Russia responds to US sanctions; Japanese princess's wedding postponed until 2020
(Baonghean.vn) - In the past 24 hours, there have been many outstanding news in the world such as: In response to sanctions, Russia threatens to limit the export of rocket engines to the US; The wedding of the Japanese princess was postponed due to a financial scandal; The Syrian army shelled to clear the way for the Idlib attack campaign; France called for easing regulations on recruiting immigrants...
In response to sanctions, Russia threatens to restrict rocket engine exports to the US
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RD-180. Source: NASA |
According to Reuters, on August 9, Russian MP Sergei Ryabukhin said that if Washington imposes new sanctions against Russia, Moscow may restrict the export of RD-180 rocket engines to the US.
On August 8, the US announced it would impose additional sanctions on Russia, after determining that Moscow was responsible for the nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK.
Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in the US said that Washington's reasons for imposing sanctions were forced. There was no evidence to support the US accusations, while the US side still refused to answer Russia's questions.
South Korean and North Korean leaders prepare for third summit
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the April 26 summit in Panmunjom. Photo:Korea Summit Press Pool. |
![[Caption]Ảnh: Tổng thống Hàn Quốc Moon Jae-in (trái) và lãnh đạo Triều Tiên Kim Jong-un tại hội nghị thượng đỉnh ngày 26/4 ở Panmunjom. Ảnh: Korea Summit Press Pool.](https://bna.1cdn.vn/2018/08/09/uploaded-huuquanbna-2018_08_10-_3879170828432428549912146572232042231533825185_pwsr.jpg)
South Korea's Unification Ministry announced on August 9 that it will hold high-level talks with North Korea at Panmunjom on August 13 to "discuss preparations related to the summit," according toAFP.
The announcement did not specify the location of the summit, but at a meeting in April, South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit Pyongyang in the fall.
The proposal for a third summit came from Pyongyang to "review progress" on agreements reached at the first summit in April.
Japanese princess's wedding postponed due to financial scandal
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| Princess Mako and her fiancé Kei Komuro announced their engagement at a press conference in Tokyo in September 2017. Photo:Kyodo |
Princess Mako, the eldest grandchild of Emperor Akihito, had planned to marry 26-year-old lawyer Kei Komuro in November, but in February she announced that she would postpone it until 2020, saying she needed more time to prepare and "think more deeply about marriage," according toGuardian.
However, Japanese media reported that Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, Mako's parents, revealed that the wedding could not take place because Komuro's mother had financial problems. She had borrowed money from her ex-husband to pay for her son's education. Mako and Komuro could only marry after she paid off the debt.
Observers also said that the wedding preparations could overshadow the emperor’s abdication ceremony. The 84-year-old emperor will abdicate in favor of Crown Prince Naruhito, 57, in April 2019.
Syrian army shells clear way for Idlib offensive
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Syrian soldiers in the southeastern region of Idlib province. Photo:Press TV. |
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said today that Syrian artillery units began bombarding the town of Jisr al-Shughur, a key area in the southwest of Idlib province, in preparation for launching a major offensive to liberate the province, according toAFP.
The Syrian army forces participating in the Idlib offensive are divided into three prongs to surround the three western, southern and southeastern sides of Idlib, the last stronghold of rebels and Islamist militants in northern Syria.
Idlib has been under rebel control since 2015. Currently, 60% of the province is still controlled by the al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, while the rest is controlled by rebel forces.
China pledges to maintain trade with Iran
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| Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif. Photo: Reuters |
In a statement, China's Foreign Ministry said that the US's unilateral sanctions campaign against Iran has nothing to do with international law and free trade, so the threat of potential sanctions will not affect Beijing's sovereign right to freely choose its business partners.
The ministry also affirmed that Beijing pursues a consistent policy of opposing any "unilateral sanctions and jurisdiction over foreign countries" currently being indiscriminately carried out by the US against member countries of the international community.
North Korea rejects US-proposed denuclearization timetable
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| US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (left) during talks with Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Yong-chol (right) in Pyongyang on July 7. Source: Twitter/CNN |
According to South Korea's KBS Radio, the US administration has proposed an official denuclearization timetable to North Korea but has been rejected by the country.
Washington has proposed that Pyongyang transfer 60-70 percent of its nuclear warheads to the United States or another third country within six to eight months. However, beyond easing sanctions and removing North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, it is unclear what reciprocal steps Washington has proposed in exchange for North Korea meeting this timetable.
North Korea has yet to publicly disclose the exact number of nuclear weapons it possesses. Therefore, even if Pyongyang agrees to the US timetable, it is difficult to verify whether the number of nuclear weapons it has transferred outside its territory is truly 60-70%.
Thousands forced to flee homes due to flooding in Nigeria
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| Illustration photo: premiumtimesng.co |
Speaking on television on the evening of August 8, Nigeria's Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Laouan Magadji, said heavy rains since the beginning of this week have caused severe flooding, killing 22 people in the country and forcing thousands to leave their homes.
According to Mr. Magadji, the floods have so far killed 22 people, affected 49,845 people, destroyed more than 3,000 houses and nearly 4,000 hectares of farmland, affecting livestock and drinking water supplies. Among them, the areas of Maradi and Diffa in southern Nigeria have been the most affected by the floods. About 2,000 people in the capital Niamey had to leave their homes after heavy rains earlier this week.
France: Call for easing of immigration recruitment rules
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| Many restaurants in France are short of workers. Source: AFP |
Hotel and restaurant owners in France are lobbying the government to relax regulations on hiring illegal immigrants to fill a job gap in the sector.
According to the French Hotel Association, the French hotel and restaurant industry is facing a serious labor shortage. There are currently about 100,000 jobs that cannot be filled by native workers. Therefore, at a meeting of the French government in July, hotel and restaurant owners in the country called for measures to facilitate the employment of refugees in the industry.
