Check out the world's most eventful events in the past 24 hours

The possibility of the US continuing to impose high tariffs on Chinese goods

US President Donald Trump is considering imposing a 25% tariff on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, instead of the previously announced 10% tariff.

Several sources revealed the above information to the Washington Post and Bloomberg in the context of trade tensions between the world's two largest economies being at a "boiling point" that, according to analysts, could lead to a trade war and slow down global economic growth.

In early July, the US imposed a 25% tariff on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods and plans to impose tariffs on an additional $16 billion worth of goods. The US tariff increase is one of the Trump administration's solutions to reduce the trade deficit with China.

Syrian President Says Victory in Civil War Is Near

Syrian soldiers take control of Al-Mal area, Daraa province, Syria on July 18. Photo: THX/TTXVN

On August 1, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad affirmed to his soldiers that his country was about to win the 7-year civil war in the Middle Eastern country, after a series of consecutive defeats by rebel forces.

In an open letter to soldiers, President Assad stressed that victory was near, as rebels were forced to flee after a series of defeats. At the beginning of 2017, Syrian government forces controlled only 17% of the territory, but since launching a series of attacks, government forces have driven the rebels out of many of their strongholds, giving President Assad's government control of nearly two-thirds of the Middle Eastern country's territory.

On the same day, the Syrian army captured Qusayr, the last town under the control of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization in the southern province of Daraa.

Video of a Japanese journalist missing in Syria calling for help appears

Photo cut from video clip posted on Japanese media. Source: asahi.com

A Japanese freelance journalist who was held by rebels in Syria three years ago appeared to be in a video posted on Japanese media on August 1, Reuters reported, citing the Japanese government.

The bearded man, dressed in orange, was kneeling under the siege of two hooded gunmen dressed in black. In a video shown on Japanese media websites, he said in Japanese with a tense voice: “My name is Umar. I am Korean. Today is July 25, 2018. I am in a terrible situation. Please help me immediately.”

However, it is unclear why he claimed to be Korean or why he used this name.

UNC holds ceremony to receive 55 sets of US soldiers' remains returned by North Korea

A ceremony to receive the remains of US soldiers was held at Osan Air Base, Pyeongtaek Province, South Korea. Photo: Reuters

On August 1, at Osan Air Base, Pyeongtaek, South Korea, the United Nations Command in Korea (UNC) held a ceremony to receive 55 sets of remains believed to be American soldiers killed in the Korean War (1950-1953) returned by North Korea five days earlier.

The event was attended by UNC Commander General Vincent Brooks, South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo, US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris, and nearly 500 others. Fifty-five sets of remains, placed in metal coffins, were loaded onto US transport planes and are expected to be flown to Joint Base Hickam in Hawaii for identification.

Iranian forces withdraw heavy weapons from Golan Heights

Iran's heavy weapons in the Golan Heights. Source: israeltoday.co.il

According to Reuters, on August 1, TASS news agency quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy on Syria, Mr. Alexander Lavrentiev, saying that Iranian forces had withdrawn heavy weapons to an area 85km from the Golan Heights border between Israel and Syria.

“The Iranian forces have withdrawn and the Shiite forces are not there,” the official said. Mr. Lavrentiev said Iranian soldiers, whom he described as advisers, could be among the Syrian army forces still present closer to the Israeli border.

Rescue forces at the scene of the plane crash. Photo:AFP.

On the morning of August 1 (Vietnam time), a Mexican official said that the Embraer 190 passenger plane crashed shortly after takeoff at Aeropuerto Guadalupe Victoria International Airport in Durango state due to weather factors, specifically strong winds. The plane tilted and crashed into the runway. Meanwhile, Mr. Andrés Conesa - Director of Aeroméxico, the operator of the crashed plane, affirmed that the crashed plane complied with all technical standards on domestic and international flight safety.

The accident left the plane badly damaged and partially on fire, but fortunately no one was killed, while at least 85 people were injured. Among the injured, 2 were seriously injured.

Also on August 1, Luis Gerardo Fonseca, director of Mexico's civil aviation agency, said the black boxes of the Embraer 190 plane had been found. These are devices containing cockpit voice recorders and flight data, which can provide important details about the final minutes of the plane before the accident.

Myanmar issues new company law to attract foreign investment

Asia World Container Terminal in Myanmar. Source: AFP/TTXVN

Myanmar has drawn up a new company law after amending the Companies Act of 1914 to adapt to the current situation, marking a major milestone in its efforts to promote foreign investment.

It is expected that all businesses in Myanmar will have to re-register within six months from the Myanmar Companies Law 2018 coming into effect on August 1, and this registration process will be done online via the MyCO system.

India decides to recall "dirty" vaccine from a Chinese company

Authorities inspect the supply of vaccines in Dung An, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on July 23. Photo: EPA/TTXVN

On August 1, India decided to recall rabies vaccines from Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology Company, which is at the center of a vaccine scandal in China. The decision was made shortly after New Delhi banned the import of this "dirty" vaccine.

The head of India's drug regulator, S. Eswara Reddy, said authorities were investigating the incident. However, "all imported vaccines (from the company) will be recalled" in the meantime. According to the Indian government's National Rabies Control Programme, rabies kills 20,000 people in India every year.

Severe floods in India kill 82 people

Heavy rains in recent days have caused floods in northern India, killing at least 82 people.

According to the Indian Disaster Management Authority, the majority of the deaths were in the city of Agra. At least 100 people were injured and 450 houses were damaged. Flooding also damaged many road structures.

Faizabad district in Uttar Pradesh received the heaviest rainfall with nearly 140 mm. Uttar Pradesh officials said the flooding situation is likely to worsen in the coming days.