Highlights of February 21

DOMESTIC

On February 21, at the National Assembly House, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue chaired a meeting to give opinions on a number of major contents to absorb and revise the draft Law on National Defense Industry, Security and Industrial Mobilization. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said that at the 6th session of the 15th National Assembly, National Assembly deputies discussed and gave opinions on the draft Law on National Defense Industry, Security and Industrial Mobilization. Immediately after the session, based on the opinions of National Assembly deputies, the National Assembly Standing Committee directed the Standing Committee of the National Defense and Security Committee to preside over and coordinate with the drafting agency to study, absorb and revise the draft law. In the photo: National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue chaired the meeting. Photo: Nhan Sang-VNA

On February 21, at the Party Central Committee headquarters, Comrade Truong Thi Mai, Politburo member, Standing member of the Secretariat, Head of the Central Organization Commission chaired a conference to deploy the Politburo and Secretariat's working program in 2024. In the photo: Comrade Truong Thi Mai delivered a speech directing the conference. Photo: Phuong Hoa - VNA

Hanoi City aims to have a total housing floor area of about 7.147 million square meters in 2024, of which the target for developing individual housing is expected to be 4.5 million square meters. The average housing area per capita in Hanoi in 2024 is expected to reach 28.8 square meters/person. This figure is determined based on the average target achieved in 2023 (reaching 28.6 square meters/person) and the ability to complete housing construction investment projects in the city in the last months of 2024. In the photo: Thang Long Green City social housing project (Dong Anh district, Hanoi) is 9-12 floors high, including 1,528 apartments for sale, rent and hire-purchase. Photo: Tuan Anh - VNA

On February 20, in Thieu Quang commune, Thieu Hoa district, Thanh Hoa province, a ceremony was held to receive the certification of the folk performing art "Dance with running letters, singing with ancient Cheo" in the Ngu Vong Phuong festival as a national intangible cultural heritage. This will be a motivation for the people here to continue to preserve and conserve the heritage of their ancestors. In the photo: The art troupe of dancing with running letters of Nhan Cao village performs the "Dance with running letters". Photo: Hoa Mai - VNA

On February 21 (January 12), the Tam Chuc Pagoda Management Board (Ba Sao town, Kim Bang district, Ha Nam province) held the opening ceremony of the Tam Chuc Pagoda festival in the year of Giap Thin 2024. Attending the opening ceremony were Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan; Most Venerable Thich Thanh Nhieu, Permanent Vice President of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, abbot of Bai Dinh Pagoda (Ninh Binh) and Tam Chuc Pagoda (Ha Nam); Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy; leaders of Ha Nam province; leaders of departments, branches, districts, towns and cities in the province, along with monks, nuns, Buddhists, people and tourists from all over. In the photo: Delegates perform the water procession ceremony to Ngoc Pagoda. Photo: Dai Nghia - VNA

The Drug Crime Prevention and Control Task Force No. 2, the Coast Guard Command, has just chaired and coordinated with the Drug and Crime Prevention Department, Nhat Le Border Guard Station (Quang Binh Provincial Border Guard); the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department (Quang Binh Provincial Police), Bao Ninh Commune Police and the Quang Binh Provincial Customs Control Team to arrest Truong Van Nguyen (born in 1984, residing in Quang Ninh District, Quang Binh Province) while illegally transporting drugs. The seized exhibits included 11,012 synthetic drug pills. The case is currently being investigated and handled in accordance with the law. In the photo: The functional forces coordinated to arrest Truong Van Nguyen with the exhibits of more than 11,000 synthetic drug pills. Photo: VNA

INTERNATIONAL

On February 20, the US House of Representatives leaders said that the legislative body will establish a bipartisan task force to study regulations that can address concerns about artificial intelligence (AI). In a statement, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said the task force will be responsible for conducting a comprehensive report and considering appropriate measures to protect national security against current and emerging threats from AI. In photo: US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

On February 20, Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said that the country has completed the delivery of 200,000 tons of grain aid to six African countries as committed by President Vladimir Putin last year. Specifically, Russia has delivered 50,000 tons of grain to Somalia and the Central African Republic each, and 25,000 tons to Mali, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe and Eritrea each. In the photo: Russian Ambassador to Burkina Faso Aleksei Saltykov (3rd right) with Burkina Faso Government officials at the ceremony to receive 25,000 tons of Russian grain aid in Ouagadougou. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

According to Xinhua News Agency, United Airlines of the US confirmed on February 20 that a Boeing 757-200 aircraft with flight number 354, en route from San Francisco (California) to Boston (Massachusetts), had to make an emergency landing due to a flap failure. United Airlines said the incident occurred on February 19 due to a flap failure, but did not specify the cause of the incident. In the photo (file): A Boeing 757 aircraft at Sydney International Airport, Australia. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

On February 21, the National Meteorological Center of China (NMC) continued to issue an orange warning for a severe cold spell, predicting a sharp drop in temperatures in southern regions of the country. The NMC forecast that from February 21 to 23, the average daily temperature or minimum temperature in most southern regions of China will drop by 6-12 degrees Celsius. In the photo: Snow covers Beijing, China. Photo: Kyodo/VNA

TB (according to VNA)

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