Read what is in the news today, June 20!

Politics

-- Vietnam and Laos will continue to give all efforts in developing bilateral ties to ensure the success of each nation’s revolution, the countries’ vice-presidents affirmed during their talks in Vientiane on Tuesday.

-- Le Thanh Liem, vice-chairman of Ho Chi Minh City, on Tuesday received a delegation of foreign military attachés to Vietnam where the political, defense-security and socio-economic situation in Vietnam was discussed.

Society

-- The administration of Kon Tum Province in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam has requested that the Ministry of Transport have plans to repair and upgrade the infamous Lo Xo mountain pass, which connects Kon Tum with neighboring Quang Nam Province, within 2018 following repeated fatal accidents on the dangerous stretch of road recently.

-- The government and lawmakers will continue to listen to public feedback on a draft law on special economic zones, which had been at the center of debate since its introduction last month due to an article allowing foreign investors to lease land for up to 99 years, to make suitable adjustments, Vietnamese State President Tran Dai Quang told constituents on Tuesday.

-- Four men who vandalized police cars while joining a protest in Ho Chi Minh City on June 10 have been prosecuted on charges of deliberate destruction of public property.

-- Firearms including five pistols and 200 bullets were found when police busted a major drug ring in the southern province of Dong Nai on Tuesday, leading to the arrests of eight people.

-- The commander of Vietnam’s border defense force has proposed lowering the number of trafficked cigarette packs that authorities need to confiscate in order to launch a criminal prosecution, from 1,500 down to 500, as a measure to deter traffickers.

Business

-- A sugar factory in the south-central province of Binh Dinh has been fined VND1.9 billion (US$83,300) and had its production suspended for 4.5 months after it was found to discharge into the environment wastewater with exceeding levels of pollutants as per Vietnam’s environmental standards.

-- A project by state-owned Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Corporation (Vinacomin) to build a thermal power plant in the north-central province of Nghe An is facing risks of being taken over by a Chinese consortium due to Vinacomin’s failure to mobilize enough capital.

-- The prices of Vietnam-produced beef is 40-60 percent lower than they were two years ago and are forecast to maintain a downward trend as a result of consumers’ growing preference for imported beef.

-- Vietnam’s goal of having one million enterprises in 2020 seems as far-fetched as ever when there are currently 600,000 active businesses in the country and only around 120,000 new companies are opened every year, experts said at a business forum in Hanoi on Tuesday.

Sports

-- Football fans in Vietnam are losing patience over constant technical issues while streaming World Cup 2018 matches through online platforms as providers blame a spike in viewership for the lagging and connection losses.

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