Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News - April 16

Read what is in the news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- Vietnam’s National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and a high-level delegation attended the opening ceremony for the 152nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU-152) in Istanbul on Wednesday evening.

-- Vietnam’s Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly met in Beijing on Wednesday evening with relatives of Chinese generals, experts, and others who had supported Vietnam-China friendship.

Society

-- Northern Vietnam and Thanh Hoa Province are forecast to see moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms from Thursday night through Friday, with rainfall of 20–40 mm and locally over 100 mm.

-- Vietnam’s northern region is forecast to see weak cold air spells through May alongside an early onset of heat, with nationwide temperatures trending above the long-term average, making ‘nang Ban cold,’ a brief return of chilly weather after spring, unlikely.

-- Hanoi authorities said on Wednesday they plan to install 100 AI-powered cameras at slaughterhouses and markets to detect food safety violations, after fining 927 establishments more than VND5.9 billion (US$224,080) and prosecuting five cases linked to counterfeit food.

-- Border guards in Ha Tinh Province, north-central Vietnam said on Wednesday they seized 24,000 methamphetamine pills and arrested two men in a joint operation with police at Cau Treo International Border Gate on April 12.

Economy

-- Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade said it cut most retail fuel prices effective 00:00 Thursday after tax reductions, setting caps for RON95-III gasoline at VND23,761 ($0.9) per liter, E5RON92 at VND22,592 ($0.86) per liter, diesel at VND31,041 ($1.18) per liter, and mazut at VND20,332 ($0.77) per kg, while suspending both contributions to and disbursements from the country's fuel price stabilization fund.

Ho Chi Minh City

-- Police in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Trung Ward on Wednesday fined a local man VND750,000 ($28.5) for illegal dumping and required him to clean up the waste under supervision at the Nam Ly bridge area.

-- Ho Chi Minh City authorities said on Wednesday an elementary school teacher was suspended after five pupils were told to prick their own hands with a medical needle as punishment for talking in class, with an investigation underway and the students reported in stable condition.

-- Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City’s Vung Tau said on Wednesday large numbers of jellyfish and bristle worms have washed ashore at Bai Sau beach in recent days, causing concerns among visitors as some species can cause skin irritation or painful stings.

Travel

-- Da Nang’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism said on Wednesday the city’s first Ao Dai Festival will run from April 23 to 26 at multiple venues including the Han River waterfront and sites in Hoi An, promoting the traditional dress in contemporary life.