Beating the drum

Specifically, beating or torturing domesticated animals, including four-legged mammals like dogs and cats and two-legged avian species like chickens and ducks, could result in fines between VND1 million and VND3 million, while abattoirs could be fined between VND3 million and VND5 million should they either beat animals prior to slaughtering them or not inducing unconsciousness prior to death.

The fines would be doubled for organizations committing similar violations, at up to VND6 million.

The new decree also increased fines for introducing foreign substances into animals prior to slaughtering to up to VND50 million from the current VND30 million at maximum.

A representative for the department of livestock production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said the concept of humane treatment towards animals is still new to the population, so fines would not be too severe, only aiming to raise awareness towards the issue.

Animal torture in the decree is defined as using force to beat, bind and confine them, or leaving them to starve and not caring for them.

Ajax Amsterdam, the four-time European champions, will take on Swiss club Young Boys, while Arsenal face Greek side Olympiakos and Tottenham Hotspur, the third English club to reach the last 16, will tackle Dinamo Zagreb. European debutants Granada of Spain will face Norwegian club Molde while AS Roma face a tough tie against seasoned European contenders Shakhtar Donetsk.

* Werder Bremen’s United States forward Josh Sargent scored the winner as his struggling side came from a goal down at halftime to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in the Bundesliga on Friday and hand the visitors a first league defeat of the year. Victory moved Werder eight points above the relegation zone while ending fourth-placed Frankfurt’s 11-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga, stretching back to early December.

* Fifteen-time major winner Tiger Woods is recovering and in “good spirits” after he received successful follow-up procedures on injuries sustained this week in a car accident, according to a statement posted to his Twitter account on Friday.

* Dutch driver Nyck De Vries started Formula E’s seventh season with victory for Mercedes in the all-electric world championship’s first night race in Saudi Arabia on Friday. Swiss racer Edoardo Mortara finished four seconds behind for the Monaco-based Venturi team, who also use the Mercedes powertrain, with New Zealander Mitch Evans third for Jaguar.

* Burnley manager Sean Dyche may have no intention of selling goalkeeper Nick Pope anytime soon but crisps and a pint of beer in a pub during lockdown in Britain could tempt him to allow the player to move, the 49-year-old said jokingly on Friday.

* Ferrari Formula One boss Mattia Binotto will not attend all races this season, delegating to racing director Laurent Mekies as the team’s focus turns to making the most of major rule changes for 2022.

* Fernando Alonso will take no part in media activities when his Alpine Formula One team present their new car next Tuesday, with the Spaniard recovering from surgery to his jaw after a road accident, the team said on Friday. The 39-year-old double world champion left hospital on Feb. 15 after being in a collision with a car while cycling near his home in Switzerland.

* Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury which will need surgery, manager Ralph Hasenhuettl said on Friday. The 29-year-old Spaniard was forced off in the 70th minute of Tuesday night’s 3-0 defeat by Leeds United.

* Leicester City playmaker James Maddison has been ruled out of Sunday’s Premier League game against Arsenal due to a niggling hip issue, manager Brendan Rodgers said. The 24-year-old England international was substituted as a precaution in last weekend’s 2-1 league win at Aston Villa after a recurrence of the hip problem and missed Thursday’s 2-0 loss to Slavia Prague that knocked them out of the Europa League.

* Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is rediscovering his best form after his recent problems on and off the pitch and the Gabon striker’s resurgence gives the team a better chance of being successful, manager Mikel Arteta said on Friday. The 31-year-old Aubameyang scored twice, including a late winner, as Arsenal beat Benfica 3-2 on Thursday and 4-3 on aggregate to reach the last 16 of the Europa League.

* West Ham United’s rise to fourth place in the Premier League at this stage of the campaign is down to the big strides they have made under the experienced David Moyes, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday. West Ham, who finished 16th last season, beat London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 last weekend to extend their unbeaten run in the league to four games, pushing themselves into contention for a spot in next season’s Champions League.

* Manchester United forward Anthony Martial is going through a rough patch in front of goal but manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Friday he was confident the Frenchman will rediscover his form on the back of his unquestionable work ethic. Martial was United’s top scorer with 23 goals in all competitions last season but has found the net just seven times so far this term.

* Paris St Germain forward Neymar’s return from injury is on schedule after he was ruled out for four weeks earlier this month with an adductor muscle injury, coach Mauricio Pochettino said on Friday. The Brazil international has been sidelined since limping off the pitch on Feb. 10 in a French Cup game against Caen, which ruled him out of PSG’s Champions League last-16 first leg against Barcelona.

