Outstanding events in the country last week

(Baonghean.vn) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's official visit to Vietnam; The 4th regular session of the National Assembly Standing Committee; The Ministry of Education and Training announced the illustrative questions for the 2017 national high school exam; Revoking the press card of Mr. Nguyen Nhu Phong, temporarily suspending the publication of PetroTimes newspaper; Dozens of tons of dead fish in West Lake (Hanoi);... are the outstanding events in the country last week.

1- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani pays official visit to Vietnam

Official welcoming ceremony for President Hassan Rouhani at the Presidential Palace.

On October 5, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani began a state visit to Vietnam from October 5 to 7 at the invitation of President Tran Dai Quang.

Accompanying the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, were: Minister of Foreign Affairs; Head of the Presidential Office; Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade; Minister of Agriculture; Governor of the Central Bank; Cultural Advisor to the President and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to Vietnam...

Immediately after the welcoming ceremony, President Rouhani had official talks with President Tran Dai Quang. After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a number of documents and held a joint press conference. According to the program, on the same day, President Rouhani will meet with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and pay a courtesy visit to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

President Hassan Rouhani's visit to Vietnam aims to further strengthen cooperation with Vietnam. During the visit, the two sides will discuss measures to promote cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, agriculture, etc. The two sides will also discuss international and regional issues of mutual concern.

2- 4th regular session, National Assembly Standing Committee

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan delivered the opening speech at the meeting. (Photo: quochoi.vn)

From October 3 to 6, the 14th National Assembly Standing Committee held its 4th session (phase 1) in Hanoi under the chairmanship of National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and the direction of the National Assembly Vice Chairwomen.

At this meeting, the National Assembly Standing Committee discussed and basically agreed on the proposed content and agenda of the session to be submitted to the National Assembly. Up to now, all preparations for the session have been actively carried out by the National Assembly agencies, National Assembly delegations, National Assembly deputies, the Government and relevant agencies, ensuring the requirements set out. All contents presented at the session have been commented on by the National Assembly Standing Committee, with the socio-economic and financial-budgetary contents being commented on in the second session of this session (from October 17 to the morning of October 18, 2016).

For some contents that do not guarantee the quality and submission deadline as prescribed by law, they will not be included in the proposed meeting agenda. Information work, facilities, technology and other guarantee conditions have been basically completed to serve the meeting.

3- The Government held its regular meeting in September 2016

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chairs the regular Government meeting in September 2016. Photo: VGP/Quang Hieu

On October 3, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired the regular September Government meeting.

This is a meeting aimed at completing the 2016 assessment report to submit to the Party Central Committee and the National Assembly this October. The Government is responsible for reporting on the country's situation in 2016 and the tasks for 2017. Therefore, the Prime Minister emphasized that the theme of this meeting will be to strive to promote and improve growth quality, sustainable development and make the highest effort to achieve the 2016 target of 6.3% to 6.5%.

However, the Prime Minister noted that GDP growth in the past 9 months was lower than the same period last year. To achieve the annual growth target, GDP in the fourth quarter must reach 7.1 to 7.3%. The Prime Minister emphasized that the expected GDP growth of 6.3 to 6.5% this year also demonstrates the Government's great efforts in the current context, while the Asian Development Bank (ADB) forecasts this growth to be only about 6%. This is very difficult but not impossible. Experience shows that the fourth quarter always has higher growth than the previous quarters.

4- Ministry of Education and Training announced sample questions for the 2017 national high school exam

Illustration photo.

On the afternoon of October 5, the Ministry of Education and Training announced 14 sample questions for 9 subjects in the 5 national high school exams. For the Foreign Language subject alone, there are 6 questions including English, French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Chinese for students and teachers to refer to. These questions are not used as official exams. Through the sample questions, students can know the level of knowledge and differentiation of the official questions to review appropriately.

According to the national high school exam plan announced by the Ministry of Education on the afternoon of September 28, candidates in 2017 will take 5 exams, including 3 independent exams: Math, Literature, Foreign Language and 2 combined exams: Natural Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) and Social Sciences (History, Geography, Civic Education for candidates in the high school education system; History, Geography for candidates in the continuing education system).

Except for the essay-based Literature test, the remaining four tests will be multiple-choice. Each candidate in the same room will have their own test code and will take the test on the multiple-choice answer sheet. This sheet will be graded by computer software.

5 - Hundreds of tons of fish died in West Lake (Hanoi)

Hundreds of tons of dead fish float white in West Lake.

On the morning of October 2, 2016, people living on Trich Sai and Thanh Nien streets (Tay Ho District, Hanoi) were shocked to see dead fish floating in West Lake. A strong stench spread throughout the streets along the lake.

