Read what is in the news today, April 17!

Politics

-- Vietnam and Romania are important partners, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Romanian counterpart Viorica Dancila said in a joint statement issued at the end of Phuc’s official visit to Romania from April 14-16.

Society

-- A company based in Taiwan is behind the smuggling of millions of liters of gasoline into Vietnam since March by hiring a South Korean vessel to transport the fuel and transfer it to Vietnamese ships at sea to avoid detection, a Ministry of Public Security officer said on Tuesday.

-- Ho Chi Minh City is looking to expand its smart bus passes system to around 300 buses operating on 16 routes in the southern metropolis with a view to entirely eradicate the need for bus tickets and bus attendants.

Business

-- Air conditioning units are selling like hot cakes in southern Vietnam as the region is going through a heat wave when real-feel temperatures can reach 40 degrees Celsius at midday, with electronics retailers estimating that sales of the air coolers have nearly doubled in recent days compared to regular seasons.

-- Vietnam’s Committee for Management of State Capital has approved the resignation of Nguyen Vu Truong Son, general director of state-owned Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN), after receiving the man’s resignation letter in March.

-- The developer of Ho Tram Strip, a grand casino project in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau, has once again asked for government permission in delaying the project’s deadline for another five years until 2025, citing insufficient funds.

-- A feasibility report on a project to build the Long Thanh International Airport in the southern Vietnamese province of Dong Nai is expected to be completed in June and submitted to the lawmaking National Assembly for approval in October 2019, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam said on Tuesday as it announced updates on the project’s progress.

-- Dien Quang, a major Vietnamese manufacturer of lighting appliances, has been asked to pay VND37.92 billion (US$1.6 million) in fines and tax arrears for its tax violations between 2015 and 2017.

Education

-- The Open University in Ho Chi Minh City announced on Tuesday it would ban all use of plastic water bottles, straws and utensils at future school meetings from May 15, effectively reducing its use of around 124,900 plastic bottles yearly.

-- Vietnam’s conglomerate VinGroup announced on Wednesday the official launch of an artificial intelligence research institute – VinAI Research – where crucial personnel for Vietnam’s AI research will be trained.

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