World 24/7: Russian spacecraft crashes after leaving the launch pad; Conflict escalates in Gaza
(Baonghean.vn) - The past 7 days have seen many notable events such as Türkiye releasing an American pastor, ending diplomatic disputes; Conflict at the Gaza border protest;...
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Ending the Türkiye-US diplomatic row:A Turkish court on October 12 freed American pastor Andrew Brunson, ending his house arrest, sentencing him to three years in prison but saying he would not be held again because his sentence had already been served. The court's decision lifted legal restrictions on Brunson, meaning the pastor - who has been at the center of a diplomatic row between the two countries - can leave Türkiye and return to the United States.
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Pastor Brunson's arrest in Türkiye in 2016 on terrorism charges was at the heart of a diplomatic crisis between Türkiye and the United States. NBC reported that the United States and Turkey had reached a "secret" agreement for Turkey to release Pastor Brunson and drop all charges against him. In return, NBC said, the United States would ease sanctions on Turkey, which had caused the Turkish lira to plummet.
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Clashes at Gaza border protests:Gaza health officials said Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians on October 12 during protests along the Gaza border. Pictured: Israeli soldiers fire tear gas at Palestinian protesters.
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According to Palestinian Health Ministry figures, around 200 Gazans have been killed since the border protests began on March 30. Palestinian protesters are demanding an end to Israel's blockade of Gaza and the right to return to their homeland. Pictured: An injured Palestinian boy is evacuated.
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US Ambassador to the United Nations suddenly resigns:Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, has unexpectedly submitted her resignation and it was accepted by President Donald Trump. US President Donald Trump said that Ambassador Nikki Haley will leave her post "by the end of the year", but did not specify the time. In the photo: US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks during a press conference at the headquarters in New York City, July 20, 2018.
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Haley was once considered Mr. Trump's "favorite" diplomat. Ms. Nikki Haley was appointed by Mr. Trump to the position of US Ambassador to the United Nations on January 24, 2017, just 4 days after his inauguration. Before that, she served as governor of South Carolina. In the photo: US President Donald Trump talks with Ambassador Nikki Haley at the White House.
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Russian spacecraft crashes just after leaving the launch pad:The Soyuz MS-10 rocket launched at 11:40 a.m. on October 11 suddenly encountered an accident just minutes after leaving the launch pad at the Baikonur center in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz MS-10 was tasked with carrying two Russian-American astronauts, Aleksey Ovchinin and Nick Hague, to the ISS. Fortunately, both astronauts landed safely in an area about 20-25 km from the city of Zhezkazgan. The landing location was 400 km northeast of the launch point.
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Officials from both countries have said they will conduct a thorough investigation into the October 11 incident. The Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement that it had set up a special task force to investigate the incident and suspected irregularities during the rocket assembly process. The task force will be tasked with assessing whether the launch incident was caused by a violation of safety regulations in the rocket's design. The Russian government has also temporarily suspended all manned space flights until the investigation concludes.
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UK ready to join CPTPP:Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that the British government is ready to become a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). "I am very pleased that they (the Japanese government) said they would welcome us into the trade agreement with open arms and we are now ready to join,"Reutersquoted Prime Minister Theresa May's statement to the British Parliament on October 10. In July, British Trade Secretary Liam Fox also announced that he would consult with the public about joining the largest trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific region once he left the EU.
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Press boycotts Saudi Arabia conference:Media outlets such as the New York Times, CNN, CNBC, Financial Times, and Bloomberg have announced their withdrawal from the list of sponsors for the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference organized by Saudi Arabia, scheduled to take place on October 23. The news agencies have ended their cooperation with Riyadh due to the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who disappeared at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Türkiye on October 2. Mr. Khashoggi worked for the Washington Post and was a frequent critic of the Saudi government. In the photo: Human rights activists and friends of journalist Jamal Khashoggi hold a picture of him during a protest outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Türkiye on October 8.
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Human tower building contestCatalonia:On October 7, a human tower building competition, also known as a “castell”, took place in Tarragona, northeastern Spain, attracting more than 6,000 participants. The human tower building competition is held every two years in October, as part of a traditional Catalan festival. In the photo: Members of the Castellers de Barcelona group during their competition.