Environmental impact assessment steps

Brazil sank a decommissioned aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean off its northeast coast, the Brazilian Navy said, despite warnings from environmentalists that the rusting 1960s French-built ship would pollute the sea and the marine food chain. The 32,000-tonne carrier had been floating offshore for three months since Turkey refused it entry to be scrapped there because it was an environmental hazard and the ship was towed back to Brazil. The carrier was scuttled in a "planned and controlled sinking" late on Friday, the Navy said in a statement, that would "avoid logistical, operational, environmental and economic losses to the Brazilian state," it said. The hull of the Sao Paulo was sunk in Brazilian jurisdictional waters 350 kilometers (217 miles) off the coast where the sea is 5,000 meters deep, a location chosen to mitigate the impact on fishing and ecosystems, the Navy said. Federal public prosecutors and Greenpeace had asked the Brazilian government to stop the … [Read more...] about Brazil sinks rusting old aircraft carrier in the Atlantic

President Joe Biden said he had issued an order on Wednesday to take down the balloon, but the Pentagon had recommended waiting until it could be done over open water to safeguard civilians from debris crashing to Earth from thousands of feet (meters) above commercial air traffic. "They successfully took it down, and I want to compliment our aviators who did it," Biden said. Multiple fighter and refueling aircraft were involved in the mission, but only one -- an F-22 fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia -- took the shot at 2:39 p.m. (1939 GMT), using a single AIM-9X supersonic, heat-seeking, air-to-air missile, a senior U.S. military official said. The balloon was shot down about six nautical miles off the U.S. coast, over relatively shallow water, potentially aiding efforts to recover elements of the Chinese surveillance equipment in the coming days, officials said. The shootdown came shortly after the U.S. government ordered a halt to flights in and out of … [Read more...] about US fighter jet shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon with missile

Bac Lieu wind power plant assessed to contribute importantly to reducing impacts of climate change. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Industry and Trade recently issued the sector’s action plan on climate change response and green growth to 2030, with a vision to 2050. Accordingly, the ministry considers climate change response an important and long-term task, and the achievement of the net zero emissions an opportunity to develop towards a low-carbon direction in accordance with national conditions and international trends. Measures to respond to climate change will be included in strategies for the development of the industry and trade sector. Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) This move aims to ensure the flexible adaptation to short-, medium- and long-term impacts of climate change, as well as the sector’s stable development and growth. These actions will also minimise losses caused by natural disasters, and consequences of extreme weather and … [Read more...] about MoIT acts in response to climate change

The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi on February 6, 1840. (Photo: nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/the-signing-of-the-treaty) Hanoi (VNA) - The ambassador of New Zealand to Vietnam, Tredene Dobson, has written an article on the occasion of New Zealand's Waitangi Day (February 6). The following is the full text of the article. "All countries are unique – they all have a thousand big and small things that make them special. And most countries have a national day where the people of that nation come together to celebrate those special attributes and qualities.  One of the things that makes Aotearoa New Zealand unique is that we don’t have a national day – not officially anyway. Not one day set down in law – different to all of the other public holidays – that carries the weighty title of ‘national day’. We do have ‘Waitangi Day’ though – a day so special and unique to our country that it is often regarded by international friends as our national day. Waitangi Day marks the … [Read more...] about Waitangi Day reflections on New Zealand – Vietnam Partnership

The Year of the Tiger 2022 was a difficult and challenging one with many unexpected developments, affecting all aspects of Vietnam in particular and the whole world in general. In the special circumstance, the whole Party, people, and military promoted patriotism, determination, solidarity, dynamism, creativity and strived to obtain many important and comprehensive achievements with many outstanding imprints. Vietnam focused on both preventing and controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and promoting socio-economic recovery and development, building an independent and self-reliant economy in association with pro-actively and actively fostering international integration in a comprehensive, extensive and effective manner. In the year, Vietnam maintained stable social and political situation, firm national defense and security, and peaceful and stable environment for national development. Those achievements have consolidated and enhanced people's trust in the Party, State, and the … [Read more...] about New spirit and new motivation

U.S. District Judge Patrick Wyrick, an appointee of former Republican President Donald Trump in Oklahoma City, on Friday dismissed an indictment against a man charged in August with violating that ban, saying it infringed his right to bear arms under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. Wyrick said that while the government can protect the public from dangerous people possessing guns, it could not argue Jared Harrison's "mere status as a user of marijuana justifies stripping him of his fundamental right to possess a firearm." He said using marijuana was "not in and of itself a violent, forceful, or threatening act," and noted that Oklahoma is one of a number of states where the drug, still illegal under federal law, can be legally bought for medical uses. "The mere use of marijuana carries none of the characteristics that the Nation's history and tradition of firearms regulation supports," Wyrick wrote. Laura Deskin, a public defender representing Harrison, said the ruling … [Read more...] about Ban on marijuana users owning guns is unconstitutional, US judge rules