US imposes heavy tariffs on China; Former Malaysian Prime Minister could face 15 years in prison

Chinese workers assemble components of many products, including Apple electronics. Photo:CNN.

CNNThe Trump administration has announced a list of 279 imported goods from China, worth 16 billion USD, that will be taxed at 25%, including motorbikes, speedometers, antennas, etc. This is the second time Washington has imposed heavy taxes on imported goods from China, although many American businesses warn that this will force consumers to spend more money to buy products.

In early August, Mr. Trump asked U.S. officials to consider raising tariffs from 10% to 25% on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, including vegetables, fruits, handbags, and refrigerators. In response, Beijing threatened to retaliate against all U.S. import tariffs on its goods, affirming that it would impose 25% tariffs on American products such as meat, coffee, nuts, and auto parts.

North Korea continues to dismantle missile engine testing site

The 38 North website, which monitors the situation in North Korea, said on August 8 that the latest satellite images taken on August 3 showed that dismantling activities were continuing at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station. This move came just about two weeks after the website itself announced that dismantling activities had begun at the Sohae test site. At the vertical rocket engine test site, used for testing and developing ballistic missile engines and space launch vehicles, North Korea continued to dismantle the steel base structure and moved fuel and oxidizer tanks from the dismantled bunkers.

The dismantling of the missile engine testing site was a promise made by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his June 2018 meeting with US President Donald Trump in Singapore. In a joint statement, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also pledged to work towards “complete denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees from the US.

Thailand launches case against former Prime Minister Thaksin

According toBangkok Post, the Supreme Court of Thailand decided on August 7 to begin the process of taking testimony from six witnesses from the plaintiff in the lawsuit against former Prime Minister Thaksin over his role at Thai Petrochemical Industries (TPI) in 2003. The plaintiff in the lawsuit is the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

The first hearing will begin on August 10, and continue on August 14 and August 21. Based on the testimony of witnesses, the Thai court will decide whether there is enough evidence to try former Prime Minister Thaksin in absentia.

On June 22, a Thai court issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Thaksin after he failed to appear as requested in the TPI case. The court also decided that Mr. Thaksin has the right to appoint a lawyer to represent him.

China sentences 6 people to prison for organizing exam cheating

One of the devices used to cheat on exams in China. Source: chinanews.com

Chinese state media reported on August 8 that authorities had sentenced six people in a national high school graduation exam cheating ring to up to four years in prison.

According to the source, the cheaters were provided with wireless transmitters and asked to read the questions into the devices. An outside team would then find the answers and send them to the cheaters via transmitters.

Among those sentenced on August 7 were two students who had used this method of cheating and then "whispered" to many other students. It is not yet clear how much the students had to pay for this illegal act or what punishment the cheaters will face. In previous cases, those who cheated on exams were often permanently disqualified.

Ukraine proposes closing road traffic route with Russia

Photo for illustration purposes only: TASS

The Ministry of Infrastructure Development of Ukraine has drafted a series of proposals against Russia, including measures to close the railway traffic between the two countries. This proposal was supported by the Deputy Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in Crimea, Izet Gdanov, who also suggested that the road traffic between the country and Russia should be cut off.

On his personal Facebook page, Mr. Gdanov said that the proposal of the above ministry is completely correct to ensure the safety of Ukrainian citizens. According to him, ending “all possibilities of cooperation” with Russia will “put more pressure” on Moscow and increase the “isolation” of this country.

Currently, due to the tense relations between the two countries, there are only 8 trains running from Ukraine to Russia, from the directions of Kiev, Lvov and Khmelnitsky. Thousands of Ukrainians are still using these trains every day to go to Russia for many purposes, including finding work and visiting relatives.

Malaysian newspaper: Former Prime Minister Najib could face 15 years in prison for money laundering

Former Prime Minister Najib.

In the morning of August 8 at the court in Kuala Lumpur, former Prime Minister Najib was charged with 3 counts of money laundering related to the investment fund 1MDB. According to Malay Mail, former Prime Minister Najib Razak could face up to 15 years in prison for money laundering and a fine of at least 5 times the value of the illegal transactions.

The charges against the former Malaysian Prime Minister were based on three electronic transactions worth 42 million ringgit (about 10 million USD) from SRC International, a subsidiary of the state development investment fund 1MDB, transferred to Najib Razak's personal account. The amount is just a small part of the billions of dollars that are believed to have been embezzled from the state investment fund 1MDB during Najib Razak's tenure as Prime Minister. The corruption allegations from this investment fund were also the main reason for Najib's defeat in the election on May 9.

Venezuela strips immunity of lawmakers involved in failed assassination attempt on president

Venezuelan security forces investigate after an attack on President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on August 4. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

According to AFP, Venezuela's Constituent Assembly said on August 8 that it would strip immunity from opposition lawmakers involved in the failed drone assassination attempt on President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuelan National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello has called a session to strip the opposition lawmakers of their immunity, which could see them face trial in connection with the alleged attempted assassination of the president. "When justice is served, it will be severe," Cabello said.

NATO aircraft mistakenly fires missile near Estonia-Russia border

Spanish fighter jets taking part in NATO's air patrol mission over Estonia have been temporarily grounded after one of the pilots mistakenly fired a missile near the Russian border during a training flight.

RT quoted the Spanish Ministry of Defense as saying that a group of two Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon 2000 aircraft and two French Mirage 2000 aircraft participated in a training exercise in southwestern Estonia on August 7. One of the Spanish aircraft accidentally fired an air-to-air missile, but the missile did not hit any airborne targets.

All of these aircraft later returned safely to Saiuliai Air Base in Lithuania. The Spanish Ministry of Defense has opened an investigation into the incident. According to ERR, Portuguese Air Force aircraft will replace Spain in the NATO operation in Estonia.