Hot world events in the past 24 hours

French Defense Minister Florence Parly said the French navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier will be ready to sail to the Indian Ocean in early 2019, after completing an upgrade at the port of Toulon.AFPFrance has always been a leader in defending freedom of navigation in international waters, Ms. Parly stressed. "Whenever the basic principles of international law are violated, as is the case today in the South China Sea, we will take action to demonstrate our freedom of action and passage through these waters," the French Defense Minister stressed.

France has recently made efforts to increase its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region by sending warships to patrol the East Sea and planning air force exercises to protest China's militarization of the region.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it has reached an agreement with Ukraine on economic policies, which will disburse a new loan to Kiev worth nearly $4 billion.

The 14-month standby loan replaces a four-year bailout agreed in March 2015 that expires in five months, the IMF said in a statement on October 19. The deal will only come into effect if approved by the IMF's Executive Board later this year, after Kiev approves a 2019 budget that includes staffing requirements and a gas tax increase for households that the country agreed to but has yet to implement.

UK: Thousands of protesters call for second referendum on Brexit

Source: nbcnews.com

According to AP, on October 20, thousands of protesters gathered in central London to call for a new referendum on Britain's exit from the European Union (EU), also known as Brexit.

Protest organizers want the public to have the final say on the British government’s Brexit deal with the EU, citing new facts that have shed light on the losses and hardships of Brexit since the British people voted for Brexit in 2016. Protest organizers have mobilized about 150 buses to transport thousands of activists from across the UK to London.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on October 19 that the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) - the second version of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) - will bring many benefits to North America in the next few years.

Speaking to reporters in Mexico City, Mr. Pompeo thanked the Mexican government for its work and for the "intense debate" that led to the agreement after more than a year of negotiations. Mr. Pompeo affirmed: "We have reached an outcome that will benefit the three countries for many years to come, thereby creating many jobs and wealth for our countries." However, Mr. Pompeo said that once this trade agreement is implemented, one of the biggest problems the US and Mexico will face is the migration situation at the southern border.

Afghan authorities said the country's ongoing parliamentary election will be extended to October 21 in some constituencies after technical and organizational problems prevented voters from casting their ballots on October 20.

According to the British news agency Reuters, on the October 20th voting day, many voters were angry at having to wait long due to problems with biometric voter registration equipment, many polling stations not opening on time, lack of voting equipment and delays. Meanwhile, the security situation at the polling stations was also complicated. A series of consecutive explosions shook polling centers in the capital Kabul, Afghanistan, while voters were casting their ballots.

Billionaire Mohammed Dewji announced that he was freed after being kidnapped last week, but did not reveal how he returned. "I am back home safely. Thank you to everyone who helped me, including the police, to get me freed," Mohammed Dewji, Africa's youngest billionaire, wrote on Twitter today after being freed by his kidnappers.

Dewji, 43, who is worth $1.5 billion and is chairman of the MeTL Group, which operates in about 10 countries in sectors ranging from agriculture to transport and food, was kidnapped by white gunmen on October 12 as he entered a hotel gym. Dewji's abduction has caused concern in Tanzania, a former member of parliament and one of the country's most prominent businessmen. Tanzania's environment minister January Makamba said he had spoken to Dewji and that he was safe and had only suffered some bruises on his hands and feet from being tied up.