Politics

-- Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said Thursday that the batch of Vietnam’s military equipment that has been temporarily seized by Finland was sent to Ukraine for repair and maintenance. The shipment was delivered pursuant to defense cooperation between Vietnam and Ukraine in accordance with international law and practice, Binh said. Vietnamese authorized agencies are working with relevant sides to handle customs procedures in Finland, the spokesman added.      

-- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union agreed to lift their rapport to a strategic partnership at their 20th Ministerial Meeting in Belgium on July 22 and 23, co-organized by Vietnam and the EU for the first time.

Society

-- Over 30,000 Vietnamese children of all ages drowned between 2002 and 2012, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

-- Authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Long An held a ceremony on Thursday to receive the remains of 24 voluntary Vietnamese soldiers who fell during the war in Cambodia.   

-- Vietnam and the Mines Advisory Group signed a memorandum of understanding on a project to deal with UXO in the central province of Quang Binh with estimated funding amounting to US$3.9 million.

-- The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens received three African giraffes on Thursday. The zoo had imported them from Thailand at a cost of VND4 billion ($188,600).

-- Vietnam will allow three hospitals in Hanoi, Hue City, and Ho Chi Minh City to carry out surrogacy for humanitarian purposes, according to a draft document by the Ministry of Health guiding the implementation of the Law on Marriage and Family. The ministry is soliciting feedback on the document before promulgating it by January 1, 2015.  

Business

-- Vietnamese experts are calling for government caution after a local private firm suggested being granted the rights to operate Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

-- The consumer price index surged 0.23 percent in July compared to last month, the General Statistics Office of Vietnam announced on Thursday.

Lifestyle

-- Over 11,000 advertising signs in Ho Chi Minh City are hung in violation of the local law on advertising, the municipal Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism said at a meeting on Thursday.  

Education

-- Sixteen Vietnamese students from the Vietnam National University-Hanoi will attend the Asian Students Environment Platform from August 4 to 11 in China.