US prepares to send more troops to Saudi Arabia; Ukraine says it has convicted the driver who carried the missile that shot down MH17
(Baonghean.vn) - The US is preparing to increase troops to Saudi Arabia amid tensions with Iran; China's public debt accounts for more than 15% of the total global debt; Ukraine said it had sentenced the driver who carried the missile that shot down MH17... are the world's top news in the past 24 hours.
US prepares to increase troops to Saudi Arabia amid tensions with Iran
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The US is preparing to increase troops to Saudi Arabia amid tensions with Iran. Photo: Reuters |
US media reported on July 18 that the Trump administration is preparing to send more troops to Saudi Arabia amid escalating tensions with Iran. According to CNN, 500 US soldiers are expected to be deployed to a military base east of the capital Riyadh. These soldiers will be added to the US military and support forces here to prepare for the deployment of the Patriot surface-to-air missile system, as well as prepare to upgrade runways and other infrastructure.
The chosen location is remote and would take time for missiles from Iran to reach it in the event of a conflict. According to CNN, the base could serve the US's fifth-generation F-22 stealth fighter jets and other stealth aircraft. The US Department of Defense declined to comment on the deployment plan. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that military actions in the Gulf could lead to conflict with unpredictable consequences.
Ukraine says it has convicted the driver who carried the missile that shot down MH17
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The truck suspected of carrying the Buk missile system into eastern Ukraine in 2014. Photo:Bellingcat. |
Vitaly Mayakov, an official of Ukraine's security service (SBU), said the driver of the truck that carried the Buk missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was arrested two years ago and is serving a prison sentence in Ukraine. The information was released on the fifth anniversary of the MH17 tragedy that killed 298 people. "We identified him among the separatists who transported the missile from the transport company in Donetsk," Mayakov said. "Three years later, we arrested him when he was crossing the border from Russia into Ukraine without knowing that he was under suspicion. He is serving a prison sentence in Ukraine."
Mayakov did not provide the suspects' identities, nor explain why this information had not been made public earlier. He said the SBU had identified more than 150 people involved in the delivery of the Buk missile system to Ukraine.
International Red Cross warns of consequences of crop failure in North Korea
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North Korean farmers work in the fields during the 2019 harvest season. Photo:WFP. |
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on July 18 that erratic weather events such as drought and floods, along with lack of access to aid, could lead to a food crisis in North Korea and increase rates of malnutrition and disease. "We are seeing the impact of the drought on vulnerable people," said Mohamed Babiker, head of the IFRC office in North Korea. "Rates of malnutrition and diseases such as diarrhea and colitis are increasing."
Also on July 18, a South Korean government official said discussions are underway with the United States to get a sanctions exemption for South Korea's plan to send food aid to North Korea. The official said the South Korean government and the World Food Programme (WFP) are trying to secure several ships to transport 50,000 tons of rice to North Korea.
US removes Türkiye from F-35 fighter jet manufacturing program
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| An F-35 fighter jet takes off from a military base in Florida, US. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
The White House has just confirmed that Türkiye no longer has the opportunity to participate in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s F-35 stealth fighter jet manufacturing program, after Ankara purchased Russia's S-400 missile defense system.
White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said Türkiye's decision to purchase the Russian S-400 air defense system has made Ankara's continued participation in the F-35 program impossible. However, Ms. Grisham also emphasized that the US still values the strategic relationship between Washington and Ankara, and continues to cooperate with Türkiye in many areas and is mindful of restraint due to the presence of the S-400 in Turkey.
EU threatens Britain with consequences if it chooses “no-deal Brexit”
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The EU threatens Britain with consequences if it chooses a "no-deal Brexit". Photo: Reuters. |
The European Union's (EU) top negotiator Michel Barnier warned on July 18 that Britain would "suffer the consequences" if it opted for a no-deal Brexit. Speaking on the BBC, when asked what would happen if Britain "tore up its EU membership card", Mr. Michel Barnier replied that Britain would have to face the consequences. According to him, from the beginning, neither Britain nor the EU had thought of such a scenario.
The EU's top negotiator has made the comments after the Conservative Party's election campaign ended. Boris Johnson, the front-runner to succeed Theresa May, has pledged to leave the EU with or without a deal by October 31.
China's public debt accounts for more than 15% of total global debt.
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| China increases loan disbursements to stimulate more construction projects. Photo: Reuters |
The Institute of International Finance, headquartered in Washington DC (USA), published statistics showing that China's public debt increased by nearly 304% compared to GDP in the first 3 months of the year, or more than 40,000 billion USD (equivalent to 15% of total debt worldwide), according to Reuters.
More than two years ago, the Beijing government launched a campaign to reduce debt and high-risk loans, but due to the economic slowdown caused by the trade war with the US, China decided to loosen credit conditions and increase fiscal spending on infrastructure projects to support economic development. As a result of the economic stimulus moves, the total value of new loans in the first 6 months of 2019 reached 9,670 billion yuan (32.7 million billion VND), a record high at Chinese banks.
