Hanoi (Vietnam) Nov 26 : President Pratibha Patil who is in a visit to Vietnam reached Hanoi, its Capital.

Patil is scheduled to meet Vietnam President Nguyen Minh Triet and other leaders on Thursday to discuss the ways and means to further strengthen the economic partnership between both countries.

Talking to reporters, she said that she was looking forward to her discussions with President Nguyen and other leaders.

Hanoi  - A broken hose caused a small oil spill during a test-run of Vietnam's first oil refinery, a senior company official confirmed Wednesday.

The spill occurred off of Vietnam's central coast on Monday night as workers were pumping oil from the Singaporean tanker Eagle Milwaukee to the refinery, the official told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa, on condition of anonymity.

"Strong waves broke a cargo hose, so oil was spilled into the sea," he added, "but relevant agencies have tried to limit the spill."

The official declined to say how much oil was leaked, but local environmental sources from Quang Ngai province say it was relatively small.

Hanoi - Inflation in Vietnam eased slightly last month, but consumer prices were still 23.25 per cent higher compared to a year ago, the government said Tuesday.

In its monthly report posted on its website, the state-run General Statistics Office said that food prices were up 49.7 per cent. The cost of housing and construction materials rose slower at 21.67 per cent when compared to November 2007.

The government estimates that the Consumer Price Index fell 0.76 per cent in November compared to October - the second consecutive monthly decline.

Hanoi- After seeking help from psychics, Vietnamese authorities have uncovered mass graves containing the remains of at least 600 Vietnamese soldiers near a prison camp used by the US military during the war, authorities said Tuesday.

"We found two mass graves thanks to the help of people with telepathic powers," said Pham Vu Hong, the chairman of the People's Committee of Kien Giang province on the island of Phu Quoc, where the graves were found. "These prisoners were killed during the war."

Hanoi - Vietnam's stock market hit its lowest mark in nearly three years Monday as the country's economic outlook worsened.

The VN-Index today closed down 1.03 points, or 0.32 percent, at 317.9, the lowest level since February 2006.

"Local traders don't want to buy at this time as they see the global market continue to fall," said Phan Hong Quan, director of Eurocapital Securities in Hanoi. "They favour holding cash, waiting for signs that the market is rebounding."

Hanoi - Police in southern Vietnam arrested two men for plotting to sell a boy to a cafe owner, telling her the child could fetch a high price from a foreign couple looking to adopt, a police official said Monday.

"We are trying to trace Ty's family but it is very hard because he could not remember anything about his parents, his full name or where he lived," said Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Song of the Tan Phu District police department in Ho Chi Minh City.

"He only said he was about 6 years old."