US warns China of copying Russian weapons; French President's approval rating hits record low
(Baonghean.vn) - The world in 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 black boxes of 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 Ukrainian assets, cash, shares 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 flight data recorder, will be handed over to Indonesia's Transportation Safety Committee. The black box will help explain why the nearly brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed into the sea. Experts say it will take up to three weeks to download the data from the black box and six months to analyze it.
US warns China of copying Russian weapons to sell cheaply
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| China has purchased S-400 air defense missiles from Russia. Photo: RT |
US National Security Adviser John Bolton said that China is likely to violate Russia's intellectual property by selling cheaper knock-off weapons systems in the future. Sputnik (Russia) quoted John Bolton as saying on October 31: "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 that led 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.
Euphrates Shield Operation Area in Syria Revives
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| Syrian soldiers are 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 military in 2017 can be deployed in combat with full functionality. Among these newly equipped weapons, the Puma infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and the Airbus A400M transport aircraft have caused the most concern for German military officials regarding their quality. In addition, the report by the German Ministry of Defense also revealed that 6 out of 14 newly purchased military helicopters can perform their missions. The German military also had to return 3 out of 4 Eurofighter fighters purchased in 2017 to the manufacturer to fix their computer systems.
Many German lawmakers have been harshly critical of the combat readiness of the country's military. "It is unacceptable that the state-funded and state-prioritized defense industry is not working effectively," said Matthias Hoehn, a German lawmaker.
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 further 4% decrease in the number of supporters, President Macron's approval rating is now at its lowest level since a 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 was conducted by Le HuffPost and Cnews on 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 leveling 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 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.
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’s capital in northeast 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 from 2017
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| Wheat in a field in Tioga, North Dakota, USA. Source: AFP/VNA |
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 pyramid entrance, 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.
