VIETNAM TODAY

Mass protests in Egypt over Mubarak verdicts

Hundreds of Egyptians occupied Cairo's Tahrir Square on Sunday after a night of rage against what they feel are lenient sentences given to ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak and his security chiefs.

Almost 1 million students sit graduation exams

A total of more than 963,000 students sit high-school graduation exams on the morning of June 2 with their first subject being literature.

Vietnam reaffirms stance on sea dispute settlement

Sovereignty disputes at sea should be directly settled between concerned parties, said Vietnam's Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh.

US naval fleet to shift towards Pacific

The US will shift the bulk of its naval fleet to the Pacific by 2020 as part of a strategic focus on Asia, Pentagon chief Leon Panetta said.

Illegal sand mining erodes riverbanks

Illegal sand mining in the Sai Gon River has caused severe erosion of the river's banks, including farmland in Cu Chi District.

Life along the Mekong to be on TV

A filmmaking team from Thailand began to shot a documentary featuring the daily life of Vietnamese people living on the banks of Mekong River.

Short-term interbank market to be targeted

The number of interbank transactions have risen sharply after SBV cut its deposit interest rate by 1% to 11% per year.

Megaupload wants piracy charges dismissed

Megaupload has filed papers in US District Court to dismiss the federal government's massive online piracy case against the file-sharing website and its founder.

Teaching hours restricted for music and arts professors

The Ministry of Education and Training will require professors at music and art schools to teach a maximum 440 hours a year.

US jobless rate up in blow to Obama re-election

US added a scant 69,000 jobs in May and the unemployment rate rose for the first time in almost a year, spelling more trouble for President Obama's reelection.

Denmark halts three ODA projects over fraud allegations

Denmark decided to halt three out of four of its ODA climate change study projects in Vietnam due to misappropriation of funds.

No cheap capital for Vietnam on international market now

Bad news about domestic economy and changes in world market would be a big challenge for Vietnamese banks' plan to issue international bonds in 2012.

Clinton in Arctic to see impact of climate change

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton flew to Tromsoe in the Arctic Circle to see first hand the way climate change is opening a once frozen region to competition for vast oil reserves.

ASEAN to make tourist visas easier to access

The East Asia Summit on tourism, trade and travel was held in Bangkok , Thailand, as part of the World Economic Forum on East Asia .

Women a ‘driving force' for national development

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan hailed the important role played by women in politics, business and across society.

Universities are given more financial freedom

The Draft Law No. 3 on university training would let schools decide their own tuition fees.

ASEAN leaders pledge for greater connectivity

ASEAN leaders and economic scholars have agreed on the need to enhance regional connectivity intensively and extensively to create a buffer for external shocks and adverse impacts.