Russia will retaliate if the US withdraws from the INF; France considers restoring the “Rich Tax”

Russia holds missile drills in the Black Sea amid tensions with Ukraine

Russia dispatches submarines to the Black Sea to participate in exercises. TASS screenshot

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that the two submarines Rostov-on-Don B-237 and Stary Oskol B-262 practiced emergency mobilization to search for and destroy underwater and coastal targets with missiles. At the same time, the Russian military deployed the Pantsir medium-range surface-to-air missile system in eastern Crimea to practice shooting down targets, according to Interfax news agency.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not specify the start and end times or the scale of the exercises, but Türkiye warned ships to be cautious when moving in the Black Sea area from December 3 to 9.

Türkiye requests arrest of top Saudi official

Journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a press conference in Bahrain. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

Turkish officials said on December 5 that the Istanbul prosecutor's office had requested arrest warrants for Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, and the deputy head of the country's intelligence agency, General Ahmed al-Asiri, on suspicion of planning the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Istanbul prosecutor's office has concluded that the two Saudi officials were among those who planned the murder of journalist Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 2, according to the source.

Turkish officials say the international community remains skeptical about Saudi Arabia's commitment to investigating and prosecuting those involved in Khashoggi's murder, and insist Riyadh can only resolve this doubt by extraditing all suspects to Türkiye.

Russian President warns it will be forced to retaliate if the US withdraws from the INF

An Iskander-M missile fires during exercises near St. Petersburg in September 2017. Photo: Russian Defense Ministry

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 5 that Russia would be forced to retaliate if the US withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Speaking on television, Mr. Putin said Moscow opposed the scrapping of the agreement, but the US had long wanted to withdraw from the agreement and blamed Russia for violating the document as an excuse to withdraw.

Previously, the US issued a 60-day "ultimatum" for Russia to "return" to full and verifiable compliance with the INF. If nothing changes after this deadline, the US will begin a six-month process to withdraw from the treaty.

French government considers restoring "Rich Tax" to cool down protest wave

French President Emmanuel Macron (center) inspects the scene of violent protests against fuel price hikes by "Yellow Vest" forces in Paris, December 2, 2018. Photo: Reuters

In hopes of easing tensions caused by the wave of protests known as "Yellow Vests" that have lasted for weeks, the French government announced on December 5 that it would consider reviving the "Wealth Tax" (ISF) aimed at high-income households. Reviving the tax on the wealthy has become one of the key demands of the "Yellow Vests" protesters, along with the demand to end fuel tax increases and raise the minimum wage.

In place since 1982, the ISF required French households with assets worth more than 1.3 million euros ($1.4 million) to pay additional tax even if they were already subject to personal income tax. In his first year in office, President Macron decided to abolish the ISF as part of a plan to stimulate the French economy, prompting critics to say the leader favored the rich while raising taxes on pensioners and others.

British Prime Minister denies allegations of concealing information about Brexit

British Prime Minister Theresa May. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

British Prime Minister Theresa May on December 5 affirmed that she did not hide from Parliament details of the legal advice given to her government on the agreement to leave the European Union (EU), also known as Brexit. Speaking in Parliament, Mrs. May made it clear: "We did not hide information about the Brexit agreement from members of Parliament."

Cuba provides 3G Internet for mobile phones for the first time

A Cuban YouTuber introduces her YouTube channel on her mobile phone - Photo: AFP

Cuba announced that from December 6, all citizens of the country will be invited to register for 3G Internet access service on mobile phones. Ms. Mayra Arevich, president of the only state telecommunications company in Cuba, announced this information on national television on the evening of December 4.

Until now, Cubans have only been able to access state-run email accounts on their personal mobile phones. Cuba has one of the lowest internet penetration rates in the world, but that has changed, and it has grown rapidly, since President Barack Obama and President Raul Castro announced the normalization of relations in 2014.

Iran threatens to block oil exporting countries in the Gulf

An oil refinery on Iran's Khark Island off the Gulf. Photo: AFP/TTXVN