Tuoitrenews briefs some of the leading stories published today on Vietnamese media:

Politics:

-- There is room for Vietnam and Zanzibar to boost bilateral cooperation, especially in economics, trade, agriculture, and food security, said state President Truong Tan Sang when receiving Ali Mohamed Shein, President of Zanzibar - a semi-autonomous territory of Tanzania, in Hanoi.

-- The goal of establishing an ASEAN Community by 2015 received great attention, as ASEAN leaders are aware that this is the moment when extraordinary efforts are needed at both regional and national levels, in order to create breakthroughs towards fulfilling this goal, said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Quang Vinh on the outcome of the recent 21st ASEAN Summit and the prospect of an ASEAN Community by 2015.

-- Prof. PhD Kolotov V.Nikolaievich, Director of the Ho Chi Minh Institute of the St. Petersburg State University, has been presented with a Vietnamese State Friendship Order for his contributions to Vietnam-Russia friendship and cooperation, in Hanoi.

Society:

-- Vietnam has set a target to make available medical checkups and treatment to the entire elderly population by 2015, according to the National Action Plan for the Vietnamese Elderly for the 2012-20 period recently approved by the Prime Minister. Some 1.5 million elderly people will enjoy monthly social support or be cared for at nursing homes by 2015.

-- The Ministry of Health and the People’s Committee of Can Tho City have jointly held a meeting to respond to the 2012 World AIDS Day (December 1), with the participation of 3,000 local people. The event is organized after the launch of a National Action Month for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control under the motto, “Towards No New HIV Infections” earlier this month.

Business:

-- The Vietnam Electricity Corporation (EVN) and Siemens Group have signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MOU), marking a new development in cooperation between the two energy giants.

EVN has cooperated with Siemens, one of the world’s leading energy corporations, in many big projects, including the Ba Ria 1 and Phu My 2-1 thermo-power plants, as well as other transmission line and transformer station projects.

-- November’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) saw a slight increase of 0.47 percent from the previous month, much lower than 0.85 percent in October and 2.2 percent in September, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO). This month’s CPI increased 6.52 percent compared with last December’s figures.

Lifestyle:

-- An organic food festival with lots of other cultural activities has been opened in Hanoi to help raise awareness of a regimen that is both healthy and good for the environment. The festival will feature 25 booths serving vegetarian food and displaying organic fruits and vegetables, and materials to cook vegetarian dishes.