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Hanoi issues bigger fines for solid waste violations
Hanoi (VNA) -- The Hanoi
People’s Committee has introduced fines of up to 15 million VND (789
USD) for people caught illegally discharging solid and domestic waste.
It is the first time the city has issued administrative punishments for activities that pollute the environment.
Under the new rules, people who illegally transport solid waste could face fines of up to 10-15 million VND (526-789 USD), those caught littering city streets with solid waste could be fined 5-10 million VND (263-526 USD), and those caught discharging domestic waste could be fined between 100,000-300,000 VND (5.2-15.7 USD).
In addition to fines, violators would also be required to rectify the effects that their waste disposal caused on the environment. Activities that obstruct waste management would also be liable to punishment in accordance with environment protection laws.
The new rules are only the first step to classify and control waste to ensure the development of an effective recycling system that minimises the amount of waste buried in landfills, said Nguyen Van Khoi from the Hanoi People’s Committee.
Nguyen Thi Thanh, a worker of the city’s Urban Environmental Hygiene Company, said that the fines are strict enough to discourage people from discharging waste in the public places.
However Thanh said she wondered whether the city’s Transport and Public Works Department would allocate enough officers to enforce the regulations.
Statistics released by the ministry show the average amount of garbage discharged daily by each household amounts to between 0.6kg in rural areas and about 1kg in urban areas in Hanoi - rates that are steadily increasing.
Each day, more than 3,500 tonnes of rubbish are discharged in Hanoi.-Enditem.
HCM City public hospitals run out of recognised vaccines
HCM City (VNA) -- Many brand name vaccines not covered by the national immunisation programme have run out at public hospitals in HCM City despite warnings from suppliers of shortages as early as September last year.
According to Nguyen Tran Hien, director of the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, vaccines provided by the national expanded immunisation programme are not in shortage but the more expensive brand name vaccines for the same diseases.
On March 1, the city’s Pasteur Institute published a list of vaccines for diphtheria, whooping-cough, tetanus and paralysis produced by Sanofi-Aventis and Glaxo Smith and Kline, that were in short supply.
The HCM City ’s Paediatrics Hospital No 2 announced similar supply shortages after they ran out of Japanese encephalitis, meningo-encephalitis A + C, measles and rubella vaccines. Paediatrics Hospital No 1 also reported they had exhausted their supplies of Meningo-encephalitis A + C and typhoid vaccines.
Nguyen Ngoc Anh Tuan, deputy head of the Examination Unit of Pasteur Institute, said vaccine suppliers had informed the institute last September of supply shortages.
The current shortage is particularly problematic, said Tuan, since substitutes are not available and suppliers maintain a monopoly on distribution.
According to Tuan, problems with importation procedures have prevented companies from successfully importing the vaccines.
To respond to the shortage, Nguyen Viet Hung from the Ministry of Health’s Department of Pharmaceutical Management has ordered the city’s Department of Health to source suppliers for the vaccines in shortage.
Director of the department Truong Quoc Cuong, pinned the blame on procedures that require health clinics to wait until patients request vaccinations before purchases can be made.
The Pasteur Institute administers more than 200 vaccinations everyday, while during the peak of epidemic seasons, the number can be up to five times higher. Average vaccinations at Paediatrics Hospital No 2 total 100 per day.-Enditem.
Lifting ties with India, Indonesia to new height
Hanoi (VNA) – National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong’s recent visits to India and Indonesia have created a new driving force to boost relations between Vietnam and the two Asian countries, said an official.
In an interview with the press on the visits’ results, Chairman of the NA’s External Relations Committee Nguyen Van Son on March 3 said both India and Indonesia wish to lift cooperation with Vietnam to new height and this policy receives the support of opposition political parties in the two countries.
India affirmed its intention to strongly promote strategic partnership relations with Vietnam , stressing that India is willing to cooperate in any field of Vietnam ’s need, especially in oil and gas, information technology, education and training and tourism.
