PM Dung chairs the monthly cabinet meeting on February 28
Nhan Dan Online – Cabinet members hold monthly meeting, Vietnam chairs high-ranking UN dialogue, and Vietnam Fatherland Front president meets Chinese Premier are among the most noteworthy events of the past week.
1. Cabinet members hold monthly meeting
Ministries, sectors and localities need to speed up the restructuring of state-owned enterprises following the approved plan, determined to make clear progress in 2014, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at the monthly cabinet meeting held on February 28 in Hanoi.
He attached importance to stepping up business privatisation and strengthening management and supervision over the state-owned sector, while asking for quicker disbursement of capital for construction sourced by bonds, the budget and official development assistance (ODA) on a par with the close supervision of construction quality.
During the meeting, participants heard a report on tasks and solutions to better the business environment and enhance national competitiveness in the 2014-2015 period, as well as measures to settle debts held by Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines). They gave opinions on a report on the implementation of a resolution on the completion of the socialist-orientated market economy, discussed ways to strengthen the market mechanism in this period of global economic integration and tabled the revised draft Law on State Budget.
2. Vietnam chairs high-ranking UN dialogue
Vietnam’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, chaired a high-ranking dialogue on the theme ‘The changing development landscape: What does it mean for the UN system?’, held at UN headquarters in New York on February 24.
The dialogue took place under the framework of the Operational Activities for Development Segment in the new Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) cycle from February 24-26. The session discussed the post-2015 agenda, focusing on sustainable development for UN operational activities for development and the changes required at different levels of the UN system to continue as a major player in international development co-operation.
The ECOSCO devoted the rest of the dialogue to evaluating the operation and co-ordination of funds, such as the UN Development Programme, the UN Children’s Fund, the UN Population Fund and the World Food Programme.
3. Vietnam Fatherland Front president meets Chinese Premier
The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) should work more closely to foster mutual understanding between the two peoples, said VFF President Nguyen Thien Nhan at a February 24 meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing.
Nhan noted Vietnam is actively working to realise agreements reached during Li’s visit to Vietnam last October, including three co-operation deals on land, sea and finance, while asking the Premier to direct Chinese agencies to put the deals into action as soon as possible.
Hailing Vietnam as China’s good neighbour and key partner, Li stressed that China is keen to facilitate high-level visits and strengthen political trust for the sake of the sound, consistent and stable development of relations between the two nations.
4. National CPI increases 0.55% in February
The national consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.55% in February against the previous month and 4.65% compared to the same month in 2013, released the General Statistics Office (GSO) on February 24.
All of the 11 groups of commodities and services, except housing and construction materials, saw increases in February between 0.05% to 1.15%. The food and restaurant service group saw the highest rise while the lowest was seen in the medicine and health service group.
5. Conjoined twins successfully separated
A pair of conjoined twin girls was successfully separated after a two-hour operation carried out on February 27 by staff at Children’s Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City. This is the fifth successful separation of conjoined twins carried out by the hospital’s medical staff since 1998.
The conjoined condition was quite complex, as the lower part of their chests was connected under the breastbone, whilst part of one baby’s heart was in the other’s chest. One of the twins had no anus and suffered abnormalities in the tailbone and cervical portion. The other baby had abnormal ureters.
After being separated safely, the two are progressing normally in intensive care at the hospital. The baby born without an anus will undergo a further operation two weeks from then to rectify the condition.
6. April 21 – Vietnam’s Book Day
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has recently signed a decision on observing April 21 as Vietnam’s Book Day, to honour the values books can bring to humanity and to encourage Vietnam’s reading culture.
According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, the book named ‘Duong Cach Menh’ by President Ho Chi Minh, the first Vietnamese book, was published in April. For this reason, Vietnam selected April 21 as Vietnam’s Book Day.
7. Lai Chau bridge collapse kills 8, injures 40
A suspension bridge in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau collapsed on the morning of February 24, leaving 8 dead and at least 40 others injured.
The accident occurred at around 8am in Son Binh Commune, Tam Duong District while a funeral procession was crossing from Chu Va 8 to Chu Va 6 Village, said Vang A Ho, chairman of the communal People’s Committee. The overloaded bridge was said to cause a cable to break, sending the victims into the rocky stream below.
8. Hanoi T&T beat Maziya Sports 5-1 in AFF Cup opener
Đăng ký: VietNam News