An unidentified highly toxic substance in the Oder river, which runs through Poland and Germany, appears to be the cause of a mass die-off of fish, the German state of Brandenburg's environment ministry said. An analysis of river water taken this week showed evidence of "synthetic chemical substances, very probably also with toxic effects for vertebrates," the ministry said on Thursday, adding that it remained unclear how the substance entered the water. According to local broadcaster rbb, the state laboratory found high levels of mercury in the water samples. The head of Poland's national water management authority told private broadcaster Polsat News that the presence of mercury in the water had yet to be confirmed, however. "At the moment, these are press reports. We have no confirmation regarding mercury in the Oder," Przemyslaw Daca, the head of Polish Waters, said. The ministry in Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, said it had not yet been possible to assess … [Read more...] about Mass fish die-off in German-Polish river blamed on unknown toxic substance
Firefighter died 9 11
Farmed lobsters die en masse following storm in south-central Vietnam
Nearly 30,000 farmed lobsters have died for unknown reasons in the south-central Vietnamese province of Phu Yen after a tropical storm made its way into the country’s mainland earlier this week. Some 29,240 lobsters and 1,220 groupers and barramundi raised in 385 farming rafts in Song Cau Town, Phu Yen had died as of Wednesday, Nguyen Van Lam, head of the provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, confirmed a day later. The damage was estimated at nearly VND2.5 billion (US$106,850). With appropriate measures, local farmers managed to stop the mass mortality on Thursday, which could be attributed to Storm Mulan , according to the provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine. The dead lobsters showed no signs of suffering from diseases. Storm Mulan, the second hitting Vietnam this year, weakened into a tropical depression early on Thursday morning after bringing rough seas and strong waves to the East Vietnam Sea on Wednesday … [Read more...] about Farmed lobsters die en masse following storm in south-central Vietnam
Promotion week of Chi Lang custard apple opens
Hanoian consumers can enjoy many specialties at No. 489 Hoang Quoc Viet Street, Cau Giay District. Chi Lang custard apple, a special fruit of the northern province of Lang Son, is the highlight of a trade promotion week being held at the Vietnam Agricultural Exhibition Center in Hanoi's Hoang Quoc Viet Street till August 16. Local consumers are shopping at the fair. Photo: moit.gov.vn Chi Lang custard apple has been granted a protection certificate by the National Office of Intellectual Property and is recognized in the Top 50 famous fruit specialties in Vietnam. The capital city’s consumers also have the opportunity to shop for many specialties and taste local cuisine with quality assurance, food hygiene and safety from localities nationwide. The event, organized by the Agricultural Trade Promotion Center under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in collaboration with the People's Committees of Hanoi and Lang Son Province, features 30 … [Read more...] about Promotion week of Chi Lang custard apple opens
PM urges favorable environment for businesses
A strong business community will build an independent and highly resilient economy. Localities are expected to further create a favorable environment for business operation, especially in simplifying administrative formalities and avoiding petty corruption. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the conference. Photos: Nhat Bac Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed the view during a conference between the Government’s leader and business community on August 11, which drew the participation of 1,200 delegates from a business association and local companies. According to Chinh, more than two years since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam has now put the situation under control and maintained positive growth. Vietnam’s GDP during the six months expanded by 6.42%, higher than the 5.74% rate in the same period last year, and equivalent to the growth rate recorded in the pre-pandemic period 2016-2019 (6.38%). In addition, Chinh also pointed out high … [Read more...] about PM urges favorable environment for businesses
Three dead, eight missing in northern Vietnam flooding
The northern highlands province of Hoa Binh reported three deaths: Dinh Thi Nguyet, 35, Ha Tam Uyen, 4, and Nguyen Minh Hieu, 10, were swept away by floodwaters and their bodies found later. Of the eight people listed missing, also swept away by floods, two were from Hoa Binh, one from Phu Tho, two in Lao Cai and four in Nam Dinh Province. The four Nam Dinh victims are a 35-year-old woman, her 8-year-old daughter and her two nieces, aged 11 and 12. They went to a river at around 6:30 p.m. Thursday. When the three children entered the river to swim, they were swept away. The woman tried to jump in to save them, only to be swept away as well. Storm Mulan weakened into a tropical depression on Thursday morning. It then made landfall onto Quang Ninh and Hai Phong. It caused heavy rains in northern Vietnam regions, along with two central Vietnam provinces Thanh Hoa and Nghe An from Thursday to Friday. From 7 p.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Friday, several northern Vietnam localities … [Read more...] about Three dead, eight missing in northern Vietnam flooding
