Facebook seeks facial recognition consent in EU and CanadaFacebook has started asking European and Canadian users to let it use facial recognition technology to identify them in photos and videos. Facebook originally began face-matching users outside Canada in 2011, but stopped doing so for EU citizens the following year after protests from regulators and privacy campaigners. The new request is one of several opt-in permissions being rolled out in advance of a new data privacy law. The social network is also facing a class-action lawsuit in the US for deploying the facial recognition technology there without users' explicit consent. "In particular, the Irish DPC is querying the technology around facial recognition and whether Facebook needs to scan all faces - ie those without consent as well - to use the facial recognition technology.

Vietnam still struggling to develop supporting industriesVietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam has been trying to develop support industries for 30 years, but is still finding it difficult to squeeze into the global supply chain. Vietnam vows to develop supporting industriesThe government has decided that products of supporting industries will have to satisfy 45 percent of essential needs for domestic production and consumption by 2020, and by 70 percent by 2030. However, analysts are pessimistic about the development of Vietnam’s supporting industries and the feasibility of the plan. Amid foreign direct investment (FDI) in the last 30 years, Vietnam has missed opportunities to develop supporting industries. According to the Institute for Industry & Trade Policy Research (ITPR), Vietnam had 1,383 enterprises in supporting industries, mostly operating in three fields – mechanical engineering, electronics and plastics – rubber.

HCM City new administrative centre displayedHCM City’s Department of Planning and Architecture is holding an exhibition to show off its proposed new administrative centre. HCM City's new administrative centreAccording to the design, the city’s new municipal headquarters will include six floors and four basements, with two subterranean levels lit by natural light. The exhibition, which was started on April 16, is scheduled to last until May 1 at the city’s exhibition centre at 92 Le Thanh Ton Street in District 1. The 18,000 square-metre administrative centre will include offices for eight departments and agencies, an 800-seat meeting hall and libraries. The HCM City Department of Planning and Architecture said that the VIP area of the city’s current administrative centre will be maintained to welcome guests.

Police launch campaign to combat drunk drivingThe Ministry of Public Security’s Traffic Police Department, in cooperation with the National Traffic Safety Committee, has launched three campaigns to punish traffic violators, targeting drunk drivers nationwide. Traffic police carry out random breath tests to detect drunk driving. Vice chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee Khuat Viet Hung said the campaigns were aimed at increasing public awareness of regulations on permitted alcohol levels on the road. Of this, 350,000 violators had their driving licences revoked, and more than 632,000 vehicles were seized. Among 50,000 violators, 4,000 were car drivers and the rest were motorbike drivers.

Textile-garment export target of over $34 bln achievable: VITASWith the bright outlook of both global and domestic economies, the textile-garment sector’s exports target of 34 – 34.5 billion USD for 2018 is achievable, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) Truong Van Cam said. Many companies said they have been working to diversify export markets. Textile-garment exports in Q1 are estimated at 7.62 billion USD, up 13.35 percent from the same period of 2017. Of this figure, 5.98 billion USD worth of apparel was shipped abroad, rising by 12.49 percent year on year. In 2017, the industry gained a year-on-year increase of 10.23 percent in export revenue to 31 billion USD, higher than its target set at the beginning of the year at 30 billion USD.-VNA

Hue Festival 2018 seeks more fundingThe central province of Thua Thien-Hue is appealing for more financial resources to organise the 10th Hue Festival, which is scheduled to take place from April 27 to May 2. Director General of Acecook Vietnam Kajiwwara Junichi said this is the first time his company has joined the festival. It hopes to help international friends access the unique and diverse gastronomy of Vietnam through the festival. Within the framework of the festival, Carlsberg will hold a beer festival offering local and foreign beers. Themed “Cultural heritage with integration and development – Hue one destination, five world heritages”, the Hue Festival 2018 is expected to draw international art troupes from France, the Republic of Korea, the UK, Mongolia, Japan, Thailand, Russia, Belgium and China.

Australian surf event cancelled after shark attacksA major surfing tournament in Australia has been called off following two shark attacks in the area. The Margaret River Pro was due to conclude on Sunday -- Photo: WORLD SURF LEAGUEThe World Surf League (WSL) said the final days of the Margaret River Pro event in Western Australia would be cancelled due to safety concerns. On Monday, two recreational surfers survived separate attacks in Gracetown, about 6km (3.8 miles) from the event. "Two shark attacks in less than 24 hours here in Australia, just a few kilometres from where the event is being held," he wrote on Instagram. The Margaret River Pro had been due to conclude on Sunday.

Besides opportunities for domestic businesses to import good quality machines and material at reasonable prices, it is inevitable that imports will bring fiercer competition for locally-made goods. In fact, the pressure from regional integration has already been felt in the domestic auto industry. The import tariffs of completely build up (CBU) cars were kept at 100-150 percent over the past two decades. Following the ATIGA commitments, automobile import tariffs fell to 70 percent in 2012, 50 percent in 2014 and zero percent in 2018, raising concerns among assembling businesses at home. To cope with low-cost import goods, domestic businesses should focus on creating high-quality and competitive products and services, reduce the costs of production and invest in packaging and preservation to secure a firm foothold in the domestic playground and reach foreign markets.

