Briefs of some of leading news stories published on Tuesday (March 18) in Tuoi Tre newspaper: 

Politics:

-- During the ongoing official visit to Japan, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang had a meeting with Japanese King Akihito yesterday. Vietnam and Japan pledged to lift up their bilateral turnover to US$50 billion soon, as well as push up agricultural cooperation.

-- Party Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has reminded authorities of the central province of Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam's former capital, to find ways to make traditional values generate material strength.

Society:

-- The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has recommended the Ministry of Transport not to grant further licenses for the exploitation of sand on local rivers since the work has caused erosion and environmental pollution.

-- The scarcity of water due to lasting drought in the southern province of Binh Phuoc has caused water prices to surge up to VND100,000 – 150,000 (US$4.8 – 7.2) a cubic meter. Tap water is normally sold at VND6,000 a liter.

-- Dinh La Thang, Transport Minister and deputy chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, has proposed that Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approve a VND70 billion (US$3.4 million) fund to buy 50 respirators and relevant equipment for emergency aid, to be used in treating victims of traffic accidents, for three major hospitals Viet Duc in Hanoi, Cho Ray in Ho Chi Minh City, and Hue Central Hospital in the central city of Hue.

-- Professors have raised their voices to include the military conflict on Gac Ma Island in Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago into the school book. During the conflict with China in 1988, Vietnam lost 64 soldiers who were later awarded heroic titles.

-- More children have been sick in recent hot days in Ho Chi Minh City. The Children’s Hospital No.1 in the city receives an average of 7,000 child patients a day.

-- Vietnam has imported a total of 98,000 doses of vaccine against chickenpox recently.

Business:

-- The State Bank of Vietnam lowered short-term deposit interest rate to 6 percent from 7 percent a year on Monday.

Sports:

-- The Vietnamese national U-19 football team will take on Tottenham U-19s today in their training trip in England. In January, Vietnam lost 2-3 to the Tottenham young players in a friendly tournament in Ho Chi Minh City.