Here are today’s leading news stories:

Politics

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc joined talks with his Swedish counterpart Stefan Loefven in Stockholm on Monday, as part of his official visit to Sweden from May 26 to 28.

-- Vietnam and China have made progress in their defense cooperation, which deserves to be an important pillar in the two countries’ relationship, Minister of National Defense Ngo Xuan Lich and his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe agreed during their talks in Hanoi on Monday, within the framework of Minister Wei’s official visit to Vietnam from May 27 to 29.

Society

-- A heavy downpour occurred in Ho Chi Minh City on late Monday afternoon, submerging multiple streets and causing tremendous challenges to commuters during rush hour.

-- An X-ray technician from the northern province of Son La, who was previously accused of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl at a local hospital, was suspended from work on Monday as police officers are investigating the alleged sexual assault.

-- A 35-year-old man was believed to have murdered his 32-year-old pregnant wife and four-year-old daughter before committing suicide as their bodies were discovered inside a tenanted house in the southern province of Binh Duong on Monday morning.

-- Competent authorities in the southern province of Dong Nai have attributed “adverse environmental changes” to the recent mass fish death along La Nga River, after test results showed that the volume of organic pollutants was much higher than the normal levels.

-- A total of 17 restaurants and diners in the central city of Da Nang were discovered to have been operating without a license along local beaches over the past years, the municipal Department of Construction reported on Monday.

Business

-- Vietnam hopes that Swedish businesses will further invest in the Southeast Asian nation and cooperate with local firms, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc told the Vietnam-Sweden business forum in Stockholm on Monday.

-- A representative from Royal Caribbean International, a cruise line from the United States, had a meeting with authorities in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on Monday to discuss the proposed construction of an international cruise port, after one of the line’s cruise ships carrying 6,500 passengers arrived in the Vietnamese locality on the same day.

Sports

-- Park Hang Seo, head coach of Vietnam’s national football team, on Monday announced a list of 23 players who will participate in King’s Cup 2019, an international four-team tournament organized by the Football Association of Thailand, in Buriram from June 5 to 8.

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