Pollution from forest fires in Indonesia pushed Singapore's air quality to unhealthy levels for the first time in three years on Saturday, the government said, a week ahead of the Formula One night race in the city. Singapore may continue to experience hazy conditions over the next few days, the environment agency warned The toxic smoke caused by burning to clear land for plantations is an annual problem for Indonesia's neighbours, but has been worsened this year by particularly dry weather. "There has been a deterioration in the haze conditions in Singapore this afternoon," the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a statement. "This was due to a confluence of winds over the nearby region that led to more smoke haze from Sumatra being blown toward Singapore," it said, referring to one of the Indonesian islands where fires are raging. The NEA said the pollutant standards index (PSI) worsened to 112 in parts of the island Saturday night. An index reading between … [Read more...] about Singapore air ‘unhealthy’ ahead of F1 race
Nguyen Thien Ngan crowned world U14 rapid chess champion
Vietnamese player Nguyen Thien Ngan defeated No. 1 seed Van Foreest Machteld from the Netherlands to win the girls’ U14 rapid chess event at the 2019 World Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship in Spain. Nguyen Thien Ngan wins the girls' U14 rapid chess championship title. (Photo: nld.com.vn) After nine games of chess, Nguyen Thien Ngan (Elo 1,643) gained 7.5 points, passing both No. 1 seed Van Foreest Machteld (Elo 2,086) and No.3 seed Liya Kurmangaliyeva (Elo 1,804) from Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s chess prodigy, Nguyen Anh Khoi, claimed the runner-up title in the boys’s U18 rapid chess category. He will continue to compete in the blitz event. Khoi’s teammate Le Thuy An brought home the gold medal in the girls’ U18 rapid category. Also in the U14 age group, Vo Pham Thien Phuc and Luong Hoang Tu Linh bagged the silver and bronze medals at boys’ and girls’ events, respectively. The World Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess … [Read more...] about Nguyen Thien Ngan crowned world U14 rapid chess champion
Explore Ha Long, the land of ‘descending dragons’
At around 3 a.m. fishing boats gather at a wharf in Ha Long Bay, adjacent to Hon Gai seafood market, after a long night out at sea. The wholesale market is open from early morning until 10 a.m., but its busiest time is between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. when traders rush to buy the freshest fish. Rocky islets amid mist at 6:30 a.m. The bay in Ha Long, which literally means "descending dragons," was formed by millions of years of geological activity, which created thousands of islets. It became a fixture on the world tourism map after being recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1994. A boat on the emerald green waters surrounded by limestone karst. While hordes of people come to explore the majestic beauty of the bay, not many know about the legend and mystery associated with it. Legend has it that in the earliest days of the nation Vietnamese had to fight off hostile invaders attempting to enter through the sea. The Jade Emperor sent the Mother Dragon and her children … [Read more...] about Explore Ha Long, the land of ‘descending dragons’
World Cup qualifiers: Vietnam
Vietnam's midfielder Nguyen Van Toan (number 14) dribbles in World Cup qualification match with Thailand, September 5, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong. The broadcasting rights for the World Cup qualifier between Vietnam and Indonesia will cost $400,000, the highest ever for a match featuring Vietnam. The previous highest was the $300,000 Next Media paid for the qualifier against Thailand recently. Next Media has bought the rights to all of Vietnam’s World Cup qualifying games at home, but has to bid match by match for the away games. According to Asian Football Confederation (AFC) norms, the broadcasting rights of home games are owned by the respective federations. The Football Federation of Indonesia has sold the rights to that game to a company. "As a broadcasting division of Voice of Vietnam radio, VTC wants to acquire the rights to this game ... and we are willing to share it with other broadcasters," Thanh Nien newspaper quoted Vu Quang Huy, director of VTC’s … [Read more...] about World Cup qualifiers: Vietnam
Hanoi police probe flare-up at V. League match
They have summoned 14 people after the firing of a flare burned a woman to the bone of her left leg. Doctors have said she might have to undergo two surgeries. The police decided Saturday that the 14 fans, all natives of Nam Dinh Province, one and a half hour south of Hanoi, will be investigated under the charges of "disrupting of public order and resisting persons on duty." During the game between Hanoi FC and Nam Dinh FC, Nam Dinh supporters threw flares, and one of which hit the leg of To Huyen Anh, a Hanoi fan. The game took place in Hanoi FC's Hang Day Stadium in Dong Da District. Nam Dinh fans also assaulted two police officers who had to be hospitalized. Two more flares were thrown later, but luckily no one else was injured. Police said the firing of the flares was being treated as a "serious" incident. The clubs were fined VND85 million ($3,700) each by the Vietnam Football Federation. As decided by the VFF, Hanoi FC will have to play the rest of their home matches this season … [Read more...] about Hanoi police probe flare-up at V. League match