Highlights of domestic and international events on May 18th.

DOMESTIC

After three days (May 16-18) of urgent, serious, and responsible work, the 9th Conference of the Central Committee of the 13th Party Congress completed all the planned agenda items and adjourned on the morning of May 18. On the morning of May 18, the Central Committee held its closing session in the meeting hall. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong presided over the conference. Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the meeting. Politburo member and Standing Secretary Luong Cuong presented the Politburo's report on the responses and explanations to the Central Committee's discussions at the conference. The Central Committee adopted the Resolution of the 9th Central Committee Conference. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong delivered the closing remarks. (Photo: Closing session of the 9th Conference of the Central Committee of the 13th Party Congress. Photo: Thong Nhat – TTXVN)

On the afternoon of May 18th, in Hanoi , Comrade Pham Minh Chinh, Member of the Political Bureau, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Government, Prime Minister, and Comrade Tran Thanh Man, Member of the Political Bureau, Deputy Secretary in charge of the Party Caucus of the National Assembly, Standing Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, presided over the activities of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly and the National Assembly co-chaired the meeting between the Party Caucus of the National Assembly and the Party Committee of the Government regarding the seventh session of the 15th National Assembly. In the photo: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Standing Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man preside over the meeting. Photo: Duong Giang - TTXVN

On May 18th, the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City and its member organizations, in coordination with the Union of Friendship Organizations of Ho Chi Minh City, organized the "Vietnamese Families with Lao and Cambodian Students Studying in Ho Chi Minh City" program in 2024. The program connected 162 Lao and Cambodian students studying in the city with 96 Vietnamese families who provided sponsorship. In the photo: Representatives of Vietnamese families and Lao and Cambodian students participating in the program. Photo: Xuan Khu - VNA

On May 18th, the National Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control, in coordination with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Vietnam and the Phu Tho Provincial Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue, organized a rally to respond to the 2024 National Week for Disaster Prevention and Control with the theme "Early Action - Proactive Response to Disasters". In the photo: A view of the rally responding to the 2024 National Week for Disaster Prevention and Control in Phu Tho. Photo: Ta Toan - VNA

On May 18th, at the Bai Dinh Pagoda International Conference Center (Gia Sinh commune, Gia Vien district, Ninh Binh province), the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Association of Ninh Binh province, in coordination with Bai Dinh Pagoda, organized the Grand Buddha's Birthday Celebration for the Buddhist year 2568 - Gregorian year 2024. Attending the Grand Celebration were representatives of the Ninh Binh provincial leadership; the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Association; the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Association of Ninh Binh province, along with thousands of monks, nuns, Buddhists, and visitors from all over. In the photo: Performing the ritual of bathing the Buddha statue at the Grand Celebration. Photo: Duc Phuong - VNA

This year, the Vietnamese student delegation participating in the 2024 International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF 2024) won a Second Prize. This is the highest award Vietnamese students have won in 12 years since the national Science and Engineering Fair was first held nationwide and Vietnam has participated in the International Science and Engineering Fair since 2013. ( In the photo: The Vietnamese student delegation participating in the competition in the United States. Photo: VNA)

On the morning of May 18th, the task force of Tan Thanh Border Guard Station, Binh Phuoc Provincial Border Guard, while patrolling and protecting the border in the area of ​​marker 65/36(2) in Tan Phong hamlet, Tan Thanh commune, Bu Dop district, Binh Phuoc province, discovered 3 people transporting many cartons across the Mang River from Cambodia to Vietnam with suspicious behavior, so they quickly approached to check. Upon seeing the patrol team, these 3 people quickly ran back to the other side of the border, leaving behind 206 cartons containing 1,890 bottles of foreign liquor of unknown origin. In the photo: Evidence of the case. Photo: TTXVN

INTERNATIONAL

On May 17, the European Council (EC) adopted the first legally binding global treaty concerning regulations governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI). In a statement, the EC said the Framework Convention on AI establishes a legal framework for all stages of the development and use of AI systems, while addressing the potential risks of AI and promoting responsible technological innovation. The treaty was adopted at the annual meeting of the EC's Committee of Ministers, attended by the foreign ministers of the 46 member states. (Photo: Overview of the annual meeting of the European Council's Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg, France. Photo: AFP/VNA )

In a research report published on May 17, the economic consulting firm Oxford Economics assessed that Canada's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth would only decline in the second and third quarters, before turning positive again in the final quarter of the year. The report specifically indicated that GDP is projected to decline by 0.5% and bottom out in the two middle quarters of the year. This forecast is 0.2 percentage points lower and one quarter earlier than previously predicted, based on an assessment of the impact of higher mortgage extensions for consumers, as well as the impact of declining new home construction, business investment, and inventory accumulation. (Image caption: Consumers shopping at a market in Toronto, Canada. Photo: AFP/TTXVN)

On May 17, US officials reported that at least seven people died when tornadoes with winds reaching 160 km/h swept through Texas, while Houston – the state's largest city and the fourth largest in the US – was dealing with widespread damage. Currently, more than 920,000 customers in Houston remain without power, a situation that could last for several weeks in some areas of Harris County. Due to the power outages, several major medical facilities in Harris County have closed or delayed appointments. Broken glass from high-rise buildings and fallen trees still lie scattered on the streets of downtown Houston. Many roads remain closed while sanitation workers clean up the debris. (Image caption: A house destroyed by a tornado in Houston, Texas, USA. Photo: THX/TTXVN)

TH (according to VNA)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/su-kien-noi-bat-trong-nuoc-quoc-te-ngay-18-5-382031.html