Internet Explorer: Microsoft plans 'silent' updates

From January, Internet Explorer (IE) users will be automatically updated to the latest version of the browser. Once IE is updated, future changes will be applied without a user's knowledge Microsoft said it was starting the project to update millions of machines to improve security online. Future updates to the browser would be applied without a user's knowledge to help beat scammers catching people out with fake updates. Those who did not want their browser updated could opt out or uninstall the software, said Microsoft. "The Web overall is better - and safer - when more people run the most up-to-date browser," wrote Ryan Gavin, Microsoft's IE boss, in a blogpost explaining the plan. He said the data gathered by Microsoft for its security...

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Posted in: Computer

Traffic police and funny bans

A  traffic policeman in Hanoi was hit while attempting to stop a car in July Dear readers, This week, we once again discuss a topic that you may see in everyday stories on TuoiTreNews: traffic police. Last week, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department issued a rule prohibiting officers in the traffic police force from carrying more than VND 100,000 (US$4.7) while on duty. These regulations are aimed at strengthening supervision by heads of police units over their staff while forming a framework for handling cases in which traffic police officers allegedly take bribes from traffic violators. Joey Pham wonders if this initiative will really reduce corruption among traffic police. “The right to own money and to carry cash is...

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Posted in: Society,Vietnam,violence

China sends rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng back to prison

Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng has been sent back to jail for three years, state media reports say. A Beijing court on Friday cancelled the lawyer's probation saying that he had seriously violated probation rules, the Xinhua news agency said. Gao Zhisheng has been outspoken critic of the Chinese government Mr Gao went missing at the beginning of 2009 but resurfaced briefly in 2010 saying he had been tortured. An outspoken critic of the government, he worked for the rights of some of China's most vulnerable people. The BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing says this is the first news about Gao Zhisheng for some time but it leaves questions about what happened to him still unanswered. Mr Gao's...

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Posted in: China,Politics,Society

Russia becomes WTO member after 18 years of talks

Russia has spent 18 years trying to gain access to the World Trade Organization Russia has finally joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) at a ceremony in Switzerland on Friday, after 18 years negotiating its membership. The Swiss brokered a deal between Russia and Georgia earlier this year that removed the last obstacle to Russia's accession. Georgia had tried to block Russia's WTO entry since the two countries fought a short war in 2008. Russia was by far the biggest economy yet to join the global trade body. It is also the last member of the Group of 20 major economies to join, after China gained membership in 2001. "This result of long and complex talks is good both for Russia and for our future partners," President Dmitry Medvedev...

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Posted in: Business,Russia,Society

UN lifts sanctions on Libya's key banks

The UN Security Council has lifted sanctions on Libya's central bank and the country's foreign investments banks, diplomats say. They say the move is aimed at easing a current cash crisis in Libya. The US followed suit shortly afterwards, lifting "most" sanctions against Tripoli. The Libyan banks' assets abroad were frozen earlier this year as part of sanctions against former Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi. Libya says the funds are needed to pay employee salaries and keep basic services running On Friday, the UN Security Council decided to lift the sanctions on the Central Bank of Libya and its investments subsidiary - the Libyan Foreign Bank. Last Friday, the council agreed to unfreeze the assets - unless there were objections...

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Posted in: Asia,Society,violence

Christmas in Bắc Ninh: music and solidarity to bear witness to the birth of Jesus

The diocese is promoting music courses to enliven the season’s Masses. In every parish, dances, sacred songs and plays will tell the story of the Saviour “born in a cave in Bethlehem”. Activities are open to atheists and believers of other religions. Funds are raised for the poor and needy, including non-Christians. Hanoi (AsiaNews) – In this period of Advent, all the parishes in the Diocese of Bắc Ninh, northern Vietnam, are promoting music courses to teach Christmas carols in order to “stay with God”. Once their course is completed, the singers will return to their respective communities, and will continue rehearsing for Christmas Eve when they will bring joy and cheer to the faithful and Christmas celebrations. Parish churches...

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Posted in: Christmas,Experimental Society,Society,Vietnam

Six SEA Games stars to be recommended for Labor Award

Six athletes will be nominated for the Labor Award, third class, for their outstanding performances at the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia last month, a sports official has said. Lam Quang Thanh, deputy director of the General Department of Physical Training and Sports, said they were swimmers Hoang Quy Phuoc and Chau Ba Anh Thu, gymnast Phan Thi Ha Thanh, high jumper Duong Thi Viet Anh, weightlifter Tran Le Quoc Toan, and boxer Luong Van Toan. Phuoc, 18, won the men’s 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly, in the process qualifying for the next year’s London Olympics. Thanh, 20, grabbed three golds at the SEA Games following her bronze medal in the vault at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in October....