Meanwhile Indonesia is willing to develop all-rounded cooperation with Vietnam , with priorities to be given to mining, agriculture, service, tourism and fisheries.
NA Chairman Trong’s visits to the two countries not only contributed to enhancing bilateral ties, but also helped Vietnam win their support in multilateral relationship, Son said.
India affirmed Vietnam is the centre of its “East looking” policy, while Indonesia voiced support to Vietnam ’s participation to G20 summit as ASEAN’s Chair.
Both countries affirmed their support to Vietnam so that it can successfully organise the Vietnam Year during its tenure as ASEAN and AIPA’s chairs.
India and Indonesia ’s legislative bodies also pledged to increasing cooperation with Vietnam not only in bilateral relations but also at regional and international forums.
Regarding the prospect of legislative cooperation, Son said India and Indonesia said they will work closely with Vietnam for the successful organisation of the 31st AIPA General Assembly.
They also wanted to enhance the sharing of information and experience with Vietnam , especially in law-making and supervision, as well as consultation with Vietnam in international forums.
The three legislative bodies agreed to work together in the supervision of the implementation of signed agreements between them.
The NA official also said Chairman Trong’s visits helped stimulated economic ties between Vietnam and the two Asian countries with the organisation of business forums and the “Vietnam Days” event in India .
As Indian and Indonesian leaders saw cooperation with Vietnam in economics and trade as yet to match their potentials, they said the forums had provided a boon for the business circles.
According to Son, the President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Indonesia pledged to take with them large business delegations during their visits to Vietnam this year to boost investment cooperation.
In conclusion, Son said India and Indonesia want to cooperate with Vietnam not only for a prosperous ASEAN community but also for ASEAN countries to expand relations with other countries and regions to improve their positions in international arena.
National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong on March 3 wrapped up official visits to India and Indonesia which were made at the invitations of Speaker of the Indian House of the People (the Lok Sabha) Meira Kumar and Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Marzuki Alie.-Enditem
Vietnam book of records published
HCM City (VNA) – The HCM City-based Vietbooks and Vietnam News Agency’s Publishing House have released a collection of Vietnamese records.
The 400-page Vietnam Records Directory 2009 lists more than 700 records that individuals and organisations set in 14 different fields, including the arts, literature, music, science and the economy during 2004 and 2009.
Fifty percent of the records were new ones.
The book also features records set by the first Vietnamese emperors, and records that are expected to be set this year in celebration of the 1,000 th anniversary of Hanoi .
The book, which cost 290,000 VND (15 USD), offer several hundred colour photos and texts offering detailed information about the records.
The publishers released the first-ever Vietnam Records Directory in May 2008.-Enditem
Motorbike drivers cause 70 percent of City accidents
HCM City (VNA) – Motorbike drivers caused 70 percent of the 1,123 traffic accidents in HCM City last year, according to the city’s Traffic Safety Committee.
The accidents caused by motorbikes killed 649 people and injured 365 others.
HCM City now has over 4 million registered motorbike users not including a million from neighbouring provinces.
According to the city police, nearly 1,000 new motorbikes are registered every day, a 10 percent increase over last year.-Enditem
New school built in Cham ethnic region
Ninh Thuan (VNA) –Work on the construction of La Chu elementary school kicked off in the Cham-populated Phuoc Huu commune in the central Ninh Thuan province’s Ninh Phuoc district on March 3.
The two-storey school with 14 classrooms will cost over four billion VND, sourced by government bonds and the local budget.
The work is scheduled to be finished in August and put into use in the academic year of 2010-2011.-Enditem
Press Highlights March 4
Current Events
· National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong ends official friendship visits to India and Indonesia (Hanoi Moi, Nhan dan, p.1).
· New step of development in relations between Vietnam and India and Indonesia . An interview with Head of the NA’s Committee for External Relations Nguyen Van Son (Nhan dan, p.1).
