Four quakes hit the mountainous districts of Quang NamVietNamNet Bridge – Four earthquakes, measuring from 2.7 to 3.5 on the Richter scale, hit Bac Tra My and Nam Tra My districts in the central province of Quang Nam on Thursday morning (July 26), but no damage or casualties were reported. Four quakes hit the two districts of Nam Tra My and Bac Tra My on July 26. Experts from the institute said that the tremors occurring in mountainous districts of Quang Nam Province, near the hydro-power plant, were caused by water stored in the hydropower plant reservoir. The two districts, south of Tam Ky City in Quang Nam Province, have been hit by five quakes ranging from 3.2 to 3.9 on the Richter scale between March of 2017 and June of 2018. The biggest quake, measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale, struck the district in 2012, and was the biggest quake in Quang Nam Province, causing superficial damage to more than 100 houses.

Vietnam has more than 13 million 4G subscribersVietnam now has more than 13 million 4G users after over a year of the service's deployment, accounting for about 30 percent of the total number of mobile phone subscribers, according to the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC). Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam urges related ministries and agencies to discuss solutions to the problems of licencing the 2.6 GHz band for the deployment of a 4G network. However, the data traffic for 4G network on broadband 1800 MHz has been low compared with demand, affecting 4G speed. Therefore, the MIC planned to auction the 2.6 GHz band so telecom services providers can boost the speed of their 4G network. In particular, VNPT and Viettel have deployed 4G on the 1800 MHz band with bandwidths of 10 MHz, 15 MHz and 20 MHz, while Mobifone deployed a 10 MHz bandwidth.-VNA

Steel imports from VN subject to EU safeguardsThe European Commission (EC) has decided to impose temporary safeguard duties in the form of an import quota on 28 categories of steel from 10 exporting countries, including Vietnam. The temporary safeguard measure is valid for 200 days. The quota assigned to Vietnam’s steel is one million units per year, with a 15% tax. The three steel products of Vietnam that are subject to the duties are alloy and non-alloy cold-rolled steel sheets, metallic coated sheets and stainless cold-rolled sheets and strips. Its voluntary participation in the probe will prove beneficial when it enters major markets in general, and the European Union in particular, in future.

Vietnam begins to tighten monetary policyVietNamNet Bridge - In the context of pressure on inflation and exchange rate, macroeconomic stabilization must be the top priority, experts say. Increasing the required compulsory reserve ratio has also been mentioned recently as an effective long-term solution to tighten monetary policy. In late 2015, an HSBC report said Vietnam should tighten the monetary policy in 2016 after a period of loosening the policy to pave the way for a high credit growth rate. Most recently, Fitch Ratings urged Vietnam to tighten monetary policy to ensure macroeconomic stabilization. RELATED NEWSVietnam advised to tighten monetary policiesFlexible monetary policies facilitate economic growthThanh Lich

to restore Cua Dai beachQuang Nam’s authorities have decided to provide an additional VND55bn (USD2.20m) to save the Cua Dai Beach from further serious erosion. Quang Nam Province has been in a struggle to save Cua Dai Beach. Quang Nam authorities also approved a dyke project with the authorities of Hoi An Town as the investor in phase two with the total cost of VND80bn (USD3.20m). Last year, a 20m section of Cua Dai Beach was successfully restored after three years being damaged by erosion. There has been severe erosion in Hoi An with 20 hectares of Cua Dai beach having been washed away.

No Vietnamese reported missing in Lao dam collapseNo Vietnamese has been reported missing as of July 26, while 15 Vietnamese families living in the areas affected by floods triggered by the collapse of the Sepien-Senamnoi hydropower dam in Laos have been evacuated to safe places, local officials said. The Vietnamese Consulate General in Pakse sent representatives to the site to follow the situation and work with relevant agencies of Champasak and Attapeu provinces. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs directed Vietnamese representative agencies in Laos and neighbouring countries such as Cambodia to closely follow the situation and actively take measures to assist affected Vietnamese families and coordinate with local and Vietnamese authorized agencies to quickly settle arising issues. At a press conference on July 25, Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said that 131 people have been still missing after the dam collapsed in Attapeu’s Sanamxay district earlier this week. Construction of the project began in February 2013 and commercial operations were originally expected to begin this year.-VNA

Storm Son Tinh causes damage worth $11.6mil. A road in Hoa Binh province was damaged during storm Son TinhAccordingly, the storm damaged 15,000sq.m of surface of national roads, seven bridges, as well as other works across the nation. The total cost to repair initial damage in national road system is estimated to hit 140 billion VND (6.04 million USD). Meanwhile, about 80,000sq.m of road surface, three bridges, and sewer systems of provincial roads were completely demolished, causing losses of 127 billion VND (5.48 million USD). It has also worked to clean up road surfaces in flooded areas, as well as conduct inspections on traffic safety systems and road reparations.

