Here are today’s leading news stories:

Politics

-- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh wanted Ninh Thuan Province to further exploit its advantages to become a major renewable energy hub of Vietnam while addressing a ceremony to mark the 30th re-establishment anniversary of the south-central province on Saturday.

COVID-19 Updates

-- The Ministry of Health documented 18,474 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising the national tally to 10,417,887, with 8,931,374 recoveries and 42.934 deaths.

Society

-- Rains and thunderstorms are expected to hit southern Vietnam, while northern provinces will experience low temperatures from April 17 to 22, according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

-- Many streets in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City were flooded following a rain that lasted for only 30 minutes on Saturday afternoon.

-- Two Chinese men were sentenced to death while another received lifetime imprisonment for producing crystal meth in Vietnam, the People’s Court in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum announced on Saturday.

-- Police in southern Binh Phuoc Province confirmed on Saturday they were looking for the culprit that had dumped more than 20 metric tons of garbage at a local rubber tree plantation.

-- A 10-meter utility pole was uprooted and blocked a street in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday afternoon, causing a temporary power outage at over 100 houses. No one was harmed in the incident.

Lifestyle

-- A kite festival kicked off at Tu Tuong Park in Hue City, located in central Thua Thien-Hue Province, on Saturday, as part of a series of activities to prepare for the 2022 Hue Festival.

Business

-- Vietnam exported 1.48 million metric tons of rice worth US$715 million in the first three months, up 24 percent in volume and 10.5 percent in value year on year, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the General Statistics Office as saying.

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