Russia and North Korea discuss cooperation; Israel strikes Hamas targets
(Baonghean.vn) - NATO wants to help Ukraine strengthen its defense capabilities to deal with Russia; Britain begins to consider the possibility of leaving the EU without an agreement; Israel launches airstrikes on Hamas military targets in the Gaza Strip... are the world's top news in the past 24 hours.
Russia, North Korea discuss trade and economic cooperation
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| Russia's Khasan Railway Station. |
Yonhap reported that on March 6, Russian and North Korean officials held discussions on bilateral cooperation in trade and economics, following the second US-North Korea summit last week in Hanoi.
During the discussion on trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation, Russian Minister for the Development of the Far East Alexander Kozlov and North Korean Minister for Foreign Economic Affairs Kim Yong-jae discussed ways to promote bilateral economic cooperation. One of the topics discussed was the project to build a bridge connecting North Korea's Tumen station with Russia's Khasan station.
Britain begins to consider the possibility of leaving the EU without a deal
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| Photo: AFP/ VNA |
British Trade Secretary Liam Fox announced on March 6 that the government will introduce tariffs that will be applied if Britain leaves the European Union (EU), also known as Brexit, without reaching an agreement by the time Brexit occurs (March 29).
Britain currently has tariff-free access to EU markets and businesses are waiting to see what tariffs the government will impose on EU imports if a deal is not reached. Asked whether the government plans to cut tariffs on most goods to zero, Liam Fox said the government would set tariffs as appropriate in a no-deal Brexit scenario.
NATO wants to help Ukraine strengthen its defense capabilities to counter Russia |
| Ukrainian naval vessels seized by Russia in November 2018. Photo: Reuters |
AFP news agency quoted NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Curtis Scaparrotti as saying he wanted to improve Ukraine's defense capabilities. The US sold Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine last year, but there are "other systems and ammunition" that Washington wants to provide to strengthen Ukrainian forces, Mr. Scaparrotti said in a speech to the US Congress.
According to him, the US needs to consider increasing its military capabilities in the Black Sea, after Russia opened fire and seized three Ukrainian ships last year in the Kerch Strait connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
Italy considers joining China's Belt and Road Initiative
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Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) and Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Beijing in 2017. Photo:Xinhua |
Italian Deputy Minister of Economic Development Michele Geraci told reporters on March 6.Financial Timesthat the government is in talks to sign a memorandum of understanding supporting the Belt and Road Initiative. “We want to ensure that more ‘Made in Italy’ products are exported to China, which is the fastest growing market in the world,” he said.
The signing ceremony is expected to take place when Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Italy later this month. Xi then travels to France and finally to the United States to meet with US President Trump as the two countries try to hammer out a trade deal. The Belt and Road Initiative, unveiled by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, is a massive trade and infrastructure framework to link China with Europe, Africa and Asia through a series of Beijing-funded ports, railways and roads along land and sea trade corridors.
Israel strikes Hamas military targets in Gaza Strip
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| Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike by the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip. Photo: THX/TTXVN |
The Israeli military said on March 6 it had carried out airstrikes on Hamas military targets in the Gaza Strip in response to the group launching explosive-laden balloons into Israeli territory the day before. The statement said Israeli warplanes had struck several Hamas targets in the northern Gaza Strip. A Palestinian security source confirmed that Israel had carried out airstrikes on several Hamas positions but there were no casualties.
This attack was the fourth Israel has carried out since March 2 in response to Hamas launching explosive-laden balloons or throwing explosive devices over the border fence into Israel.
France plans to tax Google, Amazon and Facebook
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| Google is one of the entities expected to be taxed in France. Illustration photo: EPA/TTXVN |
The French government on March 6 agreed to propose a 3% tax on the French income of global Internet giants such as Google, Amazon and Facebook. The new tax will apply to digital companies with global income of more than 850 million euros, and income in France of more than 25 million euros.
The bill is seen as a way to tackle tax evasion by multinational companies. Until now, these companies pay very low taxes in the EU country where they are headquartered, and pay no taxes in the countries where they are heavily active.
