Outstanding international events of the past week

(Baonghean.vn) - Iraq launches a major offensive to retake Mosul; US presidential candidates face a third "life-or-death" battle; Russia concentrates all its forces on the final battle in Aleppo; Pyongyang launches another ballistic missile, increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula;... these are some of the prominent international events of the past week.

1 - US Presidential Candidates Face a Third "Life-or-Death" Battle

The two candidates' reactions after the debate.

This is the third and final live debate between the two US presidential candidates. This debate will take place at 9 PM Eastern Time on October 19th (8 AM on October 20th in Vietnam) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada.

The debate lasted 90 minutes, divided into six sections covering six different topics, each lasting approximately 15 minutes. The debate topics included: immigration policy, global hotspots, the economy, debt and powers, the Supreme Court, and the candidates' presidential suitability.

The two candidates have two minutes to answer questions from the moderator at the beginning of each debate segment. They will then present counterarguments to their opponent. Finally, the moderator will ask further questions to broaden the discussion. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton continues to hold the lead in opinion polls ahead of the third debate.

2 - Iraq launches its biggest offensive to retake Mosul

Kurdish forces, with the support of the international coalition, are attempting to retake the city of Mosul from ISIS.

On October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of an offensive to retake Mosul, considered the capital of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Iraq.

The attack on Mosul was supported by the US-led coalition and could be one of the largest military operations in Iraq since 2003, when the US invaded the country and overthrew Saddam Hussein.

Mosul was the last major stronghold of IS in Iraq. IS fighters had been stationed there, threatening and forcing civilians to stay during previous battles.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that he hopes the United States and its allies will do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties when launching an offensive on the city of Mosul.

With a pre-war population of around 2 million, this northern Iraqi city is now the largest city controlled by IS. In 2014, IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared Mosul the capital of the Islamic State in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

3 - Russia and Syria pour all their resources into the final battle in Aleppo.

Russian aircraft participate in airstrikes against terrorists in Syria. Photo: Sputnik

Russian and Syrian forces are intensely preparing for a major offensive in Aleppo, a crucial link in the strategy to defeat ISIS.

Syrian ambassador to Russia, Riyad Haddad, told the Gazzeta newspaper that there would be fierce fighting as Syrian troops advance into the decisive battle to liberate Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, from ISIS militants.

Ambassador Riyad Haddad stated that the Russian airstrike campaign had yielded immediate results, such as destroying numerous strongholds and ammunition depots of ISIS militants, as well as cutting off many of their supply lines.

“Another important result of the airstrikes is that many jihadists have laid down their weapons and surrendered to the Syrian army, while others are retreating towards the Turkish border,” Haddad said.

Information that Moscow and Damascus are intensely preparing for a decisive battle to liberate Aleppo is further reinforced by a series of noteworthy moves by Russia.

4 - North Korea launches another ballistic missile from a submarine.

A missile launch from a North Korean submarine in April. Photo: Reuters

Reuters, citing a statement from the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported that North Korea's missile launch took place at 5:30 a.m. (local time) in the waters off the coast of Sinpo city in eastern North Korea. Earlier, satellite imagery showed a submarine docked in the area.

Yonhap reported that North Korean missiles continued to fall inside the waters within Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

North Korea's missile launch came two days after South Korean and U.S. troops began their annual joint exercise, which Pyongyang condemned as a pretext for preparing for an invasion and threatened retaliation.

This was also North Korea's latest missile launch after a series of similar incidents this year, clearly demonstrating Pyongyang's defiance of UN sanctions.

5. Philippine President visits China.

Illustrative image.

On the evening of October 18, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Beijing to begin a four-day visit to China. This is the first state visit to China by a Philippine leader since 2011. Speaking to reporters before Duterte's arrival, the host country's Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized that this visit was "historic" and would become a "new starting point" for bilateral diplomatic relations to return to a path of dialogue.

President Duterte's visit comes amid deteriorating China-Philippines relations following a lawsuit between the Philippines and China regarding a dispute in the South China Sea.

China is the first country, outside of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, that President Duterte has visited since taking office last June. Prior to this, Duterte had traveled to several ASEAN countries such as Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, and Vietnam.

6 - Opening of the 8th BRICS Summit in India

Leaders of the five member countries at the 8th BRICS Summit in India - Source: VNA

On the evening of October 15th (local time), in the Indian state of Goa, the 8th BRICS Summit began with a reception attended by the leaders of the five member countries: Brazilian President Michel Temer, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and South African President Jacob Zuma.

As the Chair of BRICS this year, India has put forward the theme "Building Rapid, Multi-Participatory and Collective Solutions." Over the two days of the summit, BRICS leaders are expected to discuss the prospects and challenges for global growth, the role of BRICS in driving global growth, cooperation within BRICS, as well as other global and regional issues.

7 - The US Navy conducts freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.

The USS Lassen, a US destroyer. (Source: Sputniknews)

On October 21, the White House stated that the latest U.S. Navy operation in the South China Sea was aimed at demonstrating the freedom of navigation in international waters as permitted by UNCLOS, and that China should not view it as a provocation.

Speaking at a press conference, White House spokesman Josh Earnest also affirmed that the US is not a party to the South China Sea dispute and that Washington's position is that the dispute should be resolved through negotiation, not through coercion, force, or intimidation.

Earlier that day, the Pentagon also confirmed that the US Navy destroyer USS Decatur had sailed near the Paracel Islands and conducted these operations normally and lawfully without any escort or incident.

The Chinese Ministry of Defense immediately protested on the same day, stating that the patrol by a US warship in the South China Sea was illegal and "provocative," and added that it had expressed its objection to the US.

8 - Closing of the EU Summit: Focus on trade policy

Illustrative image. (Source: theparliamentmagazine.eu)

On October 21, the European Union (EU) summit concluded its second day of work in Brussels with an agenda focused primarily on the bloc's trade policy.

At the conference, European leaders reaffirmed their support for global free trade while declaring that protecting environmental and social standards in Europe is part of the EU's trade interests.

The conference stressed the need to combat trade fraud "effectively and vigorously" and anticipated that a draft law modernizing the EU's trade defense instruments would be adopted by the end of 2016.

At the press conference concluding the summit, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced the results of discussions concerning EU trade policies and the obstacles preventing the EU-Canada economic and trade agreement (CETA) from being ratified.

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