Korean and North Korean leaders climb sacred mountain together; EU takes tough stance with UK on Brexit
(Baonghean.vn) - The world over the past 24 hours has been filled with many outstanding news such as: Korean and North Korean leaders climb a sacred mountain together; Türkiye's domestic lira loses up to 40% of its value; EU takes a tough stance on Britain over Brexit; Japanese Prime Minister Abe is re-elected; America may not build a "Fort Trump" base in Poland...
Korean and North Korean leaders climb sacred mountain together
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| South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un raise their hands atop the sacred Mount Paektu, the highest point on the Korean Peninsula and considered the birthplace of the Korean people. Photo: AP |
On the morning of September 20, President Moon Jae-in concluded his three-day visit to North Korea for the third summit with leader Kim Jong-un with a highly symbolic climb to Mount Paektu, affirming the two leaders' commitment to reconciliation and eventual unification.
The joint trip to Mount Paektu by Mr. Moon Jae-in and Mr. Kim Jong-un is meaningful, especially after the successful Korea-North Korea Summit with remarkable results. In which, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un committed to taking concrete steps in the denuclearization process such as dismantling the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test site or promising to soon visit Seoul at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in. The two leaders agreed to take concrete measures to reduce military tensions, as well as increase economic exchanges and cooperation between the two sides. In particular, the reconnection of cross-border railways and roads or the candidacy to jointly host the 2032 Summer Olympics.
Israel released satellite photos of the Syrian Presidential Palace to threaten?
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| Image of the Syrian Presidential Palace in Damascus taken by Ofek 11 spy satellite. Photo: Israeli Ministry of Defense |
Marking the 30th anniversary of the launch of the satellite into orbit, on September 17, Israel released three photos taken by the Ofek 11 satellite of locations in Syria - a move seen as a "hidden threat" to the country's government.
The photos include the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's Palace, tanks at a military base and Damascus International Airport. According to the Times of Israel, the release of the photos can be seen as a show of force and a veiled threat to Syria, where Israel regularly strikes Iranian targets there.
US may not build 'Fort Trump' base in Poland
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US Abrams tanks during an exercise in Poland. Photo:AFP. |
"This area does not have enough space and space for soldiers to be able to fully train. For example, deploying artillery would require a lot of space," AFP quoted US Army Secretary Mark Esper as saying, referring to Poland's proposal to build a permanent base for US soldiers in the country.
During a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on September 18, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that his country is willing to spend at least $2 billion to build a base called "Fort Trump" to counter Russia's growing military presence in Eastern Europe. However, Secretary Esper said that terrain and space constraints in the area where the base is planned will prevent US forces from maintaining the required level of combat readiness and operational capabilities.
Japanese Prime Minister Abe re-elected
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election today at the party headquarters in Tokyo. Photo:Reuters. |
In the "two-horse" race for the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on September 20, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won 553 votes, defeating former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba, who only had 254 votes.AFPThe victory will allow Mr. Abe to remain prime minister until 2021, paving the way for the 63-year-old politician to break the record for longest tenure held by Taro Katsura, who served three terms as prime minister from 1901 to 1913.
While Japanese voters see the economy and social security as top priorities, Prime Minister Abe aims to reform the pacifist constitution introduced after World War II, which stipulates that Japan must "forever renounce war" and not maintain armed forces.
EU tough on Britain on Brexit
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| Brexit deal still “far away”. Photo: Anadolu |
The informal EU summit began on the evening of September 19 in Salzburg, Austria, to discuss the issue of Britain leaving the European Union (Brexit) and the issue of migration. Taking place at a decisive time, this 2-day conference (September 19-20) is an opportunity for British Prime Minister Theresa May to directly dialogue with the leaders of the 27 European Union (EU) member states regarding the Brexit issue, instead of having to negotiate through the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.
Just before the meeting took place, an optimistic atmosphere was set by British officials about a Brexit deal between the two sides. However, contrary to that prospect, EU leaders seemed to "poured cold water" with the statement of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker that a Brexit deal was still "far away". Describing the meeting, the British news agency Reuters wrote: European Union leaders politely listened to the call of British Prime Minister Theresa May. However, the meeting then reached a deadlock with the dispute over the issue of the Northern Ireland border. Speaking after the first day of the meeting, the leaders of Lithuania and Slovakia both said that there was no progress on Brexit and the issue of the Irish border.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak officially charged with abuse of power and money laundering
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| Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (center) arrives at court in Kuala Lumpur on August 8, 2018. Photo: THX/TTXVN |
On September 20, Malaysian prosecutors officially charged former Prime Minister Najib Razak with abuse of power and money laundering in the multi-million dollar loss scandal of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Accordingly, Najib Razak was charged with four counts of abuse of power related to 2.3 billion ringgit (556.3 million USD) of 1MDB and 21 counts of money laundering. Najib Razak has denied all 25 charges against him.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on September 19 re-arrested Mr. Najib Razak on charges of abuse of power and embezzlement of money allegedly lost from the 1MDB Fund.
Rising tensions with the US, Türkiye's domestic lira loses up to 40% of its value
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At a market in the central Sultanahmet district of Istanbul on August 11. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
Türkiye has decided to lower its growth forecast for 2018 and next year amid an economic crisis that has seen the lira lose 40 percent of its value so far this year.
In the "New Medium-Term Economic Program" announced on the same day, Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak stated that the country's growth, which reached an impressive 7.4% last year, will only reach 3.8%, and 2.3% in 2018 and 2019, respectively, much lower than the previous forecast of 5.5%. Statistics of this program show that inflation will increase to 20.8% by the end of this year, and slightly decrease to 15.9% next year. According to Mr. Albayrak, the "New Economic Program" will focus on three main principles: balance, discipline and change.
