Ridiculous news headlines

Việt Nam’s headline inflation rate increased by 1.69 per cent in the first quarter of this year, putting pressure on the new Government to curb the rate going forward. — Photo vov.vn HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s headline inflation rate increased by 1.69 per cent in the first quarter of this year, putting pressure on the new Government to curb the rate going forward, according to a quarterly report on macroeconomic growth. The report, conducted by a group of researchers from the Việt Nam Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR), was discussed during a launching ceremony in Hà Nội on Tuesday. The Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade supported the research. Việt Nam’s inflation rate hike in the first three months of 2016 was attributed to increasing fees for medical services and education, and the recovery of commodity and service prices in the world. New developments in the global economy, along with domestic changes, make it a … [Read more...] about VN’s headline inflation rises in first quarter

by Thu Vân “Your pens are the sharp weapons in the cause of telling the truth…” Thus began a letter that President Ho Chi Minh wrote to intellectuals and journalists in the southern part of the country on May 25, 1947. He also said in the same letter that “journalists should act like brave soldiers in the revolution to gain back unity and independence for the country.” One cannot imagine loftier ideals for this profession. Today, the lofty ideals may remain, but there are times I feel these are gathering dust in the shelves of our memory as the profession goes through one existential crisis after another. More than seven decades after President Hồ Chí Minh wrote the famous letter, it is fair to say journalism has gone through many changes, all over the world. Today, the profession is wedded, one could even say welded, to technology and business, and this creates a host of challenges in terms of the profession succeeding in the market place, in capturing the readers’ or … [Read more...] about Some good news, some bad news, some hopeful news

Hồng Vân & Paul Kennedy On July 18, 2017, rap and hip-hop music officially surpassed rock and roll as the most consumed genre of music in the United States. A pivotal moment in music history. Often criticised for its violent, homophobic, and misogynistic lyrics, it’s safe to say this often misunderstood genre of music is not everyone’s cup of tea. In fact you could go as far as to describe rap as the marmite of music. You either love it or hate it. But if you do favour the latter, there’s no getting away from the fact that rap music is big business. American multinational investment bank and financial services company, Goldman Sachs, estimate the rap industry is worth a staggering US$62 billion. By 2030, hip-hop profits are projected to increase by more than double. And it’s not just an American phenomenon as its roots are far more international with many historians saying rap can be traced back centuries to West Africa when village elders would … [Read more...] about Canadian rapper grabs the beat in Hà Nội

AUCKLAND — New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern will spend a second night in hospital with her "very alert and hungry" newborn daughter who Twitter wags have dubbed the "prime miniature". Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford have been swamped with congratulatory messages from around the globe, including a private email from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. But after becoming only the second world leader to give birth while in office, she is now facing the realities of motherhood which has seen plans for a public appearance with her baby cancelled twice. A spokesman for her office said "everyone is doing well if not a bit tired" after Ardern spent much of her first night as a mum feeding the newborn. "The nurses described the child as ’very alert and one hungry baby’," the spokesman added. The baby, whose name has yet to be released, arrived Thursday afternoon,weighing 3.3 kilogrammes (7.3 pounds) and with the proud parents using social media to make the announcement. "Welcome to … [Read more...] about New Zealand’s ‘prime miniature’ baby keeps Ardern busy

Spam messages are flooding people’s smartphones. — VNS Photo Khoa Thư Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI – Congratulation! You are this week’s winner. Send DKG to 9183 to receive a top-up card worth VNĐ200,000 (US$8.56). This is just one of the many text messages that pop up on the phone screen of Minh Hương in Hoàn Kiếm District every day. These advertisements encourage users to try multiple services, from data packages to top-up cards, and from English courses to new real estate projects in town. “It’s totally insane,” Hương told Việt Nam News. “They (the network providers) promised to start blocking all spam calls and messages from 2017, but nothing seems to have changed,” she added. Hương has two phone numbers with the biggest network providers in the country, Vinaphone and Viettel. While spam from Viettel invite her to join Keeng, a music social network, watch movies online or use a new mobile money application, Vinaphone advertises data packages, quiz games (which promise … [Read more...] about Spam messages plague phone users

Trịnh Xuân Thanh, vice chairman of the southern Hậu Giang Province and former chairman of PetroVietnam Construction Corporation (PVC). — Photo vnexpress.net HÀ NỘI – Trịnh Xuân Thanh, vice chairman of the southern Hậu Giang Province and former chairman of PetroVietnam Construction Corporation (PVC), will have to take responsibility for the losses during his time working at PVC, according to an announcement by t he Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission yesterday. Thanh, who made headlines in national media last month, was criticised by the public for his alleged abuse of an official plate on his luxury Lexus car , which he claimed was not his. Thanh, who was appointed to his position in May last year, explained that because of the province’s difficult financial situation, it was not able to arrange a vehicle for him to commute to work. Therefore, he’d borrowed his friend’s car for the purpose. The car was previously registered as a private car … [Read more...] about Southern province’s vice chairman to take responsible for past’s wrongdoings