Russia extends EU food ban; Syria intercepts Israeli missiles
(Baonghean.vn) - The world over the past 24 hours has been filled with many events such as: Trump pressured NATO allies to increase defense spending; Russia expanded the EU's ban on imported food; UK released a White Paper on Brexit; Thailand considered granting citizenship to a trainer who was trapped in a cave; Syria "prevented Israeli missiles from attacking a military post"...
Trump presses NATO allies to increase defense spending
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| US President Donald Trump answers questions from the press after the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium on July 12. Photo: Reuters. |
The US president hailed a personal victory after NATO allies pledged to increase defense spending. "I let them know that I was extremely unhappy with what was happening and they really stepped up. Now we're all happy and we have a very strong NATO, much stronger than we were two days ago," Donald Trump said at a press conference after the second day of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, according toAFP.
The US president said 28 allies had agreed to rapidly increase defense spending to meet NATO's target over the next few years. Under the current commitment, countries will reach the target of contributing 2% of GDP to NATO by 2024, but it could also be extended to 2030.
Brussels is the first stop on the US President's week-long European tour. After the NATO summit, he will pay an official visit to the UK on July 13 and meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 16 in Helsinki, Finland.
Russia extends EU food import ban
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Russia extends EU food import ban (Photo: Reuters) |
On July 12, Russia extended the ban on some food products imported from the European Union (EU) to Russia until December 31, 2019.The decision was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same day.
The Russian government previously banned the import of all fresh food products originating from the European Union into Russia in 2014 in retaliation for Western countries imposing sanctions on Russia after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula.
North Korea proposes general-level talks on return of US soldiers' remains
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The remains of an American soldier from the Korean War were repatriated in 1993. Photo:AFP. |
North Korea has asked the United Nations Command (UNC) Armistice Commission to hold general-level talks on the repatriation of the remains of US soldiers killed in the Korean War (1950-1953) on July 15 after failing to attend a meeting with the US as planned.
Some sources said on July 12 that Pyongyang has repeatedly proposed holding general-level talks with the UNC on the above issue.
Earlier, the working-level talks between North Korea and the US on the repatriation of US soldiers' remains, which were scheduled to take place at the truce village of Panmunjom, were postponed when the North Korean side failed to show up. North Korea told the UNC that it needed to upgrade its delegation to the meeting.
UK publishes White Paper on Brexit
British Prime Minister Theresa May on July 12 announced the White Paper on Britain's exit from the European Union (also known as Brexit).
According to sources from the newly appointed UK Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, this White Paper on Brexit is considered a milestone on the Brexit process with detailed proposals on this issue.
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has not even seen the proposals yet, but Mr Raab hopes the White Paper will reassure the EU and those concerned about how Brexit is progressing.
Thailand considers granting citizenship to coach trapped in cave
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Coach Ekkapol Chantawong takes a photo with some members of the Wild Boars football team. Photo:Twitter. |
Venus Sirsuk, director of the Registration Department under the Thai Interior Ministry, confirmed on July 12 that his office is considering granting citizenship to three young footballers, Pornchai Kamluang, Adul Sam-on, Mongkhol Boonpiam, and coach Ekaphol Chantawong, according toGuardian.
"Officials at the Mae Sai district office are now looking for their birth certificates. We have to see if they were born in Thailand and if they have a Thai father or mother," he said.
Puttanee Kangkun, a human rights expert in Thailand, said the lack of citizenship meant the four had severely limited rights.The three young players and their coach, who come from ethnic minorities in Myanmar, which borders Thailand, are not legally considered Thai citizens and do not have many of the same rights as other team members.
Syria "prevents Israeli missiles from attacking military post"
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| Syrian air defense missile launcher. Photo: Reuters |
Syrian state media reported that Syrian air defense systems intercepted missiles launched by Israeli fighter jets targeting several military positions in Quneitra province in the early hours of July 12.
The attack, which took place near the village of Hader on the border with the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, only caused material damage, according to the SANA news agency. There has been no immediate response from Israel. Hours earlier, Israel said it had shot down a Syrian drone that had entered its airspace, according to Reuters.
Poland wants increased US military presence on its territory
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Mr. Duda (left) shook hands with Mr. Trump in a previous meeting. Photo: BiznesAlert EN. |
On the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Belgium, on the evening of July 12, Polish President Andrej Duda met with his US counterpart Donald Trump to discuss plans to increase the US military presence on Polish territory.
According to Chief of Staff of the Polish President Krzysztof Szczerski, the meeting was held at the request of the Polish side. Although the content of the meeting was not disclosed, Mr. Szczerski said that President Duda and PresidentTrumpThe two sides agreed to continue talks to discuss the issue of increasing the US military presence in Poland, as well as bilateral military cooperation. This issue will be discussed in more detail during the Polish President's planned visit to the US later this year.
Australia bans foreigners from working as interns in Parliament
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Australian Parliament House in Canberra. (Photo: Reuters) |
Australia's program, which allows high-achieving young people to work for federal parliamentarians for three months, is open to citizens of all countries, as long as the candidate has no criminal record.
However, going forward, “interns in Parliament will be limited to Australian citizens only,” said a spokesman for Senator Scott Ryan, the president of the Senate, which oversaw the change. The spokesman declined to comment on what prompted the change, or whether it was intended to deter Chinese involvement.
Japan's population has declined for nine consecutive years.
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Japanese city. Photo: Japan Times. |
The Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs has just released a report stating that the country's population has continued to decline for the ninth consecutive year. Accordingly, Japan's population reached 125.2 million in January 2018, down 374,000 people compared to 2017, the largest decrease since statistics were conducted in 1968. 2017 was also the year with the lowest birth rate in Japan since 1979, with 948,000 cases.
Only six of Japan's 47 prefectures saw population growth, including Tokyo. Compared to 2017, the Japanese capital saw an increase of 70,000 residents, keeping Tokyo's population above 13 million and marking the 22nd consecutive year of population growth.