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Posted in: Sport,Vietnam

French banker says UK should be downgraded first

The chairman of the French central bank, Christian Noyer, has said ratings agencies should downgrade the UK before France because its economy is weaker. Christian Noyer heads France's central bank US agency Standard and Poor's recently warned France its rating could suffer over the eurozone crisis and downturn. "The downgrade does not appear to me to be justified when considering economic fundamentals," Mr Noyer said. The British Government responded by saying the UK had a credible plan for dealing with its deficit. Speaking to French regional newspaper Le Telegramme, Mr Noyer said any downgrade should start with Britain "which has more deficits, as much debt, more inflation, less growth than us and where...

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Posted in: Business,Europea,Experimental Society

Hong Kong tourists say robbed, sell photos for food

Two tourists from Hong Kong are selling their own pictures on the street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City to be able to get their daily meals. They claim they were robbed of all their possessions and identity papers by bag-snatchers on a scooter. Their story and photographs, posted on a blog on Wednesday, have spread rapidly and attracted sympathy from many netizens. Doris and Kay say they lost their bag with their cash, credit cards and identity papers while walking on Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street in Binh Thanh District. Doris and Kay sell their own photos on Ho Chi Minh City’s Bui Vien Street after being robbed off all their possessions, including identity papers After reporting the robbery to the local police and getting an appointment...

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Posted in: Asia,Society,Tour in Vietnam,Vietnam,violence

Bahrain blogger Zainab al-Khawaja 'detained in protest'

Images show a policewoman disciplining Zainab al-Khawaja before she is handcuffed Police in Bahrain have detained prominent blogger and rights activist Zainab al-Khawaja during a protest near the capital Manama, reports say. Security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters trying to block a main road, according to witnesses. The Gulf kingdom's Shia Muslim majority have staged regular protests in the past 10 months demanding more rights from the Sunni-dominated monarchy. King Hamad has pledged reforms. The latest unrest comes during a visit to Bahrain by the US state department's top human rights envoy, Michael Posner. He welcomed moves by King...

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Posted in: Asia,Bahrain,Politics,violence

Lagarde: No country's economy immune from rising risks

IMF head Christine Lagarde has said the world economic outlook is "gloomy" and no country is immune from rising risks. She said all nations, starting with Europe, needed to head off a crisis with risks of a global depression. "There is no economy in the world immune from the crisis that we not only see unfolding but escalating," she said. "It is going to be hopefully resolved by all countries, all regions actually taking action." IMF chief Christine Lagarde was speaking at the US State Department Meanwhile, ratings agency Standard and Poor's downgraded 10 Spanish banks by applying new ratings criteria. And France's official statistics agency, INSEE, said that it expects the Europe's second-largest economy...

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Posted in: IMF,Society

Bangladesh man 'admits' cutting off wife's fingers

Human rights groups in Bangladesh have demanded a severe punishment for the husband of a young wife who allegedly cut off most of her right hand. Police say Rafiqul Islam, 30, attacked her because she pursued higher education without his permission. They say Mr Islam, a migrant worker, admitted to the crime shortly after returning home from the Gulf. However there has been no independent confirmation from the suspect that he carried out the attack. The incident is one of a number of acts of domestic violence targeting educated women in recent months. Ms Akther hopes to continue her studies using her left hand to hold a pen Police say that Mr Islam, who works in the United Arab Emirates, tied up his...

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Posted in: Asia,Bangladesh,Experimental Society,violence

Eviction order for Burma monk Shwe Nya War Sayardaw

A senior Burmese monk has been ordered to leave his monastery in Rangoon because of a speech he gave at a pro-democracy event. Shwe Nya War Sayardaw is an abbot at Rangoon's Sadhu monastery Shwe Nya War Sayardaw, a well-known critic of the government, addressed the National League for Democracy at a recent event in Mandalay. He was among several figures who met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she visited Burma in December. The Burmese government has recently implemented a series of reforms. But it still continues to hold hundreds of political prisoners and the country is still plagued by ethnic conflicts. The actual order to leave came from the monks' governing body, but this is backed...

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Posted in: Burma,Politics,Religion,Society,USA

Two Buddhist activists jailed for asking for religious freedom

Nguyen Van Lia, 71, and Tran Hoai An will serve a sentence of five and three years in prison. The two members of the Hoa Hao church charged with "endangering the State" and "abusing" democratic freedoms. Family members unable to attend the trial. Human Rights Watch: an unacceptable judgment. Hanoi (AsiaNews) - A Vietnamese court has sentenced two activists of a Buddhist sect to prison, guilty of "endangering the state". The relatives of the accused and the official newspapers explain that the sentence was imposed for the possession and distribution of "anti-government" material, in April the police raided their homes, finding books , CDs, DVDs and other documents that accuse the communist government of "violating religious freedom."...

