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Laos elects new State, Gov’t and NA leaders
Vientiane (VNA) - The seventh Lao National Assembly re-elected General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Choummaly Sayasone as President at its first session that opened in Vientiane on June 15.
Lao NA delegates also re-elected Thongsing Thammavong as Prime Minister, Pany Yathortou as NA President and Politburo member of the LPRP Central Committee Bounnhang Volachit as Vice State President.
Addressing the opening of the first session, Politburo member and President of the sixth NA Pany Yathortou briefed the results of the April 30 NA election.
The election reflected the entire Lao people’s solidarity and their confidence in Lao State authorities and new regime, she said.
During the session, the NA will hear the results of the election of deputies to the seventh NA, discuss and adopt the apparatus of the seventh legislature, management agencies and the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuracy.
The deputies are also to discuss the government's seventh five-year socio-economic development plan for 2011-2015 and the socio-economic development plan and State budget plan in the 2011-2012 period./.
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Nha Trang sea festival successfully held
Khanh Hoa (VNA) – Over 100,000 foreign and domestic visitors flocked to the fifth Sea Festival 2011 themed “Nha Trang – The Sea Rendezvous”, which wrapped up on June 15 in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.
Addressing the closing ceremony, Le Xuan Than, Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and Head of the organising board underlined that the event sent a message to the people, urging them to protect marine resources and promote beauty and great values of seas and islands.
The ten-day event was colourful with over 60 cultural and sports activities, such as a bathing festival, a fishing competition, a fish worshipping ceremony, a sepak takraw competition on the beach, a seminar on developing bird’s nests as well as music performances by art troupes from Cuba, the Republic of Korea and France.
Highlights of the event were a photo exhibition on Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago and a display of Truong Sa map made from coffee beans.
Initiated in 2003, the event aims to honour, preserve and uphold special cultural characteristics of Khanh Hoa province as well as splendid beauty of Nha Trang bay – one of the world’s 35 most beautiful bays./.
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Thai army stresses non intervention in election
Bangkok (VNA) - The Thai army has reiterated its political impartiality in the upcoming general election and ruled out speculation that it will help some parties to form new government in military camps.
The Thai national news agency has cited Army Spokesperson Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd as saying the army will abide by its commitment on its political neutrality and asks its army officers to behave properly to avoid criticisms.
The army deemed it inappropriate for any political parties to seek discussion with the army before the upcoming election or even before the formation of a new government, he said.
Earlier, on June 14, Director of the Democrat Party' s election centre for Bangkok Apirak Kosayodhin said that the party has prepared to organise three major election campaigns in the capital city of Bangkok this weekend.
He said be believed that the party will win at least 27 out of 33 MP seats in Bangkok despite a recent poll in favor of the opposition Pheu Thai Party./.
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Vietnamese cultural diversity on show in Melbourne
HCM City (VNA) — Whether it is a boy making paper birds in a park to pray for peace or a Vietnamese language speaking practice session between a father and daughter, Trung Nghia seeks to present every moment he captures with emotional clarity.
A collection of photographs taken by Nghia, a producer and reporter for ABC Radio Australia , is now showing at the Michaels Camera Museum in Melbourne .
Nghia's Asia-Pacific in Contrast, a collection of 40 photographs in black and white as well as in colour, is the result of nearly 10 years work that took him all over Vietnam and other countries in the Southeast Asian region.
The different themes that the photographs are grouped under – Traffic or A Closer Look at Young People - shows the different aspects of life that has captured the photographer's attention.
Nghia has visited many foreign countries, but his focus is on capturing his motherland's beauty.
The exhibition area is decorated with green bamboo, an inonic part of the country's flora, to give exhibition visitors an authentic feel for the country, he said.
The exhibition also includes images dealing with the life of Vietnamese communities in Australia , on the ways they strive to preserve and develop their traditional culture in a foreign country.
Nghia's images reveal "a true artist, who has worked hard to capture vivid moments with much emotion, passion, pleasure and pain," said Mike McCluskey, CEO of Radio Australia .
A graduate in journalism from the HCM City University of Social Science and Humanities, Nghia now studies community welfare at Melbourne University .
" I want to work as a social worker to help disadvantaged children," he said.
He has also published tourist books and organised personal photo exhibitions in Vietnam and Europe .
His show has attracted considerable local interest since it opened early this month.
All money from the sale of photos will be used for charity, Nghia said.
