Protesters march during a rally against a controversial extradition law proposal in Hong Kong. (Photo: AFP/Dale De La Rey) Protesters hurled bottles and used metal barricades as police moved in on a small group who had vowed to stay outside the legislature overnight, an AFP reporter on the scene said. At least one police officer could be seen with blood streaming down his face. The melees began shortly after midnight following a day that had seen a huge peaceful protest make its way through the city without incident. Organisers said more than a million people marched in blazing summer heat through the cramped streets of the financial hub's main island on Sunday in a noisy, colourful demonstration calling on the government to scrap its planned extradition law. Small groups of young protesters had planned to stay outside the city's legislature until Wednesday when the extradition bill is due to have its second reading. But police moved in on them after their permission to protest … [Read more...] about Violence breaks out as police try to clear Hong Kong protesters
Long island lawyers
BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 25/3
Trade turnover touches US$100 billion in first quarter Vietnam’s total trade turnover amounted to US$100 billion between January and March 19, according to Vietnam Customs. Recently-released statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs show that the country raked in US$10.95 billion during the first half of March, with many export staples enjoying a sharp increase in value. The figure helped to lift the country’s total turnover of exports to US$47.05 billion by March 15, an on-year rise of 5.4 per cent. A number of exports recorded a strong rise in value across the reviewed period. They include telephones and components, garments and textiles, computers, electronic items and components, wood and wooden products, and means of transport and spare parts. Meanwhile, imports reached a total of US$21.3 billion during the first half of March, bringing the total import value to US$93.6 billion by March 15. The figure edged up to US$100 billion by March 19, a surge of … [Read more...] about BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 25/3
BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 24/3
Microsoft and SAP promote co-operation Microsoft Viet Nam and SAP announced their partnership. Microsoft Viet Nam and SAP – one of the global leaders in enterprise software – on Friday announced a strategic partnership. This mutual collaboration aims to propel Viet Nam’s Industry 4.0 by providing integrated offerings from both companies for enterprise customers in Viet Nam to be able to drive more business innovation in the cloud. This collaboration will also help accelerate SAP and Microsoft’s cloud business growth in Viet Nam. As leaders in enterprise software, SAP and Microsoft are aligning closely to provide companies in Viet Nam with the safe and trusted path to digital transformation. SAP and Microsoft are moving ahead in bringing SAP’s various software and services to Azure. The two tech giants will also co-engineer, go to market together with premier solutions and provide joint support services to move forward to the best cloud … [Read more...] about BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 24/3
BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 18/3
New opportunities await exporters The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, alongside Amazon Global Selling will be selecting 100 potential Vietnamese enterprises that meet Amazon’s criteria to introduce on the online retail platform. Thus, Vietnamese businesses will have many opportunities to expand exports via e-commerce to more than 300 million buyer accounts worldwide on the prestigious retail site. According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, in 2018, the country had nearly 700,000 businesses, of which small- and medium-sized enterprises accounted for more than 98 percent. Many businesses still face difficulties in reaching the international market or online sales channels. USAID official suggests ways to develop renewable energy Director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Environment and Social Development Office Christopher Abrams has suggested Vietnam should pool domestic resources to develop … [Read more...] about BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 18/3
Gov’t asks Malaysia to ensure fair trial for Vietnamese citizen
Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam had repeatedly petitioned Malaysia to ensure a fair trial and the legitimate rights of Đoàn Thị Hương, a suspect in the murder of a Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) national at Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017, the foreign ministry’s spokeswoman has said. Speaking at a ministry press conference on Thursday, Lê Thị Thu Hằng said that Việt Nam had been taking measures to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of Hương. On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh spoke via phone with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah to discuss several issues, including the trial. A day later, Minister of Justice Lê Thành Long sent a letter to Attorney General of Malaysia Tommy Thomas. The following day, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyễn Quốc Dũng met Malaysian Ambassador to Việt Nam … [Read more...] about Gov’t asks Malaysia to ensure fair trial for Vietnamese citizen
