during recent fighting, has been reopened amid signs that tensions may be easing. A tentative truce appears to have held since Monday night, and tens of thousands of villagers displaced by the fighting are gradually returning home. Seventeen soldiers and a Thai civilian have been killed in the clashes. The leaders of the two countries are expected to meet at a regional summit in Indonesia this weekend. The latest fighting flared on 22 April around the temples of Ta Moan and Ta Krabey, which lie in jungle areas that both countries claim. The area is about 200km (125 miles)...

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Posted in: Asia,Politics,Society

Seoul Still Quiet After Spying Debacle

Lotte Hotel & Resorts in Seoul, South Korea, May 4, 2011 An incident at a luxury hotel in South Korea has given a rare public glimpse into the world of international espionage. Agents of the country’s National Intelligence Service, in February, allegedly broke into a hotel room of a member of a delegation representing Indonesia’s president. South Korean authorities are remaining tight-lipped, two-and-a-half months after the mysterious break-in of Room 1961 at Seoul’s Lotte Hotel.What happenedDomestic media say three agents of the intelligence service were discovered inside the downtown five-star hotel, tampering with laptop computers of a visiting Indonesian delegation. The trio, reportedly composed of two men and one woman,...

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Posted in: Asia,Society

Pakistan: World Shares Blame for bin Laden Intelligence Failure

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani reviews the troops during a ceremony at the Invalides in Paris May 3, 2011 Pakistan's prime minister says intelligence agencies around the world share the blame for his country not capturing Osama bin Laden, while Pakistan faces pressure to explain how the al-Qaida leader managed to live in a town with a large military presence.Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said in Paris Wednesday if there are lapses in intelligence on the part of Pakistan, then there are lapses from the whole world.U.S. special forces killed bin Laden early Monday during a raid in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad.  U.S. officials have demanded answers to how the al-Qaida leader could live at a $1 million compound...

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Posted in: Politics,Society

Vietnam condemns all forms of terrorist acts

Vietnam opposes terrorism and condemns terrorist activities in any form, said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga. The spokesperson made the statement on May 3 while answering a reporter’s query on Vietnam’s response to the death of Osama Bin Laden. “Terrorists must bear responsibility for their acts and should be severely punished,” Nga said. Vietnam will continue to join the international community in the fight against terrorism, based on the UN Charter and the basic principles of international law, to eliminate terrorism, she said. tuoitrenews...

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Posted in: Politics,Society,Vietnam

Candidate for HCMC Council election suddenly dies

Nguyen Tien Dung, member of the city Communist Party Committee and newly-appointed deputy director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Transport who was shortlisted to run for the upcoming city’s People’s Council election, suddenly died at 9:30 am at Cho Ray Hospital today (May 3).  The news was announced by the transport department.  According to preliminary information, Dung went up to the rooftop of his three-story house in District 10 to watch the plumbers fix the water system but due to dizziness, he fell down to the ground. He was rushed to hospital for emergency care. But it was too late. His body has been taken home for burial. Dung was born in 1961 in An Giang southern province. He was appointed as deputy director...

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Posted in: Politics,Science,Vietnam

Hamas and Fatah sign reconciliation agreement

The leaders of Fatah and Hamas, the main Palestinian factions, have signed a deal in Cairo aimed at ending their four-year rift. Palestinian president and Fatah party leader Mahmoud Abbas said Palestinians had decided to "turn the dark page of division for ever". Mr Abbas and Hamas's Khaled Meshaal had not met since the expulsion of Fatah from Gaza in 2007. Fatah and Hamas have been bitterly divided for more than four years That expulsion followed a shock Hamas election victory a year earlier. Correspondents say the recent Arab uprisings have given fresh momentum to reconciliation. The agreement paves the way for a joint interim government ahead of national elections next year. The Fatah-led...

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Posted in: Mid-East,Politics

Obama: bin Laden Death is 'Good Day for America'

President Barack Obama speaks about the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden before he awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously to two Korean War veterans during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Monday, May 2, 2011 The day after U.S. forces killed terror network leader Osama bin Laden, President Barack Obama said it is a good day for America.  And, the president’s top counterterrorism adviser briefed reporters on Monday about the details of the operation that killed bin Laden. President Obama said the killing of the al-Qaida founder shows what Americans can do when they work together."I think we can all agree this is a good day for America," he said. "Our country has kept its commitment to see that justice is...

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Posted in: Politics,Society,USA

US: Bin Laden Would Have Been Taken Alive If Possible

John Brennan (L), assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, and White House Press Secretary Jay Carney smile as they take the rostrum to speak about the killing of Osama bin Laden at the White House, Washington May 2, 2011 President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism official says U.S. forces would have taken Osama bin Laden alive if they had the chance.John Brennan told reporters at the White House Monday the U.S. team that conducted the raid on the compound in Pakistan would have taken bin Laden alive if he did not pose a threat to them. Bin Laden was killed in a firefight with the U.S. forces, who swooped down in helicopters in the nighttime operation in Abbottabad, about 56 kilometers north of...

