CULTURE AND SPORT

A state of emergency was declared in New Zealand's second largest city Christchurch after a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck before dawn on Saturday.

British oil giant BP revealed it has so far spent eight billion dollars to battle the Gulf of Mexico disaster, as its crews worked to retrieve key evidence from the seabed.

The chief of the UNAIDS agency said that global contributions to fighting the disease are dropping off for the first time in 15 years amid tough economic times.

Contestants from nearly 90 countries and territories will take part in the month-long Miss Earth beauty pageant to be held in Vietnam in November.

Mass extinctions have served as huge reset buttons that dramatically changed the diversity of species found in oceans all over the world.

The football season climaxed on Sunday with a young local coach getting the better of a famous foreign import to win the National Cup.

An ancient reef found in the Pacific may provide clues to what will happen to coral when sea temperatures rise.

The EU has urged China to step up the fight against black market exports, especially counterfeit cigarettes.

Bob Bradley says he is looking forward to the challenge of coaching in another World Cup and part of that process includes getting to know his players better.

US director Darren Aronofsky raises the curtain at the Venice film festival Wednesday with his psychological thriller "Black Swan."

“Vietnam Days” will be held in Bruxelles to mark the Vietnam National Day and promote cultural cooperation programme between Vietnam and Wallonie-Bruxelles.

The 2010 Vietnam International Piano Contest will be held for the first time in Hanoi from September 5 to 13.

Free musical shows will be held in 15 cities and provinces to celebrate Vietnam's Day of Music on Friday.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told Iraqis on Tuesday their own soldiers and police are up to the job in an "independent" state.

Nigerian striker Abdulrazak Ekpoki scored the only goal of the match between Song Lam Nghe An and Hoang Anh Gia Lai in the National Football Cup final.

Mobile game maker SocialDeck has been bought by Google, the latest in a string of acquisitions by the Internet giant.

By his own reckoning, a Navy electrician spent just eight hours in Vietnam, during a layover on his flight back to the U.S. in 1966. He bought some cigarettes and snapped a few photos.

An Indonesian volcano spewed a vast cloud of smoke and ash high into the air on Monday, disrupting flights and sending thousands more people into temporary shelters.

The three-country should jointly develop Routes 8 and 12 as eco-tourism routes, suggests the Thai ambassador to Vientiane.