HANOI, April 24 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in the official Vietnamese press on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories. - - - - FINANCIAL NEWS: THANH NIEN -- Several banks continued to hike interest rates on dong deposits and offered various prizes under promotion programmes to raise dong funds. - - - - DAU TU CHUNG KHOAN -- Partly-private Tien Phong Bank said it made a gross profit of 40 billion dong ($2.25 million) during the first three months of this year, or 32 percent of its full-year target. Total assets rose 24 percent to 3 trillion dong while outstanding loans soared 112 percent to 583 billion dong. -- Saigon Hanoi Bank estimates its pretax profit this year would reach 336 billion dong with total assets jumping 42.5 percent to 20.5 trillion dong, said chairman Do Quang Hien. The bank planned to issue convertible bonds worth 500 billion dong to foreign investors this year. ECONOMIC AND GENERAL NEWS: VIETNAM NEWS -- Imports in the first half of 2009 are expected to drop 41 percent from the same period last year to $26.6 billion due to lower world prices and weak demand from manufacturers, the Industry and Trade Ministry's Trade Information Centre forecast. -- Flag carrier Vietnam Airlines aimed to carry 9.4 million passengers this year, up from 8.8 million last year, Chief Executive Pham Ngoc Minh said. - - - - LAO DONG -- A patient has tested positive to the H5N1 bird flu virus in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, health officials said. -- Utility EVN's financial arm, EVN Finance, and ANZ said they had completed the issue of 3.5 trillion dong ($194 million) worth of 5-years dong bonds. - - - - THANH NIEN -- The authorities seized hundreds of Viagra tablets and sex toys from an illegal sex shop and street hawkers in the capital Hanoi on Thursday. -- India has initiated an investigation into steel imports from Vietnam and 13 other countries to determine if India's steel industry has been affected by foreign steel, the Vietnam Competition Authority said. - - - - (Reporting by Hanoi Newsroom)
An Iranian-flagged freight ship sits on the seabed in shallow waters to avoid sinking in the shipping lanes off Singapore's coast April 23, 2009. The ship was aground on Thursday after ...
