Tuoitrenews briefs some of the leading stories published today on Vietnamese media:

Politics:

-- The 7th conference of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee has been concluded  in Hanoi. The Central Committee have considered, decided and given instructions to a number of issues, including the continued renovation and perfection of the political system, reforming and enhancing the Party leadership in mass mobilization, and the amendments to the 1992 Constitution during the ten-day gathering.

Society:

-- An international seminar on “Vietnamese linguistics in the new context”, attended by Vietnamese linguists, representatives from local universities and agencies as well as delegates from the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, China, Japan and Laos, has been held in Hanoi.

-- Hoang Van Manh, deputy chief inspector of the Hanoi Department of Transportation, said the agency has detected many cases installing electronic chips, even other high-tech devices controlled by mobile phones, to take the control the taxi meter for intended frauds in the recent inspection launched into taxi businesses in Hanoi.

-- Two catastrophic traffic accidents in two provinces of Long An and Binh Thuan have killed 13 people dead and injured 15 others. More serious traffic accidents still occur with more tragic deaths despite a series of road traffic safety campaign launched by the state agencies so far this year.

Business:

-- Total tax collection will likely be difficult to meet the annual target this year given the unfavorable economic situation, so the government needs to outline effective measures to ease the difficulties in production for economic recovery, according to economists at a recent seminar held by the National Assembly's Finance and Budget Committee in Hanoi.

-- Mobile phone users will be able to change network providers without swapping their mobile numbers from January 1, 2017, according to the Ministry of Information and Communications. The ministry has previously planned to have the scheme applied by mid-2014 but then delay it, stating it would need more time to prepare comprehensive policies to allow the new method to run smoothly.

-- A possible merger between Ho Chi Minh City Development Bank and DaiABank which was revealed two weeks ago has been ignored at DaiABank's annual shareholder meeting recently organized in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province, as only 52 percent of shareholders attended the function and major shareholders were absent.

-- Some 5,000 local advertising firms are fighting a losing battle against those foreign giants, including WPP, Ominicom, Dentsu, Publicis, Interpublic and Havas, right at their home, said Do Kim Dung, director of the Vietnam Advertising Research and Training Institute at the workshop co-organized last week by the Dien dan doanh nghiep and Tien Phong newspapers.

-- The Japanese Government has pledged to invest in six key industrial sectors, including consumer electrics/electronics, food processing, shipbuilding, agricultural machinery, environment and energy conservation and automobile/spare part manufacturing, according to the newly signed joint program.

Lifestyle:

-- As many as 263 photos featuring the beauty of Vietnam’s land and people are on display at the 26th National Art Photography Exhibition in the northern city of Hai Phong. The exhibition, selected from 7,000 entries of professional and amateur photographers nationwide, showcases outstanding features of Vietnam during its national construction and defense, the country’s achievements during the modern time, its natural landscapes, and local people’s daily lives.

Sports:

-- The National Shooting Cup will commence on May 14 at Hanoi's National Sports Training Center.  Men will compete in 14 disciplines while women will face off in 10 during the 10-day event. After the tournament, Vietnamese sharpshooters will participate in the International Shooting Sport Federation's World Cup in Munich, Germany from May 23 to May 30.