Ukrainian soldiers accused of violating Russian border; Protests in France become complicated

UN calls for urgent action on climate change at COP24

Delegates attend the COP 24 Conference in Katowice, Poland, December 2, 2018. Photo: AFP/VNA

On the morning of December 3, the 24th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP24) officially opened in the city of Katowice, southern Poland. Speaking here, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries to take urgent action to deal with the world's increasing warming, not letting any efforts become too late. Citing a recent warning from the World Meteorological Organization, Secretary-General Guterres said that the Earth's temperature continues to warm and could increase by 3 degrees Celsius this century instead of the previous prediction of 2 degrees Celsius.

Secretary-General Guterres said that world leaders need to take seriously the threat of climate change to nature and people. He criticized countries, especially those with high CO2 emissions, for not acting quickly and strongly enough to meet the targets committed to the 2015 Paris Agreement, causing unpredictable consequences for nature and people as seen in the past.

Ukrainian soldiers accused of violating Russian border

Source: TASS

The Ukrainian soldiers and officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained in the Kerch Strait have been charged with violating the Russian border, said Nikolai Polozov, a lawyer for one of the detained Ukrainians. "The charges were filed immediately after the arrest. All of them are charged with violating the Russian border under Article 322.3 of the Russian Criminal Code," the lawyer said.

Polozov said he had not yet seen his client Denis Gritsenko since his arrest. It was unclear whether the documents had been sent to Moscow and who was conducting the investigation, he said.

US President Trump to lead trade talks with China

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) and US President Donald Trump during a meeting in Beijing on November 8, 2017. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

According to Reuters and AFP, on December 3, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced that President Donald Trump will lead trade negotiations with China. Mr. Mnuchin said the temporary truce between the US and Chinese leaders was a turning point between the world's two largest economies, with a clear commitment from Beijing that there would be a "real deal" to address Washington's concerns.

According to Mr. Mnuchin, the US needs to see "something concrete" from China in the next 90 days to build a real deal. The US Treasury Secretary affirmed that this is the first time there has been "a clear path" to reduce the US trade deficit with China to zero.

Qatar announces it will withdraw from OPEC next month

Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi. Photo: Reuters

Qatar has announced that it will withdraw from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) from January 2019, after 57 years of membership. Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said that Doha informed the organization of its decision to withdraw from OPEC on the morning of December 3. Mr. al-Kaabi affirmed that the decision to withdraw from the organization is not political but related to Doha's long-term strategy and plan to develop the gas industry and increase liquefied natural gas (LNG) production to 110 million tons by 2024.

Qatar has an oil production of only 600,000 barrels per day. However, Qatar is a country with influence in the LNG market, with an annual production of 77 million tons.

The wave of protests in France continues to develop complicatedly.

Protests in France are becoming more complicated. Source: The New York Times

Dozens of “yellow vest” protesters in France blocked access to a major fuel depot and several highways on December 3, as protests against fuel price hikes across the European country stretched into their third week and showed no signs of abating. Traffic was also disrupted on highways leading to the southern cities of Aix-en-Provence, Orange, Montpellier, Nimes and Sete.

Also on December 3, protests spread to about 100 schools nationwide, with students protesting the government's new university admission regulations. The demonstration in the city of Nice alone attracted about 1,000 students.

President Trump says he will "fulfill the wishes" of Kim Jong Un

US President Donald Trump (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk together before the noon session of the summit in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

According to Reuters news agency, South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivered the message on December 2 after meeting Mr. Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina. "The message is that President Trump has many good comments for Chairman Kim and Mr. Trump likes Mr. Kim. He asked me to tell Chairman Kim that he wants to jointly implement the rest of the agreement between them and he will fulfill Chairman Kim's wishes," Mr. Moon told reporters on a flight from Argentina to New Zealand.

Previously, Mr. Trump said that he might meet the North Korean leader again in January or February next year and that three locations were being considered to host the second summit between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim.

Japan sets time to build military base in Okinawa

US Air Force Futenma base in Okinawa. Photo: Reuters

On December 3, the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced plans and set a specific time to build a controversial military base in the country to replace the US Futenma military base in Okinawa. The land reclamation and construction of the US military base in Okinawa will begin on December 14, aiming to relocate the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Base from the densely populated area of ​​Ginowan to Henoko, on the coast of Nago.

The decision by the Japanese Defense Ministry came just days after the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Okinawa Prefecture ended months-long negotiations without narrowing differences in views on the Futenma military base relocation plan, including talks between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki.

1/5 of Australian population uses solar energy

Solar panels. Photo: Business Insider

The Australian Clean Energy Regulator says there are currently 2 million households, equivalent to 1/5 of the population in this country using solar energy. According to statistics recently released by the Australian Clean Energy Regulator, South Australia and Queensland are the two states with the highest rate of solar energy use, accounting for 1/3 of households in these two states, double the figures of New South Wales and Victoria.

The main reason for the increase in the number of households using solar energy in Australia is due to the increase in electricity prices while the cost of solar panels is getting cheaper. Because of these advantages, more and more households do not need government support but still invest in solar panels themselves. According to the Australian Energy Market Operator, on average, 6 solar panels are installed every minute in Australia.