US warns China of copying Russian weapons; French President's approval rating hits record low
(Baonghean.vn) - The world over the past 24 hours has been filled with many events such as: Russia sanctions more than 360 individuals and businesses in Ukraine; the US warns China about copying Russian weapons to sell at low prices; Indonesia finds the black box of a crashed plane; Boko Haram attacks and kills 12 civilians in Northeast Nigeria; Egypt opens the Khafre pyramid...
Russia sanctions more than 360 Ukrainian individuals and businesses
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| Russian Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev. Photo: RT |
On November 1, Russian Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev signed a decree imposing sanctions on more than 360 Ukrainian individuals and entities, including the son of President Petro Poroshenko, former Prime Minister Tymoshenko and a series of other high-ranking officials.
According to the Russian government decree in response to sanctions from Ukraine, Moscow will freeze assets, cash, shares owned by Ukraine in Russia, and prohibit Ukraine from withdrawing capital from Russia. The Russian government decree states: "The application of these special economic measures is a response to the unfriendly actions of Ukraine against citizens and legal entities of Russia." The decree adds that this step is aimed at normalizing bilateral relations.
Indonesia finds black box of crashed plane, mystery about to be solved
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The black box of the Indonesian plane was found after 4 days of searching. Photo: Reuters. |
Divers on November 1 found the black box of the Indonesian Lion Air passenger plane that crashed into shallow waters off the coast of Jakarta on October 29, killing all 189 people on board. The black box will provide clues to the cause of the tragedy. The plane lost contact with the ground just 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta early on October 29.
The recovered device, the black box flight data recorder, will be handed over to Indonesia's Transportation Safety Committee. This black box will help explain why the nearly brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed into the sea. According to experts, it will take up to 3 weeks to download the data from the black box and 6 months to analyze it.
US warns China of copying Russian weapons to sell at cheap prices
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| China has purchased S-400 air defense missiles from Russia. Photo: RT |
US National Security Adviser John Bolton said China is likely to have violated Russia's intellectual property by selling counterfeit weapons systems at a lower price in the future. Sputnik (Russia) quoted John Bolton on October 31 as saying: "Russia has sold many advanced weapons systems to China. I think China has done the same thing as it did with American products: stealing intellectual property, imitating. China has copied and will soon sell similar weapons to Russia but at a lower price."
Intellectual property is one of the issues leading to the trade war between the US and China. According to Reuters (UK), US President Donald Trump once said that China forced US companies to transfer intellectual property and technology in exchange for doing business in this Asian country's market.
The Euphrates Shield operation area in Syria has revived.
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| Syrian soldiers deployed in Hamidiya village, Quneitra province on July 26, 2018. Illustration photo: AFP/ VNA |
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on November 1 that a total of 260,000 Syrians have returned to the northern region of Syria where Türkiye is conducting its cross-border operation, dubbed Euphrates Shield. "Thanks to the restoration of infrastructure and the security and stability brought by the Turkish armed forces in the region, about 260,000 Syrians have returned to the area where the Euphrates Shield operation took place," Akar said.
Türkiye launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 to drive Islamic State (IS) militants and the Kurdish YPG militia from its border with Syria. Ankara considers the US-backed YPG a terrorist organization. The operation ended in 2017.
More than half of Germany's newly purchased weapons and equipment are not combat-ready.
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A German Puma infantry fighting vehicle. Photo.: Reuters |
A recent report by the German Ministry of Defense confirmed that only 38 of the 97 weapons purchased and assigned to the German army in 2017 can be deployed in combat with full functionality. Among these newly equipped weapons, the Puma infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and Airbus A400M transport aircraft have caused the most concern to German military officials about the quality. In addition, the report by the German Ministry of Defense also revealed that 6 of the 14 newly purchased military helicopters can perform their missions. The German army also had to return 3 of the 4 Eurofighter fighters purchased in 2017 to the manufacturer to fix the computer system.
Many German lawmakers have harshly criticized the combat readiness of weapons in the country's military. "It is unacceptable that the state-funded and state-prioritized defense industry is not working effectively," said MP Matthias Hoehn.
French President Emmanuel Macron's approval rating hits record low
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| President Emmanuel Macron. Photo: Spiegel Online |
Today (November 1), market research company YouGov announced the results of a poll showing that only 21% of French people support the policies of President Emmanuel Macron and 69% disagree with the actions of the President. With a continued decrease of 4% in the number of supporters, President Macron's approval is now at its lowest level since the poll conducted in May 2017, when he was supported by 39% of French people. According to the results of this poll, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe received the support of 27% of respondents.
The poll also found that 24% of respondents approved of the government’s actions, while 68% disapproved of the government’s overall performance. The poll, conducted by Le HuffPost and Cnews, surveyed 1,010 people on October 24 and 25.
Japan to relocate US military base in Okinawa
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| Osprey aircraft at the Futenma Naval Base in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
According to Kyodo news agency, on November 1, the Japanese central government resumed land reclamation work to build a facility to relocate the US Marine Corps Futenma base in Okinawa province, despite local opposition.
The resumption of the activity comes despite the Okinawa prefectural government withdrawing its approval for the construction of a facility in the coastal district of Henoko in Nago City to house the Futenma base, after relocating the base from its current location in the densely populated Ginowan area, also in Okinawa. Many Okinawans have demanded that the base be moved off the island.
Boko Haram attack kills 12 civilians in northeastern Nigeria
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| Boko Haram gunmen. Photo: Independent/ VNA |
At least 12 civilians were killed in an attack by suspected Boko Haram Islamist militants in northeastern Nigeria on the night of October 31, witnesses said. Gunmen in seven trucks attacked the villages of Bulaburin, Kofa and a camp in Dalori village on the outskirts of the Borno state capital Maiduguri, according to local residents.
A militia commander said the terrorists set fire to the villages of Bulaburin and Kofa and burned down a camp for displaced people in Dalori. The attackers killed nine people in Bulaburin, two in Dalori and one in Kofa. The villages are on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the government capital of northeastern Nigeria and a focus of the campaign against Boko Haram and the Islamic State (IS) group in West Africa.
FAO forecasts 2018 cereal output to fall compared to 2017
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| Wheat in a field in Tioga, North Dakota, USA. Source: AFP/TTXVN |
On November 1, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) forecast that the world's cereal output in 2018 will decrease compared to the output in 2017. According to FAO, the world's cereal output this year is likely to reach 2.601 billion tons, nearly 10 million tons higher than the forecast given last October, but down 57 million tons, or 2.1%, compared to last year's output.
Global wheat production this year is forecast at 728 million tonnes, down 4.3% from last year. World food prices fell 0.9% in October from September, reflecting lower prices for meat, dairy and oil.
Egypt opens Khafre pyramid
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The Giza pyramid complex seen from the front. |
Egypt's antiquities ministry announced that the second of the three famous Giza pyramids will open to tourists this week after completing two months of restoration work.
According to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, the pyramid of King Khafre, one of the three main pyramids in the complex of three large pyramids at Giza, will be ready to welcome tourists from November 1. Previously, the restoration work included stairs leading to the entrance of the pyramid, lighting systems, paths in the pyramid corridors and burial chambers. The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities said the third pyramid of King Menkaure - the smallest pyramid - will be closed to begin restoration activities.
