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State leaders congratulate Ngo Bao Chau
Hanoi (VNA) – President Nguyen Minh Triet on August 19 sent a message of congratulation to Ngo Bao Chau who won the Fields Medal in mathematics, the most prestigious global award for mathematical achievement.
Triet said he highly values Chau’s achievements and his contributions to mathematics, thus bringing honour to the nation.
He said that Chau’s prize reflects on mathematics in Vietnam and that he hopes Chau would continue to contribute to the field in Vietnam and the world.
On the same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on behalf of the Vietnamese government also extended his congratulations to the professor, who helps Vietnam become the second nation in Asia to have a citizen awarded the medal.
Chau’s award is a great honour for the professor himself, his family, the country’s education and the Vietnamese nation as a whole as well as a strong encouragement to young Vietnamese scientists, PM Dung said.
He highly appreciates Chau’s contributions to the teaching of mathematics in Vietnam while expressing his hopes that the professor would further contribute to the development of mathematics at home.
“I believe that with great potentials and strong will along with dedicated guidance of excellent processors like Chau, more young Vietnamese scientists will bring glory to nation”, he said.-Enditem
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US veterans donate wheelchairs to the disabled
Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Veterans of America Fund (VVAF) has recently granted 20 wheelchairs to disabled people in Hanoi .
A presenting ceremony was jointly held by the VVAF, the non-governmental organisation Latter Day Saint Charities (LDSC), and the Foreign Ministry’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.
The donation is included in the second phase of a progamme launched by the VVAF to support disabled people and those are afflicted with Agent Orange/dioxin.
The programme plans to donate a total of 350 multi-purpose wheelchairs this year to the disabled in seven northern and central provinces , helping them better integrate into the community.-Enditem
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Last US combat troops withdraw from Iraq
Hanoi (VNA) – The last US combat brigade pulled out of Iraq on August 19, more than seven years after a US-led invasion toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Lieutenant Colonel Eric Bloom, the spokesman of the US army, said the 4 th Stryker Brigade under the 2 nd Infantry Division, crossed the border into neighbouring Kuwait ahead of the planned declaration of an end to US combat operations in Iraq by an August 31 deadline.
According to Los Angeles Times, it took three days for 360 vehicles and 1,800 soldiers to travel from Baghdad to the border into Kuwait .
The US is on schedule to cut down its forces in Iraq to 50,000 by August 31. The soldiers staying behind will be on a training mission.
“It is about a transition to a change of mission, going from combat operations to stability operations,” said Major General Stephen Lanza.
The spokesperson of the US Department of State, Philip Crowley, stated that the end to combat operations in Iraq is a “historical moment”. After completing the withdrawal of combat forces, the US ’s mission will be of diplomatic nature, he added.
In a letter run on the White House’s website on August 18, President Obama expressed his pleasure with the conclusion of the US army’s combat mission in Iraq but did not mention the withdrawal of the last combat unit.
On the same day, the US Embassy announced that its new ambassador to Iraq , James Jeffrey, arrived in Baghdad and presented credentials to President of the host country Jalal Talabani.-Enditem
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Nose job costs Miss Ao Dai her title
Hanoi (VNA) -- Miss Vietnam World contestant Pham Thi Thuy Linh has been stripped of her title as Miss Ao Dai (traditional long dress) in the pageant after revelations that she had her nose surgically altered five years ago.
Pageant rules do not allow contestants to have had plastic surgery.
The organising board was informed of Linh's violation of pageant rules after she won the Miss Ao Dai title. Linh admitted to the violation, saying that she hadn't known the rule. Linh said she had no intention to cheat and would accept the pageant judging panel's decision.
The panel reheld the Miss Ao Dai competition on August 19 for the four remaining contestants in order to choose the new Miss Ao Dai. Ha Thi Hoang Anh from Hanoi won the title and entered the top 15 in the pageant's final round.-Enditem
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minar eulogises inspiring writers
HCM City (VNA) -- Researchers and critics discussed the inspiring lives of two of Vietnam 's leading revolutionary writers at a seminar held in HCM City .
Poet Le Anh Xuan and novelist Nguyen Thi were also men of action who died fighting in the American War but the organisers of the two-day seminar, which ended on August 18, hoped readers, especially young ones, would learn more about their great contributions to literature.
Xuan, real name Ca Le Hien, was born in 1940 to a traditional family in southern Ben Tre province's Chau Thanh district. He volunteered to fight for the country's freedom and died in 1968.
