US provides $250 million in arms aid to Ukraine; Revealing the agenda of the North Korea-China summit
(Baonghean.vn) - The US provides a $250 million weapons package to Ukraine; The agenda of the North Korea - China summit is revealed; The identities of the four suspects in the MH17 case are announced; Iran affirms that there will be no war with the US... are the world's outstanding news in the past 24 hours.
US provides $250 million in arms aid to Ukraine
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Ukrainian soldiers get acquainted with the PSRL-1 anti-tank gun. Photo:AFP. |
The US military announced on June 18 that it will provide Ukraine with a $250 million military aid package, including weapons, equipment, training and support. According to the Pentagon, the Ukrainian military will receive sniper rifles, grenade launchers, anti-artillery radar systems, night vision binoculars and communication equipment. The Ukrainian Navy and Marine Corps are the two forces prioritized in this aid package.
The Ukrainian military has recently purchased a lot of Western weapons, such as Javelin anti-tank missiles and PSRL-1 anti-tank guns. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his desire to see less Soviet-style equipment and standards in the country's military, and has asked the Ukrainian armed forces to adopt Western standards.
Announcing the identities of four suspects in the MH17 case
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Wilbert Paulissen announced four suspects in the MH17 crash at a press conference in the Netherlands on June 19. Photo:AFP. |
The Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on June 19 issued arrest warrants and murder charges against three Russians, Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy, Oleg Pulatov, and a Ukrainian, Leonid Kharchenko. "Today we are issuing international arrest warrants for the first suspects we will prosecute. They will be placed on national and international wanted lists," Wilbert Paulissen, head of the Dutch National Police, said at a press conference.
Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said the four men "will be held responsible for bringing the weapon that caused the tragedy, the BUK Telar missile system, into eastern Ukraine." Relatives of the victims have been told that the trial of the four suspects will begin on March 9, 2020, in the Netherlands. However, the suspects are likely to be tried in absentia because Russia does not allow the transfer of its citizens to foreign countries for prosecution and investigators do not know the whereabouts of Kharchenko.
Revealing the agenda of the North Korea - China summit
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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a meeting in Dalian city on May 8, 2018. |
On June 18, Chinese media revealed part of the agenda and discussion topics during Chinese President Xi Jinping's first state visit to North Korea on June 20-21.
Chinese state media quoted Chinese officials as saying that President Xi Jinping will hold talks with Chairman Kim Jong-un, reviewing the bilateral relationship over the past 70 years, exchanging views on the relationship between the two countries in the new era and the main development directions in the coming period. The two leaders will also discuss the situation and progress of the political settlement on the Korean Peninsula. According to Chinese media sources, the two leaders will also discuss the issue of denuclearization.
Iran affirms there will be no war with the US
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Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani. Photo:AFP. |
A senior Iranian security official said there was no reason for Iran and the US to wage war against each other. "There will not be a military confrontation between Iran and the US because there is no reason for either side to wage war. Accusing other countries has become a habit for US officials to pressure them," Iran's state news agency IRNA quoted Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, as saying.
Previously, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also said that Tehran will not go to war with any country, while criticizing the US for trying to isolate the country internationally.
Japan passes laws banning child abuse
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| Japan passes laws banning child abuse. Photo: scmp.com |
The Japanese parliament on June 19 passed laws banning parents and guardians from physically punishing children, following a spate of child abuse deaths in the name of "disciplinary punishment." The laws are part of the revised child abuse prevention and child welfare laws, which will take effect from April 2020, prohibiting physical punishment but not imposing penalties on offenders.
Under the new laws, local authorities and child welfare centers will be encouraged to provide guidance to parents, especially those who frequently punish their children, based on medical and psychological expertise. Local authorities and child welfare centers will also be allowed to intervene in cases of abuse by separating children from their guardians and assigning staff to supervise both groups.
