PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - March 10

HANOI, March 10 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in the official Vietnamese press on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

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VIETNAM NEWS

-- A court sentenced four people to death and seven others to jail terms of 15 years to life for drug trafficking in the northern province of Son La at the weekend.

-- Vietnam's cashew industry is expected to bring in $680 million this year from exporting 160,000 tonnes of cashew nuts this year, the Vietnam Cashew Association said. Last year Vietnam exported 150,000 tonnes of cashew, earning $650 million.

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VIETNAM INVESTMENT REVIEW

-- A proposal by Vietnam Electricity group to raise electricity prices by nearly 9 percent to 917 dong per kilowatt hour could hurt the economy and cause the consumer price index to rise beyond last year's 12.6 percent, economists said.

-- The number of taxi passengers has increased by between 10 percent and 30 percent in Ho Chi Minh City since a law requiring motorbike riders to wear helmets came into effect last December.

-- Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung gave approval for HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (0005.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Standard Chartered Plc (STAN.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) to open the first wholly foreign-owned banks in Vietnam during his visit to the United Kingdom last week.

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HANOI MOI

-- A bird flu outbreak has hit a duck farm in the central province of Quang Tri, the provincial animal health department said. Vietnam has reported poultry outbreaks in eight provinces and the capital, Hanoi.

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SAIGON GIAI PHONG

-- Vietnam's Petrosetco and British firm Bronzeoak would establish a venture to build a bio-ethanol plant in the central province of Quang Ngai at an investment of 2.2 trillion dong ($137 million). The plant would be capable of producing 150 million litres of ethanol a year from cassava chips.

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LAO DONG

-- Air Speed Up private airline has applied for a licence to establish an airline to operate north-south flights in its first five years, aviation officials said. If permitted, it would be Vietnam's second private airliner.

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TUOI TRE

-- Investors asked the government to raise the cap on foreign share ownership in banks to 35 percent from 30 percent.

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THANH NIEN

-- The Ministry of Transport has begun building a new international airport in the Mekong delta city of Can Tho.

- - - - (Reporting by Hanoi Newsroom)