Politics

-- The relationship between Vietnam and Laos is an invaluable treasure of both nations, State President Truong Tan Sang said in an interview with the press on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two.

-- Vietnam wants to strengthen the friendship and comprehensive cooperation with traditional friends in Central and Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said Tuesday while paying a courtesy call to Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev in Sofia.

-- The speaker of Indonesia’s House of Representatives Marzuki Alie started his two-day visit to Vietnam on Tuesday.

Society

-- A ninth-grader was found dead Tuesday at home in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City police said. She might have been strangled with an electric wire, according to the police.

-- Relatives of a patient who died last month at FV Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7 have appealed to local police to bring criminal proceedings against the doctors concerned. The patient was dead at the hospital after having his appendix cut on August 7.

-- Tuoi Tre starts publishing a series of articles on prostitution along the Vietnam-China border on Wednesday. Come back later today for the first article in our Features section.

Business

-- Korean carrier Asiana Airlines says it has stopped operating direct flights between Incheon and Cam Ranh.

-- The Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked the government for a reduction in tariffs on coal exports and a hike in selling prices offered to power suppliers.

Lifestyle

-- An international piano contest opened Tuesday in Hanoi. Contestants coming from Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, France, Australia, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Russia will compete until next Tuesday.

Education

-- A 15-year-old student has recently had to sell her hair to fund her education at a school in the central city of Da Nang.