US-China agree to suspend new tariffs; Israeli Prime Minister accused of bribery

Russian President Putin: no discussion with Ukraine about releasing 24 captured sailors

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit. Photo: Reuters

Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia had not discussed with Ukraine the possibility of releasing 24 sailors on board Ukrainian ships seized by Russia.

Russia accused the sailors of illegally entering its borders. It also rejected international calls to release three Ukrainian naval vessels that were seized by the Russian military at gunpoint after they entered Russian territorial waters in the Sea of ​​Azov.

However, Mr. Putin affirmed that Russia will not introduce restrictive measures to retaliate against Ukraine such as banning Ukrainian citizens from entering Russia, even though Kiev has issued a ban on Russian men aged 16-60 from entering the country.

China announces US agrees to suspend new tariffs

The US and Chinese delegations met in Buenos Aires on December 1. Photo: Reuters

China's state-run English-language television reported that at a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Argentina, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to "suspend new tariffs after January 1 and the two sides will continue negotiations."

January 1, 2019 is when Washington plans to impose additional tariffs from the current 10% to 25% on $200 billion worth of imported goods from China.

UN climate change conference opens in Poland

A dry scene at Lake Chilwa in the Zomba region, eastern Malawi, October 19, 2018. (Photo: AFP/ VNA)

The 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 24) has opened in Katowice, Poland, with some 30,000 people attending. The main goal of the conference participants is to discuss ways to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change signed in 2015.

On the first working day, COP 24 will be held together with conferences of parties to the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.

At least 40 truck drivers were kidnapped by rebels. Photo: tolonews.com

Militants in Afghanistan have kidnapped at least 40 truck drivers in the northern province of Samanga. Armed Taliban militants stopped 40-45 coal trucks in Khashak Dara village in Dara-e-Surf Payen district and abducted the drivers, possibly 40 or more, and took them to unknown destinations, according to provincial police spokesman Mohammad Munir Rahimi.

The Taliban have not claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. A search operation has been launched. Last week, Taliban militants kidnapped 25 people in the neighboring province of Sari Pul.

French government considers all options to prevent riots

French President Emmanuel Macron (center) visits the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to inspect the damage caused by violent protesters. Photo: AFP/VNA

After attending the G20 Summit in Argentina, French President Emmanuel Macron returned to France and visited the Arc de Triomphe to inspect the damage caused by violent protesters the day before. Earlier, Mr. Emmanuel Macron declared that the rioters would be held accountable before the law.

Since midday on December 2, President Emmanuel Macron has held an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Edouart Philippe and Interior Minister Christopher Castener to discuss how to engage in dialogue with the “yellow vest” movement, which has no real organizational structure or leadership. The French government is considering all options, including re-establishing a “state of emergency,” to prevent riots, not only in the capital Paris but also in other localities.

Israeli Prime Minister again accused of bribery

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on November 25, 2018. Photo: AFP

Israeli police have recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara on bribery and other charges. Police said they have evidence to charge Netanyahu with bribery, fraud, breach of trust, while his wife Sara faces charges of bribery, fraud, breach of trust and destruction of evidence.

The attorney general will now have to decide whether to bring the charges into the trial, which centers on whether Netanyahu "favored" Israel's largest telecommunications company, Bezeq, in exchange for positive coverage of him and his family by its Walla! news site.

Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately denied the allegations against him and his wife, saying they had been decided and leaked even before the investigation began.