Students create automatic watering pump with waste materialsVietNamNet Bridge - Nguyen Dai Duong and Le The Hoan, students at Trieu Trach Secondary School in Quang Tri province, have created a simple watering system run with electric circuits used to water crops. The watering system created by secondary school studentsDuong and Hoan had the idea after seeing a security guard watering plants at the school every day. It took the two students 3-4 months to complete the technical drawing, find materials, create the electric circuit, and assemble the system. The watering system is made of cheap waste materials like old mobile phones and electronic components. RELATED NEWSHigh school students win top prizes at tech creativity competitionsStudents invent machine that produces drinking water from the airThanh Lich

Wildlife trafficking: the animal market in LaosVietNamNet Bridge - Reporters travelled 2,000 kilometers in Laos recently to discover how wildlife are carried to Vietnam. Wild animals such as deer, porcupine and pheasant were displayed for sale in the open air at markets in the province’s central area. “Most of the Vietnamese people coming here want to buy wildlife meat,” he said. “I have all kinds of wildlife meat to sell. RELATED NEWSWildlife trafficking world – Demand for animal bone glueVietnam gets strict on wildlife protectionChi Mai

The need to improve Vietnam’s labour forceThe abundant young labour force is one of Vietnam’s great advantages, as young people can adapt quickly to new science and technology. The 4th Industrial Revolution (Revolution 4.0) is developing around the world and directly affects Viet Nam. The fourth industrial revolution is progressing rapidly and affecting many aspects of economic and social aspects. In this context, it is possible to see that the 4th industrial revolution is posing great challenges to our human resources. Workers need to prepare for changing employment situations and need to master new skills.

Facebook value drops by $37bn amid privacy backlashFacebook's shares have fallen sharply, wiping $37bn off the firm's value, as it faces questions from US and UK politicians about its privacy rules. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham says it will be used to look at the databases and servers used by British data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica. Facebook shares ended trading 6.7% lower at $172.56, wiping almost $37bn off the social network's market value. Cambridge Analytica "strongly denies" the allegations levelled against it. Alexander Nix, chief executive of Cambridge Analytica, was questioned by a Parliamentary committee last month about using data to target messages.

HCM City Television Cycling announce new recordsThe annual HCM City Television Cycling will set up two new records in its 30th edition which will begin on March 29. Jerseys and bonuses of the HCM City Television Cycling Tournament are introduced at a press conference in HCM City on March 19. It is believed to be the biggest number of stages in not only Viet Nam but also in the world. Cyclists will then tour along the country through Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong and cross the finish line in HCM City on April 30. Currently, among the 13 best national crews are Bike Life Dong Nai, VUS-HCM City, Ynghua Dong Nai and Hat Ngoc Troi An Giang.

US soldiers ’waging peace’ in exhibitionA special exhibition titled “Waging Peace – US Soldiers and Veterans Who Opposed America’s War in Viet Nam” opened on Monday at the HCM City War Remnants Museum. — File photo courtesy of the organiserThe one-month-long event is organised by the museum in cooperation with HCM City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO), HCM City Peace and Development Foundation (HPDF), and the Viet Nam Veterans for Peace Organisation (VFP). On display are nearly 80 photos, posters and articles about American soldiers and veterans who participated in the antiwar movement from 1968, demanding an end to the war and peace for Viet Nam. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, deputy director of the HCM City Department of Culture and Sports, said at the opening ceremony: “We do hope that this exhibition will be warmly welcomed by visitors. According to Carver, all the exhibits will be given to the museum after the exhibition.

Patients get on well with organs from brain dead donorThe two patients transplanted with a heart and a kidney donated by a brain dead person in Hanoi are in sound condition and ready to be discharged from the hospital, Dr. Pham Thi Ngoc Thao, Deputy Director of the HCM City-based Cho Ray Hospital said on March 19. On February 26, Cho Ray Hospital doctors received the heart and the kidney sent by the Hanoi-based 108 Military Central Hospital. The donor is brain dead 45-year-old soldier, who had an accident on duty. The heart was taken from the brain dead donor in Hanoi at 13:00 on Feb. 26 and reached Cho Ray hospital in HCM City at about 16:15. The hospital has performed transplants in over 30 patients, using organs from brain dead donors over the past 10 years.

University of East Asia win VUG’s futsalUniversity of East Asia triumphed in the futsal category of Việt Nam University Games (VUG) in Đà Nẵng on March 19. Hundreds of Russians living in Việt Nam on Sunday voted for the next president across Hà Nội, HCM City and Đà Nẵng. He encouraged local shrimp breeders to switch to high-tech farming for higher profits. Typhoon Damrey, which was the twelfth to hit Việt Nam last year, was the strongest one in 2017. As a friend and close development partner of Việt Nam, Korea will continue to support Việt Nam’s government in its efforts to overcome challenges posed by climate change.

