The number of Americans initially applying for unemployment aid continued to decline last week after hitting a seven-week low a week earlier, an encouraging sign for the U.S. job market, the U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday.

On May 26, 2011, tension in the East Sea was ratcheted up a further notch when three Chinese marine surveillance ships threatened the Vietnamese seismic survey ship Binh Minh 02 and sabotaged several of the latter’s seismic equipment.

VietNamNet Bridge - A large number of local travel firms in the northern region will club together to serve Chinese visitors via Quang Ninh’s Mong Cai international border gate to ensure better quality of services and cope with unfair competition.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Information and Communications will inspect television advertisements this month after receiving complaints of deceptive or overstated claims in TV ads.

The central region, with the most beautiful beaches on the planet and wonderful landscapes, have been trying to inviting people to come there. However, it does not offer many things for tourists to choose for souvenirs.

VietNamNet Bridge – Rapid economic development during the past decade has driven changes in many aspects of Vietnamese life, with families and society seeing a transition towards a more modern lifestyle.

VietNamNet Bridge – A haiku poetry contest with self-selected topics has been launched by the Hoi An City People's Committee.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources recently uncovered blood-sucking bugs in at least seven Hanoian districts including Ha Dong, Thanh Xuan and Gia Lam thanks to local resident reports.

VietNamNet Bridge – After leading computing companies in the world have launched the services using computing cloud technology for handsets, some Vietnamese enterprises have cooperated with foreigners to provide the services.

VietNamNet Bridge – Autocar Viet Nam has announced that it will be the sole source of information on the Formula One Singtel Singapore Grand Prix throughout the country.

VietNamNet Bridge – While developed countries invest millions of USD in waste recycling for savings and environmental protection, Vietnam – a poor country – is among the top nations which are wasting this “new” resource.

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) presented the "Peace and Friendship among Nations" insignia to outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Viet Nam Sun Gouxiang, for his contributions to the friendship

 VietNamNet Bridge – A low-pressure system is forecast to develop into a tropical storm causing strong winds in the Gulf of Tonkin tomorrow, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecast.

VietNamNet Bridge – Wage increase, better health care and tight control on food safety and hygiene have been requested by many deputies at a Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council meeting Wednesday.

Enterprises have voiced the same complaint that the land leasing fee has increased by 10-30 times, which has put a heavy burden on them.

The parents who have children aged three or four years old, now have to bring their children to private nursery schools, even though the schools always require high tuitions; while the education quality at some schools is not high.

Military relations between the U.S. and China are a glaring weak spot in bilateral ties, something Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he hoped to improve during a trip to China this week.

VietNamNet Bridge – Mini-truck drivers in HCM City and southern provinces are hindered from working legally because they find it hard to acquire driving licences due to the shortage of training facilities.

Ministry to sponsor promotions of made-in-Vietnam products; GDP increased by 5.57 percent in six months; Firms struggle to survive soaring interest rates; Central bank to cut forex position; Ministry sets method for calculating export rice price    

India Thursday said that all terror groups operating from the country or abroad are on the radar for the serial blasts that rocked Mumbai Wednesday which claimed the lives of at least 17 people and injured over 70 others.

Human neural stem cells are capable of helping people regain learning and memory abilities lost due to radiation treatment for brain tumors, a University of California, Irvine (UCI) study suggests.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday called on European leaders to waste no time in introducing new measures to deal with Europe's debt crisis.

VietNamNet Bridge – The decision by the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) to halt the purchase of one million tons of summer-autumn rice since July 15, has made the rice price decrease in Mekong Delta and made farmers worried.

Le Thai Son, one of the countries’ youngest art collectors, said Vietnam’s art market needs an investment channel before it can really take off.

A total of 17 people were killed in the serial blasts in Mumbai on Wednesday, Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram said at a press conference here on Thursday.