Politics

-- Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved the establishment of an economic management board for Phu Quoc Island. The board is under the direct supervision of the People’s Committee of Kien Giang Province, located in the Mekong Delta.

-- The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam convened a conference on Monday to recommend qualified candidates for the four most important posts in the coming term, including Party General Secretary, State President, Prime Minister, and National Assembly Chairman. The conference lasts from December 14 to 22.

Society

-- Ho Chi Minh City will organize a fireworks performance to celebrate New Year on January 1, 2016 at two venues – the end of the Thu Thiem Tunnel in District 2 and the Dam Sen Cultural Park in District 11.

-- Police in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa said yesterday that they had started criminal proceedings against two foreign men, Englishman Joel David Richard, 25, and Dutchman Rudi Manuel Daas, 33, for using electronic equipment to steal money at ATMs.

-- Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi will start granting international driver’s licenses from 2016. The cost for each license is VND135,000 (US$6). Those who have the licenses will be allowed to drive in 85 nations.

-- Le Van Hai, 22, who was arrested five months ago in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong for throwing stones at passenger buses running on roads, died on December 13 in a local hospital. Police said he suffered a heart attack and was taken to the hospital.

-- The Da Lat flower festival will be organized from December 29 to January 2.

-- Typhoon Melor is now active to the east of the Philippines with winds blowing at 185kph. It is forecast to enter the East Vietnam Sea on the evening of December 15.

Business

-- The Tan Tao industries and investment corporation has signed an MoU with the general department of energy under the Ministry of Industry and Trade to develop the Kien Luong 1 thermoelectricity plant in Kien Giang Province. The project is estimated to cost US$6.7 billion.