Shooting at newspaper office in Maryland (USA); North Korea opens new flight route to China
(Baonghean.vn) - The world over the past 24 hours has been filled with many outstanding news such as: Europe wants "military independence" from the US; Malaysia freezes former Prime Minister Najib's party account; North Korea opens new flight route to China; Many people died in a shooting at a newspaper office in Maryland (USA)...
Europe wants "military independence" from the US
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| German Chancellor Angela Merkel leaves the EU summit on June 29. Photo: Reuters |
"Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security and must highlight its role as a credible and trustworthy player and partner in the field of security and defense," EU leaders stressed in a statement released on June 29.
The call was also accompanied by a commitment that European countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would increase military spending after years of cuts. Observers said that although the language always declared that Europe would decide security issues for itself, in reality these countries were "under the spell" of the US.
Malaysia freezes former Prime Minister Najib's party account
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| Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak answers reporters. Photo: AFP |
SheetThe StarOn June 29, the task force investigating the embezzlement of Malaysia's state investment fund 1MDB has just frozen the bank accounts of many individuals and organizations, including the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party of former Prime Minister Najib Razak.
These individuals and organizations are believed to be involved in the loss of billions of dollars from a fund established by Mr. Najib in 2009 while he was in office.
North Korea opens new flight route to China
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| North Korean flight attendants |
North Korea's national airline Air Koryo will launch flights between Pyongyang and Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China next month. Air Koryo plans to start the new route in July, Li Wei, marketing director of Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, said.
It is not yet clear whether Air Koryo will operate a regular or scheduled flight. It is also unclear exactly when the flight on the above route will be launched. At the time of the press conference, it had not been confirmed as it was awaiting approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Many people died in the shooting at the newspaper office in Maryland (USA)
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Police surrounded the building where the shooting took place. Photo:Getty. |
Multiple people were shot in a shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper office in Annapolis, Maryland, USA. At least five people were killed and many others were injured in the incident.
SheetBaltimore Sun, the newspaper's parent company, said it was informed by a reporter about the shooting on the afternoon of June 28 (US time).APAt least five people were killed and several seriously injured, sources said. The gunman has been arrested and is being questioned.
This is one of the rare shootings targeting a newspaper office in the US, which has one of the highest gun crime rates in the world.
Australia passes law to prevent foreign political interference
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| Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the bill last year following worrying reports about Chinese influence in Australia. Photo: Reuters |
The Australian Parliament has passed a bill aimed at preventing foreign governments from interfering in its internal affairs amid concerns about China's influence in the country's politics.
The new law requires individuals and organizations that lobby for foreign companies and governments to declare these links to the government and will be criminally responsible if they interfere in Australia's internal affairs, according to Reuters.
Former Australian ministers, politicians and government employees are also required to report to the government any links with the above organisations, if any.
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| US soldiers at the opening ceremony of a new military base in South Korea. Photo:AP |
The US officially ended its seven-decade military presence in Seoul on June 29 with the opening ceremony of a new headquarters in the port city of Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of the capital.
The move is part of a plan to move 28,500 US troops out of densely populated areas to improve combat effectiveness. Camp Humphreys is also far from hundreds of North Korean artillery pieces still aimed at Seoul.
The Humphreys base covers an area of about 1,420 hectares and cost $11 billion to build. It is currently the largest US base abroad. South Korea bears about 90% of the total cost.
Nigeria: Fuel tanker explosion, 9 people killed
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| An oil tanker truck caught fire in Lagos City, Nigeria on June 28. Photo: Reuters |
At least nine people have been killed and 60 vehicles affected in a fuel tanker explosion on a bridge in the southwestern Nigerian city of Lagos.
According to local media, the incident occurred on the bridge as the tanker was leaving the city, heading towards the Lagos-Ibadan highway. Fuel spilled from the tanker ignited a fire that affected about 60 vehicles, although the incident occurred when there was not much traffic. Authorities stopped traffic on the bridge in both directions and deployed emergency rescue teams to the scene to put out the fire and treat the injured. Many witnesses said that many people were trapped in the vehicle while the fire continued to rage.