South Korea wants dialogue with Japan; US citizens may have their passports revoked for tax arrears

Colliding with a flock of birds, Russian plane forced to land in the middle of a field

A Ural Airlines plane luckily landed safely in a cornfield near Zhukovsky airport on August 15. Photo: Reuters

On August 15, a Ural Airlines Airbus A321 carrying 226 passengers and 7 crew members had just taken off from Moscow's Zhukovsky airport en route to Simferopol, Crimea when it crashed. The airline confirmed that the plane hit "countless" seagulls or crows.

Russian television said the plane made a "miraculous" landing in a cornfield 1 km from the airport without its landing gear. The engine, which had failed after the collision with the flock of birds, shut down before the plane hit the ground, avoiding the risk of fire.

A total of 23 people were injured, including nine children aged between 2 and 9. One person was said to be seriously injured. The plane was also badly damaged in the emergency landing, Ural Airlines said. Shortly afterwards, the Kremlin said the pilot and co-pilot would receive state awards for landing the plane safely.

South Korea softens tone, wants dialogue with Japan

In his speech on National Day (August 15), South Korean President Moon Jae-in declared that if Japan chooses the path of dialogue and cooperation, South Korea is always willing to cooperate closely:

“We hope that Japan will join other countries in playing a leading role in creating peace and prosperity in East Asia, reflecting on a past that brought misfortune to its neighbors. If Japan chooses the path of dialogue and cooperation, we will be ready to join hands.”

This is one of South Korea's clearest offers for dialogue to Japan since trade tensions between the two countries escalated after Tokyo decided to restrict exports of three important industrial materials to South Korea.

China warns of retaliation if US imposes tariffs

Chinese goods waiting to be unloaded at Long Beach port in Los Angeles, California, USA. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

On August 15, China's Ministry of Finance announced that Beijing would take necessary countermeasures if the US imposes tariffs on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods. The ministry affirmed that the US tariff measures violated the consensus between the two countries' leaders and deviated from resolving disputes through negotiations.

Relations between the two economic superpowers have worsened after US President Donald Trump announced his decision to impose new tariffs and Beijing responded by halting all purchases of US agricultural goods.

Six EU countries agree to take in migrants on rescue ship Open Arms

Rescue ship Open Arms rescues migrants after their boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea, July 17, 2018. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

On August 15, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that six European Union (EU) countries had agreed to take in about 150 migrants on the rescue ship Open Arms anchored near the Italian island of Lampedusa.

In a letter to Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, Prime Minister Conte said countries including France, Germany, Romania, Portugal, Spain and Luxembourg had announced their "readiness to welcome migrants".

The Open Arms search and rescue ship of the Spanish humanitarian organization Proactiva has been stuck in the Mediterranean for nearly two weeks after Italian Interior Minister Salvini banned migrant rescue ships from docking earlier this August.

The Open Arms has appealed to the court to be allowed to dock in Italy, arguing that the humanitarian ship has the right to take migrants to safety under international maritime law. On August 14, an Italian administrative court upheld the Open Arms’ appeal, suspending the Interior Ministry’s decision to ban the ship and its approximately 150 migrants from entering Italian territorial waters.

US citizens may have their passports revoked for tax arrears

Americans with tax debts of over $52,000 will have their travel restricted. Photo: CNBC

The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has just announced that it will coordinate with the State Department to promote the implementation of the US Surface Transportation Reform Act.

The law allows the federal government to deny or revoke passports to citizens who owe more than $52,000 in taxes. The IRS and the State Department have actually been allowed to do this since January 2018, but are only now stepping up implementation.

Before forwarding the case to the State Department, the IRS issues a warning to the taxpayer, who has 30 days to respond or risk losing their passport. About 400,000 people who owe more than $52,000 in taxes received the warning last year. But as of January 2019, only 200 of them had paid their debts, and 1,400 had agreed to pay.