Syria Prepares Large-Scale Attack on Idlib; Many Universities in Japan Segregate Genders
(Baonghean.vn) - The world in the past 24 hours has seen many events such as: The United Nations adds personnel to Mexico to support Central American migrants; The Central African Republic will disarm armed groups by the end of this year; Syria prepares for a large-scale attack on Idlib
Russia reveals sanctions in response to Ukraine
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Photo: Sputnik |
RTKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured that Russia's decree in response to Ukraine's sanctions against Moscow will not affect ordinary people in the country. Responding to the press, Mr. Peskov said that the Ukrainian people are suffering a lot due to the "adventurism" of the Kiev government when continuing military actions to deal with the conflict in the Donbass region, eastern Ukraine. Therefore, Mr. Peskov emphasized that Russia's retaliation will not harm civilians because Ukrainians are still "brothers" with Russians. This decree will target a number of individuals and organizations in Kiev "that are engulfed by extreme nationalism".
Earlier, Russian officials said on October 22 that President Vladimir Putin had signed a decree allowing Russia to sanction Ukrainian companies and citizens in response to Kiev's sanctions against Moscow. Russia said Ukraine had taken "unfriendly" actions in connection with Kiev's sanctions against Russian citizens and legal entities. The Kremlin also said the decree was aimed at protecting Russia's national interests.
US troops to patrol with Türkiye in northern Syria
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US and Turkish soldiers train together in September 2018. Photo: Army Times |
"Türkiye and the US are expected to start joint patrols in the northern Syrian town of Manbij in the coming days, after completing training between the two countries' soldiers,"ReutersThe joint patrols in Manbij are part of a roadmap agreed by Ankara and Washington in June to ease tensions after Turkey demanded that US-backed Kurdish militia withdraw from the town, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on October 24.
Manbij is a strategic town that was once controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with the support of US special forces. Türkiye, however, accused the Kurdish militia of planning to establish an autonomous region there, so it sent troops to intervene. In July, the Manbij Military Council said that Kurdish militia units had withdrawn from the area, but the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the information was "exaggerated and does not reflect the reality".
UN adds staff in Mexico to assist Central American migrant caravan
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| Honduran migrants in Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas state on the Guatemala-Mexico border on their journey to the US on October 19, 2018. Photo: AFP/ VNA |
United Nations agencies are deploying additional staff to Mexico to work with local authorities to meet the needs of the Central American migrant caravan heading to the United States, currently in Mexican territory. Representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IMO) have been deployed to Tapachula, Chiapas, as well as other cities in southeastern Mexico near the border with Guatemala. These staff will work with local UN teams to help migrants register for asylum, direct them to shelters, and provide humanitarian assistance.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq said stabilisation in Mexico was an urgent matter, requiring appropriate reception and other conditions for asylum-seekers and those travelling from Central America. UN agencies are conducting rapid assessments to gather information on the needs of children and their families, as well as people with special needs, including those living in cities along the caravan's possible route.
Japan confirms journalist held in Syria has been released
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Journalist Jumpei Yasuda. Source: Reuters |
Tokyo officials confirmed on October 24 that Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda, who has been missing for more than three years after traveling to Syria, is in a Turkish immigration facility, Kyodo and Reuters reported. In a video, Yasuda said he was in Türkiye and in stable condition. Yasuda claimed he had been detained in Syria for 40 months.
Yasuda traveled to Syria in June 2015 to cover the country’s civil war, and many feared he had been captured by a rebel group.
Central African Republic to disarm armed groups by year end
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Soldiers from the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) patrol in the village of Bedaya, Central African Republic on January 12. Source: AFP/VNA |
The United Nations Special Envoy to the Central African Republic, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, reported to the United Nations Security Council on October 23 that the Central African Government will disarm several armed groups in the western part of the country by the end of the year. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga stressed that since the establishment of the peacekeeping force (Minusca) in Central Africa in 2014, the force has made significant progress in extinguishing the flames of devastating conflict that are engulfing the Central African Republic in violence.
A serious peace process under the auspices of the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic is crucial. He added that these achievements allow hope to lay the foundations for building lasting peace. According to Mr. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, in terms of disarmament, liberation and reintegration, half of the 12 armed groups have committed to participating in the national “disarming” program.
Facebook releases first report on political advertising in the US
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Facebook logo at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, USA. Photo: AFP/ VNA |
On October 23, a detailed report on political advertising in the US on the social network Facebook or Instagram application was officially released. The report shows that $ 256.4 million has been spent on nearly 1.7 million politically oriented ads since May 2018. This is one of Facebook's latest efforts to prevent the use of social networks to deceive or divide voters in elections.
Topping the list of spenders was the Texas-based Beto Organization, which is campaigning for Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke against Republican Senator Ted Cruz, spending $5.4 million on 6,024 ads. Coming in second was the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, which spent $3.1 million on 50,148 ads.
Syria prepares for large-scale attack on Idlib
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Syrian army shells targets in Idlib on August 12. Photo: South Front. |
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is planning to deploy more heavy weapons to the demilitarized zone in northern and northwestern Syria in preparation for launching an offensive against the rebels in case they refuse to withdraw from the area, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.Fars News.
Previously, the SAA discovered many rebel bases in Idlib province with heavy weapons such as tanks, artillery, and missiles. Some bases are located in the demilitarized zone stipulated by Russia and Turkey in the Sochi agreement in September. A SAA commander confirmed on October 23 that rebels are still building bases and sending more weapons to the demilitarized zone to attack government soldiers. This commander affirmed that Damascus will respond.
Japan discovers more gender-discriminatory universities
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| Tokyo Medical University is embroiled in a scandal involving exam score manipulation to disqualify female candidates. Photo: AFP |
Japan’s education ministry has launched an investigation into 81 public and private universities following a scandal involving female applicants at the prestigious Tokyo Medical University in August. After a preliminary investigation, the ministry inspected more than 30 universities to better understand how they conduct entrance exams.
The report said the ministry had found evidence that many schools used various methods to exclude female applicants and candidates who took the entrance exam for the second or third time. Many schools rejected some female applicants despite their scores meeting the school's admission requirements. In some cases, the schools gave priority to the children of former students over those with higher scores. The ministry said it had no plans to punish the universities or name the schools involved.