US Midterm Elections; Chinese Businessman Advises Philippine President
(Baonghean.vn) - Tens of millions of American voters went to the polls in the midterm elections; Russia accused Israel of multiple surprise airstrikes in Syria; the Philippines admitted that a Chinese businessman was an advisor to Duterte;... are the world's top news stories of the past 24 hours.
Tens of millions of American voters go to the polls in the midterm elections.
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Americans vote in the midterm elections in New York City. Photo:Reuters |
November 6 is the official day of the US midterm elections. Polls in some states have opened and people have about 12 hours to vote. Although the official election day is November 6, at least 31 million Americans have already voted early or by mail. This number is much higher than the number of early voters in 2014, when 22 million people voted early. This year's voter turnout could reach 45%, the highest in 50 years.
This year, American voters will be re-electing all 435 House seats, 35 of the 100 Senate seats, and 39 state and territorial governorships. Held every two years, the midterm elections are always important for any sitting president or administration. Historically, presidents have lost many seats in Congress after each midterm election because the results can have a major impact on the policies of the sitting administration.
Russia accuses Israel of repeated surprise airstrikes in Syria
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Israeli F-15 fighter jets fly during a graduation ceremony for pilots at Hatzerim air base, near the city of Beersheba. Photo:AP. |
"Israel does not always strictly comply with its obligations, in particular, informing the Russian military in advance about air strikes in Syria. "We have warned Israel that this attitude will lead to tragic consequences," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov toldEl PaisNovember 5. Mr. Lavrov said that such Israeli air strikes threaten the lives of Russian servicemen in Syria, such as the attack on T-4 airport in Palmyra in March 2017.
The Russian Foreign Minister stressed that such actions by the Israeli military only increase tensions in the region and cannot solve the country's security problems. "Israel continues to bomb targets in Syria and this led to the tragedy of the downing of the Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane with 15 servicemen on board on September 17," Lavrov said.
Philippines admits Chinese businessman as Duterte adviser
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Michael Yang (second from right) accompanied President Duterte and the Philippine delegation during a visit to Beijing in October 2016. Photo:Toto Lozano. |
Manila today acknowledged the role of a Chinese national as an economic adviser, weeks after Duterte denied it. "Michael Yang is just one of the advisers the President wanted to consult on a specific issue. He only receives a symbolic salary of one peso ($0.019) a year,"ABSquoted Philippine Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo.
Asked if it was legal for a foreign national to serve as an adviser, Panelo said yes, “if only in an advisory role,” adding that Michael Yang’s business knowledge and ties to China would provide valuable input to Duterte.
Since taking office as President, the Duterte administration has pursued a policy of strengthening trade relations with China, putting aside disputes between Manila and Beijing over the East Sea issue.
Afghanistan confirms it will attend November 9 peace talks in Russia
Foreign delegates attend the 2nd Kabul Process Conference at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, February 28, 2018. Photo: AFP |
A delegation from Afghanistan's High Peace Council will attend the Moscow format multilateral peace talks scheduled to be held in Russia on November 9, Afghan officials said. A spokesman for the High Peace Council, a government body in charge of negotiating with the Taliban, said the body will send four representatives to the talks, which will focus on starting the process of negotiations between the Kabul government and the Taliban.
Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the group is still considering whether to participate in peace talks or not.
Human resource crisis, British army increases foreign recruitment
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British soldiers at a training base in mid-2017. Photo:Telegraph |
The UK National Audit Office said the country's military is facing a manpower crisis with a shortage of up to 8,200 new recruits, the most serious level since 2010. This prompted the UK Ministry of Defense to decide to remove the regulation that only allows Commonwealth citizens who have lived in the UK for more than 5 years to join the military.
With the new regulations coming into effect, the British Ministry of Defense hopes to recruit an additional 1,300 soldiers from countries such as Australia, India, Canada, Kenya and Fiji.
Mexican government prioritizes humanitarian assistance to migrants
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Providing food and clothing for migrants. Photo: Viet Hung/Vietnam+ |
The Mexican government said it is prioritizing humanitarian assistance to thousands of Central American migrants from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala who are in the country on their journey to the United States. The Mexican Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced measures to protect migrants, including ensuring their rights, human rights, dialogue and information efforts, and the implementation of an inter-agency mechanism with the authorities of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Mexico will prioritize the consideration and processing of asylum applications from families with children, minors, pregnant women and women in general, as well as the elderly.
Representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), the Mexican Migration Institute and the Mexican Commission for the Assistance of Refugees (Comar) have been working together to process asylum applications, provide advice and provide legal assistance to migrants.
US allows China to buy Iranian oil for 180 days
Illustration: Getty Images |
A US waiver on Iran sanctions will allow China to buy 360,000 barrels of oil per day from the Islamic Republic for 180 days, Reuters reported on November 6. The waiver will come with conditions, including requiring disclosure of trading partners and payment methods. According to Chinese customs data, China bought an average of 655,000 barrels of oil per day from Iran between January and September 2018.
Earlier, on November 5, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US would exempt China, India and Japan from the ban on buying Iranian oil, while affirming that it would continue to put pressure on Tehran. Mr. Pompeo listed 7 countries that enjoy temporary exemptions from the ban on oil trading with Iran: China, India, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea and Türkiye, along with Taiwan (China).
Brazil: Lawyers demand release of former President Lula da Silva
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva. Source: AP |
On November 6, the defense team of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, currently serving a prison sentence for corruption, filed a petition to free him. In an appeal to the Brazilian Supreme Court, the lawyers accused Judge Sergio Moro, who sentenced Lula da Silva, of bias, acting out of personal interests and showing hostility toward former President Lula da Silva. The lawyers stressed that the evidence presented by Judge Moro was unconvincing and did not prove the charges against Lula da Silva. The lawyers also sought a court order to prevent Moro from handling future cases involving Lula da Silva.
Judge Moro sentenced Lula da Silva to 12 years in prison just before Brazil’s presidential election last month, effectively denying the former president any chance of running for office. Notably, after the election, Judge Moro was announced to serve as justice minister in the new government.
Migration from Africa to Spain is skyrocketing
Migrants arrive in Tarifa, Cadiz, Spain after being rescued at sea. Source: EFE-EPA/TTXVN |
Thirteen African migrants from sub-Saharan Africa died and 80 others were rescued at sea as they tried to reach Spain in two boats from the North African coast, Spanish officials said. The coast guard rescued the boats 20 miles (32 kilometers) off Melilla as they headed toward the Iberian Peninsula.
More and more migrants from Africa are trying to reach Spain by sea or through the two regions of Ceuta and Melilla bordering Morocco, which are Europe's only land border crossings with Africa. According to statistics from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as well as data from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, in the first 10 months of the year, a total of 47,505 migrants from Africa arrived in Spain by sea, higher than the 47,170 who arrived in the 6 years from 2012 to 2017. In October alone, 10,042 people took advantage of favorable weather to reach Spain before winter arrived.
