Ending nearly a decade of conservative rule

The sweeping ruling by the court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, was set to alter American life, with nearly half the states considered certain or likely to ban abortion. Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas suggested the court's reasoning could also lead it to reconsider past rulings protecting the right to contraception, legalizing gay marriage nationwide, and invalidating state laws banning gay sex. As the day progressed, the number of demonstrators outside the Supreme Court increased substantially. The fenced-off area in front of the high court was filled largely with those demanding abortion rights. Crowds carried posters with slogans such as "Abort SCOTUS." One protester carried a placard that said "limit guns, not women" in reference to another Supreme Court decision this week expanding gun rights. Earlier in the afternoon, a supporter of Friday's ruling said: "The thing that 'my body, my choice' advocates don't get is that the aborted baby never had a choice." The … [Read more...] about Protesters at U.S. Supreme Court decry abortion ruling overturning Roe v. Wade

Earlier this month, Johnson survived a vote of confidence by Conservative lawmakers in which 41 percent of his parliamentary colleagues voted to oust him, and he is under investigation for intentionally misleading parliament. On Friday Conservative candidates lost two parliamentary by-elections held to replace former Conservative incumbents who had to step down, one after being convicted of sexual assault and the other for watching pornography in the House of Commons. The by-election defeats suggest the broad voter appeal which helped Johnson win a large parliamentary majority in December 2019 may be fracturing after a scandal over illegal parties held at Downing Street during coronavirus lockdowns. Under Conservative party rules, its lawmakers cannot formally challenge Johnson for another year, but overwhelming dissatisfaction or resignations by a series of senior ministers could make his position untenable. Britain is also in the midst of its deepest cost-of-living crisis in … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson seeks to stay in power until the mid-2030s

Cổ Loa Temple is one of the relics that has attracted the city's attention to invest in its preservation. Photo nhandan.vn Hà Nội's recent decision to mobilise vast financial sources to protect its heritage sites is promising to blow a new breath of life into hundreds of historical and cultural monuments after many years of effort without success. The capital city's authorities have pledged to boost the public investment plan for 2021 - 2025 by pouring over VNĐ14 trillion (US$602 million) into restoring and embellishing a total of 579 relic sites in the area. According to the municipal People's Council, the sum is a significant part of its financial supplementation plans for a five-year term and the allocation for 2022, including investment plans in building and renovating public schools, upgrading the health system, as well as restoring and upgrading heritage sites from 2022 to 2025 and the following years. Vice Chairman of the Hà Nội People's Committee Chử Xuân … [Read more...] about Investment ready for Hà Nội’s relic restoration

Reporter: The adoption of VNLOS could be considered the localization of the UNCLOS in Vietnam. Could you please  elaborate more about the policy and principles of Vietnam when applying the above two legal documents to the demarcation of waters and dealing with arising issues at sea in reality, sir? Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh: First, There are two basic legal documents that we rely on when exploiting resources, protecting and operating in Vietnamese waters. They are UNCLOS internationally and VNLOS domestically. At present, there are a lot of conventions, international laws or legal documents. They are not issued by any courts, but built based on the commitments of coastal and island states. Due to the characteristics of UNCLOS, each country needs to devise its own law of the sea, but basically all of those laws must comply with and be based on UNCLOS. Generally, international conventions or laws at large, not only on the sea, are loose to some extents, but first … [Read more...] about Part 3: Upholding VNLOS is upholding international law

MARKET OF BEAUTY: Đông Ba Market is a large trading centre imbued with the tradition of the ancient capital Huế. Photo from the market's Facebook page Mai Trang Linh Returning to the central province of Thừa Thiên Huế after more than two years of lockdown due to the pandemic, Lưu Hoàng Long and his wife, a Vietnamese Australian, chose first to visit Đông Ba Market, the biggest traditional local shopping centre in the ancient royal city of Huế. The couple and a group of overseas Vietnamese who started their trip through the country early this month from their native home in the northern coastal city of Hải Phòng could not help but be surprised at the changes in the market. Besides the usual crowded and busy atmosphere and familiar hospitality of sellers, the visitors were amazed at the changes, particularly the trade promotion programmes for traditional handicrafts -- one of the most attractions of the market. Looking at the pop-up booths displaying different kinds … [Read more...] about Huế’s Đông Ba Market revamped to lure tourists

Illustration by Trịnh Lập by Nguyễn Mỹ Hà Local residents and environmentalists have been spreading the news that UNESCO Việt Nam has opposed an official letter from the Đồng Nai People's Committee consulting on a contractor's proposal to build a 40km highway with a bridge across the core zone of the Đồng Nai Biosphere Reserve. VnExpress news website reported that UNESCO Việt Nam, in response to the letter, strongly suggested not building a road across the world biosphere for fear the damage would impact flora and fauna in reserve. It added that the full biodiverse ecological corridor would be affected. Vehicles moving on the road could accidentally kill animals crossing it, and the construction process would pollute the soil, air and groundwater. If this happens, the criteria for a world biosphere would not be met, and Đồng Nai Reserve could be crossed off the list of world biospheres. It also cited that building a bridge and a national highway failed to meet Việt Nam's … [Read more...] about Đồng Nai Biosphere Reserve must not be spoilt