Two people were critically injured in a rampant shooting in the city of Bottrop in western Germany on Thursday.

 Official calls for crackdown on fuel fraud; Two injured in cigarette explosion at café; New terminal opens in Da Nang; Man arrested for attempting to rob taxi

VietNamNet Bridge – The national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, will operate 11 direct flights from Can Tho to Taiwan (China) and vice versa during the 2012 lunar New Year.

Former French President Jacques Chirac said he would not appeal the verdict made earlier on Thursday which gave him a two-year suspended sentence for corruption.

The State Bank of Vietnam on December 14 unexpected devaluated the dong by another 0.05 percent after the 40-day period of keeping the dong value unchanged. However, people still keep calm with the move.

VietNamNet Bridge – 26-year-old Nguyen Thi Phuong, who mysteriously turned as old as an 80-year-old, has been discharged from the University Medical Center in HCMC after 2 months of treatment.

VietNamNet Bridge – A three-year project will reclaim water space from buildings that have encroached on the Tan Hoa - Lo Gom Canal in the western districts of HCM City.

Not only having to face the sky high landing interest rate and inflation rate, Vietnamese textiles companies, which has been relying on imported materials, are also meeting big difficulties due to the cotton price fluctuations.

Saigon Jewelry Co (SJC) sold 26,000 taels of gold, or 975 kilograms, in the last 3 days when the world gold price started its downward trend.

VietNamNet Bridge – The 17th National Film Festival jury is struggling to choose its Best Actress from 19 nominees.

The badminton team have won the first medal for Vietnam at the ongoing ASEAN Para Games in Indonesia.

The Federal Republic of Germany has pledged official development assistance (ODA) of more than US$372 million to Viet Nam during the next two years – the biggest sum yet allocated.

VietNamNet Bridge – National Assembly policymakers agreed that the Government should temporarily stop establishment of the nation’s economic zones and border economic zones in Viet Nam due to poor results.

A lot of plastic bags producers in HCMC have rapidly prepared to make biodegradable bags in order to enjoy the environment task exemption.

VietNamNet Bridge – More films and videos on social issues should be produced to enhance understanding of the most recent social-science research, university professors have recommended.

The mobile call charges in Vietnam have decreased by 15 percent per annum in the last three years. However, the charges are still much higher than that in other countries in the world.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced on Thursday the end of the U.S. military mission in Iraq during a ceremony in Baghdad after the Iraqi war broke out nearly nine years ago.

The number of orders for the first quarter of 2012 is anticipated to decrease by 10-15 percent, which threatens the existence of garment and footwear companies and jobs of laborers.

The running out of tours and the overloading will not be seen in this New year tour season. Since people have to fasten their belt, travel firms’ offices seem to remain quiet with limited bookings.

VietNamNet Bridge – It is hard to imagine that there are such tiny schools in inner Ho Chi Minh City.

VietNamNet Bridge – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will attend the fourth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS-4) Summit from December 19-20 in Myanmar.

VietNamNet Bridge – The sixth ASEAN Para Games officially opened yesterday, Dec 15, in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia.

VietNamNet Bridge – A shortage of paediatricians and equipment at hospitals is affecting healthcare for infants in the south-eastern, Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands), and south-central regions.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has confirmed details of its ticket resale process for Olympic and Paralympic ticket holders here on Wednesday.

Vietnam’s public debt could reach 58.4% of GDP against 54.6% in 2011. National Financial Supervision Committee deputy chairman Ha Huy Tuan said rising public debt would not be a concern if the loans were effectively used and managed.