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Posted in: Politics,Religion,Society,Vietnam,violence

US, North Korea to Discuss New American Food Aid

US rights envoy Robert King (File Photo) U.S. and North Korean envoys meet in Beijing Thursday to discuss a possible resumption of U.S. food aid to the reclusive communist state. The talks will focus on guarantees, sought by the United States,  that U.S. assistance will go only to North Koreans truly in need.  The State Department says a team led by Robert King, U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, will meet North Korean officials in Beijing on terms for the possible re-start of food aid to Pyongyang after a break of more than two and a half years.Despite its political differences with North Korea, the United States has been the biggest single contributor of food aid to the communist state since...

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Posted in: Korea,nuclear,USA

Syria 'authorised forces to shoot to kill' in crackdown

The Syrian army has been fighting to put down seven months of demonstrations Syrian soldiers said their commanders told them to stop anti-government protests "by all means necessary", Human Rights Watch has said. The group spoke to dozens of defectors who said they had understood this as authorisation to use lethal force. Anti-government protests have continued despite President Bashar al-Assad's attempts to stifle them. The UN believes more than 5,000 people have died in seven months of unrest, which Syria blames on armed gangs. In the latest violence, activists say 27 members of the security forces have been killed by army deserters in the southern province of Deraa. The London based Syrian Observatory...

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Posted in: Politics,Syria,violence

Picture of China's first refitted warship 'emerges'

A commercial US satellite company says it has managed to take a picture of China's first aircraft carrier during its sea trials in the Yellow Sea. If confirmed, it would be the first known photo of the former Soviet vessel recently refitted by Beijing. The warship began its sea trials in August, raising fresh concerns over Beijing's military build-up. China is currently involved in several maritime territorial disputes, particularly in the South China Sea. The 300m (990ft) carrier began its sea trials in August Stephen Wood, director of DigitalGlobe's analysis centre, said the vessel had been photographed on 8 December off the Chinese coast by one of the company's orbiting satellites, the Associated Press...

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Posted in: China,Politics,violence

Vietnam firm banned from World Bank projects

The World Bank Wednesday announced the debarment of three companies, and one individual from participating in its financially-aided projects in Vietnam and Indonesia for their sanctionable practices. Accordingly, Kellogg Brown & Root Pty Ltd (KBR Pty) was debarred for two years, following an investigation by WB Integrity Vic Presidency into violations of the Consultant’s Guidelines under a WB-financed water supply project in Vietnam. “KBR Pty, an Australian subsidiary of KBR, Inc, misrepresented the availability of key consultants during contract negotiation and execution, which resulted in KBR Pty being awarded the contract and led to delays in contract execution,” the announcement said. The Vietnam-based Social and Environmental...

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Posted in: Environment,Society,Vietnam

Panetta: Troops' Sacrifices 'Paying Off' in Afghanistan

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Kabul, Dec. 14, 2011. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told American troops in eastern Afghanistan the United States is winning the 10-year-old war against extremists in the country.Panetta flew to a remote U.S. Military base to present valor award medals to soldiers and offer reassurances the troops are making what he called significant progress in the war against extremists."I really think that for all the sacrifice that you are doing, the reality is that it is paying off and that we are moving in the right direction, and we are winning this very tough conflict here in Afghanistan," he said.Despite recent high-profile attacks by extremist groups, Panetta...

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Posted in: Afghanistan,Politics,USA

English Idoms: UNIT 7 - THE START-UP

Person A: Did you know that Krishna left for a job with that new Internet-based start- up? Person B: Yes, I heard that. I guess he decided to just go for the gold. They gave him stock options. Person A: I heard his wife also left her job to go to the same company. I guess they decided it was time to go for it. They’ve both become dot.commers. Person B: I think they took the risk because last year, he was offered a job and stock in another start-up company, but he said no, and now the company has gone public. He felt he really missed the boat. He would have been a millionaire if he had taken that job. Person A: Well, it’s a trade-off. I prefer a little more security. I’m not ready to risk it all and go for broke. Some of those Internet-based companies make me  nervous. A...

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Posted in: Learning English

Iran Says It Will Not Return US Drone

A member of Iran's revolutionary guard points at what Iran says is the U.S. RQ-170 unmanned spy plane, as he speaks with Admiral Hajizadeh (R), a revolutionary guard commander, at an unknown location in Iran, in this undated picture received December 8, 2011.   Iran has rejected a U.S. request to return a drone that Tehran says it brought down near the Afghan border earlier this month. Iranian Defense Minister, Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, said Tuesday that the aircraft is Iran's property. Facts About US Drone Captured by Iran The RQ-170 was built by Lockheed Martin and operated by the U.S. Air Force. The Air Force describes the RQ-170 as a "low, observable unmanned aircraft system" that can provide reconnaissance...

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Posted in: IRAN,Middle East,Politics,USA