PM Phuc recognised the fruitful coordination between the Government and the presidium of the VFF Central Committee last year. HCM City Party Committee reviews socio-economic developmentSecretary of the HCM City Party Committee Nguyen Thien NhanThe Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, tenth tenure, convened its 16th meeting on April 17 to discuss the local socio-economic development in the first quarter of 2018 and a mid-term review plan. The Vietnamese Party official also congratulated Wang on his election as Vice President of China. Binh is leading a CPV delegation on a working visit to China from April 15-19 at the invitation of the CPC’s Central Committee. HCM City pledges to support Iranian businessesSecretary of the HCM City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan (right) and Speaker of the Parliament of Iran Ali Ardeshir Larijani.

Vietnamese painter wins silver at A’Design Awards & CompetitionsVietnamese painter Nguyen Thu Thuy has won the silver trophy of the International A’Design Awards & Competitions, the world’s largest and most internationally dispersed design awards event, for her ceramic designs for Mirror House in Hanoi’s Thong Nhat Park. Painter Nguyen Thu Thuy inside the Mirror House (Photo: dantri.com.vn)Thuy’s ocean-inspired work was awarded the prize in the category of Social Design for Environment. The Mirror House, or Laughing House, was built in 1979 with support from the former Czechoslovakian government. Images of the Hanoi Ceramic Mirror House will be exhibited in MOOD Museum during the occasion. The A’ Design Awards were established to raise public awareness of outstanding design practices and principles.

Mitsubishi Vietnam to recall 918 vehiclesMitsubishi Vietnam said it will recall 918 vehicles over a faulty power relay that may overheat and cause the engine to stall while driving. — Source: mitsubishi-cars.co.ukThe recalled vehicles include models of Lancer and Outlander Sport manufactured in 2015 and Outlander and Outlander PHEV manufactured in 2016. The recall campaign is scheduled to begin on May 7, 2018, and end on May 6, 2020. Last year, Mitsubishi Vietnam recalled 943 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport units, manufactured between 2014 and 2016, and 3,275 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport units, manufactured from 2011 to June 2016, to test and replace the rear hatch door. This recall campaign is still ongoing and will end on July 31, 2019.

VN player wins Cyprus junior badminton eventUnseeded Vietnamese player Nguyen Hai Dang won in the boys’ singles category of the Cyprus Junior International Badminton Tournament on April 16. Nguyen Hai Dang and Vu Thi Anh Thu celebrate winning the Cyprus Junior International Badminton Tournament. Earlier, Dang had defeated arch rivals Dennis Koppen of the Netherlands, World No 25, and Scotland’s Christopher Gimbley, World No 19, to reach the final. Another Vietnamese player, Vu Thi Anh Thu, was the runner-up in the girls’ singles category after losing to Purva Barve of India 0-2 (13-21, 9-21) in the final match. Both Dang and Thu have earned a berth in Youth Olympics 2018, which will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October.

Hand-ground cha muc, a speciality of Ha LongVietNamNet Bridge – Visitors of Ha Long City can enjoy fresh seafood to appease their hungry stomachs, but they can also enjoy the local speciality of cha muc — fried ground squid cakes. Crunch: Workers grind cha muc in Ha Long City. Since then the dish has been known as cha muc Ha Long. Big business: Cha muc Ha Long for sale. Money maker: Yellow grinded cha muc sells very well in Quang Ninh’s Ha Long City.

All health stations should sign up with the Việt Nam Social Security and provide basic drugs to patients like district-level hospitals do to achieve success, he said. The model aims to strengthen coordination among justice, healthcare, social agencies as well as the community in assisting drug addicts in accessing and strictly following healthcare, social and judicial services in the community, thus reducing the risk of relapse. Besides providing seedlings, the wood pulp is also paid in cash so that local farmers have incentive to plant more trees, she added. AnHoa Paper Corporation is one of five firms following the cooperatives forestation model with local farmers to support them in tree planting. Paper companies can purchase high quality wood pulps and local farmers can improve their income, and this acts as a way to protect the environment.

Potato brand to fight Chinese fakesLam Dong Province has approved a programme to build a Da Lat potato brand to prevent farmers from selling cheap Chinese potatoes disguised as potatoes from Da Lat, which are more expensive. Potatoes from Da Lat will have a new logo and brand that will make it more difficult for traders to sell cheaper Chinese potatoes under the Da Lat name. The packages will feature the logos of the Da Lat brand (the provincial brand for produce and products made in Da Lat), and will be designed in ways that make it difficult to imitate. During transportation, inspections and other procedures, the fake Da Lat potatoes are registered and referred to as Chinese potatoes. After the programme takes effect, individuals and organisations who package Chinese potatoes as Da Lat potatoes will be disciplined and charged with fraud.