Politics

-- Vietnam treasures the traditional ties with Slovakia and appreciates Slovakian leaders’ support for boosting cooperation with Vietnam, remarked State President Truong Tan Sang when receiving Slovakian Deputy Minister of Economics Pavol Pavlis in Hanoi on Thursday.

-- ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh has called on ASEAN member States to accelerate dialogue for peaceful settlement of East Sea issue in order to maintain peace and security in the region.

-- The Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform Thursday made a debut in Hanoi. The council will be led by Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong.

Business

-- Authorities of the northern highland province of Ha Giang said they have planned to set up a casino and entertainment complex on Dong Van Karst Plateau, and four geo-parks at the four mountainous districts, including: Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Meo Vac and Dong Van. Dong Van Karst Plateau is the first geological park of Viet Nam recognized as a member of the Global Geo-parks Network.

-- While local farmers have increasingly chopped down their cashew trees due to poor consumption, a number of Vietnamese cashew processors are importing cashew from Africa en mass, despite their poor quality.

-- Local airliners are offering a number of promotional package for passengers to embrace the coming national holidays in April. 

-- Only 33 percent of local exporters have managed to take advantage of the reduced export duties provided by the free trade agreements in which Vietnam is a member, an official from the Ministry of Industry and Trade said at an export conference on Thursday.

-- Vietnam National Food Corporation (Vinafood 2) has surpassed Thailand to win a bid to supply 187,000 tons of rice for the Philippines, the Vietnam Food Association announced Thursday.

 Society

-- A ceremony was Thursday held in Hanoi to commemorate the 10^th death anniversary of Dr. Carlo Urbani, an Italian doctor who devoted his life to fight against SARS in Vietnam.

-- Three gold mine workers died Thursday due to suffocation at an illegal mine in Thai Nguyen Province, local police said.

-- Three people were Thursday sentenced to four to six years in jail for attacking police with gun, according to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court.

-- Top officials of the local government of Da Nang will be secretly evaluated by their inferiors via the internet, according to a plan announced by the central city on Thursday.

-- Four people were injured when fire engulfed a motorbike repairing facility in District 1 on Thursday.

Lifestyle

-- While the superstars of the local show businesses receive whopping wages for their performance, their personal income tax payments are very modest, local tax officials revealed.

Sports

-- The Park of Fame inside the national sporting complex My Dinh in Hanoi will be replaced by a golf academy, according to a plan approved by the capital city’s government that has ignited a wave of objection from insiders.

-- Vietnamese sprinter star Vu Thi Huong said she is ready to achieve the best result at the 2013 Asian Grand Prix that is scheduled to kick off in Thailand on May 4.