Let’s begin your Sunday by skimming these news items on Tuoi Tre News. 

Society

-- The northern city of Hai Phong on Saturday held a solemn ceremony and launched a clutch of activities, including pyrotechnic shows, to commemorate its 60th anniversary of liberation (May 13, 1955).

-- The Ministry of Transport on Saturday organized a recruitment examination for eight eligible candidates for the position of the head of the Vietnam Railway Authority (VRA). The vacancy remains unfilled since Nguyen Huu Thang, former VRA chief, was found dead for an unknown reason in his office in Hanoi in late January.

-- On Friday night, the Coast Guard Zone No. 1 busted over 80,000 contraband packs of cigarettes, worth roughly VND2.5 billion (US$116,507), in the sea waters of Quang Ninh Province in the north.

-- Around 1:30 am on Saturday, two men were caught in the act by police in the central province of Nghe An while trafficking 31 rhino horns. The horns weighed a total of 37 kilograms, and cost an estimated VND22 billion ($1.03 million).

-- The National Committee for Search and Rescue announced on Saturday that inclement weather conditions, including whirlwinds, which ravaged such northern and central provinces and cities as Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Quang Ninh, and Hai Phong on Friday and Saturday, killed five people and left another five missing.

Business

-- The People’s Committee of Nha Trang City, the heart of the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, has just slapped a fine of VND25 million ($1,165) on Evason Ana Mandara Resort, situated on Tran Phu Street, for prohibiting tourists and city dwellers from strolling on a beach close to the resort, Ngo Khac Thinh, vice head of Nha Trang’s Urban Management Office, said on Saturday. The resort’s two warden booths on the beach have also been removed. -- The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced that the Vietnam Foodexpo 2015, to run in Ho Chi Minh City from Wednesday to Saturday next week, will see the participation of 16 Korean food companies. Over 300 enterprises from 19 countries have registered to launch some 500 booths at the forthcoming exposition.

Lifestyle

-- Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam is poised to join a live interview with a crew from the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on May 13. The crew members are currently in Vietnam for a special program which features Son Doong Cave – the world’s largest – which is located in the central province of Quang Binh, as well as other well-loved Vietnamese scenic spots, including the UNESCO-recognized Ha Long Bay, in its “Good Morning America” program.

-- The 2015 Ponagar Tower Festival, a nationally recognized festival held annually in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, kicked off on Saturday. The event, which runs until Monday and features rituals, offerings, and cultural activities by Cham ethnic people, is expected to welcome over 100,000 pilgrim and tourist arrivals.