EU won't accept Brexit delay for too long; Russia will prevent US intervention in Venezuela
(Baonghean.vn) - The European Union is unlikely to accept a long-term postponement of Brexit; the South Korean president is preparing to reshuffle his cabinet; Russia will do everything to prevent the US from intervening in Venezuela; rebels kill dozens of Syrian government soldiers... are the world's top news stories of the past 24 hours.
The European Union is unlikely to accept a long-term Brexit delay.
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| British Trade Secretary Liam Fox. Photo: Reuters |
On March 3, British Trade Minister Liam Fox said that the European Union (EU) is unlikely to agree to let Britain postpone its deadline to leave the union for a long time, as the bloc is preparing for a number of important votes in the coming time.
Although he believes that Brexit is entirely possible on the deadline of March 29, Secretary Liam Fox admits that a delay is necessary to allow the UK to leave smoothly. Previously, British Prime Minister Theresa May had stated that if delayed, Brexit would still take place no later than the end of June.
US President: North Korea "has no economic future if it decides to keep nuclear weapons"
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| US President Donald Trump. Photo: Reuters |
“North Korea has a very bright and impressive economic outlook if they make a deal with the United States, but they have nothing if they keep their nuclear weapons,” Trump said at a rally in Maryland on March 3, according to Reuters. He also stressed that the United States has an “incredibly strong” relationship with North Korea.
Although no agreement was reached, both the US and North Korea highly appreciated the recent summit in Hanoi, as a step to build more mutual trust, aiming to create a breakthrough in the future.
Russia will do everything to prevent US intervention in Venezuela
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Ms. Valentina Matvienko, speaker of the Russian Senate. |
The political and social situation in Venezuela is very tense after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself the "interim president" of the country. President Guaido said this was a coup plot. The US and some Western countries expressed support for Mr. Guaido and sent an "ultimatum" to President Maduro, demanding early presidential elections. Meanwhile, countries such as Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Syria and Türkiye expressed support for constitutional President Maduro.
South Korean President prepares to reshuffle cabinet
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| South Korean President Moon Jae-in (2nd left) at a cabinet meeting in Seoul. Photo: Yonhap/TTXVN |
Yonhap news agency quoted the South Korean presidential office as saying on March 3 that President Moon Jae-in is preparing to reshuffle his cabinet next week and is expected to appoint ambassadors to major countries on March 4. Presidential office spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said at a press conference: "The government plans to reshuffle the cabinet next week."
Regarding the article stating that it is likely that ruling Democratic Party lawmakers Woo Sang-ho, Park Yong-son, and Jin Yong will be selected as Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, Ventures, and Minister of Security and Administration, respectively, spokesman Kim said it is not yet determined who will take on these positions.
Rebels kill dozens of Syrian government soldiers
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| Syrian soldiers. Photo: EPA/TTXVN |
According to AFP, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that on March 3, a Syrian jihadist organization linked to al-Qaeda killed 21 soldiers of the Syrian government and its allies near Idlib province. The incident was one of the violations of the 6-month-long ceasefire agreement. In the announcement, SOHR said: "At dawn, 21 soldiers of the government and allied militia were killed in an attack by Ansar al-Tawhid jihadists."
Earlier, a spokesman for the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said the force, which is approaching the last stronghold of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) group near the border with Iraq, expects to achieve a "decisive victory" on March 3, after previous slow progress.
Malaysia ready to resume search for missing MH370 plane
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| The search for MH370 has yet to yield results. Photo: abc.net.au |
Speaking to reporters at an event in Kuala Lumpur marking the fifth anniversary of the disappearance of MH370, Transport Minister Loke said Malaysia plans to pay companies involved in the search for MH370 only if they locate the plane. In fact, Malaysia offered to pay Ocean Infinity $70 million under the agreement during the 2018 search.
Unfortunately, Ocean Infinity’s three-month search operation ended in May 2018 without any results. Therefore, Mr. Loke emphasized that if the companies come up with concrete or credible proposals, Malaysia is willing to consider the proposals and discuss with these companies.
