Enjoy your breakfast while skimming these news items on Tuoi Tre News: 

Politics

-- During a Tuesday meeting between visiting Vietnamese State President Truong Tan Sang and Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, the host pledged to speed up the progress of Vietnamese-invested projects in his country, particularly those in traffic and energy.

Society

-- Two first prizes and three second prizes were awarded to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday in a competition held by the Ho Chi Minh City Journalists Association to recognize newspaper articles on art, culture, new talents, and exemplary people.

-- Delegates at a Tuesday seminar organized by the National Assembly Justice Committee proposed the abolition of the death penalty on seven crimes, stressing that capital punishment should only be imposed on committers of brutal, serious offenses.

-- At least 46 Vietnamese workers have been cheated into working in Thailand by a Japanese man, who swindled them out of their fees and down payments of some US$4,500 each.

-- Pham Le Tuan, Deputy Minister of Health, proposed at a meeting on Tuesday that the central government earmark VND35 trillion ($1.63 billion) for investment in grassroots medical centers in poor and remote areas. 

Business

-- Japan’s Tokyu Corporation on Tuesday inaugurated Sora Gardens 1 Building in the southern province of Binh Duong, an industrial province about 70km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. The building is the first project to be completed in an overall urban project worth $1.2 billion, which the Japanese corporation jointly invests with Becamex IDC, the leading corporation in Binh Duong.

-- Only two weeks after a drop in deposit interest rates, several banks have further decreased the rates due to abundant deposits and poor lending activity.

-- According to a report released on Tuesday by the Asian Development Bank, only 36 percent of Vietnamese enterprises have joined the export-oriented production grid, compared to nearly 60 percent in Malaysia and Thailand. Twenty-one percent of small and medium Vietnamese companies have partaken in the global supply chain, the report added.

Education

-- Kova Awards, in its 13th year, kicked off on Tuesday. Founded in 2002 by Professor Nguyen Thi Hoe, board chair of Kova Group, a local corporation which specializes in paint and waterproofing, the awards are meant to provide support for aspiring Vietnamese students and encourage their engagement in scientific research.

Lifestyle

-- Emperor Cruises, a luxury cruise operator, is offering five-star travel in Nha Trang Bay in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa. The company’s representative said a fleet of 10 ships capable of carrying between 300 and 500 passengers each day will be mobilized for this project.Sports

-- The Vietnam Tennis Federation will award prizes worth $10,000 to the Vietnamese tennis team if they are promoted at the 2015 Davis Cup’s Asia Pacific region, which is going on in Kuala Lumpur from Wednesday to Saturday.