Japan's economy grew an annualized real 3.9 percent in the July-September quarter, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of expansion and beating economists' forecasts, the Cabinet Office said in a preliminary report on Monday.

The number of deaths in Haiti due to the cholera epidemic rose to 917, the Haitian Public Health Ministry said on Sunday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is scheduled to come on the country's main TV channels on Tuesday after the disclosure of new ministers'list in a move to explain his choices and to garner approval ratings.

Death toll from the fire in a downtown Shanghai apartment block Monday had risen to 42, said a statement from the municipal publicity department.

Unsafe food has become a hot topic in Vietnam. But is it a media induced panic or should Vietnamese people be very concerned about what they are eating?

While local television broadcasters are negotiating to share broadcast rights of the English Premier League (EPL) in Vietnam, ESPN and Star Sports announced their EPL broadcast schedule in Vietnam.

Minister of Health Nguyen Quoc Trieu’s proposal to set up the National Committee for Food Safety was rejected by the National Assembly Standing Committee on January 19.

VietNamNet Bridge – In Vietnam, many people lack food in between-crop period so food hygiene can be seen as less important than food quantity, said an official from the Health Ministry.

Unsafe food has become a hot topic in Vietnam. But is it a media induced panic or should Vietnamese people be very concerned about what they are eating?

Multiuser online game addiction in particular and Internet addiction in general has become an urgent matter in Vietnam. Central government agencies and the authorities of some cities are tightening control of online games.

VietNamNet Bridge – The multiuser game industry and its supporters say a few horror stories don’t justify tough controls on online games.  

VietNamNet Bridge - In this report, we summarize the opinions of readers writing to online forums about the phenomenon of online games.  

VietNamNet Bridge – Today, the value of a character in the online game “Vo Lam Truyen Ky” (Swordsman) may reach a billion dong ($55,000).

Is it possible to kick the online games habit?  Yes, but it isn’t easy, say experts.  A pilot program in HCM City shows it can be done.

If porn is your passion, you’ll find plenty of it online, reports Tien Phong newspaper after members of its staff spent many nights on the Internet to investigate the ‘black world’.

VietNamNet Bridge – Drivers of xe om (motorbike taxis) and three-wheeled vehicles will be required to wear a licence ID card on their shirts under a new regulation issued by the HCM City People's Committee, effective January 1.

VietNamNet Bridge - A beauty contest entitled “Beauty Plus” took place in Hanoi on November 14 to honor the beauty, talent and spirit of women living with HIV.

A train coach derailed in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southwest China early Monday morning, no casualties have been reported.

Firefighters have brought under control a blaze that killed at least eight people in a downtown Shanghai apartment block Monday, municipal authorities said.

VietNamNet Bridge – Nearly 90 contestants at Miss Earth 2010 pageant participated in a charity auction in HCM City on November 11 that raised $3.7 million for flood victims in central Vietnam.