Russia warns of global conflict risk; Trump hopes to meet North Korean leader soon

Russia warns of 'dangerous' risk of conflict in the world

Novator 9M729 missile displayed by Russia to prove it does not violate the INF. Photo: AFP

Sputnik news agency on January 30 quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov as warning that the risk of potential conflicts in the world has developed to a dangerous level, including the risk of nuclear weapons. "The world security situation is unstable and continues to deteriorate," Mr. Ryabkov said at a meeting in Beijing between the five countries possessing many nuclear weapons: the US, Russia, the UK, France and China.

According to the Russian foreign minister, Moscow is witnessing a deterioration of strategic stability in the world, with some parties trying to upset denuclearization and arms control. “Some countries are making dangerous changes in their doctrine, including those that are leading the calls for lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons,” he said.

Huawei CFO appears in court two months after arrest

Ms. Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Corporation, appeared in a Canadian court on January 29. Photo: AP

According to the newspaperGuardian(UK), on January 29, Ms. Meng Wanzhou appeared for the first time in the high court in the province of British Columbia after nearly two months of being arrested by Canadian authorities in Vancouver at the request of the US government. During this trial, Judge William Ehrcke announced to postpone the next trial for another month, until March 6.

Meng’s trial in Canada comes just two days before US President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He are scheduled to meet in Washington. Canada has a month to decide whether to accept the US government’s request for her extradition.

Venezuelan president says army deserters plot coup

"The deserters have become mercenaries for Colombia and plotted from Colombia to divide the armed forces under my command," Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on January 30 as he led a column of 2,500 soldiers on a parade at a barracks in Caracas, according toAFP"We are facing conspiracies and we defeat them every day."

Earlier, in an interview with Russian media, Maduro accused President Trump of asking the Colombian government and mafia organizations to assassinate him.

President Donald Trump hopes to meet North Korean leader soon

US President Donald Trump (right) during a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12. Source: AFP/TTXVN

Sputniknews reported on January 30 that US President Donald Trump said he looked forward to meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un soon amid the unprecedentedly good US-North Korea relationship. On his Twitter account, Mr. Trump wrote: "I look forward to meeting Mr. Kim Jong-un soon... The relationship between North Korea and the US is now the best it has ever been. Great opportunity for denuclearization."

President Trump stressed that US-North Korea relations have improved since he took office. The US leader stressed: "At the end of the previous administration, the relationship was terrible and a lot of bad things happened. Now it's a completely different story."

US accuses China of hiding subsidy programs

US-China relations show no signs of cooling down. Source: Reuters

The United States on January 30 submitted 70 questions to the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding Beijing’s subsidy programs, highlighting concerns about the role of the state in China’s large and growing market. The US questions revolve around Chinese government subsidies for fisheries and the activities of government-managed funds that seek to promote domestic innovation in a variety of industries, from engineering and robotics to biotechnology and clean energy.

The US document was submitted to the WTO's Subsidies Committee after China submitted a report on its subsidy programs that it is required to disclose for transparency purposes.

Russia tests automated border control system

Photo is for illustration purposes only. Source: biometricupdate.com

According to a VNA correspondent in Russia, airports in the capital Moscow have begun deploying an automated passport control system. Cabins for biometric passport holders have been installed at the largest international airport in the Russian Federation, Sheremetyevo, and will soon be installed at Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports.

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said that in the current testing phase, this service is only available to Russian citizens and people who are not in wheelchairs. Passengers are automatically photographed, fingerprints are scanned and the device will compare them with the information on their biometric passport. The system also checks the validity of the passport. This automatic check will shorten the time for border checks, reducing the workload for border guards.

Bangkok closes more than 400 schools due to air pollution

"The air pollution may continue until February 3-4, so I decided to close schools,"NationalBangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang reported on January 30. The Thai capital has decided to close 437 public schools to ensure the health of students as smog continues to blanket the city. This is an unprecedented decision.

Smog has blanketed Bangkok for weeks, forcing people to wear masks when going out. The pollution is believed to be caused by emissions from vehicles, industrial plants, dust from construction sites and burning rice straw.