US-Iran dispute over downed plane; Philippines fines nearly 8,000 erring police officers
(Baonghean.vn) - The US and Iran are arguing over the drone shot down by a US ship; Russia is sending the world's largest nuclear submarine to participate in military exercises; the Philippines punishes nearly 8,000 police officers for violations in the fight against drug crimes; a university bombing in Kabul (Afghanistan)... are the world's top news stories of the past 24 hours.
Russia sends world's largest nuclear submarine to participate in drills
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| Russian heavy nuclear submarine Dmitry Donskoi. Photo:TASS |
"As part of combat training, a group of anti-submarine warships from the Belomorsk naval base held a tactical exercise searching for a submarine in the White Sea," the press office of the Russian Northern Fleet said in a statement.
According to the scenario, the Onega and Naryan-Mar small missile ships of the fleet practiced such exercises as detecting and tracking a hypothetical enemy submarine, attacking the submarine, as well as avoiding torpedo attacks by enemy ships. In some scenarios, the heavy nuclear submarine Dmitry Donskoi participated as an opposing force. Dmitry Donskoy is currently the only submarine of project 941 "Akula" in service with the Russian Navy. The Akula submarine currently holds the world record for size with a length of 175 m, a width of 23 m and a displacement of 48,000 tons.
US-Iran dispute over drone shot down by US ship
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Iran confirmed that all planes returned to base safely and denied being shot down by a US ship. Photo: Reuters |
Iran's military spokesman has denied the US claim that a Tehran drone was shot down by a Washington warship in the Persian Gulf on July 18. "All Iranian drones operating in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz returned safely to their bases after carrying out reconnaissance and control missions. There is no report of an Iranian drone being shot down by the USS Boxer," General Abolfazl Shekarchi told the Tansim news agency. According to Abbas Araghchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, the US military may have mistakenly shot down its drone.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump confirmed that on July 18, the US military shot down a Tehran drone that was approaching the USS Boxer amphibious ship at a dangerous distance at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. According to the US President, the Iranian aircraft "took provocative, hostile action" when it operated just one kilometer from the USS Boxer and ignored all warnings, forcing the US warship to respond in self-defense.
Ukraine and Russia agree on prisoner exchange deal
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| Prisoners were handed over to the Ukrainian side. Photo: Facebook |
A senior Ukrainian official said that Ukraine and Russia have agreed on a prisoner swap that is expected to involve a total of 277 people captured in the conflict in the east of the country. Earlier, a senior official in the President's Office and candidate for the post of Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Vadym Prystaiko, said that Kiev and Moscow had agreed that the prisoner swap would take place next month.
In the last prisoner swap in December 2017, Ukraine handed over about 300 prisoners to pro-Russian separatists in the east and received 70 in return. However, subsequent disagreements have prevented further exchanges from taking place. Dozens of Ukrainian prisoners are still held in Moscow, but it is unclear how many Russians are being held.
US Congress increases pressure to sanction Türkiye
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US President Trump (left) and Turkish President Erdogan. Photo: Anadolu |
US lawmakers from both parties are urging President Trump to impose sanctions on Türkiye for buying the Russian S-400 air defense system. They also say the president should follow a law that allows for sanctions against countries that trade with the Russian military. Pressure from Congress could force President Donald Trump to strike a further blow against his NATO ally.
However, President Donald Trump said the US would not impose new sanctions at this time: “We are looking at it. We find it very difficult for a lot of reasons. It could have been done better than the previous administration. The previous administration made very big mistakes with regard to Turkey and it was very bad. So we are considering what steps to take. We cannot announce anything right now.”
Philippines fines nearly 8,000 police officers for violations in drug crackdown
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| Catholic nuns protest in Manila, Philippines, against extrajudicial killings in the anti-drug campaign. Photo: Reuters |
According to News AgencyAP, Ms. Marie Rafael Banaag, in charge of communications at the Philippine presidential office, said that 14,724 police officers were investigated for alleged violations in the anti-drug campaign. President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug campaign from July 2016 to April 2018 resulted in the killing of many suspects. The campaign also faced harsh criticism from domestic and foreign human rights organizations as well as some Western governments.
Of the 14,724 police officers investigated, 7,867 were administratively sanctioned for unspecified violations, according to Marie Rafael Banaag. Of the 7,867 police officers sanctioned, 2,367 were fired after the investigation. 4,100 were suspended from work. The rest were reprimanded, demoted, and had their salaries confiscated or their privileges reduced.
Bombing of university in Kabul (Afghanistan), 8 people killed
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Afghan police cordon off the scene of a car bomb attack in Kandahar province on July 18, 2019. Photo: THX/TTXVN |
A bomb exploded at 7:10 a.m. (local time) on July 19 at the gate of Kabul University in the capital Kabul, Afghanistan, when many students were preparing for exams. At least 8 people were killed and 33 others were injured. The explosion also destroyed 2 cars parked nearby.
