Oman lifts ban on Vietnam poultry imports; Seafood exports reach $7.9b in 2014; Mobile devices market set for holiday pickings; Two more foreign banks to open branches in Vietnam; Low inflation leaves room for interest rate cuts

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese authorities and members of the taxi industry in HCM City are developing taxi apps to compete with Uber, which allows individuals to set up their own on-call taxi service.

 FourFourTwo Malaysia has just announced the eleven players it has selected for its dream team from the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup and with little surprise–Pham Thanh Luong and Le Cong Vinh have made the cut.

 Vietnamese and Lao law enforcement authorities on December 21 arrested two drug traffickers in Phonthong district, Lao province of Luang Prabang in a joint operation.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese officials and experts have denied that the world’s oil price has dropped to below $55, while the exploitation cost in Vietnam is $50-70 per barrel.

 Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish have formally converted their civil partnership to a marriage - with the musician documenting the day on the Instagram website.

 The national retail petrol prices yesterday were slashed by VND2,058 (US$0.09) per litre, the Viet Nam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) said.

 VietNamNet Bridge – When he was over two years old, he could speak 40-50 English words. When he was three, he spoke English more fluently than Vietnamese.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Industry and Trade has joined forces with foreign organizations including the World Bank to conduct an overall evaluation of the potential of renewable energy resources across the country

 National television festival wraps up; Singer Ha Tran releases new album; Photo exhibition features the beauty of Ha Noi; Lam Dong Tea Culture Week kicks off; Book on Vietnamese culture unveiled in Rome

 VietNamNet Bridge – Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) is planning to raise the retail electricity price by 9.5 percent, the sharpest increase in three years, despite a low inflation rate that is predicted to be below 3 percent.

 Oil-rich Gulf states have vowed not to cut crude production, blaming speculators and producers outside the Opec group for tumbling prices.

 VietNamNet Bridge - Low-cost airline Vietjet has announced that it will relocate its international flights from Terminal One (T1) to the new Terminal 2 (T2) at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.

Six fishermen rescued from sinking ship; Education Ministry prohibits smoking, alcohol drinking in schools; Int'l spine conference opens in Nha Trang; Int’l press hails Vietnam’s rescue of trapped workers

 A driver shouting the Islamic phrase "God is great" in Arabic has run down pedestrians in Dijon, France, injuring 11, two seriously, French media say.

The management board of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park has said that U.S. Travel Channel has finished a TV report exploring the imposing landscape of caves on Ke Bang Limestone Mountain and surrounding areas.

National team receives Fair Play Award at AFF Cup 2014; VN students finish fourth at AUG; San, Kieu win Da Nang marathon

 A 36-metre Christmas tree was lit up at the Thanh Le Cultural Park in the southern province of Binh Duong on the December 20 night as part of a programme to celebrate the coming Christmas and New Year 2015.  

 The man who shot dead two New York police officers told members of the public "watch what I'm going to do" shortly before the attack, police say.

 Indian teenage star Avika Gor met with Vietnamese press and fans in Ho Chi Minh City on December 21.