Back to English Comments News - August 21, 2018 | 01:32 pm GMT+7 Ten years ago, land tilled by thousands of farming families was reclaimed for "development" projects that never took off.It was the summer of 2008.Thien, a resident of Yen Nghia District in Ha Tay Province, had to sell all his belongings, including his herd of 38 buffalos. At 21, he had to leave his beloved hometown and look for a new life elsewhere. His home and his paddy fields were no longer his.In this age of “participatory” development, Thien and hundreds of thousands of Hanoians had no real say as eminent domain took away their livelihoods, along with their rice fields and vegetable gardens. That fateful summer, authorities in Hanoi decided to expand the city’s territory, assimilating neighboring provinces like Ha Tay and Vinh Phuc.A deluge of developmental projects followed. Apartments, industrial complexes, universities... you name it, it was there. On paper.Even as the nation sought … [Read more...] about Hanoi’s development hoax upturns 200,000 lives – VnExpress International
Betting for grand national
Markets clear German hurdle, Italy up next
Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) voted decisively for another tie-up with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, clearing the way for a new government in Europe's largest economy more than five months since the country's inconclusive election. Two thirds of the SPD membership voted "yes" to the deal, a party official said, meaning Merkel could be sworn in for a fourth term by mid-March in a repeat of the grand coalition that has governed since 2013. Financial markets won't be open in any meaningful sense until Asian trading begins around 1000 GMT, but the initial reaction from investors suggested the German deal should support the euro, stock and bond markets. "This is the outcome that markets have been crossing their fingers and hoping for," said James Athey, a senior investment manager at Standard Life Aberdeen, adding that it was "by far the least disruptive outcome". "While it by no means answers all the policy questions at either the German domestic nor European … [Read more...] about Markets clear German hurdle, Italy up next
Viet Nam lead regional canoe champs
National Focus (15-12-2008) Viet Nam lead regional canoe champs Last Saturday was a good day for Viet Nam, who grabbed 10 golds, four silvers and one bronze at the Southeast Asian Canoe and Kayak Championship, which is ongoing in Singapore. The national members dominated the tournament with six golds in women's and men's single 500m and double 500m events. Four other gold medals went to the national junior team, who competed in the youth tournament. According to Viet Nam coach Nguyen Van Thang, good weather conditions and preparation were two key elements in the team's victory. Viet Nam led the competition with total of 15 gold, eight silvers and four bronzes. Host Singapore were second, with 5-8-16. Thailand ranked third, earning 6-9-0. Badminton champs kick off The National Top Badminton Players Championships kicked off yesterday in the northern province of Vinh Phuc. More than 50 athletes have registered to take part in the event, the last competition of 2008, which has five … [Read more...] about Viet Nam lead regional canoe champs
Sumo faces reports of bout-fixing
Japan's scandal-tainted national sport of sumo wrestling is facing new allegations that senior wrestlers used cell phones to plan how to fix matches. Japanese media reported Wednesday that police have found suspicious text messages on several wrestlers' cell phones suggesting they were planning to fix bouts and going so far as to detail how one would attack and how he wanted his opponent to fall. The text messages, found on the phones of wrestlers in sumo's second-highest division, indicate that the wrestlers routinely fixed bouts and charged hundreds of thousands of yen (thousands of dollars) per match to do so, according to Japan's Kyodo news service. Public broadcaster NHK, which airs the six annual sumo tournaments live, carried a similar report. It said sumo officials were planning to hold an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss the matter. Police had no immediate comment. It was not clear if a formal criminal investigation would be launched. Japan Sumo Association chairman … [Read more...] about Sumo faces reports of bout-fixing
A family dies of Euro football betting
A man in the central province of Thanh Hoa killed his wife and daughter before committing suicide after losing football bets. The funeral of the Son's family. At 1am on June 30, a murder occurred in Quang Trung commune, Quang Xuong district of Thanh Hoa province, with three victims: Mr. Nguyen Ba Son and Ms. Dang Thi Ha, 25, and their five-month-old daughter. The victims’ family said that Son lost Euro football bets while working at a fish port in Quang Nham commune. On the afternoon of June 29, Son asked his wife and mother to borrow money to pay football bets. However, his relatives could not borrow money for him. Upset because his wife nags at mid-night, Son had strangled his young wife and his 5-month-old daughter and then tried to kill himself by a piece of glass but he did not die. After that, Son went to his mother’s house to tell her to go to his house to see her daughter-in-law and her grand-daughter the last time and to collect his body on the nearby road. … [Read more...] about A family dies of Euro football betting