His works centred mostly on his personal experiences and passion for his country and people, and highlighted the glory of Vietnamese soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the cause of the country's freedom.
His major works are a collection of poetry, Tieng Ga Gay (The Crow), which was published in 1965, and the epic Nguyen Van Troi (Hero Nguyen Van Troi) written in a simple and engaging style.
Xuan's last poem, Dang Dung Vietnam (Vietnamese Heroism), has been recognised as one of the most popular Vietnamese poems by readers.
In 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Government Prize for Literature and Arts.
Thi was born as Nguyen Hoang Ca – and was also known as Nguyen Ngoc Tan — in 1928 in the northern province of Nam Dinh’s Hai Hau district.
As a member of the South Vietnam Liberation Armed Forces, he died in the Tet Offensive of 1968.
Thi's popular novels like Nguoi Me Cam Sung (The Mother Holds a Gun, 1965) and Uoc Mo Cua Dat (The Country's Dream, 1967), remain favourites with millions of readers 40 years after they first appeared.
He was posthumously conferred the Ho Chi Minh Award for Literature and Arts in 2000.
Participants in the seminar, mostly veteran writers and critics from around the country, recommended nominating Xuan and Thi for the Hero of the People's Armed Forces award. –Enditem
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German quality-testing firm offers services
HCM City (VNA) -- Germany- based quality-testing firm TUV SUD says it can guide Vietnamese apparel, footwear, leather goods and textiles exporters to prosper in EU markets, avoiding several legal pitfalls.
The company said in a statement on August 19 that its guidance would be useful for companies to deal with EU regulations, especially those relating to REACH – registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemical substances.
This would allow suppliers to expand their market share, access key EU markets and reaffirm their global industry standing, the company statement said.
"Local suppliers will have significant competitive advantages over their competitors to access the EU market when they fully understand stringent EU regulations," said Suresh Somou, general director of TUV SUD Vietnam.
With TUV SUD's expertise, complying with REACH requirements would become a simple, step-by-step approach. By understanding the regulations and requirements, suppliers can easily classify their products and determine individual obligations regarding product type, place of manufacture and role in the supply chain.
Failure to comply with the EU's regulatory requirements would lead to costly product recalls and damage brand reputation.
Hence EU brands, retailers and importers are under great pressure to ensure that their products meet the necessary regulatory requirements. Their non-EU suppliers are also required to ensure full REACH compliance.
TUV SUD provides solutions for product quality and safety testing and inspection, engineering support, management system certification, and training. -Enditem
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Shares down despite inflation tip
Hanoi (VNA) -- Shares continued plunging on August 19 on the HCM Stock Exchange despite news that inflation in HCM City declined in August for a second month, dropping 0.25 percent from July.
The VN-Index lost another 0.72 percent of its value to close the day’s trades at 452.23.
Trading volume dropped by 15 percent from the previous session to 31.4 million shares, worth just 872.5 billion VND (45.2 million USD), the lowest daily value in the last six months.
The Index touched 450 points at 9:40am before bouncing back to over 452 due to increased bargain hunting. Most investors, however, remained wary of a rebound and sat out of the session.
Only nine shares out of 139 decliners dropped to their floor prices, while 57 codes posted gains and another 65 remained unchanged.
Eximbank (EIB) was the most-active share during the on a volume of 2 million shares, but the stock closed off nearly 1.8 percent to 16,300 VND (0.85 USD) per share.
On the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index eased by a less dramatic 0.28 percent, closing at 132.25.
Over 25 million shares worth a combined 664.8 billion VND (34.4 million USD) changed hands, with losers outnumbering gainers by 186-86. PetroVietnam Construction (PVX) was again the most-active share on a volume of 4.3 million.-Enditem
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Higher quality lifts tea exports in July
Hanoi (VNA) -- Vietnam exported 10,000 tonnes of tea last month, earning export revenue of 14 million USD, according to the Vietnam Tea Association.
With the money earned in July, total tea export turnover in the first seven months of the year stood at 91 million USD, a year-on-year increase of 6 percent, the association said.
The association attributed the increase to higher tea prices compared with last year, when tea was strongly affected by the world recession.
The association added that thanks to higher quality and better hygiene, Vietnamese tea was fetching higher prices on the world market.
Russia recently became the largest importer of Vietnamese tea. Other markets included Pakistan , Taiwan , China and Afghanistan .