Minister of Justice Le Thanh Long and Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh took the floor and answered questions. Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said Vietnam currently ranks 47th globally in innovation index and 38th in technological expertise. HCM City pledges to protect the legal rights and benefits of the business community, a city leader said. The private sector is still the major driver of the development of the city with GDP growth at 8.15 per cent. The city plans to co-operate with the HCM City Business Association to organize the “HCM City Economic Forum” in October.

Vietnam, Kuwait hold third political consultationDeputy Foreign Minister of Vietnam Vu Hong Nam and Assistant Foreign Minister Ali Suleiman Al-Saeed of Kuwait co-chaired the third Vietnam – Kuwait political consultation in Hanoi on March 19. They agreed to continue delegation exchanges at all levels and improve the efficiency of the existing cooperation mechanisms like the Vietnam-Kuwait joint committee and political consultation between the two foreign ministries, creating a new impetus for the wide-ranging cooperation between the two countries. They stressed that focus should be channeled into economic cooperation to bolster trade exchange, investment, ODA and labour collaboration via information exchange on trade policies and opportunities. Besides, businesses from the two countries should receive favourable conditions to further connections, join trade promotion activities and ink labour cooperation deals. The consultation took place in an open and trusty manner and concluded successfully, contributing to enhancing the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Kuwait.-VNA

US antidumping duties on Vietnam’s frozen fish fillets unfair: MinistryVietnam’s frozen Tra fish fillets will be subject to antidumping duties of 2.39 – 7.74 USD per kilogramme from the United States, according to a US decision which the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) claimed unfair and providing unduly excessive protection. Vietnam’s frozen tra fish fillets will be subject to antidumping duties of 2.39 – 7.74 USD per kilogramme from the United States. It will have negative impacts on Vietnam’s fish exports to the US, the ministry said. According to a report of the Directorate of Fisheries of Vietnam, the country’s tra fish output hit 1.2 million tonnes in 2017, a year-on-year rise of 5.1 percent. The export turnover of tra fish is expected to reach 2 – 2.2 billion USD in 2018, making up 31.5 percent of the fishery industry’s total export value.-VNA

HCM City Book Festival 2018 opensThe 10th HCM City Book Festival, themed “Books – Culture, Integration and Development”, opened at the Le Van Tam Park in District 1 on March 19. Delivering his opening remark, General Director of the Saigon Culture Company Truong Van Hien, head of the organising board, said this is a special festival featuring culture. It is not only a festival of book lovers but also an activity honouring reading culture. The largest-ever volume of over 300,000 book titles are introduced to visitors, up 27 percent against 2016. Visitors will also have a chance to meet and exchange with young singers and writers, and enjoy discounts of up to 50 percent.

Antiwar POW, son wage peace in VietnamVietNamNet Bridge – On March 19, a special exhibition commemorating an important element of the US movement against the American war in Vietnam will open in Ho Chi Minh City. It is called “Waging Peace: US Soldiers and Veterans Who Opposed America’s War in Vietnam”. On June 16, 1968, flying off the aircraft carrier AMERICA on his twenty-first mission over North Vietnam, Dad parachuted from the spent hulk of his burning F-4J, which had been hit by a missile. Imprisoned in Hanoi, Dad had time to listen to his conscience. The Waging Peace exhibit in Ho Chi Minh City will help restore those voices to our memory of the war years.

Late, milder summer predictedSummer is predicted to come later with cooler temperatures this year according to Le Thanh Hai, vice head of the National Centre for Hydro-meteorology Forecast. Late, milder summer predictedAccording to Hai, there will be more cold spells in the next two to three months but they will weaken. "The cold spells in May will mainly cause rain, strong winds and hail in the northern region," he said. The northern region will experience hot weather starting from late April while the central coast will have cool weather until May. The storms will appear in typical patterns with two to the north, three in the central region and one in the south.

Justice Minister clarifies ways to improve legal document qualityMinister of Justice Le Thanh Long fielded questions on measures to improve the progress and quality of draft laws and legal documents at the ongoing 22nd session of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee in Hanoi on March 19. Although the verification quality has been gradually improved, the feasibility of some policies and regulations in draft documents hasn’t received due attention. Since the beginning of the 14th parliament in mid-2016, the Government, the Prime Minister, ministries and sectors have issued 368 documents among the 481 needed-to-be-built documents stipulating details of the promulgated laws. The minister attributed the slow issuance of those documents to the big number of law contents that the Government, the Prime Minister, ministries and ministry-level agencies have to make detail regulations on. They should also report their document making progress to the Government and the Prime Minister so as to solve any difficulties arising in a timely manner while publicising the progress on the Government portal, he added.-VNA