Kim may visit Russia later this year; Bill Gates loses title as America's richest man
(Baonghean.vn) - The world over the past 24 hours has been filled with many events such as: North Korean leader may visit Russia before the end of this year; Ukraine extends special status for the Donbass region until the end of 2019; Billionaire Bill Gates loses his position as America's richest man after 24 years of domination; Russia signs a contract worth over 5 billion USD to sell S-400 missiles to India; The number of Indonesian victims missing after the earthquake may be over 1,000 people...
North Korean leader may visit Russia before the end of this year
 |
| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Source: AFP/TTXVN |
Yonhap reported that the Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council (Upper House), Valentina Matviyenko, said on October 5 that Russia and North Korea are discussing arranging a visit to Moscow by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Ms. Matviyenko said that she visited North Korea on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin and held a meeting with the North Korean leader. According to her, the two countries are discussing the time and place of Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia. Ms. Matviyenko's comments could be seen as a hint that Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia could take place before the end of the year.
Former South Korean President Lee Myung Bak sentenced to 15 years in prison for corruption
|
Former South Korean President Lee Myung Bak (left) was charged with corruption and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Photo:AFP |
On October 5, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced former South Korean President Lee Myung Bak to 15 years in prison and a fine of 13 billion won (nearly $1.5 billion).12 million USD). With this sentence, Mr. Lee Myung Bak became one of the top political leaders and businessmen of South Korea to be convicted of corruption. Mr. Lee's embezzlement came from the Samsung Group and the secret fund of the Korean intelligence agency. The Seoul Central District Court also found that Mr. Lee had received bribes of about 24.6 billion won (more than22 million USD)from his brother's company and many other businesses.
The former South Korean president has denied any wrongdoing and said the investigation and trial were political “revenge” by the current administration. Mr. Lee did not attend the televised hearing. Prosecutors had previously expected to sentence him to 20 years in prison.
Ukraine extends special status for Donbass region until end of 2019
|
President of Ukraine Poroshenko. (Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine) |
Ukrainian President Poroshenko has signed a law extending the special status of the Donbass region until December 31, 2019. The Ukrainian Parliament website has just published the text of the law “to be returned after the President has signed it”.
Earlier, on October 3, President Poroshenko submitted a related bill to the Ukrainian Parliament, noting that this was an “urgent” case. The Ukrainian Parliament immediately passed the law on October 4. The text said that its implementation “will help create conditions for continuing efforts to peacefully resolve the situation in specific districts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, as well as ensuring the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
Russia signs contract worth more than 5 billion USD to sell S-400 missiles to India
|
Missile launcher of the Russian S-400 air defense system. Photo:TASS. |
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a $5.4 billion deal on October 5, under which Moscow will begin supplying five S-400 Triumf long-range air defense systems to New Delhi from October 2020.
The contract was signed during the 19th Russia-India summit in the Indian capital New Delhi, despite threats from the US. The Kremlin said this was one of the main contents of President Putin's visit to India. The deal was agreed by the leaders of the two countries in October 2016.
Nobel Peace Prize honors efforts to combat sexual violence in war
 |
Nadia Murad (left) and Denis Mukwege, two winners of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. Photo:Reuters |
According to the announcement of the Norwegian Nobel Peace Committee on the afternoon of October 5 (Vietnam time), this year's Nobel Peace Prize went to Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, a Yazidi victim who was kidnapped by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS), for their efforts to end sexual violence in war and armed conflict.
Dr. Mukwege worked in one of the most tormented areas in the world: the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In a rudimentary hospital high in the hills of Bukavu, which had been without electricity or adequate anesthetic for years, he operated on scores of women. He was seen as a vocal defender of the Congolese people, advocating for gender equality and an end to wartime rape.
Murad, along with thousands of other Yazidi women, was abducted by the Islamic State group when it overran her home in northern Iraq in 2014. She has launched her own international campaign, speaking before the United Nations Security Council, the US House of Representatives, the British House of Commons and other major organizations. Murad says she finds it exhausting and painful to constantly recount her personal experiences, but she believes her work will help the Yazidi women still under IS control.
Billionaire Bill Gates lost the title of richest man in America after 24 years of domination.
 |
| Billionaire Jeff Bezos (right) has "surpassed" Bill Gates to become the richest person on the planet. |
For the first time in 24 years of dominating the number one spot on the Forbes (US) rankings, billionaire Bill Gates is no longer the richest person in America. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is the first person to have assets of over 100 billion USD in 37 years since Forbes published this list. He is also the person with the strongest increase in assets this year, with 78.5 billion USD, thanks to Amazon stock. Bill Gates ranked second with 97 billion USD, followed by Warren Buffett (more than 88 billion USD) and Mark Zuckerberg (61 billion USD).
US President Donald Trump dropped 11 places on this year's list, to 259th. However, his assets are still the same as last year - more than 3 billion USD.
End of the era of 'secrecy' of Swiss banking
 |
| UBS bank headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
The Swiss Federal Tax Authority (FTA) said on October 5 that it had exchanged financial account information for the first time at the end of September 2018 under global standards aimed at cracking down on tax evasion. Banking secrecy still exists in some areas and Swiss authorities cannot automatically obtain information on citizens' accounts. However, the days when highly paid European professionals could completely hide their assets and avoid the control of tax authorities are over.
For the first time, the exchange of customer information takes place between EU member states, along with Australia, Canada, Guernsey, Iceland, Isle of Man, Japan, Jersey, Norway and South Korea. Cyprus and Romania are not participating because they do not meet international regulations on information security and confidentiality.
Indonesia: Number of missing victims after earthquake may be more than 1,000 people
 |
| Rescuers carry the body of a victim from the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake and tsunami in Palu, Central Sulawesi province, Indonesia, October 1, 2018. Photo: THX/TTXVN |
Indonesian officials said on October 5 that it is possible that more than 1,000 people are still missing after the earthquake and tsunami that occurred in the Central Sulawesi province of the country a week ago. Indonesian search and rescue agency spokesman Yusuf Latif said it is estimated that more than 1,000 houses were buried, so it is likely that more than 1,000 people are missing. However, according to Mr. Latif, the above number is not certain because it is possible that many people have escaped.
Meanwhile, rescuers are racing against time to find survivors in the rubble of hotels and supermarkets. Sniffer dogs and scanners are being used to detect trapped people. Indonesian authorities have set October 5 as the deadline for the search.