Briefs of some of leading news stories published Tuesday (January 14) in Tuoi Tre Newspaper:

Politics:

-- In the last two days, State President Truong Tan Sang paid a visit to people and soldiers stationed in Meo Vac, Vi Xuyen, and Dong Van bordering China.

-- In a letter to reply to 11 National Assembly deputies, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung defended his decision on the construction of Long Thanh international airport in Dong Nai Province because the Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City has reached its full capacity and is unable to expand.

-- At a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Jan.13, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said that health insurance will be obligatory to every citizen.

Society:

-- 15 provinces have suggested the central government supply rice of food aid in the lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

-- A fishing boat of Bui Van Thanh in Quang Ngai central province was reportedly vandalized on January 2 by a Chinese marine surveillance ship when it was fishing in the waters of Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago of Vietnam.

-- Ho Chi Minh City People’s Procuracy yesterday suggested starting criminal proceedings against two deputy directors of VietinBank Ho Chi Minh City for their involvement in the fraud case of VND4 trillion (US$192.3 million).

-- Ho Chi Minh City will give priority in giving funds for the construction and upgrading of kindergartens, said the city’s Party secretary Le Thanh Hai.

Business:

-- Vietnam has invested in Cambodia 127 projects with a total investment capital of over US$3 billion, six times more than 2010.

-- Petrolimex reported its 2013 profit growth rate of 97 percent over the previous year.

-- 71 percent of Vietnamese population chooses to use domestically made goods, instead of 38 percent four years ago.