Kim may visit Russia later this year; Bill Gates loses title as America's richest man
(Baonghean.vn) - The world has witnessed many events in the past 24 hours, 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 more than 5 billion USD to sell S-400 missiles to India; The number of Indonesian victims missing after the earthquake may be more than 1,000 people...
North Korean leader may visit Russia before the end of the year
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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Source: AFP/VNA |
Yonhap reported that the Chairwoman of the Federation Council (upper house) of Russia, 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 Mr. Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia. Ms. Matviyenko's comments could be taken as a hint that Mr. Kim'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
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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 $1.4 billion).12 million USDWith 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 Samsung Group and secret funds of the South 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 my 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
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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's website has just published the text of the law "to be returned after the President's signature".
Earlier, on October 3, President Poroshenko submitted a related bill to the Ukrainian parliament, noting that it 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 ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
Russia signs $5 billion contract to sell S-400 missiles to India
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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
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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 works in one of the most suffering regions in the world: the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In a rudimentary hospital high in the hills of Bukavu, which has gone without electricity or adequate anesthetic for years, he has operated on scores of women. He is 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 invaded 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 loses the title of richest man in America after 24 years of domination
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| 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 the 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 shares. 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 fortune is still the same as last year - more than 3 billion USD.
End of the era of Swiss banking 'secrecy'
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| 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 about citizens’ accounts. However, the days when highly paid European professionals could completely hide their assets and avoid scrutiny from tax authorities are coming to an end.
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
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| 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 authorities said on October 5 that more than 1,000 people are still missing after the earthquake and tsunami that struck the country's Central Sulawesi province a week ago. Indonesian search and rescue agency spokesman Yusuf Latif said it was estimated that more than 1,000 houses were buried, so it was likely that more than 1,000 people were missing. However, according to Mr. Latif, the number was not yet certain because many people may 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 a deadline of October 5 for the search.