* Ronald Koeman called on Barcelona’s players to step up and reduce the club’s reliance on Lionel Messi for goals ahead of Saturday’s La Liga trip to Sevilla. Messi, 33, has scored 18 times in the league this season with Antoine Griezmann the next highest scorer on six, and once again scored the opening two goals in Wednesday’s league victory over Elche.

* Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish will miss Saturday’s Premier League trip to Leeds United as he has still not recovered from the leg injury that ruled him out of last week’s defeat by Leicester City, manager Dean Smith has confirmed.

* Brighton & Hove Albion wing back Tariq Lamptey will return for Saturday’s Premier League trip to second-bottom West Bromwich Albion after being out for more than two months with a hamstring problem, manager Graham Potter said. Lamptey sustained the injury in a Premier League match against Fulham on Dec. 16.

* Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson will be sidelined for at least five weeks after undergoing groin surgery, the Premier League champions said on Friday. The 30-year-old England international sustained the injury during Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat by Everton.

Animal abusers will be fined from VND1m (USD43) to tens millions of VND as new decree takes effect.

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According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the concept of humane treatment of domestic animals is still new to many people in Vietnam so the administrative fines will be light at first to raise awareness about the law among the public. The punishment was included in Decree 14 issued in 2021 about administrative violations in farming.

Head of the communal police departments and chairman of the people’s committees of all levels have the authority to issue the fines. Individuals could be fined VND1m (USD43) to VND3m if they beat, cage, or neglect their animals. The fine for an organisation is VND6m.

Slaughterhouses that beat animals or do not have any cages to ensure sanitation before slaughtering them will also be fined VND3m to VND5m. The decree also increased the fines from VND30m (USD1,300) to VND50m for those who pump water and other substances into the animals before they are slaughtered.

Depending on the total number of animals being abused, the fines may change. Violators will be fined from VND5m (USD216) to VND10m if the total weight of the animals is under 100kg and up to VND30m to VND50m if the total weight is over one tonne.

The decree will take effect from April 20 and will be applied for pets and farm animals such as dogs, chicken, ducks and cows.

Nguyen Duc Thuy (right)

The price of TDH shares of Thaiholdings increased sharply in the last few trading sessions, exceeding the VND200,000 per share threshold. Since early December 2020, its value has increased by 10 times, from VND20,000 per share to VND201,000.

With 86 million TDH, Thuy now has stock assets of VND17.3 trillion. However, the figure could be higher if counting other properties.

Thuy was believed to buy a large amount of LienViet Post Bank (LPB) recently. Prior to that, Thuy attended the gong beating ceremony on the day LienViet Post Bank entered the bourse, together with the bank’s key leaders.

If only considering the stock assets from TDH, Thuy would be listed as the sixth richest stock billionaire, just after the billionaires listed by Forbes, namely Pham Nhat Vuong, president of Vingroup; Tran Dinh Long, president of Hoa Phat Group; Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, CEO of Vietjet Air; Ho Hung Anh, president of Techcombank; and Nguyen Dang Quang, president of Masan.

Thuy is even believed to be richer than the ‘real estate tycoon’ in the south Bui Thanh Nhon, president of Novaland, and Pham Thu Huong, the wife of Vuong.

There have been some changes in the list of stock billionaires in Vietnam recently. Long of Hoa Phat Group has become the second richest billionaire, just after Vuong. Meanwhile, in Forbes ranking, Long is in the third position. The first and second positions still belong to Vuong of VIngroup and Thao of Vietjet Air.

Thuy is now the chair of the board of directors of Thaigroup and the biggest shareholder of Thaiholdings. He once was on the post of Thaiholdings’ chair, but resigned in February and is now the founder of Thaigroup.

Thaiholdings’ capitalization value has soared to VND70.4 trillion, or $3.5 billion.

In late 2020, Thaiholdings fixed the list of shareholders and issued 296.1 million shares to existing shareholders at the price of VND10,000 per share in a plan to mobilize VND2.961 trillion.

After the issuance, Thaiholdings increased its charter capital from VND539 billion to VND3.5 trillion.

Thaiholdings will use VND2.954 trillion to buy 81 percent of shares of Thaigroup which was the holding company of Thaiholdings.

Thaiholdings board of directors approved the borrowing, L/C opening and the use of services to be provided by SHB, the bank owned by Do Quang Hien, or Boss Hien. The credit limit is VND700 billion and the time limit is 12 months. The asset mortgaged for the loan is the properties at No 210 Tran Quang Khai Street and 17 Tong Dan Street, which are belonging to Ton Dan Ha Noi JSC.

V. Ha