· Meeting marks the 60 th anniversary of the Vietnam-Bulgaria diplomatic ties in Hanoi (Nhan dan, p.7).
· Vietnam prepares for the 16 th ASEAN Summit (Nhan dan, p.8).
· Vietnam Union of Friendship Associations presents friendship insignia to Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Vietnam (Hanoi Moi, p.8).
· Vietnam accelerates work in support of overseas Vietnamese (Hanoi Moi, p.8).
· Japanese Ambassador: Japan continues providing ODA in large scale to Vietnam (Saigon Giai phong, p.2, Hanoi Moi, p.7).
· Vietnam , Thailand enhance exchange of information on crimes (Quan doi Nhan dan, p.1).
Socio-Economic Affairs
· Vietnam businessmen forum (Nhan dan, p.1).
· Constructing more schools in Cham ethnic minority group-inhabited areas (Nhan dan, p.7).
· Petrolimex cut prices of diesel down from 300-500 VND per littre from March 3 (Hanoi Moi, p.2, Nhan dan, p.8).
· Gold price increases 110,000-120,000 VND per tael (Saigon Giai phong, p.1).
· Japan provides 5 million USD to carry out mass bio-energy project in Vietnam (Saigon Giai phong, p.3).
· Import of agricultural material soars (Hanoi Moi, p.3).
· Campaign to help disabled children in Vietnam (Lao dong, p.6). The organisation East meets West and the Vietnam Television announce top ten models to help the Vietnamese disables.
· Welcoming Lord Buddha’s sari from India to Bai Dinh pagoda in Vietnam (Nhan dan, p.1).
· Ensuring payment balance, overcoming worry about trade deficit (Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam [ Vietnam economic times], No.53, p.5). Vietnam ’s trade deficit has increased since 2002.
· Vietnam , the Republic of Korea accelerate exchange of trade. RoK-Vietnam joint trade cooperation committee serves as a bridge (Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam , No.53, p.4). RoK is Vietnam ’s sixth largest trading partner.
· Four main difficulties in curbing inflation (Dau tu [Investment], No.27, p.4). World’s material price hike, fluctuations of exchange rate between Vietnamese dong and US dollar and sharp rise of local price are major difficulties in curbing inflation this year.
· “Modest” foreign direct investment attraction in Ho Chi Minh City (Dau tu, No.27, p.4).
· Export waits for key markets (Dau tu, No.27, p.5). Russia has been seen a possible market to help Vietnamese businesses to increase their exports.
· Rice market forecast in 2010: price falls, demand increases (Dau tu, No.27, p.12).
· Domestic production and consumption remains support for economy (Dau tu, No.27, p.1).
· Seaports and tourism in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province attract investment (Dien dan doanh nghiep Vietnam [ Vietnam business forum], No.18, p.10). The province has granted licences to 10 local and foreign investment projects, of which seven projects are involved in tourism and seaport.
International Events
· UN calls for promoting rights and equality for women (Nhan dan, p.8).
· Controversy on sanctions against Iran continues (Nhan dan, p.8).
· US, China heal bilateral ties (Nhan dan, p.8).
· Ukrainian parliament approves a non-confidence vote against Prime Minister Tymoshenko's government.-Enditem
BUSINESS
Sterner tax regime on car imports
Hanoi (VNA) – The General Department of Customs has issued a new reference table of imported car prices aimed at helping its officials to combat import tax evasion.
The department’s new taxable price table lists over 1,000 automobile and truck models, both new and used (under 9-seat cars, buses and lorries), and increases the reference prices for tax purposes by 2-20 percent.
The reference price of a Toyota Corolla, for purposes of calculating the import tax, has risen in the table by about 1,500 USD over 2009, while high-grade models from Bentley, BMW and Cadillac would see increases of thousands of US dollars.
