Briefs on some of the leading news stories published on Tuesday (March 25) in Tuoi Tre newspaper:
Politics:
-- Ho Chi Minh City has decided to spend over VND46.8 trillion (US$2.25 billion) on six major tasks related to human resources, administrative reform, economic transformation, mitigation of traffic congestion, flood control, and prevention of environmental pollution.
-- The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with UNDP yesterday organized a conference on economic reformation for sustainable development.
Society:
-- Over 700 residents in Thuan Nam District of the central province of Ninh Thuan protested the exploitation of titanium in their Phuoc Dinh Commune which they believe has caused environmental pollution and underground water contamination.
-- A court in the southern province of Dong Nai declared Nguyen Thi Bang, 61, innocent on Monday after she had spent three years in custody.
-- Vietnam has suspended four railway officials following an allegation by a Japanese newspaper that a Japanese firm had paid over $780,000 in kickbacks to win an ODA-funded project in the country.
-- Vietnam has been left behind in the competition for attracting tourists in Southeast Asia where Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore received similar numbers of tourists each year. In particular, Malaysia welcomed 24.7 million tourists in 2012 while Vietnam had a sixth of the number.
-- An exhibition on Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago in the East Sea is going on at Dong A (East Asia) University in the central city of Da Nang and will last until March 29.
-- The 8th Book Festival in Ho Chi Minh City opened Monday night at Le Van Tam Park in District 1. It will run until March 30 with over 200,000 book titles on display.
Business:
-- Steel prices in Vietnam have decreased by VND200,000 – 250,000 ($9.6 – 12) a ton in the retail market.
-- Vietnam’s Jetstar Pacific airline has announced two new air routes from Hanoi and Da Nang to Macau with 21 two-way flights a week by Airbus A320 aircraft.
-- The local consumer price index went down by 0.44 percent in March.
-- The northern city of Hai Phong has reported it added $230 million in foreign direct investment in the first three months of this year.
Education:
-- The Ministry of Education and Training has announced a ban on the establishment of new colleges and universities in Vietnam.