Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News - May 8

Check out the latest news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- Vietnam’s Party General Secretary To Lam, his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, and a high-ranking delegation arrived in Baku, Azerbaijan on Wednesday afternoon (local time) for a two-day state visit, marking the first time a Vietnamese Party chief has visited the country since diplomatic relations were established in 1992.

-- Earlier on Wednesday, the Vietnamese Party leader, his spouse, and the high-ranking delegation attended a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of Victory over Fascism in Astana, as part of their three-day state visit to Kazakhstan.

Business

-- The Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange on Wednesday approved the listing of Vinpearl JSC, a hospitality arm of Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate Vingroup, under the ticker symbol VPL. Its first trading day is set for May 13, with the reference price being VND71,300 (US$2.75) per share.

Education

-- Eighteen top educational institutions from Christchurch, New Zealand will offer free STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) lessons to Vietnamese students in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi on May 17 and 18, respectively.

Society

-- Police in Thanh Hoa Province, north-central Vietnam on Wednesday confirmed the temporary detention of two Chinese nationals, including Shen Jiangyang, 43, and Deng Zhiji, 41, for allegedly trespassing and attempting to loot the tomb of King Le Tuc Tong.

-- Two elderly victims died after a high school student's electric bike collided head-on with a motorbike in Tien Hai District of northern Thai Binh Province on Wednesday morning, authorities confirmed the same day.

-- An intense thunderstorm hit Ho Chi Minh City and several neighboring provinces on Wednesday evening, causing prolonged rainfall and traffic congestion. The severe thunderstorm also disrupted evening flights to Ho Chi Minh City, with several planes forced to circle the sky before landing at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

-- A mother and her 10-year-old son were killed by a lightning strike while working on their farm in Bac Ai District, south-central Ninh Thuan Province on Wednesday afternoon, a local official confirmed the same day.

-- Authorities in northern Son La Province have confiscated more than 300kg of vegetables and fruits that tested positive for harmful chemicals during a food safety inspection at a major wholesale market, police officials said on Wednesday.

Travel

-- Following Pakistan’s temporary closure of its airspace from 2:55 am on Wednesday (Vietnam time), national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has adjusted flight paths to ensure safety for its Europe-bound operations.

World News

-- Airlines including United Airlines and Korean Air re-routed or cancelled flights and about a dozen Indian airports were shut on Wednesday after India staged a reprisal attack on Pakistan that raised fears of an escalation, Reuters reported.