Power shortage worries increase hunger for coal
Cao Son Coal, the company with the largest mining output in Vietnam, on July 19 announced to improve and expand the capacity of the Cao Son coal mine in Cam Pha in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh, to meet high production requirements. Coal mining companies are increasing output to deal with power generation shortages, Le Toan The mine has total reserves of almost 52 million tonnes, with a designed capacity of about 4.5 million tonnes per year. By upgrading the reserves, Cao Son’s coal mine is expected to complete a record high mining output of 6.78 million tonnes in 2022. Phan Quoc Viet, director of Cao Son Coal, said, “We have mobilised equipment to maximise the exploitation of raw coal at the Cao Son mine. In 2021, we achieved a mining output of over 6.4 million tonnes.” Many miners feel that Cao Son Coal’s plan to increase output faces many challenges, especially considering the increasingly difficult and complex open-pit mining conditions. Similar to … [Read more...] about Power shortage worries increase hunger for coal
Vietnam win int’l U19 football tournament
Binh Duong – The Vietnamese football team won the 2022 International U19 Tournament after beating Malaysia 4-3 in the southern province of Binh Duong on August 11. The Vietnamese squad (Photo: VNA) Vietnam had a good start with Van Tu opening the score with a header after 11 minutes into the match. Vietnam then dominated the match and created many attacks. The official 90 minutes ended with a 1-1 draw. The sides further competed in a shootout, with Vietnam finally earning the victory. The Vietnamese players pocketed a reward of 10,000 USD, while runner-up Malaysia obtained 6,000 USD. Coming third, Thailand went home with 4,000 USD. By PV VNA … [Read more...] about Vietnam win int’l U19 football tournament
Miss World 2021 to attend finale of Miss World Vietnam 2022
Miss World 2021 Karolina Bielawska (centre) speaks at the press meeting on August 11. (Photo: VNA) Binh Dinh (VNA) – Miss World 2021 Karolina Bielawska will be present at the finale of Miss World Vietnam 2022, scheduled to take place in Quy Nhon city, the central province of Binh Dinh, on August 12 evening. At a press meeting in Binh Dinh on August 11, Pham Kim Dung, head of the beauty pageant’s organising board, said the Miss World 2021 will also join charitable activities in Quy Nhon. Karolina Bielawska said this is the first time she has set foot in Vietnam, and that she can feel the warm welcome for her from all people. She comes to the contest’s finale to show her support for all contestants so that they can achieve their goals, she added. With 37 contestants, the finale is set to begin at 8pm on August 12 at Hai Giang Peninsula of Quy Nhon city. Miss World Vietnam 2022 is the second edition of the Miss World Vietnam pageant. In 2019, Luong Thuy Linh, a … [Read more...] about Miss World 2021 to attend finale of Miss World Vietnam 2022
Utilising every opportunity to grow and overcome challenges
At the conference on August 11, MPI Minister Dung said that thanks to the control of the pandemic and the maintenance of macroeconomic stability, the business sector has reported a positive recovery recently. As of July, the whole country had about 871,000 operating enterprises with tax incurred, an increase of nearly 13 per cent compared to 2021. In the first seven months of 2022, the number of enterprises entering and returning to the market, as well as additionally registered capital into the economy, increased sharply. The number of enterprises entering and re-entering the market was over 130,000 enterprises, an increase of 26.8 per cent on-year, 1.4 times higher than the number of enterprises withdrawing from the market. The total registered capital added to the economy in the first seven months of 2022 reached over $143 billion, an increase of over 37 per cent on-year. According to reports from business associations, the market has recovered over 75-85 per cent compared … [Read more...] about Utilising every opportunity to grow and overcome challenges
Vietnam reports additional 2,192 new Covid-19 cases on Friday
The Vietnamese Ministry of Health on Friday reported an additional 2,192 Covid-19 infections, raising the country's total tally to over 11 million. Illustrative photo According to the ministry's report, the national caseload has so far increased to 11,362,540. On August 12, an additional 5,897 more patients recovered from the disease, raising the number of recoveries in the country to over 10.00 million. On Friday evening, one death from Covid-19 was recorded, raising the country's total fatalities to 43,096, accounting for 0.4 per cent of total infections. By August 12, the country had injected more than 250 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Vietnam is targeting the completion of Covid-19 inoculation for children aged between 5 - 11 in August, as well as the administration of the third shot for those aged 12 - 17, as well as the third and fourth doses to people aged 18 and above as soon as possible. … [Read more...] about Vietnam reports additional 2,192 new Covid-19 cases on Friday