US will not overthrow North Korea; Venezuela sells 15 tons of gold to UAE for cash

Russia claims it never started an arms race

Russia's Avangard intercontinental missile complex. Source: unian.info

On February 1, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated that Moscow has never been the first country to start an arms race and has no intention of threatening any country in connection with the US plan to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. In an interview with Rossiya-24 TV channel, Deputy Minister Ryabkov emphasized: "Russia will never be the first country to start an arms race and increase tensions... Russia will not threaten any country, Russia will only restrain potential opponents and ensure its own security."

On the same day, February 1, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty due to Moscow's violation of the treaty. Mr. Trump stated that the US would suspend its obligations under the INF Treaty with Russia from February 2 and begin the process of withdrawing from the INF. He emphasized that this process would be completed in 6 months unless Russia returned to compliance with the treaty by destroying all of its violating missiles, launchers and related equipment.

US President Trump pledges not to overthrow North Korean government

US President Donald Trump. Photo: THX/TTXVN

In a speech at Stanford University (USA) on January 31 (local time), Mr. Biegun, Special Representative for North Korea Policy of the US State Department Stephen Biegun, emphasized that President Donald Trump believes that it is time to end war and hostility on the Korean Peninsula. The US will not attack or destroy the Pyongyang government.

The US special envoy said that during a meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in October 2018 in Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged to dismantle facilities for enriching uranium and plutonium, materials for making nuclear weapons.

French police are allowed to fire rubber bullets to disperse protests.

"Yellow Vest" protesters in Paris, France on December 8, 2018. Photo: THX/TTXVN

On February 1, the Council of State, France's top legal advisory body, authorized the country's riot police to use rubber bullets to disperse protesting crowds.In a statement, the council said that although the use of rubber bullets has caused injuries in recent times, it sees the need to allow police to use this type of weapon, which is particularly suitable for dealing with such cases" - a reference to the "Yellow Vest" protests that often turn violent.

Several organisations in France have called for a ban on the use of rubber bullets by riot police, citing serious injuries during the “Yellow Vest” protests. However, the council stressed that the use of the weapons would be strictly regulated under Internal Security laws.

Venezuela sells 15 tons of gold to UAE for cash

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro touches a gold bar as he speaks during a meeting with economic ministers at Miraflores Palace in Caracas on March 22, 2018. Photo: Reuters

Venezuela will sell 15 tonnes of gold from its central bank reserves to the UAE in the coming weeks for euros in cash, Reuters reported, citing a senior Venezuelan official familiar with the plan.

The deal began with the first shipment of 3 tons of gold on January 26, the source added. Caracas had previously sold $900 million worth of unrefined gold to Türkiye in late 2018. In total, the plan is to sell 29 tons of gold stored in Caracas to the UAE by February. The aim, the source said, is to provide liquidity for imports of basic goods.

Iran celebrates 40 years of Islamic Revolution

An activity to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Photo: nst.com.my

Iran has marked the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that toppled King Mohammad Rezza Pahlavi, freeing Iran from a 2,500-year monarchy and establishing an Islamic Republic under the leadership of Supreme Leader Ruholla Khomeini. The commemoration began on February 1, the day Khomeini returned from France in 1979 after 14 years in exile, determined to carry out the revolution and become the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Across Iran, train and ship horns and church bells rang out at 9:33 a.m., coinciding with the landing of the Air France Boeing 747 carrying Khomeini at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport 40 years ago. The celebrations were scheduled to last 10 days, ending on February 11, coinciding with the fall of Shah Mohammad Rezza Pahlavi’s regime.

Türkiye accuses US consular staff of spying

Source: ahvalnews.com

A Turkish court has accepted an indictment against a local resident working for the US Consulate in Istanbul on charges of espionage and plotting to overthrow the government, AFP reported on February 1. Metin Topuz, who contacted a US Drug Enforcement Agency delegation, is accused of having links to US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of masterminding a failed coup in 2016, a charge he denies.

The consulate employee is suspected of having links to former police officers and a prosecutor linked to the Gulen movement. The indictment claims Topuz had “very close ties” to former police commanders involved in a 2013 corruption investigation that affected many government officials at the time.

USAID suspends all assistance in the West Bank and Gaza Strip

Source: Activist Post

On February 1, US officials announced that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) had stopped all assistance activities for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"At the request of the Palestinian Authority, we have been reducing projects and plans funded under the authority of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATCA) in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. All USAID assistance in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has been suspended," a US official told reporters. The official added that they have not yet taken steps to close the USAID mission in Palestine.