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Posted in: Politics,Society,USA

Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden dead - Barack Obama

Bin Laden was top of the US "most wanted" list Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has been killed by US forces in Pakistan, President Barack Obama has said. The al-Qaeda leader was killed in a ground operation outside Islamabad based on US intelligence, the first lead for which emerged last August. Mr Obama said after "a firefight", US forces took possession of his body. Bin Laden was accused of being behind a number of atrocities, including the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001. He was top of the US' "most wanted" list. Mr Obama said it was "the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al-Qaeda". The US has put its embassies around the world on alert, warning Americans of the possibility...

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Posted in: Politics,USA

Pro-Gadhafi Crowds Vow Revenge for Deadly Strike

In this photo made on a government-organized tour, residents gather in the neighborhood near the scene of a NATO missile attack in Tripoli, April 30, 2011 Crowds have rallied at the Tripoli compound of Moammar Gadhafi, after the government said the Libyan leader narrowly escaped a NATO airstrike that killed one of his sons and three grandchildren. NATO denies any individuals were targeted. Supporters of Colonel Gadhafi demanded vengeance after the government announced the death of Saif al-Arab Gadhafi, and three of the leader's grandchildren. The crowds of protesters also effectively served as a human shield for the colonel, who government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said was in Saif al-Arab's Tripoli home when it was hit. "The...

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Posted in: Afica,Politics

Hong Kong workers to enjoy minimum wage for first time

Critics say the minimum wage is a departure from Hong Kong's free-market roots Hong Kong has introduced a minimum wage that is expected to benefit 270,000 low-paid workers, or around 10% of the working population. Workers will now earn a minimum of HK$28 ($3.60; £2.18) per hour. The legislation was passed in response to public pressure to narrow the territory's wealth gap. But the minimum wage has been resisted by the business community, who say it is too costly. Business leaders say small businesses will be forced to lay off staff. Critics also say the legislation is a departure from Hong Kong's free-market roots. With the exception of Singapore, most Asian countries now have a minimum wage or are considering...

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Posted in: Asia,Society

Truong Sa affirms sovereignty with gifts

Truong Sa (Spratly) Island District has presented the central mainland provinces of Quang Tri and Thua-Thien Hue with coral stones and almond trees as a gesture of solidarity. Truong Sa’s Navy Command handed 21 pieces of coral stones and almond trees native to the island to each of the two neighboring provinces on Liberation Day, April 30. These corals and trees symbolize the 21 islands all over the Truong Sa archipelago which is being claimed by both Vietnam and China. Tuoitrenews...

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Posted in: Politics,Vietnam

Inflation to rise by 2 pct in May

Inflation is expected to increase by only 2 percent in May compared to last month’s hike of almost 4 percent. April's consumer price index (CPI) rose by 3.32 percent compared to March, the highest rate of increase since May 2008. This increase pushed the nation's inflation in the first four months of this year to 9.64 percent, already exceeding the figure expected for the entire year. Former State Bank of Vietnam Governor Cao Sy Kiem said inflation would continue to be high in the near future because of domestic policies such as deregulation of electricity rates, which is expected to take effect in June, and a minimum wage increase. The current bout of high inflation was started when the Vietnam dong was devalued by 9.3 percent...

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Posted in: Business,Society,Vietnam

Arsenal 1 - 0 Man Utd

By Phil McNulty Chief football writer at the Emirates Stadium Welsh midfielder Ramsey scores through the outstretched legs of Michael Carrick Arsenal blew the Premier League title race wide open as leaders Manchester United were deservedly beaten at the Emirates Stadium. Aaron Ramsey's winner early in the second half condemned United to defeat and leaves them only three points ahead of Chelsea with identical goal difference - and a meeting between the two to come at Old...

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Posted in: Sport

Hanged storekeeper’s wife provides 'sex' tapes

Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen, the wife of Nguyen Cong Nhat, a warehouse manager in Binh Duong Province who hanged himself at a police station last week has produced two tapes recording an unidentified man courting her. The two tapes recorded many telephone conversations between Tuyen and a man who told Tuyen he was an investigator in her husband’s case. Tuyen’s husband, 31-year-old Nhat hanged himself at Ben Cat District’s Police Office where he had been held for questioning over missing goods of Korean tire maker Kumho which he was working for. Kumho, located in Binh Duong’s My Phuoc III Industrial Park, had reported to the district police a loss of 6,000 tires worth over VND6 billion (US$289,000). Nhat was taken to the district...

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Posted in: Society,Vietnam

Binh Duong policeman courts suspect’s wife

For illustration purposes only The southern Binh Duong Provincial Police have confirmed that a district police tried to court the wife of a suspect during an investigation over missing goods. Nguyen Thanh Phu, an investigator from Thuan An District, was found courting the wife of Nguyen Cong Nhat, 31, a warehouse manager for Korean tire maker Kumo who was detained on April 21 for questioning over a loss of 6,000 Kumo tires and found hanging himself four days later. Phu was dispatched from his district to Ben Cat District to help investigating the case. Before Nhat killed himself, Phu phoned Nhat’s wife, Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen repeatedly to court her. In the phone calls, the man said his name was Phu and he was an investigation...

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Posted in: Society,Vietnam