South Korea approves inter-Korean summit agreement; Car bomb attack in Iraq
(Baonghean.vn) - The world in the past 24 hours has seen many events such as: Iraq: Dozens of casualties in a car bomb attack; South Korean government approves inter-Korean summit agreement; Turkish President: Diplomatic immunity is not a "shield" for murder; Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak faces many other charges; China inaugurates the world's longest sea bridge...
President Trump: Withdrawal from INF Treaty also targets China
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| US President Donald Trump speaks to the press. Photo: THX/TTXVN |
President Donald Trump said on October 22 that his decision to withdraw the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia was also motivated by the need to respond to China's nuclear buildup. Speaking to reporters at the White House, referring to the US nuclear arsenal, Trump stressed: "Until people come to their senses, we're going to build that arsenal. That's a threat to everybody. And that includes China and Russia. And that includes anybody who wants to play this game."
China is not a signatory to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Beijing has urged the US to “think carefully” about its decision to scrap the Cold War-era nuclear arms treaty.
South Korean government approves inter-Korean summit agreement
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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right) and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the third summit in Pyongyang on September 19, 2018. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
On October 23, the South Korean government ratified the peace agreement signed at the inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang last September. According to the procedure, after this step, the above document will be submitted to President Moon Jae-in for approval.
The move comes after the South Korean government's law ministry concluded that the Pyongyang Declaration does not need parliamentary approval for ratification, as a broader agreement, the Panmunjom Declaration, signed by the two leaders at their April summit, is in the legislative process. The Pyongyang Declaration was meant to implement the April Panmunjom Declaration, and parliamentary approval of the broader agreement would also make smaller agreements legal, the government's law ministry said.
Turkish President: Diplomatic immunity is not a "shield" for murder
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to parliament on October 23. Photo:Reuters. |
On October 23, speaking to parliament, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that two groups of Saudi agents were involved in the murder of Khashoggi, including a group of nine people who flew from Saudi Arabia to Istanbul on October 2. The Saudi agents who "planned and executed the murder" were informed of Khashoggi's trip to the Istanbul consulate a day earlier. Erdogan stressed that the murder of journalist Khashoggi was an international issue and Ankara would pursue the issue to the end. The evidence showed that Khashoggi was the victim of a "barbaric murder" and a crime that could not be hidden. President Erdogan said on October 23 that diplomatic immunity was not a "shield" for murder, stressing that the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations did not allow it.
On the same day, October 23, Sputnik news agency quoted the leader of the Patriotic Party (VATAN) of Türkiye, Dogu Perincek, as saying that investigators had found body parts of journalist Khashoggi at the bottom of a well in the garden of the Saudi Arabian Consul General's house in Istanbul.
Iran arrests militant groups plotting attacks on pilgrims
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| Shiite Muslims attend the Arbaeen pilgrimage. Source: AFP |
Iran said on October 23 that it had arrested three militant groups planning attacks on Shi'ite Muslims attending the Arbaeen pilgrimage, marking the end of a 40-day mourning period for the Prophet Mohammad's grandson, Imam Hussein.
Iranian state television quoted Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi as saying during a visit to the border area with Iraq that three terrorist groups that were planning to attack Arbaeen attendees had been arrested. However, Mr. Alavi did not specify the time and location of the arrests.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak faces more charges
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| Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (center) arrives at court in Kuala Lumpur on September 20, 2018. Photo: THX/TTXVN |
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will face more charges this week in connection with the state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the New Straits Times reported on October 23. Najib will have to answer at least four charges related to the deals between 1MDB and the International Petroleum Investment Corporation (IPIC). Investigators will question Najib Razak’s role in the debt settlement between 1MDB and the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund that took place last year.
Previously, Mr. Najib Razak was accused of 32 crimes, mainly related to money from the 1MDB fund. However, Mr. Najib Razak denied these allegations.
Ethiopia signs peace deal to end decades of violence
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| Scene of the meeting between the two sides. Source: africanews.com |
More than three decades of violence in Ethiopia have officially ended after the country's authorities and the separatist group Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) signed a peace agreement.
In a statement released on October 22, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said that Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu traveled to Eritrea's capital Asmara to sign the peace agreement with the ONLF. The statement also emphasized that "delegations from the Ethiopian government and the ONLF held fruitful negotiations and reached a historic agreement."
Iraq: Dozens killed and injured in car bomb attack
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A car bomb attack in Iraq in 2013. Photo: Telegraph |
The Iraqi military said on October 23 that at least seven people were killed and 20 others were injured in a car bomb attack in a town south of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, northern Iraq. The attack occurred on the morning of October 23 (local time) when a car loaded with explosives was parked right in a crowded market area in the town of Qayyara, about 50 km south of Mosul.
So far, no organization has claimed responsibility for carrying out this attack.
China inaugurates world's longest sea-crossing bridge
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Sea bridge connecting Zhuhai - Hong Kong - Makau. |
General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping personally presided over the ceremony and announced the opening of the 55km long sea bridge connecting Zhuhai city (Southern Guangdong province) with Hong Kong and Makau. With a traffic speed of 100 km/h, it is estimated that this bridge will help reduce travel time between the three cities from more than 3 hours to 30 minutes.
Of the total length of 55km, a 6.7km section runs under the sea to allow ships to pass through the area unaffected. The bridge was built in 9 years, using more than 400,000 tons of steel and can withstand a level 8 earthquake and a level 16 storm. It is expected that the bridge will serve more than 9,000 vehicles per day and be used for 120 years. With a length of 55km, the Zhuhai - Hong Kong - Makau sea bridge has broken the previous record of the 42km sea bridge in Qingdao, which was inaugurated in January 2011.