Nguyen Quang Manh, director of the Ha Noi Train station-Nhon urban metro rail project's board, announced at a meeting yesterday with the ministry of transport the signing of additional loan agreements.

 Some 30 disabled female models will grace the catwalk at the “I Am Beautiful. You Too!” fashion show in Hanoi on November 21, showcasing original pieces that fuse Western and Asian design styles.

 The Mekong Delta introduced 74 projects in need of investment at a conference held by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)’s Can Tho branch in Can Tho City on November 20.

 The Prime Minister has issued a multi-dimensional poverty index (MPI) for the 2016-2020 period that identifies indicators to define poor, near-poor and middle-income households in urban and rural areas.

 NA deputies yesterday questioned a regulation in the draft Law on Belief and Religion which states the state will officially recognise a religious institution only when it has run for at least 10 years, saying it is "scientifically baseless".

Japan will continue providing official development assistance (ODA) worth 172 billion JPY (1.4 billion USD), bringing total Japanese ODA for Vietnam to a record 300 billion JPY (2.5 billion USD) in fiscal year 2015.

 President of the Senate of the Czech Republic Milan Stech left Ho Chi Minh City on November 20, concluding his six-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung.

 Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh has hailed the World Bank (WB) for its assistance for Vietnam in forms of loans, technology and policy consultation, particularly in the fields of hunger eradication and poverty reduction.

 Foreign ministerial-level meetings in preparation for the 27th ASEAN Summit and related meetings took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 20.

Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong held talks with his Russian counterpart A.V Konovalov in Hanoi, during which they agreed that the two ministries’ cooperation will contribute to consolidating the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

 VietNamNet Bridge – According to a November report by the World Gold Council (WGC), gold demand in Vietnam in the third quarter of this year decreased by 5% compared to the same period last year.

 The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recently unveiled 10 outstanding achievements the sector made between 2010 and 2015 to mark the ministry’s 70th founding anniversary.

 VietNamNet Bridge - While performing maintenance of an aircraft of Vietnam Airlines, technical staff discovered a Nokia 8800 Diamond Arte cellphone, encrusted with 112 diamonds, trapped in the electrical box of a passenger seat.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Because of rapid urbanization, Hanoi needs a huge amount of names for new roads and streets but the bank of names, particularly the names of celebrities, has been exhausted.

 A Vietnamese government leader has called for joint efforts to maintain the seas of East Asia as an environment of peace and stability, promote the enforcement of international laws, and ensure maritime and air transportation and safety.

President Truong Tan Sang and his spouse left Hanoi for Manila, the Philippines, on November 17 to attend the 23rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung gave a reception in Hanoi on November 16 for special advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance Tsutomo Takebe who is on a working visit to Vietnam. 

 The Inter-Governmental Committee for Economic, Commercial, Scientific and Technological Cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba commenced its 33rd session in Hanoi on November 16, reviewing past cooperation and setting out new tasks. 

 The Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) Pham Thi Hai Chuyen admitted to the slow launch of hi-quality vocational training initiatives during a National Assembly’s question-and-answer session in Hanoi on November 16. 

 VietNamNet Bridge - With 55.1 packs of instant noodles per person per year, Vietnam ranks 2nd in the world in consumption of instant noodles, behind only South Korea, reported the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of South Korea.