Interpol General Assembly opens in Russia

– Interpol’s 77th General Assembly opened on October 7 in Russia ’s city of Saint Petersburg with the participation of more than 700 law enforcement delegates and security experts from 153 member countries.

The Vietnamese delegation is led by Senior Lieutenant-General Le The Tiem, Deputy Minister of Public Security.

The four-day meeting will focus on enhancing Interpol’s investigative and operational capacities as well as the technical capacities of member countries’ police forces and National Central Bureaus (NCBs) to strengthen the ability of frontline police to fight transnational crime, in particular terrorism, online child abuse, drugs and cyber-crime, and enhance co-operation on fugitive investigations.

It will also seek to confirm Interpol’s role as a model for sustainable law enforcement capabilities by adopting its Global Security Initiative (GSI) as a platform for integrated 21st century global policing through strategic partnerships.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin addressed the opening of the General Assembly and called on participants to work together to counter ongoing threats facing nations around the world.-

Russia, Belarus to build air defence system

Moscow (VNA) - Russia and Belarus expect to sign an agreement to establish a joint regional air defence system at the two sides’ meeting in Moscow next month, Pavel Borodin, State Secretary of the Russia-Belarus Union State, said on October 8.

The treaty is of vital importance against the backdrop of NATO’s ongoing eastward expansion, Borodin said.

In addition, an increase in bilateral military-technological cooperation would contribute to the generation of more jobs in the two countries’ military enterprises.

The Supreme State Council of the Union State will conduct a session in Moscow on Nov. 2, with discussions regarding future military-technological cooperation high on the agenda.-

Cuba helps train 23,000 foreign medical students

Havana (VNA) – The number of foreigners registering to study for health careers in Cuba has reached over 22,700 students this year, according to local media reports.

The foreign students are studying in the fields of medicine, dentistry, nursing, technology, and health psychology, the Prensa Latina quoted sources from the Public Health Ministry as saying.

The students, most of whom are from tri-continental countries, qualify for Cuban governmental scholarships as part of its traditional policy of solidarity.

According to the news agency, total registration for medical sciences this year is approximately 200,000 students, an unprecedented figure in Cuban history.

Cuba has four Higher Institutes of Medical Sciences and 24 medical schools, four in dentistry, an equal number in nursing and technology, plus 30 municipal branch offices.

The island is currently training somewhere in the region of 53,000 students from 89 countries across the world. –

Bird flu virus reported in Germany

Berlin (VNA) – Bird flu has returned to Germany, with the H5N1 influenza virus breaking out among farm ducks in the eastern state of Saxony, becoming the first proven appearance of the disease this year in the country.

Local authorities said they had sealed off the farm and slaughtered the whole flock of 1,400 ducks at Goerlitz, near the Polish border, news reports said on October 10.

Germany’s national animal health laboratory on the Baltic island of Riems said the find was “somewhat surprising” as the infection alert had been reduced to moderate after an outbreak was beaten last December.

Bird flu was last detected at a farm in Saxony in 2006. Last year, seven wild birds were found with the virus in the eastern state, according to news reports. –

Malaysia: Deputy PM to contest presidency of ruling party

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak has announced that he will contest the presidency of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the dominant party in the country’s ruling National Front coaltion.

The declaration follows the announcement on October 8 by Prime Minister and UMNO President Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that he would step down from both posts when the party holds its next general assembly in March next year, Malaysia’s Bernama news agency reported.

The president of UMNO has also been prime minister in Malaysia, where the National Front and its predecessor, the Alliance, has ruled the country uninterrupted for 51 years since independence, winning all the general elections held so far.

Speaking to reporters after the function, Deputy PM Najib said that with the support of the party’s grassroots and delegates, he would continue with the agenda of UMNO’s struggle with reforms proposed by PM Abdullah. –

Cambodian court delays first trial of Khmer Rouge leader

Phnom Penh (VNA) – The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) said on October 9 that the first trial of Khmer Rouge leaders would be delayed until next year due to appeals and other necessary legal procedures.

