Read what’s in the news today.

Politics

-- Australia considers Vietnam one of its key partners in Southeast Asia and wants to further propel bilateral ties, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women Marise Payne said during talks with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi  on Wednesday.

-- Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Wednesday applauded the Czech Republic’s resumption of the grant of working visas for Vietnamese citizens, which is scheduled to begin this month, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- A court in Hanoi on Wednesday sentenced Nguyen Ngoc Su, the former board chairman of state-run Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin), to 13 years in jail for "abusing position and power to appropriate assets".

-- A program backed by Vietnam’s National Traffic Safety Committee will hand over 1.93 million standard helmets to first grade students in the 2019-20 academic year, it was announced at a ceremony held in Hanoi on Wednesday.

-- The World Bank announced on Wednesday its Board of Executive Directors has approved a US$194.36 million credit package to help four secondary cities in Vietnam build critically-needed municipal infrastructure and strengthen urban planning.

-- A 61-year-old woman and five of her grandchildren were found unconscious apparently due to suffocation inside a locked house in Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday. One eight-year-old girl later died at the hospital.

Business

-- Vietnamese carmaker VinFast is showcasing its Lux A2.0 sedan, the Fadil hatchback and the Klara e-scooter model at the 16th International Exhibition on Automobile, Transportation and Supporting Industry (Vietnam AutoExpo 2019), which kicked off in Hanoi on Wednesday.

-- Vietnam’s business environment has experienced improvements following the implementation of the government’s Resolution 02, officials said at a working session on the impacts of the document held on Wednesday under the chair of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.

Lifestyle

-- The Embassy of Vietnam in Australia on Wednesday hosted an event to promote Vietnam’s culture and tourism in Australia and enhance exchanges between Vietnamese women and international friends in the country, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Education

-- Former NASA director Charles Frank Bolden Jr. talked with students in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday.

Sports

-- The Vietnam Football Federation said on Wednesday it is negotiating to extend the contract, which is due to end in January 2020, with South Korean head coach Park Hang Seo.

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