A task force will be organized from central to local levels to combat a potential bird flu outbreak.

The People's Committee of southern Long An province has given high praise to the pilot model for destroying pesticide with non-burning technology conducted by Director Tran Manh Tri of the HCM City Centre for Environment and Chemical Technology.

The NIIGATA International Volunteer Centre of Japan on August 23 granted 60 scholarships to disadvantaged, gifted students attending colleges and universities in Ho Chi Minh City.

Authorised by the State President, Chairwoman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Cu Thi Hau on August 23 presented the Independence Order, second class to the National Institute of Labour Protection (NILP).

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on August 22 signed an official dispatch to chairmen of Peoples' Committees of provinces and cities nationwide, urging them to take drastic measures to prevent any outbreaks of bird flu and Type A flu in humans.

Japan's Toshiba corporation pledged to help Vietnam implement renewable energy projects at a seminar on the environment, tourism and atomic energy held in Hanoi on August 22.

Forty Vietnamese nationals who reside in Laos, Cambodia and Thailand participated in an exchange at VOV’s Radio House in Hanoi on August 22 to recall the atmosphere of the August 1945 Revolution and VOV’s first broadcasts.

Vietnam and Cambodia have agreed to cooperate in providing alert data of the International Satellite System for Search and Rescue (Cospas-Sarsat) and the formation of the Vietnam Mission Control Centre under Cospas-Sarsat Agreement (VNMCC).

The Government recently issued a decree regulating compensation for losses and punishment for wasteful spending.

Vietnam is facing numerous challenges in improving its population quality due to a rapid growth of population, a widening HIV/AIDS pandemic, environmental pollution and a high rate of people with disabilities. Ass. Prof. Dr Pham Ba Nhat talked about the topic during a recent interview granted to VOVNews.

Floods and landslides continue to causing great loss as of people and property in northern, central, and Central Highlands provinces. To date, 33 people have died, three are missing, more than 45,600 ha of rice have been flooded and thousands of houses inundated because of heavy and prolonged rains and landslides.

Raising ornamental fish has become an increasingly popular business and pastime in Vietnam over the past years, due to its relatively low cost and the tranquillity offered by such a practice. However, the business requires passion, as well as a great deal of expertise from enthusiasts.

To date, a dozen of provinces have reported outbreaks of the foot-and-mouth disease. More than 5,300 cows and buffaloes and nearly 600 pigs have contracted the disease in the past 21 days.

The fourth round of Vietnam-US labour dialogue was held in Washington from August 17-18 to review the implementation of six technical projects funded by the US Department of Labour and discuss labour-related issues of mutual concern.

The World Bank on August 18 launched a project on rural safe water supply and hygiene in Thai Binh province to benefit 12 Red River Delta provinces.

A conference on implementing the Law on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control was held in Hanoi on August 18 by the Public Health Ministry.

As many as 117 cases of cross-border trafficking in women and children were reported in the first half of this year. The crime is becoming more complicated and widespread. Poor and uneducated women and children are a high risk group particularly vulnerable to trafficking.

Vietnam needs to build an early warning and quick response system to cope with the increased risks of dangerous epidemics in the region and the world.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide US$1.7 million under a technical assistance project to build two metro routes in Ho Chi Minh City.

To prevent a possible bird flu recurrence, the most important thing is that each ministry and sector will have to strictly implement the Government’s urgent instruction on August 8.

Four fishermen, including one in the southernmost Ca Mau province and three others in the neighbouring province of Kien Giang have been reported missing as prolonged heavy rains accompanied by whirlwinds have caused damage in the area over recent days. Kien Giang province has reported the sinking of nine ships since August 8.

Heavy rains and flash floods have claimed at least 12 lives in central, southern and the Central Highlands provinces, including five in Binh Thuan province while wrecking havoc on local infrastructure and farmer’s crops over the past few days.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Head of the National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Control on August 15 sent an urgent telegram to local People’s Committees in provinces and cities warning of the high risk of a bird flu epidemic recurrence.

Floods have killed at least four people and injured four others in southern Binh Thuan province and northern midland Phu Tho province, according to the National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control.

Germany has agreed to provide 440,000 EUR in non-refundable aid for Vietnam to carry out the first phase of a vocational education project.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung signed a decision on August 14 to allocate VND26 billion from the State budget reserve to assist seven northern mountainous provinces to recover from the impact of recent heavy downpours and flash floods.

The Ministry of Fisheries has decided to invest about roughly US$4.3 million in building aquatic environment warning system in the north in order to facilitate sustainable aquaculture development.

The French Government has decided to provide 40.3 million Euros to the second phase of a project to modernise the traffic signal system of the railway route linking Hanoi with central Vinh city.

Vietnam has potential to develop New Generation Network (NGN) technology, said Vice President of China's ZTE Telecommunication Group Chen Jie at a recent working session with the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation (VNPT).

Private vocational training schools have greatly contributed to training and supplying highly skilled workers, so they should be developed and encouraged further. Vocational training is more effective and less expensive in enterprises as trainees are given a chance to get used to the on-the-job training environment as well as new production methods.