Russia provides humanitarian aid to Donbass; US “will not give in to China” on the East Sea issue
(Baonghean.vn) - In the past 24 hours, there have been many outstanding news in the world such as: Russia established the 83rd convoy to provide humanitarian aid to Donbass; Papua New Guinea police attacked the parliament, demanding money to protect APEC; the US "will not give in to China" on the Taiwan and East Sea issues; North Korea destroyed 10 guard posts at the border with South Korea...
Russia forms 83rd humanitarian aid convoy for Donbass
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| Photo: Sputnik |
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) announced on November 20 that it had formed the 83rd convoy to deliver humanitarian aid to residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. "In the Kovalevka settlement of Rostov region, the organization of the 83rd humanitarian aid convoy with food, medicine and medical equipment for children has begun," the announcement said.
The previous humanitarian convoy arrived in Donbass on October 25. According to the approved schedule, the next one will arrive in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in December 2018. Aid packages for Donbass residents have been delivered since August 2014. During this time, 82 convoys of the Ministry of Emergency Situations have delivered more than 78 thousand tons of humanitarian supplies to the southeastern territory of Ukraine.
Papua New Guinea police attack parliament, demand APEC security money
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Papua New Guinea police and military in front of the parliament building on November 20. Photo:AFP. |
On November 20, just days after the APEC conference in Papua New Guinea ended, a group of police attacked the country's parliament building in the capital Port Moresby.CNNPolice chief Dominic Kakas said the soldiers vandalized the building, possibly attacking staff after hearing they might not be paid for their work at the APEC summit. Meanwhile, Brenton Kanowski, a spokesman for the Foreign Office, said that "the parliament building was vandalized even though the government had paid 50% of their salaries, and they would receive a bill for the remaining amount today."
This is the first time Papua New Guinea, the least developed of the 21 APEC members, has hosted a summit. Many people are angry that the government has purchased a fleet of luxury cars for APEC and will "stay in storage" after the summit ends. Luxury cars are rare in this South Pacific country. This year is also the first time APEC has been unable to issue a joint statement due to US-China disagreements.
North Korea destroys 10 guard posts on border with South Korea
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A destroyed North Korean border guard post on November 20. Photo:Yonhap |
South Korea's Defense Ministry announced that North Korea blew up 10 guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at 3 p.m. on November 20 after informing Seoul of the plan on November 18..
The move by North Korea came five days after South Korea blew up a guard post in the border town of Cheorwon in front of reporters, fulfilling a pledge it made to Seoul. The South and North Korean militaries also began removing landmines around the DMZ in early October, part of an agreement between the two Koreas to ease tensions.
The US "will not give in to China" on Taiwan and the East Sea issues
Two US aircraft carriers "Carl Vinson" and "Ronald Reagan" during a training exercise in the Sea of Japan. Photo: Reuters
Speaking in Hong Kong on November 19, Mr. Patrick Murphy, an official in the East Asia and Pacific Division of the US State Department, affirmed that Washington wants to maintain high-level diplomatic relations with Beijing on bilateral and multilateral levels, but "will not make concessions" on the issues of Taiwan and the East Sea.
Mr. Murphy, one of the senior diplomats accompanying US Vice President Mike Pence on his visit to Asia last week, said Taiwan and the South China Sea are the two biggest issues hindering US-China relations. He also said Beijing should be held responsible for complicating the situation and deepening the seriousness of the two issues.
US considers putting Venezuela on list of terrorist sponsors
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Photo:Reuters. |
The Trump administration is said to want to pressure Venezuela "on all fronts." Putting Venezuela on the list of state sponsors of terrorism could limit US economic aid to the country, while allowing the imposition of economic sanctions against Venezuela, a country facing hyperinflation, mass migration, and shortages of food and medicine.Reuterstoday news
Discussions about adding Venezuela to the terrorism sponsor list have been underway in recent days, with strong support from Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who has been pushing for a tougher stance on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but no final decision has been made, a person familiar with the matter said.
US court suspends executive order restricting immigrants from seeking asylum
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| Immigrants on their way to the US. Source: AFP |
On November 20, San Francisco Federal District Judge Jon Tigar issued a temporary halt to President Donald Trump's new executive order restricting the flow of illegal immigrants from Mexico seeking asylum in the United States. In his ruling, Judge Tigar said the US Congress clearly states that immigrants can apply for asylum regardless of how they entered the US.
Judge Tigar, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, said that President Trump's order "distantly departs" from the policies of his predecessors. He stressed that President Trump cannot rewrite immigration law to impose a condition that Congress absolutely prohibits.
Clashes erupt in Yemen's port city of Hodeida
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| Yemeni soldiers in conflict with Houthi rebels in Saada province, northwestern Yemen. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
On November 20, clashes between the Arab coalition and Houthi rebels in Yemen broke out in the area around the port city of Hodeida on the Red Sea coast, despite calls for a ceasefire from the United Nations (UN).
Tensions began to escalate on November 19 when the Saudi-led Arab coalition launched airstrikes on Houthi positions in the area. Street fighting also took place in the city center's Khamsin Street and the al-Saleh district. The Houthis said they fired a ballistic missile into Saudi Arabia on the night of November 19 in response to the new airstrikes and the coalition's attempts to infiltrate across the border.
Norwegian ship uses fish instead of fossil fuels
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Shipping company Hurtigruten plans to use biogas instead of fossil fuels. Photo:EPA. |
Norwegian shipping company Hurtigruten has announced that its ships will use biogas made from dead fish, leftover food and other organic waste instead of fossil fuels. Daniel Skjeldam, chief executive of Hurtigruten, toldGuardian: “Norway is a major shipping country, but the fisheries and forestry sectors are also significant. These sectors create jobs and income, but also produce a lot of waste. This way of processing large volumes of organic waste will give the Nordic countries a unique position in the biogas market. We are pushing for more innovation and investment. I believe this is the start of a major industry in the next few years.”
According toGuardian, Hurtigruten currently operates a fleet of 17 ships. By 2021, the company plans to switch to biogas and liquefied natural gas (a less polluting fossil fuel) for at least six ships. In addition, the ships are also equipped with large batteries capable of storing clean energy.
