VIETNAM TODAY

Vietnam ranked 85th among 163 countries in the Environmental Performance Index with 59 points, said the World Bank in Vietnam.

Two students from Can Tho University have invented a system that uses sunlight to desalinate water, and successfully tested it in Ben Tre Province.

The NA has proposed abolishing the petroleum price stabilisation fund due to the lack of transparency in its operations.

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso called for a financial transactions tax and the creation of eurobonds to fix an economic crisis.

Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria has provided USD165 million for Vietnam to fight the three diseases.

Vietnam welcomed 4.3 million international visitors in the first nine months of this year, according to the General Statistics Office.

The Ministry of Education and Training has decided to cut lessons from the school curricula; however, the act does not have much significance.

Vietnam's foreign direct investment disbursement in Jan-Sept this year maintained an on-year mild growth rate while new attractions slumped.

Champions Barcelona will be bidding to get their Champions League title defence back on track Wednesday.

The death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Nesat climbed to 18 as thousands of people battled widespread flooding and another storm bore down on the country.

The Fourth Vietnamese Economist Annual Meeting took place in Ho Chi Minh City, attracting the participation of researchers, lecturers and trainees from many countries.

The Ministry of Construction has submitted a VND1,098 trillion draft on urban development to the Government.

The 80th General Assembly of the Interpol will be held in Hanoi from October 21 to November 4, drawing 1,000-1,200 participants from 188 Interpol member counties.

Hanoi will build a 3,611 square metre five-storey car park in My Dinh Commune that is expected for operation in 2012.

Germany and Greece held new crisis talks Tuesday as European governments ratcheted up steps to head off a default by Athens which could be calamitous for the eurozone.

Cinema professionals recently held a workshop to discuss the need for improvements to the structure and management of the domestic film sector.

Although Vietnam is the world’s second biggest producer of coffee, domestic consumption lags way behind that of neighbouring countries.

Truong Tung Lan, one of the top ten contestants of Miss Vietnam 2010, will participate in the 38th Miss Asia Pacific World pageant in South Korea.

To make up for lighter textbook content as required by the education ministry, schools in Hanoi are forcing students to take after-school classes.