NA Chairwoman greets European Parliament officialNational Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan received visiting Chairperson of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade (INTA) Bernd Lange in Hanoi on July 26, during which the two sides discussed cooperation potential between Vietnam and the European Union (EU) for times ahead. She affirmed that with the existing potential and wishes of both sides, the Vietnam-EU collaboration can be fostered. For his part, Bernd Lange said that the stable economic development with high growth has contributed to helping promote poverty reduction in Vietnam. He said the EP is making every effort to promote the official signing and approval of the EVFTA, which is slated for late 2018. She asserted the Vietnamese NA’s commitments to examining the legal system, thus continuing to legalise commitments and international treaties that Vietnam has joined.

EVN: All hydropower dams are safeThe Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) has confirmed that all hydropower dams under its management are absolutely in safe condition. A view of Son La hydropower plantThe affirmation was made following concerns of safety of dams and reservoirs of hydropower plants after the recent crumbling of Laos’ Xe Pian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam. Currently, the EVN manages 39 hydropower dams, which have been inspected and listed as safe. According to the EVN, the plans include specific response measures to circumstances in flood season as well as preventative solutions. An EVN representative said that all of its hydropower plants have been evaluated as safe by specialised advisors.

Syphilis: How deadly disease has spread in AustraliaLess than a decade ago, doctors in Australia believed they were close to eliminating syphilis from remote indigenous communities - the centre of national efforts to fight the disease. The majority of syphilis sufferers in Australia are young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who live in regional areas in the nation's north and centre, doctors say. Indigenous health experts, including Associate Prof James Ward, issued a call in the Medical Journal of Australia in 2011 to try to end syphilis in communities where it was a problem. "If this had occurred among young, heterosexual people in non-indigenous Australia there would be a national outcry," he told the BBC. 'Plenty to be done'Associate Prof Ward said it remained too early to assess the impact of the most recent response.

PM tells authorities to investigate tax evasionPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has assigned the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and General Department of Taxation (GDT) to study media reports on transfer pricing of foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises and tax policy. Media reports have suggested the Government to build a more effective mechanism to tackle the problem that prolonged loss-making FDI enterprises have still enlarged investment and production. However, it can be difficult to know the truth as the tax authority is not empowered to investigate. Tax policyApart from transfer pricing, the Government’s Office also quoted a report on Doanh nhan Viet Nam (Entrepreneur) newspaper saying that tax incentives are biased in favour of region rather than sector. Tax authorities have not issued any documents and notices certifying the tax exemption or reduction to enterprises, it said.— VNS

Billion-dollar solar projects power Ninh Thuan provinceVietNamNet Bridge - Ninh Thuan provincial authorities have decided to cancel nuclear power development and reserve land for renewable energy projects such as solar power. Ninh Thuan province, which has the lowest rainfall in the country, is one of the favorite destinations for investors. This is one of the most important power projects in the national power development strategy. Billions of dollars have been poured into solar projects in Vietnam, especially after the government decided to purchase solar power at high prices to encourage investments in the field. Ninh Thuan is programmed to develop renewable energy with 9,000 MW of solar power and 1,400 MW of wind power to be developed by 2020.

Senior officials of the central province of Quang Tri pay tribute to fallen soldiers at the Ancient Citadel of Quang Tri on July 24. Hundreds of candles are lit for fallen soldiers at the Vinh Long provincial martyrs' cemetery on July 26. Vonlunteer youths hold lit candles to pay tribute to fallen soldiers in the northern province of Lai Chau on July 26. The lit candles then placed on each grave of the fallen soldiers at the provincial martyrs' cemetery in Lai Chau on July 26. Leaders of Lai Chau, local military officials and monks pay homage to fallen soldiers in a memorial service held on July 26.

HCM City living environment challenged as canals become dumping groundsVietNamNet Bridge - The 2,900 canals and arroyos in HCM City serve transport and help regulate the waste water. The 2,900 canals and arroyos in HCM City serve transport and help regulate the waste water. Reporters found that 54 canals and arroyos in HCM City are occupied by locals. HCM City has spent big money to relocate houses along the canals, but the number of canals being encroached on by locals is still rising. RELATED NEWSThe black canals in HCM CityHCM City spends big money to dredge 15 polluted canalsKim Mai

More than 560,000 computers in Vietnam infected with BrowserSpyThe Bkav Technology Group said on July 26 its virus monitoring system had discovered malware called BrowserSpy that is able to track users’ actions and steal their personal data, such as bank account information, and Gmail or Facebook passwords. BrowserSpy hides in fake software spread across the Internet by hackers, tricking users into downloading it. At the same time, the virus can quietly steal personal information from users, accessing search content, e-mails, and web history. Bkav Vice President Vu Ngoc Son said there is no particular symptoms in computers infected with BrowserSpy, and as such it is difficult for users to detect themselves. According to the Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT), in 2017, Vietnam was hit by 13,382 cyber attacks, including 6,400 malware, 4,377 defacing and 2,605 phishing attacks.