Talks to focus on tackling ODA fraud The first meeting of the Viet Nam-Japan Joint Committee, which will discuss measures to prevent fraud during the implementation of ODA projects alongside reforms for relevant policies, will be held on April 4 in Ha Noi. The committee will be chaired by a deputy minister of transport and the Charge d'Affaires ad Interim at the Japanese Embassy in Ha Noi. A working group from the Ministry led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong visited Tokyo from March 25-28 to work with Japanese authorities investigating alleged bribery in a major Ha Noi railway project, according to a press release by the Ministry of Transport. The team worked with Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to look into the allegations, first published by media in Japan. Dong briefed the Japanese officials on the response of the Vietnamese side after receiving the information and asked Japanese authorities … [Read more...] about Social News Headlines 1/4
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Social News Headlines 27/3
US launches cooperation strategy for Vietnam The US Consulate General in HCM City has announced the US Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) for Vietnam in 2014-2018. The strategy aims to help strengthen the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the US. At a March 25 launch for the strategy, USAID Mission Director in Vietnam Joakim Parker gave a presentation on the contents of the strategy to partners, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and representatives from the private sector and provinces and cities in Vietnam. Over the next five years, USAID will provide Vietnam withUS$344 million to help implement support programs pertaining to trade, enhancement of competitive edge, the development of the private sector and the widespread participation of all sectors in economic activities. The strategy will also help upgrade the healthcare system, provide services to prevent bird flu, treat HIV/AIDS cases and cope with climate change towards green growth. In … [Read more...] about Social News Headlines 27/3
China searches for survivors as quake toll nears 30,000
Thousands of soldiers and families looking for missing kin streamed into one of the worst affected areas of China's massive earthquake on Sunday, as a strong new aftershock hit and the death toll neared 30,000. Rescue workers have plucked more than 60 more survivors from the rubble following Monday's quake in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, even as hopes fade for the estimated 10,000 people or so still trapped under the rubble. Soldiers carry the body of a victim from the rubble of a collapsed building in Shifang, Sichuan province May 17, 2008 … [Read more...] about China searches for survivors as quake toll nears 30,000
Social News 18/12
Court hears appeal on Agribank corruption The Hà Nội People's High Court started hearing an appeal yesterday on a high-profile corruption and economic mismanagement case at the State-owned Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) which resulted in the loss of over VNĐ2.425 trillion (US$106.6 million). The case involves 18 defendants, 13 of whom are former Agribank officials, while four others are former customs officers and one is a former company director. In a trial last December, Phạm Thị Bích Lương, 47, former director of the bank's South Hà Nội Branch was identified by the Hà Nội People's Court as the principal defendant. She was sentenced to 30 years in jail for violating lending regulations and abusing her position. She was also found as having joint responsibility in the misappropriation of VNĐ1.6 trillion from the bank and ordered to pay back this amount. Former Agribank General Director Phạm Thanh Tân received a 22-year sentence. Sixteen other defendants were … [Read more...] about Social News 18/12
Social News 12/12
Crackdown on smugglers creates border control turmoil A crackdown on smugglers has created turmoil at Vietnam-China border crossings, notably at Mong Cai Border Gate in Quang Ninh Province, which is being flooded with people going back and forth between the two countries as gangs probe for weak spots in border control. Officials said Mong Cai Border Gate processed 10,000 people on December 6. The crowdness has been going on over the past month following the arrest of a smuggling gang on November 2, which prompted an increase of inspections by border gate security along the border. … [Read more...] about Social News 12/12