Although the price of Vietnamese tea this year is higher than last year thanks to improved quality, it still remains low compared to rival products.
In the last decade, the price of domestically produced tea has not significantly increased.
In 1998, the price of Vietnamese tea stood at 1.52 USD per kilo, while prices abroad averaged about 2.01 USD per kilo.
In 2009, while tea prices on transaction floors on the world market climbed to 2.43 USD kilo, Vietnamese tea fell in price to 1.23 USD per kilo.
"This situation is caused by unhealthy competition among domestic companies," said Doan Anh Tuan, chairman of the association.
"Many companies produce and export low-quality tea, which has strongly affected the prestige of the national tea industry," he added.
Manufacturers have not invested in developing technology and cultivation practices.
"Vietnamese tea is cheaper than that of other countries because it has not caught up with changing global tastes," said Nguyen Thu Hang, representative of Estate Agencies, a regular Vietnamese tea industry customer.
"Another reason for the poor prices is the lack of an identifiable global trademark," she said.
Hang also affirmed that her company would be ready to import Vietnamese tea at higher prices if manufacturers could ensure hygiene and better quality.
Thirty four Vietnamese provinces currently cultivate tea over 131,500 ha with a yield of about 6.5 tonne per hectare. -Enditem
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Insurers see Non-life premiums climb
Hanoi (VNA) -- Non-life insurance revenue reached 8.24 trillion VND (429.21 million USD) in the first six months of this year, according to the Association of Vietnamese Insurers.
The increase represents a 28 percent rise over the first half of last year.
All types of insurance saw growth in the first half of the year, with fire and explosion coverage reaching 723 billion VND (37.65 million USD), up 125 percent over the same period last year. Agricultural insurance followed with a surge of 109 percent and construction insurance increased by 68 percent.
PetroVietnam Insurance Joint Stock Corp earned the most in non-life insurance premiums during the period with 1.97 billion VND (102.86 million USD) in revenue, followed by Bao Viet Insurance Corp, Bao Minh Insurance Corp, Petrolimex Joint Stock Insurance Co (PJICO) and Post-Telecommunication Joint Stock Insurance Co (PTI).
In addition to insurance, the insurers also offered many other products and services in the first half of the year.
BIDV Insurance Co (BIC) promoted its bancassurance products in co-operation with the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) with nearly 30 billion VND (1.56 million USD) in revenue in the first six months of this year, making up 14 percent of the company's total revenue.
Pham Quang Tung, BIC's general director, said that "diversifying products and expanding our network with other banks is expected to help us develop bancassurance products."
In a phone interview, Phung Dac Loc, secretary general of the Association of Vietnamese Insurers said: "Strengthening our products also creates faith among our customers. Focusing on potential markets as well as developing product distribution channels through banks and post helps us save money and raise the effects of our trade activities."
Loc predicted that life and non-life insurance revenues would rise to 20 percent and 33 percent respectively in the final six months of the year.
The Ministry of Finance has recently given its approval in principle to two new companies, both from Taiwan : Cathay Insurance Vietnam and the life insurance firm Fubon Vietnam . The Cathay and Fubon brands will begin to offer both life and non-life insurance services to add to their services.-Enditem
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Antivirus software passes malware test
HCM City (VNA) -- Three antivirus software products developed by Vietnamese security vendor Bach Khoa Internetwork Security (Bkis) have passed tests run by the Virus Bulletin (VB), an independent malware journal and website.
Bkis BKAV Pro, Bkis Gateway and Bkis Home were granted the VB100 award after participating in and passing the comparative review on Windows Vista SP2 Business Edition.
"Although the software was only tested on the Windows Vista SP2 Business Edition, I can confirm that all the three software products run well on Windows 7 and Windows XP," said Nguyen Minh Duc, director of internet security with Bkis.
VB conducts a comparative review every two months and runs tests on an operating system. Windows Vista SP2 Business Edition was used to test antivirus software this month.
Bkis has said it will continue to take part in future VB comparative reviews.
The Vietnamese company had also sent its products to take part in the April and June comparative reviews but the software failed the tests run on Windows XP and Windows Server 2008 R2.
The VB100 award was first introduced in 1998. To get the VB100 logo, an anti-virus product must detect all wild viruses during both on-demand and on-access scanning as well as generate no false positives when scanning a set of clean files. -Enditem
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