Outstanding domestic and international events on December 31

DOMESTIC

On December 31, General Secretary To Lam, Head of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption, Wastefulness and Negativity, chaired the 27th meeting of the Steering Committee. The meeting aimed to give opinions on the results of activities in 2024, the 2025 work program of the Steering Committee and the results of directing and handling cases and cases under the management of the Steering Committee in 2024 and some other important contents. Praising the achieved results and lessons learned, General Secretary To Lam requested that in 2025, it is necessary to continue reviewing and evaluating the anti-corruption, waste and negativity program from the beginning of the term to supplement the documents of the 14th National Party Congress. Resolutely and comprehensively deploy the task of anti-waste in the whole society, focusing on issues of land, environment, budgetary finance, strengthening anti-corruption, waste and negativity in association with streamlining the apparatus of the political system.In the picture:General Secretary To Lam speaks.Photo: Thong Nhat - VNA

On the afternoon of December 31, at the Presidential Palace, President Luong Cuong attended and gave a speech at the conference to review the work in 2024 and deploy tasks in 2025 of the Office of the President. Also attending was Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan.In the picture:President Luong Cuong delivered a speech directing the conference to review the work in 2024 and deploy tasks in 2025 of the Office of the President.Photo: Lam Khanh - VNA

On December 31, in Hanoi, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the Dialogue Conference with Vietnamese Farmers in 2024 with the theme: "Arousing the aspiration to get rich to develop a prosperous and happy country; confidently entering a new era". In the afternoon of the same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended and directed the Conference to review the state financial and budget work in 2024 and deploy tasks for 2025.In the picture:Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and representatives of leaders of ministries, departments and associations chaired the dialogue with farmers.Photo: Duong Giang-VNA

On the afternoon of December 31, in Hanoi, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man met with a delegation of meritorious people from the 271st Regiment of the Tri Thien Military Region. Also attending were: Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary General of the National Assembly, Head of the National Assembly Office Le Quang Tung; Deputy Head of the National Defense and Security Committee, Lieutenant General Do Quang Thanh; Deputy Head of the Social Committee Lam Van Doan. The 271st Regiment was established on August 12, 1971 in Nam Dan, Nghe An. During the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign, the 271st Regiment coordinated with other regiments and divisions to attack and penetrate deep into enemy positions, capture enemy military targets on the way of attack, quickly advance into Hue city, pursue the fleeing enemy to Thuan An, contributing to the glorious victory of the army and people of Thua Thien - Hue, creating the great victory of the spring of 1975, unifying the country.In the picture:National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man with delegates.Photo: Doan Tan - VNA

On December 31, in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province, the 5th Conference of the Coordination Council for the North Central and Central Coast regions took place. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Chairman of the Coordination Council for the North Central and Central Coast regions, chaired the Conference. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested ministries, branches, provinces and cities in the region to promote the disbursement of public investment capital from the beginning of 2025; have synchronous and feasible solutions to accelerate the implementation of key projects, regional linkages, and coastal routes; strengthen coordination of activities linking sustainable development of marine economic sectors, activities to preserve and promote the value of regional cultural heritage, protect the environment, and effectively and sustainably use natural resources.In the picture:Conference scene.Photo: Tien Minh - VNA

On December 31, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held the Closing and Awarding Ceremony of the 2024 Songwriting Contest on Ethnic Minorities. At the Closing and Awarding Ceremony, the Organizing Committee awarded 2 first prizes to author Cao Nam Cuong with the work "Echo of the Great Forest" and Nguyen Ngoc Khue with the work "Mot Spring". In addition, the Organizing Committee also awarded 2 second prizes, 3 third prizes, 6 consolation prizes and 5 open prizes to other excellent works.In the picture:Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy awarded first prize to two songs "Echoes of the Great Forest" by Cao Nam Cuong (Dak Nong) and "Mot Spring" by Ngoc Khue (Hanoi).Photo: Thanh Tung - VNA

In the early morning of December 31, a particularly serious work accident occurred during the concrete pouring process of the spillway of Dak Mi 1 Hydropower Plant in Dak Glei District (Kon Tum), killing 5 people. Immediately after the incident, local forces dived to search for people but the water was too cold so they were unsuccessful. By noon of the same day, authorities had found 3 dead workers, the remaining 2 are still missing.In the picture:Authorities present at the scene of Dak Mi 1 Hydropower Plant.Photo: VNA

INTERNATIONAL

Chinese President Xi Jinping on December 31 sent New Year greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin, affirming the deep and lasting partnership between the two countries. In his greetings, Xi Jinping stated that China-Russia relations have always walked together on the right path, without alliances, without confrontation, and without targeting a third country. He also said that under the strategic guidance of both leaders, political trust and strategic coordination between the two countries have been continuously consolidated and developed to a new level. In this file photo: Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Kazan, Russia on October 22, 2024.Photo: THX/TTXVN

The foreign ministers of the United States, Australia, Japan and India, part of the Quad grouping, have reaffirmed their commitment to a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The message was issued on December 30, the 20th anniversary of the Quad grouping. The joint statement said the countries in the grouping are committed to working together to address global issues such as climate change, counter-terrorism, cyber security and technological development.In the picture:Quad foreign ministers meet in Tokyo, Japan.Photo: Kyodo/VNA

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on December 30 that the health care system in the northern Gaza Strip has been "obliterated" by the impact of the conflict between the Hamas Islamist movement and Israel. Hospitals are now "completely unable to function." In a statement, the ICRC said that continuous fighting in and around hospitals has flattened the health care system in northern Gaza, leaving civilians at an unacceptable risk of not receiving life-saving treatment.In the picture:Buildings destroyed after Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.Photo: IRNA/TXTVN