Russia replaces military experts in Venezuela; Iran will respond if its borders are violated

Huawei loses lawsuit in the US

On June 26 (US time), the court in Sherman, Texas (US) issued a verdict in Huawei's lawsuit against California-based semiconductor equipment design company CNEX Labs. The verdict stated that CNEX Labs did not steal trade secrets from Chinese technology company Huawei. Huawei accused this company of stealing trade secrets about storage control technology and luring Huawei employees.

Meanwhile, CNEX also countersued Huawei, accusing the Chinese giant of stealing technology by pretending to be a customer, and at the same time accusing Huawei of using the same methods to steal other companies' trade secrets.

Iran warns of strong response if border continues to be violated

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani speaks at a press conference in the capital Tehran. Photo: AFP/VNA

On June 27, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani as warning against the US airspace violation, threatening a stronger response if the Islamic Republic's borders continue to be violated. Ali Larijani affirmed: "The shooting down of the US drone is a 'valuable experience' for Washington to avoid any aggressive actions against our borders. Iran will react more strongly if they repeat this mistake."

Previously, Iranian officials have repeatedly expressed a tough stance on US sanctions. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, affirmed that Tehran will not back down in the face of Washington's sanctions and that the US proposal to negotiate with Iran is a "deception".

North Korea demands South Korea not to interfere in negotiations with the US

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (left) and Chairman Kim Jong-un in the capital Pyongyang in 2018. Photo: Reuters

The North Korean Foreign Ministry warned on June 27 that South Korea should stop “interfering” in the negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington. The statement was made just before US President Donald Trump visited South Korea. Accordingly, the central news agency KCNA quoted an unnamed official of the North Korean Foreign Ministry on June 27 as denouncing South Korea for trying to play the role of mediator.

"The negotiations between the US and North Korea are direct. This is not something the South Korean government can get involved in. If North Korea has to contact the US, we can use existing channels, without having to go through the South Korean government," the official said. "South Korean officials act as if Pyongyang and Seoul are holding talks, but in fact there are no talks," the North Korean diplomat said.

Russia replaces military expert team in Venezuela

A Russian transport plane carrying a group of military experts landed at the airport in the Venezuelan capital Caracas on March 22. Photo:Twitter

A Russian plane has brought a new group of technicians to Venezuela to replace the 100-strong team that arrived three months ago to help maintain military equipment. "The Il-62 aircraft, which has been carrying Russian military specialists to Venezuela for the past few months, left Caracas for Moscow on June 26," the Russian embassy in Venezuela said in a statement. The press attaché at the Russian embassy in Caracas confirmed that the plane was headed to Moscow, but did not provide further details or comment.

The Russian diplomatic mission in Venezuela wrote on Twitter earlier that the transport plane arrived in Caracas on June 24, carrying another team of technicians to carry out "routine maintenance" of Russian military equipment in Venezuela, replacing the group that left yesterday. The Russian embassy explained that this was just a normal personnel rotation, not an additional Russian military expert to Venezuela. The presence of Russian technicians in Venezuela is for the purpose of technical training, supporting the maintenance of weapons technology that Moscow has transferred to Caracas.

Libyan pro-government forces retake strategic city

Forces loyal to the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya during clashes with the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) in Tripoli on May 25, 2019. Photo: AFP/VNA

On June 26, forces loyal to the internationally recognized Libyan government liberated the strategic city of Gharyan, 90km south of the capital Tripoli. Mustafa al-Mejii, spokesman for the forces supporting the Government of National Accord (GNA), announced that they had won in Gharyan.

The force killed dozens of gunmen supporting General Khalifa Haftar, head of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA), and captured at least 18. The recapture of Gharyan is seen as a major blow to the LNA based in eastern Libya.

The South Korean Ministry of Education said on June 27 that the country will gradually exempt tuition fees for high school students, in order to help reduce the financial burden on people and ensure the right to education for all children. Tuition fees will be exempted for senior high school students starting from the second semester of this year. In 2020, tuition fees will be exempted for second and third year high school students.

Under the roadmap, all high school students in South Korea will be exempt from tuition fees by 2021. Currently, South Korea offers free tuition for elementary and middle school students, while high school students pay an average of 1.5 million won ($1,300) per year, including tuition, admission fees, and other fees. The Ministry of Education estimates that the government will spend nearly 2 trillion won per year on tuition exemption at this level by 2021.