7 'hot' world events yesterday
(Baonghean.vn) - Russian President Putin meets with Syrian President al-Assad; Zimbabwean President officially resigns; Mosque bombing in Nigeria, at least 50 people dead;... are the outstanding international news of the past day.
1. Russian President Putin meets Syrian President al-Assad
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| The two leaders of Russia and Syria met in Sochi. Photo: Twitter |
On November 21, Russian President Putin met with Syrian President al-Assad in the Russian city of Sochi to discuss the Syrian crisis. The two sides agreed that the current Syrian conflict should move from a military campaign to a search for a political solution.
Mr. Putin also appreciated the Syrian government's cooperation with the parties to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. In a statement from the Kremlin, President Putin said the meeting was to discuss the situation in Syria, just before the trilateral summit between Russia, Türkiye and Iran.
Russia is actively building an international consensus on a Syria peace deal, two years after it began its military intervention.
Immediately after meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, Russian President Vladimir Putin also had a phone call with US President Donald Trump to discuss the situation in Syria./.
2.Zimbabwean President officially resigns
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| Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe previously announced that he would not resign. Photo: History.co.uk |
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has voluntarily resigned after 37 years in power to allow for a smooth transition of power. The Speaker of Zimbabwe's Parliament read out President Mugabe's resignation letter on November 21 amid cheers from members of parliament who are participating in his impeachment proceedings.
The resignation also ended the impeachment process against Mugabe by the National Assembly, a stunning end for the world's oldest leader. Two days earlier (November 19), Mugabe had refused to step down after a 20-minute speech on national television. A ruling party official said former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa was expected to take power within the next 48 hours.
3. Bombing of a mosque in Nigeria, at least 50 people died
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| Boko Haram militants often carry out suicide attacks in many densely populated areas in Nigeria, causing serious human losses. Illustration photo: Getty Images |
A suicide bombing at a mosque in northeastern Nigeria on November 21 killed at least 50 people. It was the deadliest bombing since early 2017 and “the death toll could rise as many victims were seriously injured.
Mubi village in Adamawa state has been held by Boko Haram militants since 2014. The bombing was carried out by the group, which was driven out of the village in early 2015. Boko Haram militants often carry out suicide attacks targeting crowded areas such as mosques and markets.
According to Reuters, the above suicide bombing caused the largest casualties since a similar incident last December, which killed 56 people and injured dozens of others at a market also in Adamawa state.
4. North Korea declares readiness for 'war' with the US
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| North Korea's Pukguksong-2 solid-fuel medium-range ballistic missile. Photo: SCMP. |
North Korea has declared it is ready for war with the United States, and is not afraid of a preemptive US military action to stop Pyongyang's missile and nuclear weapons programs, the Independent reported yesterday (November 21).
North Korea's foreign ministry has issued harsh comments criticizing US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's recent remarks on tougher sanctions, and asserted that North Korea will not be deterred from its nuclear program.
“We have the will and ability to respond to any war the US desires,” the state news agency KCNA quoted a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.
The statements from North Korea's Foreign Ministry came after US President Donald Trump reprimanded North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for "acting very badly" in testing a new missile engine.
5.US imposes sanctions on China and North Korea
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| A Chinese man uses binoculars to look across to North Korean territory from Dandong city. Photo: CNN |
The United States has imposed sanctions on 13 Chinese and North Korean entities that Washington accuses of helping evade sanctions against Pyongyang's nuclear program and supporting North Korea through trade.
The new sanctions show the Trump administration's focus on trade between China and North Korea, which the White House says is key to pressuring Pyongyang to abandon its ambitions to develop nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States.
6. Lebanese Prime Minister returns home for the first time after resigning
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| Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri. Photo: aa.com.tr |
Saad al-Hariri has returned home for the first time since resigning as Lebanon's prime minister in a broadcast from Saudi Arabia, plunging his country into a political crisis.
Hariri's abrupt resignation while in Saudi Arabia and continued stay there has caused confusion in Lebanon, with reports suggesting he was detained by Riyadh. His resignation has thrust Lebanon into the forefront of a regional power struggle between Saudi Arabia's Sunni Muslim majority and Iran's Shi'ite Muslim majority. Iran is believed to back Hezbollah, which has a seat in the Lebanese government.
7. Iraqi Prime Minister declares defeat of IS terrorists
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| Iraqi forces in an operation to sweep IS in Rawa on October 28. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
On November 21, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) terrorist group had been defeated. However, the final declaration of victory will only be made after IS militants have been thoroughly hunted down in the deserts and border areas of Iraq.
Iraqi forces took control of Rawa, the last town under IS control, over the weekend, marking the collapse of the self-proclaimed “caliphate” since IS overran northern and western Iraq in 2014. The Iraqi military is continuing security operations in desert and border areas.
Before the announcement of the Iraqi Prime Minister, the President of neighboring Iran, Hassan Rouhani also declared an end to IS. Iranian military officials also honored the soldiers who died while participating in anti-IS terrorist campaigns in Iraq and Syria.
In the Syrian battlefield, having lost the stronghold of al-Bukamal, IS was driven out of all its strongholds in Syria and is only hiding in some places in the northeast and south of Syria.
Peace
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