6 'hot' events in the world in the past 24 hours

(Baonghean.vn) - The UN Security Council held an urgent meeting on North Korea; Australia fired a Senator who supported China on the East Sea issue; Chinese Prime Minister called for closer cooperation with Russia;... are the outstanding international news of the past day.

1. UN Security Council holds urgent meeting on North Korea

Overview of the UN Security Council meeting in New York, USA. THX/TTXVN

On the afternoon of November 29 (morning of November 30, Hanoi time), the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held an emergency meeting to discuss North Korea's latest missile test launch, but did not issue a joint statement.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Mr. Sebastiano Cardi, Ambassador of Italy - the country holding the presidency of the UNSC in November, said that all UNSC member countries urged North Korea to stop its nuclear and missile tests and emphasized the need to strictly implement the UNSC's resolutions on the issue of North Korea.

However, as in the emergency meetings after each previous North Korean missile or nuclear test, leaked information from the closed meeting on November 29 once again showed that the UNSC member countries have not yet agreed on how to handle the North Korean nuclear and missile issue.

2. Australia fires Senator who supports China on the East Sea issue

Senator Sam Dastyari. Photo: SMH

ABC News reported on November 30 that the leader of the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) Bill Shorten had removed Mr. Sam Dastyari from his positions in the country's Senate.

According to the source, on November 29, Mr. Shorten called the Senator to ask him to resign in connection with his comments about China's policy towards the East Sea.

The Australian government will also ask Mr Dastyari to resign from parliament. The source added that Mr Dastyari “will resist the request” but acknowledged that new information about his actions had cost him his job.

3. Chinese Prime Minister calls for closer cooperation with Russia

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. (Source: AFP/VNA)

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on November 30 called for closer economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia, stressing that the two countries will strengthen cooperation on important international issues.

The above statement was made by the Chinese Prime Minister in an interview with Russia's Interfax news agency ahead of the 16th conference of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held on November 30 and December 1 in Sochi (Russia).

Li Keqiang said that China and Russia are facing new opportunities to expand economic and trade cooperation. The development of China-Russia economic and trade cooperation has made steady progress this year in both quality and quantity.

4. Former ASEAN Secretary General dies suddenly

Former ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan.

Mr. Surin Pitsuwan, former Foreign Minister of Thailand and former Secretary-General of ASEAN, passed away from a heart attack on November 30 at the age of 68.

Mr. Surin collapsed while preparing to speak at the Thailand Halal Council 2017 at Bitec, Bang Na. He was rushed to Ramkhamhaeng Hospital. Doctors later confirmed that he was dead.

Surin Pitsuwan was born on October 28, 1949 in Muang District, Nakhon Si Thammarat City, Thailand. He graduated with a degree in political science from Claremont University in California in 1972 and a master's degree from Harvard University.

Surin Pitsuwan entered politics in 1986 as a Democrat candidate and won a seat in his home city in elections from 1986 to 2005.

Mr. Surin was Thailand’s Deputy Foreign Minister from 1992-1994. He served as Foreign Minister from 1997-2001 under Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai. He was the first Thai to become ASEAN Secretary-General, serving a five-year term starting in 2008. He later rejoined the Democrat Party (Thailand).

5. North Korea releases video of Hwasong-15 missile launch

Image of Hwasong-15 missile posted on Rodong Sinmun. Source: nknews.org

North Korean television on the morning of November 30 showed images of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile being launched under the supervision of Kim Jong-un.

The video shows the Hwasong-15 missile being transported to Pyongsong, South Pyongan Province, about 30 km north of the capital Pyongyang. Leader Kim Jong-un happily hugs his generals as the missile is launched almost vertically into the sky. It landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone after flying about 960 km, reaching a maximum altitude of 4,475 km.

If fired at an optimal trajectory, the missile could reach a range of up to 13,000 km, enough to cover the entire US territory, according to experts. This is considered the longest-range, highest-altitude missile North Korea has ever tested.

6. Russia criticizes US call to cut ties with North Korea

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Source: AFP/VNA

According to Reuters/AFP, on November 30, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected the US call that all countries should cut ties with North Korea due to its ballistic missile program.

"We see this negatively. We have repeatedly said that the pressure from sanctions is exhausting enough," Lavrov told reporters in the Belarusian capital Minsk.

The statement by the head of Russian diplomacy came after US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said that all countries should end all relations with Pyongyang, including cutting off trade ties and expelling North Korean workers.

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