Tuoitrenews briefs some of leading news to be published today (July 17):

Society:

-- Passengers are no longer required to fill in the customs declaration form at 12 international border gates across the country under a decision approved by the Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung which took effect from July 15.

-- A traffic policeman in the central province of Thanh Hoa was suspended from working for one month after he opened fire on two men, who allegedly drove through a red light and did not comply with the policeman’s order on July 16

-- A low pressure area spotted east of Luzon Island off the Philippines is expected to cause heavy rain in the central highlands and southern region in the coming days. The low pressure has caused bad weather along costal areas from Binh Thuan central province to Ca Mau southernmost province, according to the national weather service.

-- At a court in Ho Chi Minh City on July 16, former leaders of the branch No. 3 of the Agriculture and Rural Development Bank (Agribank) and their accomplices were sentenced between three years and 22 years each for causing loss of VND111 billion (US$5.2 million) to the bank.

-- A car bearing military plate was caught red-handed by forest rangers in the central highlands province of Gia Lai on Tuesday transporting 14.7 cubic meters of woods. The car was later identified to be owned by Z131 factory under the Vietnam’s General Department of Military Industry. 

-- A young man suspected of killing his girl friend was found dead at a hotel room in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 on Tuesday. He had left a suicide note saying that "he killed her because she left him for another guy".

-- A fisherman in Phu Quoc island district in the southern province of Kien Giang was returned 1.4 tons of tuna which had been seized by local authorities on suspicion of being smuggled after the owner of the shipment later showed the legal origin of the fish.

Sports:

-- The Vietnamese football team will take on English Premier League giant club Arsenal in a historic football exhibition match taking place at 7pm on July 17 at the national My Dinh stadium based in Hanoi.

Politics:

-- Vietnam has launched a hotline that people can make free calls to give information on items and publications on Vietnam’s sea and islands sovereignty, according to a VNA report.

-- The cooperation between the armies of Vietnam and China is considered as an important pillar which contributes to enhancing the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, said Senior Lieutenant General Zhang Yang, Director of General Political Department under Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) while receiving Vietnam’s Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Thanh Cung on Tuesday.