Five senior Khmer Rouge leaders, mostly in their 70s and 80s, remain in detention awaiting trial for their alleged roles in the 1975-79 atrocities.

In August the UN-backed genocide tribunal formally indicted former Khmer Rouge prison Chief Kaing Guek Eav – known as Duch – making him the first leader to stand trial. However, prosecutors appealed Duch’s indictment, saying it failed to go far enough and portray a “full and truthful account” of his crimes.

The court added that a trial management meeting would be convened by mid-January 2009, where a date for the first hearing would be set.

Successfully conducting trials of this significance is a complex process, the court said, adding that it knew well that the delay can be frustrating for the millions who have been waiting for decades to see justice done.

Nevertheless, each step of the legal process must be followed carefully and conducted in line with the highest standards of justice, the court stressed.

Up to two million Cambodian people died of starvation, overwork and execution under the Khmer Rough regime (1975-1979). –

Mining emerges as Laos’ busiest sector

Vientiane (VNA) - The mining industry is emerging as one of Laos’ economic spearheads, bringing in a huge amount of  revenue for the Southeast Asian nation.

The sector’s total income is estimated to make up 10 percent of Laos’ GDP over the next two years, up from 3 percent in 2005, according to market research.

Mining is also the busiest sector in Laos with over 120 domestic and foreign-invested companies having been granted business licences by the end of July, said the Lao government.

According to initial research, Laos now boasts over 500 kinds of underground minerals from the North to the South of the country.-

Indonesia strives to mitigate impact of financial crisis

Hanoi (VNA) – The Indonesian government will disburse 25.9 trillion rupiah (about 2.7 billion USD) in October to bolster consumers’ purchasing power, particularly among the poor, as part of an effort to mitigate the impact of the global financial crisis.

The fund is a portion of the 290 trillion rupiah allocated in this year’s social safety-net budget, which is aimed at funding emergency expenses for daily needs and health care, according to news reports.

Indonesian President Suxilo Bambang Yudhoyono was quoted as saying on October 9 that the disbursement of government expenditures will be fast forwarded to meet targets so as to avoide liquidity squeeze and furthering development.

The president said he would prioritize protection for the poor by ensuring they are able to meet their daily needs for foods, health care, education and public services.

He will also establish a special team composed of economic ministers, bankers, business players and experts to mitigate the impact of the global financial crisis.-

Singapore economy slips into recession

Hanoi (VNA) – Singapore has become the first Asian economy to fall into a technical recession, as the statistics released by the country’s Ministry of Trade and Industry showed its economy has declined for a second straight quarter.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter annualised basis, the country’s real GDP declined by 6.3 percent in the third quarter after contracting 5.7 percent in the previous quarter, the ministry said.

The Ministry also revised downwards Singapore’s full-year growth forecast to around 3.0 percent, citing a slowdown in the global economy and key domestic sectors.

In a move to confront the downturn, the Monetary Authority of Singapore –  its de facto central bank — said it was easing monetary policy for the first  time in more than four years, according to news reports.

However, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was quoted as saying on October 10 that Singapore’s growth is already slowing, but its financial system “is sound”, and its economy “remains competitive”.-

AirAsia wins best Asian low-cost carrier award

Hanoi (VNA) – Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia has won the Best Asian Low-Cost Carrier Award from Asia Pacific’s leading travel news publisher, TTG, said Bernama news agency.

The airline won the award for the second time after industry stakeholders, including travel agents, tour operators and destination management companies, voted for it in a three-month poll conducted by the TTG.

It won the same award in 2005, the news agency added.

AirAsia’s regional head of Commercial Kathleen Tan was quoted as saying that AirAsia would continue to raise its bars of service level and work closely to support its industry partners to boost travel demand.

“AirAsia has flown over 55 million guests and we are certain our innovation through the internet has made travel booking seamless, fast and convenient to the new generation of travellers, thus accelerating travel demand and changing travel landscapes,” Kathleen Tan said.-