The exhibition will remain open until June 27./.
BUSINESS
VN strives to lead world in cashew exports
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam will make greater efforts to continue to be the world’s number one cashew exporter.
The country exported almost 53,000 tonnes of cashew in the first five months of this year, earning 397 million USD, representing a year-on-year rise of 22.2 percent, said the General Statistics Office.
This year, Vietnam plans to earn 1.4 to 1.5 billion USD from exports of 190,000 tonnes of cashew nuts, up 32 percent in value from last year./.
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Da Nang grants three new FDI licences
Da Nang (VNA) – The Da Nang People’s Committee had granted licences to three new foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with a total registered capital of 8.518 billion VND by mid-June.
Of the total, a licence was granted to UCSI Ventures Vietnam Limited Co which will set up a training centre of professional skills and foreign languages worth 6 billion VND. The business plans to complete necessary registering procedures within nine months.
The city also issued a licence for the US-invested Golf Management, L.L.C Limited Co to establish a golf course management limited company. The 618 million VND business is expected to be put into operation in July, 2011.
Another licence was handed over to a 1.9 billion VND project on software production invested by Chassaing Kieu Tien Le, a US national. The project is scheduled to be operational in July this year.
The central city has, to date, granted licences to 203 FDI projects with a total investment of 3.3 billion USD./.
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Vietnam attends int’l gift exhibition in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Vietnamese businesses are showcasing their products at the International Gifts, Premium and Stationery Exhibition which opened in the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur from June 15-17.
Vietnam ’s pavilions for skilful and diversified products, especially those made from natural materials, attracted a large number of visitors.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Malaysian Minister of Industry and Trade Mustapa Mohamad underlined the need for businesses to diversify both designs and quality of their products to meet the increasing demand for gifts, premium and stationery.
The sector has greatly contributed to the national economy, he said, adding that in 2010 Malaysia earned 4.3 billion RM (1.43 billion USD) from exporting these products.
The event attracted the participation of hundreds of businesses from Malaysia , regional and international countries./.
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Petrolimex to make IPO in July
Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam National Petroleum Corp (Petrolimex) has announced that it will debut its shares in July, despite the current unfavourable conditions of the stock market.
According to Vuong Thai Dung, deputy general director of Petrolimex, the company plans to auction more than 27 million shares to the public equivalent to 2.56 percent of its charter capital.
Dung said the state of the stock market would not negatively affect Petrolimex's initial public offering (IPO) plan, noting that the Prime Minister had approved Petrolimex's equitisation scheme, including the method of deciding the price at auction.
After the equitisation, Petrolimex will have a charter capital of 10.5 trillion VND (519.4 million USD), of which the State will retain 94.99 percent./.
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Profit-taking continues to depress shares
Hanoi (VNA) – Active profit-taking continued to depress shares on both stock exchanges, with the two benchmark indices losing value, on June 15.
On the HCM Stock Exchange, the VN-Index closed down 0.02 percent at 441.45 points, cushioned by gains made by insurer Bao Viet Holdings (BVH), food producer Masan Group (MSN) and real estate developer Vincom (VIC).
VIC hit its 5 percent ceiling for the third successive session, while BVH rose 4.3 percent and MSN gained 2.6 percent.
However, losers outnumbered gainers by five-to-one. About 55 percent of losers dropped to their floor prices, many of which had earlier hit their 5 percent ceiling for several successive sessions, including a number of shares under the PetroVietnam umbrella.
Both trading volume and value decreased by around 19 percent from June 15 to 49.9 million shares worth nearly 859.9 billion VND (41.7 million USD).
Large caps helped cushion the fall, with insurer Bao Viet Holdings (BVH) rising 4.3 percent; food producer Masan Group (MSN) gaining 2.6 percent; and real estate developer Vincom (VIC) hitting its ceiling for the third successive session.
Saigon Securities Inc (SSI) continued to be the most actively traded, with 4 million shares changing hands, but it closed down 5 percent at 19,000 VND (0.92 USD).
On the Hanoi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index lost another 2.23 percent to close at 77.74 points. Trading value and volume halved from June 14 to 47.8 million shares worth 584.8 billion VND (28.4 million USD).
Decliners largely outnumbered advancers by 270-44 with Kim Long Securities (KLS) - the most heavily-traded stock nationwide, with 7 million shares exchanged - falling to its floor price, closing at 11,400 (0.55 USD)./.
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