Russia threatens to retaliate against Israel over Il-20 crash; Inter-Korean summit concludes first day of talks

Russia threatens to retaliate against Israel after spy plane mistakenly shot down in Syria

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on September 18 that the Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft carrying 15 crew members was shot down by mistake by Syrian air defense forces, but asserted that Israel was responsible for the incident and that Russia would "take adequate retaliatory measures," according toReuters.

"The Israeli pilot used the Russian reconnaissance plane as a cover to hide himself and caused it to be targeted by Syrian air defense forces. As a result, the Il-20, which has a much larger radar cross section than the F-16, was shot down by an S-200 missile," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, describing the "hostile and provocative" actions of the Israeli fighter.

"Fifteen Russian servicemen were killed as a result of irresponsible actions by the Israeli military. This is completely inconsistent with the spirit of partnership between the two countries," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

Inter-Korean summit ends first day of talks with optimistic signals

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (left) holds his third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. Photo: Reuters

On the afternoon of September 18, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in entered the first official talks within the framework of the 3rd Inter-Korean Summit between the two leaders.

According to a statement from the South Korean Presidential Office, the closed-door meeting between Mr. Kim Jong-un and Mr. Moon Jae-in, which began at 3:45 p.m. (1:45 p.m. Hanoi time) in a closed meeting room at the Central Committee Headquarters of the Workers' Party of Korea, ended at 5:45 p.m. and was followed by a series of meetings between senior officials of the two countries.

At the meeting, which received worldwide attention, leader Kim Jong-un said he expected progress in denuclearization talks with the United States, a process that would help stabilize the region. For his part, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that “the Panmunjom Spring has successfully led to the Pyongyang Autumn… Now it is time to reap the fruits” in inter-Korean relations. Moon Jae-in urged efforts to make progress at the summit.

Syria welcomes agreement to establish demilitarized zone in Idlib

Scenes of devastation after attacks in Idlib. Source: AFP

The Syrian government on September 18 welcomed a deal reached between Russia and Türkiye a day earlier to prevent a military offensive in the Idlib region in northern Syria.

Syrian state media quoted a source in the country's Foreign Ministry as saying that Damascus "welcomes the agreement on Idlib province" - the last major rebel stronghold in the conflict-torn country. "The Syrian Arab Republic welcomes the Idlib agreement announced on September 17 in Sochi and stresses that this agreement is the result of in-depth consultations between Syria and Russia, coordinating the actions of the two countries," the source said. According to the source, the Syrian government is determined to completely liberate the country from terrorism through military operations or a ceasefire agreement.

French Interior Minister Resigns, Deals 'Hard Blow' to President Macron

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb (left) and President Emmanuel Macron. Photo: lemonde.fr

On September 18, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb announced that he would resign in 2019 to run for mayor of Lyon, a position he once held. This move is seen as a heavy blow to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Collomb told L'Express magazine that he would run for mayor of the eastern French city in 2020, and would step down as interior minister after next year's European Parliament elections to begin his campaign. "I will not be interior minister until the last minute. After a while it is better to devote myself completely to the campaign," Collomb said. Gerard Collomb, 71, served as mayor of Lyon for 16 years until President Macron appointed him interior minister.

The US ranks near the bottom in global development commitment.

Illustration photo: Huffingtonpost.com

According to a report by the Center for Global Development (CGD), a poverty reduction think tank, the United States ranks near the bottom of the list of countries with the best commitment to development globally.

The rankings show Sweden has overtaken Denmark to take the top spot, while the US is ranked 23rd out of 27 countries surveyed and France has also dropped three places to seventh. The four countries at the bottom of the rankings are Japan, Poland, Greece and South Korea.

The CGD said the rankings were based on countries' contributions in areas such as aid, technology, finance, trade and migration.

Myanmar, Thailand tighten border security after 30 prisoners escape

Myanmar police are searching for more than 30 escaped prisoners. Photo: Reuters

A Myanmar official said on Thursday that several prisoners attacked and hijacked a garbage truck, then used it to break down the door of Hpa-An prison in Karen state before running away, according to AFP. About 10 of the escaped prisoners have been captured by police but about 30 others are still hiding in villages near the border with Thailand, causing public concern.

Meanwhile, the Bangkok Post reported that Thai troops and border police have also increased their presence along the border with Myanmar and are closely monitoring the area to catch the escapees. According to the newspaper, Myanmar police have captured 14 people, including two who died during the chase.

Israel accepts more than 1,000 Ethiopian Jewish immigrants