Read what is in the news today:

Politics

-- Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan held talks with Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko in Moscow on Tuesday.

-- The 7th diplomatic – defence strategic dialogue between Vietnam and Australia, an annual activity since 2012, took place in the Australian capital city of Canberra on December 10.

Society

-- Dinh Lam Xuong, a district-level chief judge in the north-central province of Quang Binh, has been dismissed from all Party positions after a video tape of him having sex with a subordinate in his office during work hours was submitted to police investigators.

Business

-- The export value of fruit and vegetables in the January-November period saw a slight decrease of 0.6 percent year on year to US$3.5 billion, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

-- The third Vietnam Coffee Day kicked off at Dai Doan Ket Square in Pleiku City in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai on Monday, highlighting the country’s coffee-drinking culture.

-- The southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau is planning to build a new facility to serve cruise ships that bring cash-rich tourists to its shore as cruise ships visiting the province currently have to dock at cargo ports.

Sports

-- Vietnam’s beach handball team won the last gold medal at the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines on Wednesday morning, concluding Vietnam’s run at the regional sporting event with 98 gold, 85 silver and 104 bronze medals, placing second on the final medal tally behind the hosts.

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