Russia celebrates 73rd anniversary of Victory Day; US abandons Iran nuclear deal

13,000 Russian soldiers parade to celebrate 73rd anniversary of Victory over fascism

Leading the mechanized formation participating in the parade was the T-34 tank, a legendary weapon of the Great Patriotic War.

On May 9, Russia held a military parade to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, ending the Great Patriotic War.

Speaking at the event, President Putin affirmed that this is a holiday that the whole nation will always be proud of and remember. "All countries understand that fascism was defeated by Soviet soldiers. However, now there are efforts to rewrite history. We will do everything to preserve these memories. We will always be proud that the Soviet Union did not bow down when other countries decided to surrender," he emphasized.

At the end of Mr. Putin's speech, the parade took place with two parts of military and equipment parade.

12,500 military cadets and soldiers from various branches of the Russian armed forces, along with 159 mechanized weapons and 75 aircraft of various types, will parade through Red Square. Many cutting-edge weapons were also introduced by the Russian Ministry of Defense in this grand parade, including the Su-57 stealth fighter, MiG-31K interceptor fighter carrying Kinzhal hypersonic anti-ship missiles, BMPT-72 armored tank support vehicle, Uran-9 combat robot complex and Korsar multi-purpose unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).

On the afternoon of May 8 (early morning of May 9, Hanoi time), US President Donald Trump announced his withdrawal from the nuclear agreement signed between Iran and six major powers in 2015.

In his speech, US President Donald Trump declared: "I will sign a presidential memorandum to begin restoring US nuclear-related sanctions on the Iranian regime. We will begin imposing the highest level of sanctions."

According to Mr. Trump, the above agreement is flawed from the inside. "The nuclear agreement signed between Iran and the P5+1 group (including the UK, France, Russia, China, the US, Germany) under the Obama administration is a disaster, does not bring real effectiveness, does not bring peace and stability to the region. The US's agreement to pursue the above agreement will spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East," the US President emphasized.

The US leader also threatened that Iran would face "bigger problems" if it continued to pursue its nuclear development program.

However, Mr. Trump also left open the possibility of negotiating a new agreement when linked to recent progress in resolving nuclear tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Syria accuses Israel of killing 15 people

Syria accused Israel of carrying out an attack on the Kaswa area, south of Damascus, late on May 8 that killed at least 15 people after US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. The attack targeted an arms depot guarded by Iranian forces.

Syria said this was not the first time the area had been targeted by Israeli attacks. Twenty-six people, most of them Iranian soldiers, have been killed by Israeli missile strikes since late April. On April 9, Syria accused Israeli planes of targeting the Tayfur (T-4) military base in Homs province, central Syria, killing seven Iranians. Since the start of the conflict in Syria in 2011, Israel has repeatedly bombed military targets of the Syrian regime or Hezbollah in Syria.

Israel has not confirmed that it carried out these attacks. However, its military has also been on high alert for fear of attack, and has deployed defense systems along the border and in the Golan Heights. Israel has long reiterated that it will not allow Iran to strengthen its military presence in Syria.

Xi Jinping was voted the most powerful person in the world in 2018

Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo:SCMP.

This year, Chinese President Xi Jinping overtook Russian President Putin to take the top spot, pushing him to second place after four consecutive years at the top. According to Forbes, the March constitutional amendment to remove presidential term limits has helped Xi expand his powers and influence, becoming the absolute ruler of China.

Putin is still very powerful because he was just elected and continues to lead Russia as president for the 4th time. After a year in office, US President Donald Trump has dropped to third place. German Chancellor Angela Merkel ranked 4th, and French President Macron ranked 12th.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ranked 36th, Indian Prime Minister Modi ranked 9th, South Korean President Moon Jae-in is a new name on this year's list, ranked 54th. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong ranked 61st, Indonesian President Joko Widodo ranked 74th.

Forbes' list includes politicians, businessmen, spiritual leaders..., evaluated based on their influence on the community, personal assets, power to influence the number of people and in their own fields. Accordingly, Amazon retail group founder Jeff Bezos ranked 5th, Pope Francis, spiritual leader of more than one billion Catholics, ranked 6th; billionaire Bill Gates, founder of technology company Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Foundation ranked 7th.

North Korea releases three US citizens

From left, Kim Hak-song, Kim Dong-chul and Kim Sang-duk, three American citizens detained by North Korea. Photo:CNN.

"I am pleased to announce that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is on his return flight from North Korea along with the three wonderful gentlemen everyone was looking forward to meeting. They appear to be in good health," US President Trump posted on Twitter today.

Trump said three Americans detained by North Korea have been released and are on their way home with the secretary of state. He will greet Pompeo and the three Americans when they land at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington at 2 a.m. EST (1 p.m. Hanoi time) on May 10. The White House has called the release of the prisoners a positive gesture of goodwill ahead of the summit. It added that the three men were able to board the plane without assistance.

The three Americans released are Kim Dong-chul, arrested by North Korea in October 2015 on espionage charges; Kim Sang-duk, detained since April 2017 on charges of hostile acts against the government; and Kim Hak-song, arrested in May 2017 on similar charges.

Spain blocks re-election of Mr Puigdemont as leader of Catalonia

Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont (center) after being released from prison in Neumuenster, northern Germany on April 6. Source: AFP/TTXVN

Spain announced on May 9 that it would prevent former Catalan regional leader Carles Puigdemont from being re-elected as the region's leader.

At the same time, the Spanish government is putting pressure on separatist forces in Catalonia to choose another candidate and form a regional government as the deadline for forming a Catalan government is approaching and to avoid holding new elections.

Speaking to reporters, Spanish government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo said the Spanish government has asked the country's Constitutional Court to annul a new law passed by the Catalan Legislative Assembly last week, specifically allowing Mr. Puigdemont, currently living in exile abroad, to be elected in absentia as President of the Catalonia region.

The Spanish Constitutional Court will have to consider Madrid's request and make a decision. However, while the court is reviewing the Catalan law, it will be automatically suspended, meaning Mr Puigdemont will not be able to be appointed as planned at the weekend.

Prison riot in Indonesia, 5 police officers and 1 prisoner died

Five police officers and one prisoner were killed in a riot at a prison on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta. Photo: foxnews.com

Five police officers and one prisoner were killed in a riot involving former inmates at a prison on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesian authorities said on May 9. Another police officer is being held hostage by rioting inmates.

The riot occurred on the night of May 8 at the detention center at the headquarters of the Mobile Police Brigade in Depok, West Java province, on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta. Police are continuing to negotiate for the prisoners to release the hostages.

Indonesian authorities have also denied information that the self-proclaimed "Islamic State" (IS) organization admitted to carrying out the prison riot posted on Amaq - the propaganda channel that IS uses to report on attacks and spread the message of this terrorist organization.