Foreign ship arrivals down 6 percent in first two months Vietnam’s sea ports have berthed some 4,900 foreign vessels over the last two months, a decline of 6 percent year-on-year, according to the Vietnam Marine Administration. The fall was due largely to the impact of COVID-19, which is resulting in major fluctuations in the transport sector, a representative of the administration said. Despite the lower number of foreign ships, the volume of import and export goods through ports grew. In January and February, 35.3 million tonnes of imports and 26 million tonnes of exports were handled at ports nationwide. The former represented an annual increase of 14 percent while the latter was as same as that last year. In particular, nearly 1.3 million TEUs for exports and 1.2 million for imports were handled during the period, up 32 and 16 percent, respectively, year-on-year; the highest growth since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, the arrival of domestic vessels totalled 5,300, up 11 percent year-on-year./. Quang Ninh’s Van Don airport reopens on March 3 The Ministry of Transport has decided to allow Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh reopen from 6:01am on March 3 after the COVID-19 pandemic has been put under control in the locality and the airport is safe to transport passengers. The airport was temporarily shut down from January 29 after an airport security staff was confirmed positive for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes the COVID-19 pandemic. The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines announced earlier that it will resume flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Quang Ninh on March 3, thus becoming the first to restart flights to the Van Don airport since the local COVID-19 outbreak began. From March 3 to 17, one weekly flight will ply the route between the two destinations, on Wednesdays. Flight numbers will be increased to three a week, on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, from March 18 until the …
Deputy chief of the general staff of the vietnam peoples army lieutenant general vo van tuan
Vietnam aviation industry needs more 3 years to recover
The Hanoitimes - Local aviation companies are continuing to face a challenging time ahead. Vietnam’s aviation industry is predicted to take three years to return to the pre-Covid level of 2019, according to Deputy Head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) Pham Van Hao. The International Civil Aviation Organization forecasts two scenarios for the world’s aviation industry. Photo the courtesy of Vietnam Airlines There were two scenarios forecast by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for the world’s aviation industry, Mr. Hao said at the national conference under the theme “Overcoming crisis, developing Vietnam's aviation sustainably” held recently in Hanoi. In the first scenario, the aviation industry will take a V-shaped recovery, plunging to the bottom and then rebounding strongly. In the second scenario, it will be a U-shape convalescence, in which the industry will sink to the bottom and remain there for 3-5 months, along with economic downturn. As a result, the aviation market will decline 48-71% depending on the situation of the pandemic. Mr. Hao predicted that the first scenario will happen to Vietnam aviation. The CAAV, after consulting market research firms, will submit the schedule on reopening borders for international flights to the government. The reopening, however, would not be carried out broadly, taking into consideration of disease prevention measures. Ms. Ho Ngoc Yen Phuong, Vietjet’s Deputy General Director, said the low-cost air carrier suffered a nine-month cumulative loss of VND2.4 trillion (US$103.4 million). She also proposed the government to direct credit institutions to offer low-interest loan to the carrier in a term for 3-5 years. Mr. Nguyen Tien Hoang, deputy head of Planning and Development Department at Vietnam Airlines (VNA), said that Vietnam's aviation loss was estimated at US$4 billion this year. "The national flag carrier is likely to be the hardest hit by …
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Australian attorney-general denies historical rape claim
CANBERRA -- Australian Attorney-General Christian Porter, the country’s chief law officer, identified himself on Wednesday as the subject of a historical rape allegation, declaring his innocence and strongly denying the claim. Politicians who last week received an anonymous allegation of an assault in 1988 had referred material to federal police. On Tuesday, police in New South Wales state, where the alleged assault occurred, said there was insufficient evidence to investigate the claim and closed the matter. Seeking to end swirling speculation about the identity of the unnamed cabinet minister since the allegation was first reported last week, an emotional Porter said he was the subject of the claim. He said the incident had never happened and he said he had not had a sexual relationship with the woman involved. “I can only say to you that it didn’t happen,” Porter told a media conference in Perth, adding he was being asked to “disprove something that didn’t happen 33 years ago.” Porter said all he knew about the allegation was what he had read in the media, but the details of the claim had never been put to him. He said he would not resign his ministerial position, but would take leave for a couple of weeks to “assess and hopefully improve” his mental health. Police had said the allegation could not be investigated because the alleged victim did not make a formal statement to them detailing her account before she committed suicide last year. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had spoken to the then unnamed minister who had “vigorously rejected” the allegation. Porter said he had the backing of Morrison. Australia’s Minister for Industrial Relations Michaelia Cash will stand in as acting Attorney-General while Porter takes leave, a spokesman for Morrison said. The government has been under pressure over its handling of unrelated allegations by three former staff members of the ruling Liberal party that they had been raped …
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