Former Foreign Secretary Becomes New British Prime Minister; Germans Worry About Russia and Ukraine Getting Closer Together

Boris Johnson becomes British Prime Minister

New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Photo: New Daily

Former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was elected as the leader of the Conservative Party on July 23, 2019 and became the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, replacing Prime Minister Theresa May. According to the BBC, Mr. Johnson defeated his rival in the same party, Mr. Jeremy Hunt. Mr. Johnson won 92,153 votes while Mr. Hunt's number was 46,656. This is not a surprising result because since the race for the leadership of the British Conservative Party took place after Theresa May's resignation announcement in early June 2019, Mr. Boris Johnson has always been considered the number 1 candidate, far ahead of other competitors thanks to the massive support of grassroots members of the Conservative Party.

This afternoon (July 24), Mr. Boris Johnson will meet with the Queen of England and officially take office as British Prime Minister, replacing Mrs. Theresa May with the most important task of taking over the Brexit process, successfully leading the UK out of the EU.

The US will deport illegal immigrants faster than before

Migrants at the El Chaparral border fence in Tijuana, Mexico. Photo: AFP

According to Reuters news agency, the US government announced that it will speed up the process of deporting illegal immigrants in the country, by eliminating court supervision, allowing officials to deport them within days, instead of months or years as before.

The new process, announced on July 23, applies to most immigrants who enter the United States illegally unless they can prove they have lived in the country for at least two years. Legal experts say it is a dramatic expansion of a program already in use along the U.S.-Mexico border.

South Korea fires hundreds of warning shots at Russian and Chinese aircraft

South Korea's Defense Ministry said on July 23 that three Russian military aircraft, including two Tu-95 bombers and an A-50 early warning aircraft, initially entered the country's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) off its east coast, and one of the aircraft later violated South Korean airspace. South Korean fighter jets fired several warning shots, prompting the Russian aircraft to leave, but 20 minutes later it returned and re-entered South Korean airspace, forcing the latter to fire warning shots.

An unnamed South Korean defense ministry official said three Russian planes entered the ADIZ along with two Chinese military planes, but it was unclear whether this was a deliberate move by Moscow and Beijing. Before appearing with the Russian planes, the Chinese planes had entered South Korea's ADIZ off the southwest coast, a move that has occurred occasionally in recent years, according to the South Korean official. Meanwhile, the Russian defense ministry denied that its strategic bombers had violated South Korean airspace, according to the RIA news agency.

Germans worry about Russia and Ukraine getting closer after parliamentary elections

The results of the Verkhovnaya Rada elections in Ukraine mean that Europe could face serious problems, the German newspaper Die Welt writes. The newspaper assumes that among the Ukrainian voters who voted for the Servant of the People party led by President Vladimir Zelensky, there are many who want to improve relations with Russia. And if that happens, it will be “a problem for the whole of Europe.”

The newspaper also notes that in Ukraine there is a similar trend developing as in Europe. In particular, it claims that the political leadership is amateurish, as well as the growing criticism of the elite. Thanks to this, Zelensky was able to win the presidential election, and now receives record support in the parliamentary elections.

US ready to ensure security for North Korea to denuclearize

President Trump met Chairman Kim at Panmunjom on June 30. Photo: Reuters

The US is ready to provide security guarantees to North Korea if Pyongyang shows goodwill toward complete denuclearization, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on July 23, after North Korea warned that resuming talks could be "affected" by planned US-South Korea military exercises next month.

Secretary Pompeo reiterated Washington’s call on Pyongyang to take action to implement the agreement reached by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump at the first US-North Korea summit in June 2018. Secretary Pompeo was also optimistic that working-level talks would begin in the coming weeks.

China admits it has to "work hard" to maintain growth

China’s industry ministry said on July 23 that it would have to “work hard” to meet its industrial output growth target this year, amid a trade war with the United States that is weighing on exports and the outlook for the country’s overall economy.

According to the radioCNBCChina's economic growth slowed to 6.2% in the second quarter of 2019, its weakest growth in 27 years. Weakening domestic and foreign demand due to the trade war with the US is believed to be the main cause of this result.