There are dozens of different types of fish that died in the lake, including: carp, tilapia, grass carp, catfish, silver carp, silver carp, etc. Most of the dead fish were large, some weighed several kilos and floated dead on the lake surface.

Dead fish floated all over the lake's surface and then drifted to the shore, creating a white mess that stretched for kilometers around the lake, a scene not seen in many years at Hanoi's largest lake.

Regarding the fish deaths in West Lake, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has assigned the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology to quickly investigate the cause of the incident.

6- Revoke the journalist card of Mr. Nguyen Nhu Phong, temporarily suspend the PetroTimes newspaper

Petrotimes electronic newspaper was temporarily suspended for 3 months.

On the afternoon of October 3, the Ministry of Information and Communications issued two decisions to revoke the press card of Mr. Nguyen Nhu Phong and temporarily suspend the electronic newspaper New Energy (Petrotimes.vn).

Specifically, in Decision No. 1701/QD-BTTTT, the competent authority decided to revoke the Press Card number IBT 02523, valid for 2016-2020, of Mr. Nguyen Nhu Phong because he was disciplined by the governing body by being dismissed from the position of Editor-in-Chief of Petrotimes Electronic Newspaper.

Petrotimes electronic newspaper is responsible for revoking Mr. Phong's Press Card and submitting it to the management agency before October 12, 2016.

On the same day, Decision 1702/QD-BTTTT was also signed with the content of temporarily suspending Petrotimes Electronic Newspaper for a period of 3 months because the Newspaper had committed violations in its press activities, and was requested by the governing body to temporarily suspend its operations.

7-12,100 billion VND to overcome damage from Formosa

The environmental incident in the Central region has seriously affected the exploitation and fishing activities in the Central region.

On October 5, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development completed a project to determine damages to compensate, support, restore, develop production and ensure social security for people affected by the marine environmental incident in the provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.

According to the project of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the estimated cost of implementing the compensation project is 12,100 billion VND. Meanwhile, the compensation cost of Formosa Hung Nghiep Iron and Steel Company Limited (abbreviated as Formosa) is 11,500 billion VND. Thus, the amount of money that must be mobilized from the budget and other sources to compensate is 600 billion VND.

Specifically as follows: Compensation for damages: 6,500 billion VND; Construction cost of a marine environmental monitoring, surveillance and warning system: 500 billion VND; Restoration and regeneration of aquatic resources, coral reefs, and seagrass beds: 920 billion VND; Establishment cost of a provincial aquatic resources regeneration fund: 300 billion VND; Funds for implementing policies: 2,280 billion VND. In addition, the reserve fund for compensation for damages: 1,000 billion VND; Funds for implementing policies: 500 billion VND; Administrative costs for project implementation: 100 billion VND.

All compensation funds of Formosa Company will be disbursed and settled before December 31, 2016.

8 - Announcing the list of 63 outstanding Vietnamese farmers in 2016

Example of a good farmer growing Mokara orchids for high revenue in Ho Chi Minh City.

On the morning of October 5, Nong thon ngay nay Newspaper held a press conference to announce the list of 63 outstanding Vietnamese farmers. As a result, 63 farmers were voted for the title of Outstanding Farmers in 2016. These are the 63 most outstanding faces representing farmers from provinces and cities across the country.

According to the criteria of the Organizing Committee, there are 4 groups of typical farmers selected, including: Farmers with outstanding achievements in production and business of agricultural products (cultivation, livestock, aquaculture, forestry, agricultural services); Farmers with outstanding achievements in the new rural construction movement; Farmers with outstanding achievements in the movement of the whole people to protect national security and national sovereignty; Farmers with scientific initiatives and inventions that have been applied and brought high economic and social efficiency in agricultural production activities.

The award ceremony will take place on October 14 at the Hanoi Opera House, on the occasion of the 86th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Farmers' Union.

9- Vietnam tops the 2016 Asian Beach Games

Vietnam reaped a bumper crop of medals at the 2016 Asian Beach Games. Photo: VTV

The host country won a total of 52 gold medals - one and a half times the set target, ranking above even powerful countries such as Thailand, China, Japan and South Korea.

The Asian Beach Games took place from September 24 to October 2 in Da Nang City with the participation of athletes from 35 countries and territories. At the end of the Games, Vietnam won 52 gold medals, 44 silver medals and 43 bronze medals. Thailand ranked second with 36 gold medals, 24 silver medals and 30 bronze medals. Third place belonged to China, with 12 gold medals, 18 silver medals and 19 bronze medals.

The Beach Games was founded by the Olympic Council of Asia and took place for the first time in 2008 in Bali (Indonesia) every two years.

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