Russia - Belarus conduct 'Alliance Shield' exercise; Paris worries about the risk of poisoning by 460 tons of lead
(Baonghean.vn) - Paris worries about the risk of poisoning due to 460 tons of lead burned at Notre Dame Cathedral; Russia completes delivery of the second S-400 system to Türkiye; Afghanistan kills at least 40 Taliban gunmen... are the world's outstanding news in the past 24 hours.
12,000 Russian and Belarusian troops participate in the 'Union Shield 2019' exercise
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| Russian army tanks fire during "Shield of the Union-2019". Photo: tvzvezda.ru |
The 2019 “Union Shield” exercise was held at the Mulino training ground in the city of Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation). The total number of troops participating in the exercise was about 12 thousand people (including 8 thousand Russian soldiers and 4 thousand Belarusian soldiers).
Hundreds of military equipment and heavy weapons of the Russian and Belarusian armies will conduct joint exercises, with continuous firepower day and night. The powerful weapons participating in the exercise include many T-80 and T-72B3 tanks, BMP-2 and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, Msta-S self-propelled guns, Iskander-M tactical missile systems and other modern electronic equipment.
In addition, the “Union Shield 2019” pays special attention to preventing the infiltration of anti-submarine and spy groups into military units, the issue of liberating residential areas from illegal armed groups. Joint reconnaissance and search operations of units of the Armed Forces of Russia and Belarus are also intensified.
Saudi Arabian oil plant attacked
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Smoke rises from the Aramco plant in Abqaiq after a drone attack. Photo: Reuters |
Two plants in Abqaiq and Khurais were attacked by drones, causing Saudi Arabia to lose nearly 6 million barrels of oil a day. Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying 10 drones targeted two Aramco oil production facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais.
In a statement on September 15, Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman said that Aramco's supply chain of 5.7 million barrels of crude oil and gas per day, equivalent to 50% of the country's total production, had been shut down by the attacks, reducing global oil supplies by 5%. The latest figures from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) released in August showed that Saudi Arabia produced about 9.8 million barrels of crude oil and gas per day.
Russia completes delivery of second S-400 system to Türkiye
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S-400 complex equipment moved to Murted base on September 15. Photo: Turkish Ministry of Defense. |
Moscow completed the delivery of the second S-400 system to Ankara on September 15, and the complex will begin operating in early 2020. "The process of transferring components of the second S-400 air defense system to Murted military airport began on August 27 and was completed today," the Turkish Defense Ministry announced, adding that it is continuing to train soldiers to operate it and expects to activate the complex in April 2020.
Türkiye and Russia signed a deal to buy four S-400 systems worth $2.5 billion in December 2017. The US has repeatedly opposed the deal, arguing that Russia could send experts to Türkiye and access the NATO air defense network, as well as research the F-35 stealth fighter to gain secret combat information, eliminating the advantage of the world's most expensive fighter jet.
Paris fears poisoning risk from 460 tons of lead burned at Notre Dame Cathedral
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| Ashes remaining from the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral - Photo: NYT |
The fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris released 460 million tons of lead into the air. Dozens of locations in parks, kindergartens, schools, etc. have reported lead levels exceeding safety limits. This is information from a special report by the New York Times (NYT) after accessing many confidential documents, warnings from labor inspectors, police reports, and test results on lead levels announced by the French Ministry of Culture.
Lead was found in the structure of the cathedral’s spire and roof. Five months after the fire, French authorities have yet to release the full results of lead poisoning tests, and have even added to the confusion by issuing reassuring statements urging people not to worry too much about the risks.
Afghanistan kills at least 40 Taliban militants in airstrike
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Afghan security forces backed by US forces killed two senior Taliban leaders and at least 38 militants in joint airstrikes in western and northern Afghanistan, officials said on September 15.
A senior security official in Kabul said the operation was launched on the night of September 14 to stop Taliban attacks on Afghan forces. The official said clashes escalated after talks between the US and the Taliban collapsed.
Israel approves construction of a new settlement in the West Bank
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| Israel's Maale Adumim settlement on occupied land in the West Bank. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said on September 15 that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government had agreed to turn the "slum settlement" of Mevoot Yericho in the Jordan Valley into an official settlement. "The government approved the motion of the parliamentarians to build the settlement of Mevoot Yericho," the statement said, as the weekly Cabinet meeting was convened in the Jordan Valley. At this meeting, Prime Minister Netanyahu also announced his intention to expand settlements in the expanded West Bank, but in coordination with US President Donald Trump.
Last week, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that he would annex the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank if he is re-elected in the September 17 election. The Israeli leader's announcement has been criticized by many countries and organizations around the world, including Palestine, the Arab League, the European Union and the United Nations.
