US wants allies to share costs of border wall; Taliban continues to 'open fire' in Afghanistan
(Baonghean.vn) - The US wants its allies to share the cost of building a border wall; the Taliban continuously launches attacks in Afghanistan; Ukraine releases suspects involved in the MH17 plane crash; China reduces the required reserve ratio to add more money to save the economy... are the world's outstanding news in the past 24 hours.
China cuts reserve requirement ratio to add money to save economy
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| The headquarters of the People's Bank of China in Beijing. Photo: Reuters |
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) announced on September 6 that it would cut the reserve requirement ratio for all commercial banks, according to Reuters. The move will release a total of 900 billion yuan ($126 billion) in liquidity that banks can use to increase lending and support the government's efforts to rescue China's slowing economy.
The PBOC said the 50 basis points (bps) cut, or 0.5%, in the reserve requirement ratio that banks must hold with the central bank will take effect from September 16. The cut will free up 800 billion yuan. At the same time, the central bank will cut another 100 basis points for selected rural commercial banks in two batches on October 15 and November 15, freeing up 100 billion yuan.
Ukraine releases a Western suspect linked to MH17 crash
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| Mr. Vladimir Tsemakh at a court hearing in Kiev, Ukraine on September 5, 2019. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
A Ukrainian court has decided to release Vladimir Tsemakh, a man detained six months ago who some Western officials say was involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 five years ago. Tsemakh, a former commander of the air defense forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine, was arrested by agents of the Ukrainian Security Service in June in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.
Although Ukraine has not confirmed the possibility of Mr. Tsemakh's involvement in the MH17 crash, 40 European parliamentarians on September 4 asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to ensure that Mr. Tsemakh will be questioned within the framework of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) investigation into the MH17 crash.
US wants allies to share costs for border wall
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| US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Photo: Reuters |
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper wants European allies to pay for projects in their own countries after the department had to raise funds to pay for President Donald Trump's border wall. "The message that I've been carrying since I was acting secretary is to increase burden sharing. So part of the message is: If you have concerns, consider paying us. Because in many cases, the infrastructure will be built in their countries," Reuters news agency quoted Esper as saying in London on September 6.
Earlier, the US Department of Defense announced that it would withdraw funding from 127 projects under the department, including the construction of schools and daycare centers for military families, to free up $3.6 billion for the plan to build a wall on the border with Mexico. In Europe, projects that will be affected include a $21.6 million port facility development project in Spain and a $59 million ammunition depot in Slovakia.
Taliban continue to launch attacks in Afghanistan
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| A terrorist bombing in Afghanistan. Photo: THX/TTXVN |
Taliban militants launched a major attack on Afghanistan's western Farah province on September 6, the latest in a series of attacks in several provinces just a day after a deadly suicide bombing in the capital Kabul, Afghan officials said.
A wave of violence has rocked Afghanistan despite a draft peace deal between the US and the Taliban that would see thousands of US troops withdraw from the country in exchange for security commitments from the Taliban. Taliban gunmen set fire to an Afghan army recruitment centre after a coordinated overnight attack from several locations around the city of Farah, said Mohibullah Mohib, a police spokesman in Farah.
The Japanese changed the previous way of calling names to family name first, given name later.
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| Japanese street - Illustration photo. |
On September 6, Japan decided to change the way Japanese people's given names are called in the order of family name first and given name last in official documents in the Latin language, breaking away from the long-standing tradition of calling the given name first and family name last as it is now.
The proposal was proposed by Japan's Education Minister Masahiko Shibayama and has been endorsed by other cabinet members, including Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono. Some critics have questioned the need for such a change since the 19th century.
