Read what's in the news today, February 23.

Politics

-- Some 2,600 reporters from around the world have been present at the International Media Center located at the Cultural Friendship Palace in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem District, ahead of the second meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for February 27-28 in the Vietnamese capital city.

Society

-- The Ho Chi Minh City transport department announced on Friday that all vehicles will be banned from entering Nguyen Hue Street in District 1 from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday every week, starting from March 1, to create convenience for visitors to the famed promenade in the downtown area.

-- A 37-year-old woman died from exhaustion at a beach in Tam Thanh Village, Tam Ky City, the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam on Friday afternoon, after she successfully rescued her friend from drowning in a deep seawater area, with support from a local fisherman.

-- Police in Mong Cai City of the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh have detained two women on criminal charges, after catching them carrying two newborns on a local street earlier this month. Officers suspect the women had tried to ‘adopt’ babies and illegally bring them to China for sale.

 -- Vietnamese online newspaper Nguoi Tieu Dung (Consumer) has had its license withdrawn for three months and was fined for VND65 million (US$2,795) over a news story in December 2018 that contained incorrect information about the Thu Thiem New Urban Area in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 2.

Business

-- The central city of Da Nang is planning to allocate 300 hectares for the development of a horse racing track with a total investment of $200 million, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Friday.

Lifestyle

-- The Thang Long Old Book Festival kicked off in Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature), Vietnam’s first university, in Hanoi on Friday.

Sports

-- Indonesia were decided as Vietnam’s components in an upcoming semifinal of the 2019 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-22 Youth Championship after the former defeated host Cambodia 2-0 in the last Group B game on Friday afternoon.

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