Check out the news you should not miss today, August 19

Politics

-- Vietnam's President Tran Dai Quang and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Friday sent their messages of condolences to Spanish King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy over the August 17 terror attack that killed and injured dozens of people in Barcelona.

-- Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Friday held meetings with President of Thailand’s Privy Council Prem Tinsulanonda and President of Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly Pornpetch Wichitcholchai as part of his ongoing visit to Thailand.

-- Vietnam’s Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong is scheduled to visit Indonesia from August 22 to 24 at the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and Myanmar from August 24 to 28, at the invitation of President Tin Cho.

Society

-- Six members of a Raglai ethnic family were killed, while another was severely injured, as they attempted to cut open a 105mm artillery projectile for gunpowder in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa on Friday.

-- The APEC Network of Anti-Corruption Authorities and Law Enforcement Agencies (ACT-NET) held a workshop on intensifying cooperation in revoking corruption assets among law enforcement agencies on Friday in Ho Chi Minh City.

-- Police in the southern city of Can Tho on Friday arrested a usury mogul who had been running an extensive network of illegal loan giving at unfairly high rates of interest, and ceased a total of 28 firearms from his residences.

Business

-- Vietnam's crude oil imports will soar to record highs in August as the country ramps up fuel refining at a time when local crude output is dwindling, Reuters reported on Friday.

-- Vietnam's rice export is expected to reach 5.2 million metric tons in 2017, a 6 percent increase year on year, the Vietnam Food Association has said.

-- Many cases in which aviation safety has been threatened were recorded at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City in July, including a collision between an airport bus and a jet fuel tank truck on July 26.

Sports

-- Vietnam's Le Quang Liem finished fifth at the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz chess competition, held as part of the 2017 Grand Chess Tour, with 16.5 points, following impressive wins against the world's number three and seven, and 'chess king' Garry Kasparov.

-- The 2017 Southeast Asian Games, or 29th SEA Games, will hold its opening ceremony tonight, August 19, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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