Russia catches former US Marine spying; EU may delay Brexit
(Baonghean.vn) - Russia said it caught a former US Marine spying; US and UK warships conduct joint exercises in the East Sea; Former Mexican president accused of receiving 100 million USD from drug lord El Chapo; EU may delay Brexit if UK requests... are the world's top news in the past 24 hours.
Russia says it caught former US Marine spying
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| Paul Whelan in front of the Kremlin in Moscow in 2007. Photo:Reuters |
Paul Whelan was arrested by the Russian Federal Security Service on December 28 and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of espionage. "He was caught red-handed," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on January 16, according to Reuters. "He was caught while committing illegal acts in a hotel."
Russian media, citing unnamed intelligence sources, said Whelan was arrested five minutes after receiving a USB drive containing a list of all employees of a secret Russian state agency. The source also said Whelan had been spying for 10 years, using the internet to identify targets from which he could gain information, and that the list of employees he received before his arrest had long been a target of US spies.
Bombing in Syria, 4 US soldiers killed
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Scene of the attack. Photo:ANHA |
"An explosion occurred near a restaurant, targeting Americans," an official at the scene in the town of Manbij described today, according toReuters. A US official said four US soldiers were killed and three were wounded. The US has about 2,000 troops in Syria, mostly special forces supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish and Arab militia.
The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility, saying a suicide bomber targeted a foreign military patrol.
South Korea approves plan to provide medical equipment to North Korea
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A South Korean rice truck passes through a checkpoint in the inter-Korean border city of Paju to enter North Korea. Source: AFP/VNA |
Yonhap news agency quoted the South Korean Unification Ministry as saying that the ministry had approved a humanitarian group's plan to provide medical supplies to North Korea after the United Nations agreed to exempt cross-border cargo trains from sanctions.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the ministry responsible for inter-Korean affairs has authorized the Eugene Bell Foundation to deliver 227 medical items to North Korea for the treatment of patients and medical facilities. It is not yet clear what exactly the items are, but tuberculosis drugs and medical equipment may be among the supplies.
US and British warships conduct joint exercises in the East Sea
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| The US USS McCampbell and British HMS Argyll conduct exercises in the South China Sea. Photo: US Navy |
The US Navy's 7th Fleet website reported on January 16 that the guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell had just completed operations in the East Sea from January 11 to 16 with the participation of the missile frigate HMS Argyll of the British Royal Navy.
At sea, the two ships conducted communication drills, exchanged sailors, enhanced interoperability, and developed relationships for the benefit of the two navies in the coming time. Previously, the US and UK navies, along with the Japanese Coast Guard, conducted anti-submarine drills from December 21 to 22.
EU could delay Brexit if UK requests
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People protest against the Brexit deal outside the British parliament building on January 15. Photo:Independent |
French Minister for European Affairs Nathalie Loiseau said on January 16 that the March 29 Brexit deadline could be extended if Britain proposed to the European Union (EU), according to...AFP“At this point, it is just a theory because British Prime Minister Theresa May and members of her government have never asked for this,” Loiseau said.
According to the French minister, EU countries consider the current deal to be “the only possible” and will not reconsider. “We have really explored all options. If they want an orderly exit, allowing the UK to be close to the EU in the future, that is the deal. The other options are no deal, or no Brexit,” Loiseau added.
Cambodia restores political rights to 2 former opposition politicians
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A session of the Cambodian parliament. Source: VNA correspondents in Cambodia |
Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni has restored political rights to two former opposition politicians, Xinhua news agency reported. In a royal decree signed on January 15 and published a day later, the king announced the restoration of political rights to Kong Korm, a former advisor to the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), and his son, Kong Bora, a former CNRP lawmaker. The king's decree reads: "The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, shall be responsible for implementing this decree from the date of its signing."
The restoration of political freedom for these figures comes after Cambodia's National Assembly in late December 2018 amended the Law on Political Parties to allow banned politicians to re-engage in politics.
Former Mexican president accused of receiving $100 million from drug lord El Chapo
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Mexican drug lord Guzman - Photo: Reuters |
According to news agencyAFPAlex Cifuentes Villa testified before a jury in New York that Mexican drug cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman once bragged about paying a bribe of about $100 million to former Mexican President Pena Nieto to get him to drop a manhunt for the Sinaloa Cartel leader. Alex Cifuentes said he was a close associate of El Chapo for many years. He pleaded guilty in a US court and is currently cooperating with US prosecutors in El Chapo's trial.
A spokesman for Mr Pena Nieto, who left office last year, dismissed the allegations in court by Mr Alex Cifuentes as “false and defamatory”. Mr Pena Nieto was still president of Mexico when El Chapo was arrested in 2016 and extradited to the US in 2017.