The department based the new table on the suggested retail prices of foreign auto manufacturers and the fluctuation in the foreign exchange rate between the dong and the US dollar.
Customs officials would continue to apply tax rates set by the Ministry of Finance to the actual declared value of the vehicles, but the higher referent prices would increase pressure on importers to properly document any prices that significantly vary from the reference prices in the table, said Nguyen Van Can, deputy head of the department.
Deputy Minister of Finance Tran Van Hieu also said, at a press conference on March 2, that it was necessary to more closely control the importation of luxury goods to balance the country’s trade deficit.
In light of Government’s efforts to cut the trade deficit, the volume of automobiles imported into Vietnam decreased sharply in the first two months of the year, with 3,400 units imported in January and 2,500 in February, decreases of 69.6 percent and 26.5 percent from previous months. The trend was expected to continue in March, according to a General Statistics Office prediction.-Enditem
Shares rebound on end of bank liquidity crisis
Hanoi (VNA) – The VN-Index returned to positive territory on March 3, gaining 1.26 percent to close the day at 507.32 points.
The value of trades on the HCM Stock Exchange remained at about 1.5 trillion VND (78.9 million USD) on an overall volume of 37.3 million shares. Sacombank (STB) returned to its position as the most-active share, buoyed by its announced plan to increase charter capital to over 9 trillion VND (473.7 million USD).
A statement by State Bank of Vietnam governor Nguyen Van Giau early on March 3 that commercial banks currently have about 30 trillion VND (1.6 billion USD) in disposable capital available, helped lift the spirit of domestic investors as well as boost banking and financial shares during the day’s trading.
At the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index closed up an even more impressive 2.9 percent to 170.22. Trading became busier, generating a turnover of 1.1 trillion VND (57.9 million USD) on a volume of 32.9 million shares. Kim Long Securities Co (KLS) continued its impressive showing, racking up a volume of 5.8 million trades.
Foreign investors returned to being net buyers again on March 3 on the HCM City market, picking up a net of nearly 300,000 shares.-Enditem
KBC invests 100 million USD in Quang Ninh
Quang Ninh (VNA) – Kinh Bac Urban Development Joint Stock Co (KBC) announced that it would invest 2 trillion VND (more than 100 million USDD) to establish the Phuong Nam complex, which will have an industrial zone and urban area, in northern Quang Ninh province’s Uong Bi town.
Construction of the 1,000 ha complex will kick off in April and is stated to be completed in 2014.
Local authorities said that the project would help the town attract 1-2 bilion USD in foreign direct investment and create 50,000 jobs in the near future.
Authorities vowed to create the most favourable possible conditions for the investors in order to help finish construction on time.
The KBC also pledged to invest large amounts of funds into other industrial an service projects in the northern province , and it inked a cooperation agreement with the provincial People’s Committee last month.
The group will consider pumping investments into several projects, which will include the 500ha Viet Hung industrial and service complex in Ha Long City, a tourism resort in Van Don Economic Zone and a financial and trade centre.-Enditem
Coal price for power to rise by up to 47 percent
Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group announced new coal prices for electricity generation on March 3.
The price of coal dust No 4B sold to power plants is set to rise by 47 percent to 648,000 VND (34 USD) per tonne, while that of coal dust No 5 will increase by 28 percent to 520,000 VND (27 USD).
Deputy director of the group Nguyen Van Hai said that the price adjustment was for the group’s reinvestment activities.
According to Hai, the group is investing in five new coal mines with an estimated capacity of 1.5 million tonnes to 2 million tonnes per year at an expected investment capital of between 2 trillion VND and2.5 trillion VND (105.3 million – 131.6 million USD) each.
The increase would also help the group raise miners’ salaries, Hai said, adding the group the group is also considering adjusting coal prices for other industries.
According to the group’s forecast, Vietnam will have to import coal for the next three years and the group has set up a special team to prepare for import activities in the future.-Enditem
(MOFA)
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