US postpones tariff hike on Chinese goods; French “Yellow Vests” protest for 16th consecutive week
(Baonghean.vn) - Canada begins the process of extraditing Huawei CFO to the US; "Yellow Vest" protesters begin their 16th consecutive week of protests in France; the US and South Korea will not conduct large-scale military exercises in the Spring; the Security Council has not discussed lifting the embargo on North Korea... are the world's outstanding news in the past 24 hours.
Security Council has not discussed lifting sanctions on North Korea
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| Employees at a supermarket in Pyongyang. Photo: AP |
On March 2, the Korean Broadcasting and Television Station quoted NHK as saying that German Ambassador to the United Nations Christoph Heusgen, Chairman of the United Nations North Korea Sanctions Committee, said that there would be no discussion about lifting sanctions on North Korea in the near future.
According to TNHK, during talks with French Ambassador to the United Nations Francois Delattre on the same day, Ambassador Heusgen emphasized that although further consideration is still needed on the second US-North Korea Summit in Hanoi, it can be seen that the conference did not achieve the international community's goal of comprehensive, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea.
Canada begins process to extradite Huawei CFO to US
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| Huawei Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Meng Wanzhou. Photo: Reuters/TTXVN |
On March 1, the Canadian Department of Justice announced that it had begun the process of extraditing Ms. Meng Wanzhou - Chief Financial Officer of Huawei Corporation, to the United States to face charges related to violating Washington's sanctions against Iran. The Canadian Department of Justice's announcement said that the decision was made after a comprehensive and thorough assessment of the evidence related to the case.
Ms. Meng Wanzhou is scheduled to appear in court on March 6, when prosecutors will present evidence and lay out “detailed arguments” for the extradition decision. In the final stage of the process, if the judge rules that extradition is allowed, the Canadian Justice Department will make the final decision on whether to send Ms. Meng Wanzhou to the United States.
France: "Yellow Vests" begin 16th consecutive week of protests
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| "Yellow Vest" protesters march in Paris. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
The "Yellow Vest" protests continued in many cities across France on March 2. This is the 16th consecutive weekend that the protests have taken place in the fashion capital and there is no sign of them ending.
In Paris, protesters gathered at the Arc de Triomphe and planned to march on many main streets. The organizers of the protest said they would continue to increase pressure on the government, protesting against economic and social policies that they said favored the rich. Similar protests also took place in major cities of France such as Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille...
US, South Korea will not hold large-scale military exercises in the spring
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| A ship of the South Korean Marine Corps participates in an amphibious landing exercise with US forces in Pohang, South Korea on November 5, 2018. Photo: Yonhap/TTXVN |
US officials said on March 1 that the US and South Korea are expected to announce that they will not conduct large-scale joint military exercises in the spring, replacing them with smaller-scale exercises. According to the official, the decision to reduce the scale of the exercises has been made for a while and is not a result of the recent second summit between the US and North Korea in Hanoi.
For a long time, many sources from the US have mentioned the possibility of reducing the scale of joint exercises with South Korea in the spring, such as the joint exercise called "Foal Eagle" or "Key Resolve". However, an anonymous US official said that an official announcement about reducing the scale of the spring exercises will be made in the coming days.
Terrorist attack in Somalia kills 20 people
Scene of the terrorist attack in Somalia. Photo: KT
Somali officials said on March 2 that at least 20 people were killed in a terrorist attack in the capital Mogadishu that took place the day before. The incident occurred when Al-Shabab extremist Islamic militants bombed a hotel in the capital. Some of the gunmen then entered a hotel restaurant and took several hostages. Somali security forces immediately arrived at the scene and a gunfight broke out between the two sides for several hours. By the evening of March 1, the fighting ended with the death of four gunmen, some of whom are believed to have escaped successfully.
Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said 35 civilians had been rescued by Somali soldiers and pledged to continue operations against the Al-Shabab militant group. According to medical sources, up to 112 people injured in the incident are being treated at three major hospitals in the capital.
US postpones tax increase on goods with China
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| US President Donald Trump. Photo: CNN |
US President Donald Trump on March 1 asked China to lift tariffs on US agricultural products, amid progress in trade negotiations, and announced a postponement of a March 1 deadline for raising tariffs on Chinese goods. The US move was immediately welcomed by China.
Speaking on Twitter, Mr. Trump asked China to quickly remove all tariffs on US agricultural products, including beef and pork, as negotiations are progressing. The president also postponed the decision to increase tariffs on $200 billion worth of imported goods from China. According to Mr. Trump, this is important not only for American farmers but also for him personally. Farmers are one of the main voters supporting the Republican Party and the trade war launched by President Trump against China. Previously, in a goodwill gesture to start a trade truce, China resumed buying American soybeans.
