US - UK - France consider airstrikes in Syria; Indonesian fishermen kidnapped

Russia and China aim to increase bilateral trade turnover

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok (Russia) on September 11. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

At the meeting, President Putin emphasized that Russia and China have a trustworthy relationship in the fields of politics, security and defense. Trade turnover between the two countries has increased steadily by more than 30% each year. In particular, in the first 6 months of this year, this figure has increased by 50%. Therefore, President Putin hopes that Russia-China trade turnover in 2018 will increase sharply and reach the 100 billion USD mark, up from 87 billion USD in 2017.

For his part, President Xi Jinping stated that the two sides have maintained regular contacts, and stressed that China is willing to exchange opinions and coordinate closely with Russia in the future. Accordingly, President Xi Jinping also planned to visit Russia this September.

Afghanistan kills 87 Taliban militants

On the night of September 10, in Kandahar province, the Afghan army, supported by the air force, attacked Maywand district, killing 57 gunmen and injuring 16 others. In addition, on another front in Baghlan province, the Afghan army, supported by the coalition forces led by the US, killed 30 gunmen and injured 16 others.

In recent days, the country's army has continuously conducted raids on militants believed to be remnants of the Taliban. In addition to the results achieved, government forces have also suffered many losses. Yesterday, 4 government soldiers were killed. On Friday alone, about 20 soldiers were killed and several others were injured.

North Korea may have stopped dismantling its main missile launch site.

North Korean ballistic missile during a test launch in April 2017. Photo:KCNA.

Satellite images released by Planet Labs Inc. show little change at the Tongchang-ri missile launch site in northwestern North Korea between August 16 and September 10, according to Yonhap. The rocket engine test site near the launch site also appears to have undergone no significant changes, according to the images.

Previously, high-definition satellite images analyzed by the 38 North website, which specializes in monitoring the North Korean situation at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, also showed no dismantling activities between August 3 and August 16 at the Tongchang-ri launch site.

An expert from Stanford University in the US said that North Korea has completely stopped dismantling the Tongchang-ri site. Therefore, this launch site is still capable of operating because the structures destroyed in the first phase were only auxiliary facilities, not affecting the ability to launch missiles.

• The sky over Damascus lit up due to the attacks by the US-UK-France coalition on April 8, 2018. Photo:AP.

  The US, UK and France are drawing up a scenario for a third air strike on Syria in case the last opposition stronghold in the country is attacked with chemical weapons.
  

The coordinated airstrikes come as the US and its allies seek to halt the advance of Syrian government forces in the country’s northwest. According to several US government officials with intelligence, President Assad has given the green light for his military to use chlorine gas if necessary to ensure victory in Idlib, raising concerns within the Trump administration.

Idlib province is one of the few areas still under the control of the Syrian opposition, with more than 3 million civilians and nearly 70,000 fighters.

“We cannot underestimate the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said World Economic Forum Chairman Klaus Schwab at a press conference on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2018 (WEF ASEAN 2018) on September 11. “The Fourth Industrial Revolution is a comprehensive revolution with many different technologies. Countries that miss the Fourth Industrial Revolution train will be left behind,” said Mr. Schwab.

The WEF President affirmed that the difference between the 4.0 Industrial Revolution and previous industrial revolutions is its comprehensiveness and speed. According to him, in the future, "whoever masters the 4.0 Industrial Revolution will have the advantage".

The WEF ASEAN Conference is one of Vietnam’s most important and largest multilateral foreign affairs activities in 2018, taking place from September 11-13 in Hanoi. About 1,000 international and domestic delegates attended the Conference, including senior leaders from many ASEAN countries and in the region, as well as leaders of leading economic groups in the world.

Indonesian fishermen kidnapped off Malaysia

Illustration photo: TBO.com

At around 12 noon on September 11, Indonesian fishermen working on a Malaysian fishing boat were kidnapped in Semporna waters off the coast of Sabah state.

Sabah Acting Police Chief Omar Mammah said the two kidnapped fishermen were Captain Samsul Saguni, 40, and his assistant Usman Yunus, 35. There were four fishermen on board at the time of the incident. The remaining two escaped. The escaped fishermen said two masked men armed with M16 rifles approached the boat and overpowered the victims. They were then forced onto the boat and left, with no clear direction.

Police suspect the kidnappers are members of the KFR rebel group and may have links with the Abu Sayyaf militant group. Sabah state police are searching for the kidnappers.

More than 100 people died on the sea journey to Europe

Doctors Without Borders reported on September 10 that two rubber boats carrying migrants departed from the Libyan coast on September 1. The rubber boats were overloaded with migrants, most of whom came from Sudan, Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana and Libya.

Doctors Without Borders reported that some of the lucky survivors on the two rubber boats said that one of the boats had lost its engine, lost air, and was sinking into the sea. The survivors were clinging to pieces of the boat drifting on the sea surface.

The second boat had a similar fate. A survivor said that the second boat continued on its journey when the first boat crashed and also started to lose air around midnight. There were 165 adults and 20 children on board.

French Ministry of Health increases spending on public health care

Source: independent

Statistics released by the French Ministry of Health show that each year, the country spends nearly 3,000 euros (3,480 USD/person) on health care and medical treatment for its people.

The French government plans to increase health insurance spending by 2.4% in 2019, compared to an increase of 2.3% in 2018. Preparations for the 2019 social security budget are underway. President Emmanuel Macron will announce a plan to reform the national health system on September 18. Health spending continues to rise due to an aging population and an increase in chronic diseases.

Statistics show that the amount of money spent on health care and medical products in France reached 2,977 euros per person and a total of 199.3 billion euros in 2017 (accounting for 8.7% of GDP). This amount includes the cost of hospital care (92.8 billion euros), the cost of general examination, treatment and testing (53.4 billion euros), the purchase of medicine (15.5 billion euros)...