Politics
-- At the reception for the visiting Speaker of the Upper House of Myanmar, Khin Aung Myint, in Hanoi yesterday, President Truong Tan Sang said he was extremely pleased at the fine developments in friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Myanmar in the recent past. He suggested that both countries continue to exchange visits at all levels and diversify relations to enhance mutual trust and understanding and seek out effective ways of boosting bilateral ties. Speaker Khin Aung Myint praised the positive changes in Vietnam in recent years, saying he was sure that Vietnam wopuld maintain a healthy macro economy and ensure social welfare.
Society
-- The Supreme People’s Court on Friday upheld the life sentence handed down to Tran Thuy Lieu, 41, on charges of murder. Lieu was given the sentence in her first instance trial on March 29, 2012 for burning her husband, Le Hoang Hung, who was a journalist at Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper. She later appealed for a slighter sentence but the appeal court turned down her appeal. The court also rejected the appeal by Hung’s mother who claimed Lieu might have been aided by someone in her crime.
-- Police in Hanoi has proposed the local prosecutor’s office to indicted two young men, Ta Van Thanh, 25 and Ta Hai Ha, 20, for using explosives and other weapons to rob a gold shop in Ba Dinh District on June 21, causing injuries to a dozen of people. The two robbers are natives in Bac Giang Province.
-- Tran Viet Dao, a taxi driver at Mai Linh Taxi Company, bravely jumped into the Cai River in Nha Trang City Yesterday afternoon to save a young man who had dropped himself off the Tran Phu Bridge in an attempt to commit suicide. The company conferred a certificate of merit on Dao and gave him a reward of VND1 million for his good deed.
-- The master project to provide clean energy and lighting for Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands has won the 2012 Energy Globe Award. The project supplies enough energy for the archipelago around the clock and contributed to reducing CO2 emission, one of them main factors that causes the glasshouse. First organized in India in 1999, the annual Award attracts the participation of more than 150 countries every year.
-- Marine police have successfully rescued 12 fishermen after their fishing boat break down and drifted on a sea area off central Quang Nam Province on June 15. When being rescued, some of the crewmembers had fainted due to prolonged hunger and thirstiness. They were taken to hospital for care yesterday and were discharged later on the same day.
-- A couple and their son died in a fire that broke out at their house in Can Duoc District in central Long An Province at 2 am yesterday. The deadly accident might be caused by a short circuit, local police said.
Business
-- The Finance Ministry has continuously cut down the retail prices of petrol and oil, most transportation firms, including those in Ho Chi Minh City, have still maintained their charges. Currently, the price of DO has been cut by VND1,800 (US$0.09) per liters, but many firms said such a reduction was not large enough for them to reduce transport charges.
-- After the Finance Ministry increased the import duty on LPG from 0 percent to 5 percent, a number of fuel companies have raised their retail prices of gas by VND11,000 (US$0.5) per cylinder of 12 kg. Some other firms said they would do the same in a few days to come.
Sports
-- Germany dictated terms to Greece with a crushing 4-2 victory to reach the Euro 2012 semi-finals on Friday in a mostly one-sided game that was given extra spice by the economic and political tensions between the two countries.