Miscellany - VietNam News

S. Korea's plastic surgery fad goes extreme

South Korea's obsession with plastic surgery is moving on from standard eye and nose jobs to embrace a radical surgical procedure that requires months of often painful recovery.

Deadly car bomb hits soldiers near Damascus: NGO

A car bomb killed an undetermined number of soldiers and wounded at least 20 others late Sunday at an army checkpoint near a military airport in Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Czech PM Necas quits amid corruption scandal

Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas said on Sunday he would step down amid a massive corruption scandal in which his top aide and alleged lover was indicted for bribery.

Australian court agrees, we're not all male or female

A landmark ruling won by an Australian gender trailblazer which finds that sex does not just mean male or female could have broader implications as society becomes more accepting of diversity, experts say.

EU ministers seek accord on US free trade talks

EU trade ministers try on Friday to reassure France on its prized "cultural exception" so free trade talks can be opened next week with the United States which believes that no issues should be excluded.

Iran votes in key presidential contest

More than 50.5 million people are eligible to vote for a new president to succeed Ahmadinejad, who is barred from standing for a third consecutive term under the constitution.

Apple leader admits e-book prices rose with iPad launch

Apple's chief dealmaker has acknowledged that prices of best-selling ebooks rose after the tech giant launched iPad book sales in 2010, but denied any role in a plot to fix prices.

Airbus next-generation plane readies for first test flight

Airbus's next-generation A350 plane takes off on its first test flight on Friday, a milestone for an airliner the firm hopes will challenge rival Boeing's lead in the lucrative long-haul market.

Hollywood legends warn of film industry 'implosion'

Hollywood legends Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have sparked a surge of debate in Tinseltown after warning that the film industry is set to implode, amid soaring budgets and cable TV rivalry.

World's oldest ever man dies aged 116

The world's oldest person and the oldest man ever to have lived has died of natural causes aged 116 years, media reported Wednesday.

UN requests more time as Austria readies Golan pullout

Austrian troops in the UN monitoring force on the Golan Heights will begin pulling out on Wednesday, the defence ministry said, as the UN appealed for more time to find a replacement for the departing soldiers.

InHistory

October 30 in History

Hightlight

Income not the only measure of poverty

Viet Nam's poverty rate is estimated at around 10 per cent but the number of people who do not achieve social well-being is believed to be much higher. It's necessary to go beyond income when defining people's experiences.

Clouds cover VN weather forecasting

Viet Nam has so far only accomplished 30 per cent of the workload to modernise weather forecasting technology and upgrade monitoring systems.

Viet Nam private equity outlook bounces back

Investors viewing Viet Nam's investment environment favourably has increased over the last six months, according to a bi-annual survey on the nation's private equity outlook done by Grant Thornton Vietnam.

City taxi inspectors urged to crackdown on violations

Taxis operating in HCM City will be subject to greater scrutiny and punishment in the coming months, says Duong Hong Thanh, deputy director of the city's Transport Department.

Shares slide but outlook remains bright