VNN – Update: June, 05/2016 – 09:00
The day’s haul: A local farmer loads dragon fruit to sell at markets. VNA/VNS Photo Đình Huệ
Around 20 years ago, farmers in Long An Province’s Châu Thành District began to grow dragon fruit instead of paddy, which did not yield much profit. The fruit, now grown on almost 90 per cent of the land, has brought about a miraculous economic transformation, Văn Đạt discovers.
6 July 2016 – Author: Ian Coxhead, University of Wisconsin-Madison – eastasiaforum
The biggest macroeconomic challenge facing Vietnam today is sustaining growth. Most doi moi-era growth has resulted either from efficiency gains associated with the introduction of a market economy (opening domestic markets and trade, relaxing restrictions on labour movement and land transactions) or from expanded endowments of low-skill labour and capital. GDP continues to grow at a very respectable rate, albeit lower than that projected in national planning documents.
TĐH: This is China’s page on South China Sea, by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, very useful to understand China.
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/nanhai/eng/
Towards Transparency (TT)[1]
National Contact of Transparency International (TI) in Vietnam
vietnamlawmagazine – Denunciation is a fundamental right of citizens that is recognized in the Constitution of Vietnam and also a crucial channel for government agencies to access information about, detect and handle violations of the law. Vietnam has long recognized the rights of whistleblowers in general and corruption whistleblowers in particular in many different legal instruments. However, many legal provisions are just principles, non-specific and scattered in various legal instruments of different legal effects.
Reuters |
The United States on Wednesday sanctioned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the first time, citing “notorious abuses of human rights,” in a move diplomats say will infuriate the nuclear-armed country.
The sanctions, the first to target any North Koreans for rights abuses, affect property and other assets within the U.S. jurisdiction. They include 10 other individuals besides Kim and five government ministries and departments, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.
The former construction worker bought land atop a mountain called Hon Thom in the city of Nha Trang with his savings. Tong began burying the dead babies in this idyllic setting. At first, his wife thought he’d gone crazy, but Tong wouldn’t give up his dream. He’s buried more than 10,000 babies over the years, but what he really wanted to do was save these babies in the first place. He said his graveyard isn’t just a place for sadness, it’s a garden meant to touch women who are feeling uncertain
Stay Informed: Monitor local radio and television (including NOAA Weather Radio), internet and social media for information and updates.
China Ministry of Foreign Affairs
5 July, Washington D.C
I am delighted to attend the China-US dialogue on South China Sea between Chinese and US think tanks jointly organized by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University and meet with old and new friends. I would like to take this opportunity to thank both organizations for putting this dialogue together and my sincere thanks go to all of you here who have for long cared for and supported the development of China-US relations.
What will scientists do with $100 million to mass-produce genes in the lab?
technologyreview – A proposal by a group of scientists and businesspeople to synthesize a human genome from scratch is attracting sharp criticism for dodging the big ethical questions such a step raises.
What happens when the world’s classiest brand meets Chinese toilet makers with a flexible understanding of trademark law? You get Trump toilets — high-end flushing machines with self-changing seat protectors available in both green and blue.
Dear friends,
Below are two beautiful paintings. Our friend Hồng Hạnh painted them with watercolor. Hạnh is truly a talented artist.
We post Hạnh’s artworks here for us all to enjoy.
* Thank you Hạnh for sharing your works. Keep up the good work!
VnExpress – By An Hong July 4, 2016 | 04:26 pm GMT+7
Over 10,000 civil servants lost their jobs in the first half of 2016 as the government seeks to balance the budget.
However, the figure fell far short of the target of removing 40,000 civil servants, or 1.5 percent of the current 2.6 million payroll, Vietnam News Agency cited Minister of Home Affairs Le Vinh Tan as saying on Monday.
businessinsider – Live cattle exports to three abattoirs in Vietnam have been suspended after footage emerged of the animals allegedly being killed by sledgehammer.
But rather than the government taking the action, the industry itself has imposed the ban, with the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council deciding to stop exports on June 12, just days after the fifth anniversary of the then-Labor government blocking exports to Indonesia in 2011.
theguardian – Global Witness says at least 185 activists were killed and anti-mining activities were the most deadly – with 42 deaths related to protests
At least 185 environmental activists were killed last year, the highest annual death toll on record and close to a 60% increase on the previous year, according to a UK-based watchdog.
The fast-approaching July 1, 2016, deadline for Vermont’s new labeling law – and a new federal proposal that would set a national system for disclosure – for genetically modified (GM) food has provoked a range of responses from food manufacturers while reigniting debate about the need to balance the weight of scientific evidence against consumer demand for transparency. At the center of the debate lay questions of trust in science and how the ways we communicate risk serve to increase or decrease that trust.
