Read what is in the news today, December 7:

Society

-- Ho Chi Minh City’s tax department has proposed the mandatory use of point-of-sale (POS) machines in place of cash payment at restaurants and other high-end services to move toward a cashless society and allow for better tax administration.

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has agreed in principal to upgrading the rural district of Sa Pa in northern Vietnam’s Lao Cai Province into a district-level town and requested that efforts be made to conserve the tourist destination’s green space and natural beauty.

-- Vietnam’s Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the Government Office on Wednesday launched a national hotline for children’s protection as 111, at which citizens are encouraged to reach for reports of child abuse, harassment and other forms of violence against children.

-- Police in north-central Thanh Hoa Province on Wednesday initiated legal proceedings against Pham Thi Xuan, 65, for the alleged murder of her weeks-old grandson over superstitious beliefs.

-- The Government Office of Vietnam on Wednesday announced that the base salary – based on which the pay of state employees is calculated – would be raised from VND1.3 million (US$57) to VND1.39 million ($61) starting July 1, 2018.

-- Five out of 20 smoking-related diseases cost the Vietnamese people VND25 trillion ($1.1 billion) in medical expenses a year on average, according to the latest reports announced at a health conference in Hanoi on Wednesday.

Business

-- Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance has dismissed Netherlands-based Uber B.V.’s petition against an earlier decision by the Ho Chi Minh City tax department to collect VND66.68 billion ($2.95 million) in back taxes from the ride-hailing app operator.

-- Budget carrier Vietjet on Wednesday inaugurated a new flight route connecting south-central Vietnam’s Nha Trang City with the South Korean capital of Seoul.

Education

-- Vietnamese students will get a chance to experience basic programming for free through Microsoft’s ‘Hour of Code’ campaign held across Asia later this month, which is aimed at improving local youths’ interest in information technology for better global integration.

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