The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has banned two men from flying for nine months for smoking on a plane. The men from Hai Duong and Dong Thap provinces cannot fly until September 30 next year. The agency also said a person from the southern province of Kien Giang has …
Read More »‘Think twice before posting online’: information ministry on fake news
People should think twice before posting online to avoid spreading fake news, the information ministry advises in a handbook it released Tuesday. Le Quang Tu Do, Director of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information, said fake news is becoming increasingly prevalent and elusive these days, and even experts on …
Read More »No immediate surge of Chinese tourists expected after re-opening
China’s relaxation of Covid-19 rules for international arrivals has raised hopes that its multi-billion dollar travel business will soon flourish again but countries longing for the return of Chinese tourists will likely face more of a wait. China’s National Health Commission announced on Monday that inbound travellers would no longer …
Read More »Northern Vietnam enters frigid year-end
Temperatures in northern Vietnam are set to drop to 13-15 degrees Celsius as a cold front descends Wednesday morning. Mountainous regions will get cold first in the days before the new year. The midlands and plains will then be struck by the same winds, gloomy skies and cold temperatures, according …
Read More »1,100 karaoke parlors, bars suspended in Hanoi over fire safety violations
Hanoi has suspended over 1,100 karaoke parlors and bars over the past two months due to insufficient fire safety measures. At a Monday conference on fire safety held by the Hanoi People’s Committee, Pham Trung Hieu, head of the Firefighting and Rescue Office of Hanoi Police Department, said that there …
Read More »Foreign affairs minister reprimanded over pandemic flight scandal
Vietnam’s foreign affairs minister has been reprimanded by the Communist Party’s Politburo over management negligence that led to violations in organizing Covid repatriation flights. Bui Thanh Son, Minister of Foreign Affairs, was deemed responsible for violations made by the ministry’s Party Committee in the 2016-2021 term, which violated democratic centralism …
Read More »Taiwan to extend conscription to one year, citing rising China threat
Taiwan will extend compulsory military service to one year from four months from 2024 due to the rising threat the democratically governed island faces from its giant neighbor China. The move, which had been well-flagged ahead of time, comes as China ramps up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan …
Read More »South Korea pardons jailed ex-president Lee
Jailed former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak received a presidential pardon on Tuesday, cutting short his 17-year sentence on corruption charges, the justice minister said. Lee was on a list of more than 1,300 people who received special pardons “from the perspective of broad national unity through reconciliation, tolerance and …
Read More »‘Blizzard of the century’ leaves nearly 50 dead across US
Emergency crews in New York were scrambling Monday to rescue marooned residents from what authorities called the “blizzard of the century,” a relentless storm that has left nearly 50 people dead across the United States and caused Christmas travel chaos. Blizzard conditions persist in parts of the northeastern U.S., the …
Read More »Asian markets up after China ends travel quarantine
Asian markets rose on Tuesday after China said it would end quarantine for arrivals, spurring hopes for the revival of the world’s second-largest economy and boosting oil which continued its upward surge on fears of Russian production cuts. China has abruptly reversed its strict pandemic restrictions even as a surge …
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