Politics

-- Issues in the East Sea are a common concern for countries in the region, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh stated in a speech he made at the 46th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Brunei on Sunday.

-- Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan Sunday met with local youth representatives in Hanoi, where he expressed his view on Vietnam’s workforce and the impacts of globalization.

-- Vietnam will assign soldiers to join the peacekeeping forces of the United Nations (UN) around the world, Deputy Minister of National Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, said during a visit to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and other UN agencies at the UN headquarters in New York City.

Society

-- Rumbia, the third tropical storm of the year, is moving northeast in the East Sea and will likely get stronger, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorology Forecasting.

-- Da Lat night market was Sunday equipped with a surveillance camera system in a bid of local authorities to prevent robberies at the venue, according to the market management board.

-- Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Tan district police said Sunday that it will send officers to bust the gangs that target passengers at the Mien Dong and Mien Tay bus stations.

-- HCMC’s government is seeking permission from the Prime Minister to build two new hospitals worth an enormous of VND10 trillion collectively.

Business

-- Even though the deposit interest rate ceiling has been lowered to only 7 percent a year, many experts still assert that depositing the dong remains an attractive investment channel compared to gold and real-estate for members of the public.

-- Dozens of foreign businesses have been found to have illegally leased lands from local for production, with Chinese companies accounting for a large proportion.

-- Ordering food online has become trendy for local white-collar workers, who love to enjoy their favorite dishes without having to leave the office.

-- More than 4,580 local customers have purchased domestic tour packages that are discounted under a national tourism promotional program in May and June.

Lifestyle

-- Parasite, a rock band based in HCMC, won Sunday the championship of the 2013 Tiger Translate – Battle of the Bands after beating five other bands in the finale in Hanoi.

-- The alumina of the Quoc Hoc Hue High School is organizing a singing contest titled Hit by You, which has shortlisted 20 candidates for the semifinal that will take place on July 7. The contest is open to all singing lovers who live and work in Hue.

Sports.

-- Vietnamese teenager swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien grabbed Sunday her very first gold medal at the 4th Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games 2013 in Incheon, South Korea after finishing the finale at 2 minutes 10.05 seconds, 0.31 seconds faster than the first funner-up Zhou Yanxin of China.

-- Tuoi Tre Online, the digital version of Tuoi Tre newspaper, will unveil the revamp on its sport edition today, July 1, at http://thethao.tuoitre.vn.