Foreigners acquire taste for property
Despite ownership issues, many foreigners are looking to buy property in Vietnam, Photo: Le Toan Feelings among first buyers Kevin Hawkins, co-executive partner of ZICO Law Vietnam, bought an apartment in Saigon Pearl from a deposit contract from a Vietnamese owner who already paid 95 per cent of the price in 2009. “I have been living here since 2003 and was tired of wasting money on renting a house. Thanks to the pilot programme permitting foreigners to buy houses, now I can make my dream of owning a home come true and register it under my name,” Hawkins told VIR. Meanwhile, Leung Kai Sun Sunny, a buyer from Hong Kong, believes foreigners are mostly waiting to come across the ideal property that ensures long-term benefits. Leung had bought four units in high-end projects in Ho Chi Minh City and said that he received a good yield and much better benefits than what is available in neighbouring countries. “The expense of buying land plots and construction in other … [Read more...] about Foreigners acquire taste for property
Social News 19/12
Polluting slaughter house to be moved out of Hoi An A slaughter house will be moved out of Hoi An Town A large slaughter house will be moved out of the centre of Hoi An Town next year to prevent environment pollution according to local authorities. The slaughter house in the centre of Hoi An Town has been in operation for 30 years. Ho Trong Nghia, former party secretary cum chairman of Son Phong Ward, said the slaughter house was located in his ward had caused severe pollution. After gathering opinions, the slaughter house was temporarily relocated to Cam Chau Ward, out of residential areas. When the authorities find a better location, they would relocate the slaughterhouse again. "I only agreed to let the slaughter house stay in Cam Chau Ward for a maximum of five years because of rapid urbanisation. But it was still there when I retired," he said. "I also suggested relocate it several times since more and more private houses, hotels and restaurants have been built." According to … [Read more...] about Social News 19/12
Taxing times for the internet icons
Governments worldwide are concerned with the spread of so-called fake news online, Photo: freepik Last week, Google has been accused of manipulating users to track their activities in the Czech Republic, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, and Sweden. AFP reported that seven European consumer groups filed complaints against Google with national regulators, accusing it of covertly tracking users’ movements in violation of EU data protection regulations. The complaints stated that Google used “deceptive design and misleading information, which results in users accepting to be constantly tracked.” Council official Gro Mette Moen charged, “Google uses extremely detailed and comprehensive personal data without an appropriate judicial basis, and the data is acquired by means of manipulative techniques.” Social media contains risks Over the last years, the emergence of the Internet and social media has brought about quite the information … [Read more...] about Taxing times for the internet icons
Singaporean in megachurch fraud charged for trying to flee jail sentence
SINGAPORE -- A Singapore church official convicted in a multimillion-dollar fraud case was charged again in court on Thursday after trying to flee the city-state on a boat a day before he was to begin serving a reduced jail sentence. The five-year long legal battle that mixed fraud and faith had gripped the wealthy southeast Asian island, where there is little tolerance of corruption. Chew Eng Han, who was the treasurer of the City Harvest Church and an investment manager, had hired a boat to escape to neighbouring Malaysia, a trip of less than an hour, when he was arrested by the coast guard on Wednesday, Singapore police said. Chew was arrested "for attempting to leave Singapore illegally," the police said in a statement, adding that their investigation continued. Chew and another man were arrested in a motor boat off the island of Pulau Ubin north of Singapore. Chew had S$5,000 in cash, the police said. Singapore media said the pair claimed to have been fishing when questioned. … [Read more...] about Singaporean in megachurch fraud charged for trying to flee jail sentence
Social News 16/1
Fire destroys thousand sq. meter wood factory in Dong NaiA huge fire suddenly occurred at a wood factory of Shing Mark Company in Bai Xep Industrial Park, Trang Bom district, Dong Nai at midnight on January 15. Because materials inside the wood factory are easily ignited, the flame quickly spread out causing the firefighters to meet difficulties in order to access the site and localize the fire. By 5am today, the blaze was extinguished.The initial information showed that there was no death in the fire; however, the flame destroyed thousand sq. meter factory and burnt wood materials inside the factory. At present, the functional agencies have investigated the cause of the fire. HCM City ensures traffic safety for TetThe Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Safety Committee has deployed various measures to ensure traffic safety and order in the city before and during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.Nguyen Ngoc Tuong, deputy chief of the committee, said, “The campaign aims to … [Read more...] about Social News 16/1