CNN sues President Trump; Czech Republic withdraws from Global Compact on Migration
(Baonghean.vn) - In the past 24 hours, there have been many outstanding news in the world such as: CNN sues President Trump; South Korea and North Korea prepare to promote aviation cooperation; German Chancellor calls for the establishment of a "real European army"; Czech Republic officially withdraws from the Global Compact on Migration...
Russia concerned about US 'unpredictability' under Trump
|
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Photo:TASS. |
"The recent unpredictability of the United States should come as no surprise to anyone. Unpredictability from a major country, which is also the world's largest economy, should cause deep concern globally,"AFPquoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on November 14. Peskov's statement came two weeks before a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina.
Trump and Putin are expected to hold formal talks later this month at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the two sides had not yet agreed on a schedule.
Czech Republic officially withdraws from Global Compact on Migration
|
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis. (Photo: Telegraph). |
The Czech Republic became the latest country to withdraw from the United Nations (UN) Global Compact on Migration, announcing on November 14 that it would not sign the document at a UN intergovernmental conference scheduled to take place in Morocco in December.
Following Hungary and Austria, the Czech Republic is the latest EU member state to officially announce it will not participate in the UN Global Compact on Migration. Poland, Bulgaria, Italy and several other countries are considering similar moves.
CNN sues Trump and a series of US officials for banning reporters
 |
US President Donald Trump criticized reporter Jim Acosta at a press conference on November 7. Photo:Reuters |
The US news agency accused the White House of violating its constitutional rights by banning one of its reporters. "The cancellation of the operation violates CNN and Acosta's First Amendment rights to freedom of the press and their Fifth Amendment rights of access,"CNNwrote in a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Washington, referring to Jim Acosta, the reporter who was banned from the White House after a heated argument with US President Donald Trump.
Both CNN and Acosta are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The defendants include President Trump, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Bill Shine, Secret Service Director Randolph Alles and the officer who stopped Acosta from working on November 7. The White House has denied CNN's complaint and vowed to vigorously defend against the lawsuit.
South Korea and North Korea prepare to promote aviation cooperation
|
An airplane at Pyongyang International Airport. |
South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will hold a meeting this weekend to discuss cooperation in the aviation sector, the South Korean Unification Ministry said on November 14. The meeting will take place on November 16 at the joint liaison office in the border town of Kaesong. According to South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun, ongoing inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation do not violate sanctions against North Korea. Opening direct flights between South Korea and North Korea may also be among the topics discussed at the meeting.
North Korea has previously submitted a request to the International Civil Aviation Organization to allow its aircraft to fly through South Korean airspace to third countries. Experts say the request could also be discussed at the meeting.
US midterm elections: Republicans lose another important seat in the House of Representatives
|
Mr. Josh Harder and his wife. Photo: New York Times. |
Republicans suffered another setback in California on November 13 when Rep. Jeff Denham was ousted from his seat after four terms in a district that represents a vast swath of farmland in America’s Central Valley.
His Democratic opponent, Josh Harder, has been growing steadily over the past week. The latest update, as of the evening of November 13, showed him leading by 4,919 votes—a gap that Denham has struggled to close. Denham’s defeat by Harder was the fourth successful Democratic upset in California. The state’s two remaining congressional contests are between Republican Mimi Walters and Democrat Katie Porter, and Republican Young Kim and Democrat Gil Cisneros.
German Chancellor calls for creation of "real European army"
 |
NATO soldiers during an exercise in June. Photo: AFP. |
Merkel said building a unified army would help Europe "take its destiny into its own hands", after Macron floated a similar idea. "The events of the past year have shown that it is really important that we act on the vision of creating a real, genuine European army one day,"AFPquoted German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaking at a meeting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
Merkel added that the European army could operate in the form of transatlantic cooperation within NATO, but stressed that "a stronger Europe would protect Europe." "Europe must take its fate into its own hands if it wants to protect our community," the German chancellor said. She also called for the creation of a European Security Council, focused on defense and security policy on the continent, with countries taking turns to preside over it.
Indonesia postpones signing FTA because Australia plans to move embassy to Jerusalem
|
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (right) with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. (Photo: AP) |
Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita confirmed on November 14 that the signing of the free trade agreement between Indonesia and Australia is being postponed while Australia considers moving its embassy to Jerusalem. Minister Lukita also said that "the signing can take place at any time, but whether Indonesia signs or not depends on Australia's position."
The statement was made ahead of a meeting between Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the morning of November 14, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit taking place in Singapore. According to the plan, Australia and Indonesia will sign a free trade agreement on this occasion, but Australian Prime Minister Morrison unexpectedly announced last month that he was considering moving the embassy to Jerusalem, which made Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, unhappy.
US wants to sanction Chinese officials over Xinjiang issue
|
Protesters protest China's detention of Uyghurs in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 6. Photo:Reuters. |
US lawmakers are introducing legislation that would urge President Trump to take a stronger stance on China’s Xinjiang issue. The new bill would require President Donald Trump to condemn China’s actions in the western region of Xinjiang, call for “exceptional” US government policies on the issue, and consider banning exports to China of technology that Beijing could use to monitor or detain ethnic Uighurs.
US lawmakers also want the Trump administration to consider sanctions against Chen Quanguo, the Communist Party chief of Xinjiang, and other officials accused of security crackdowns. Meanwhile, in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the US and its lawmakers have no right to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
Rare pink diamond sets auction record of $50 million
|
The Pink Legacy Diamond. Photo:AFP |
VThe rare pink diamond Pink Legacy weighs less than 19 carats and was bought by the American brand Harry Winston for 50 million USD at an auction in Geneva, Switzerland on November 13. Before the transaction, it was priced at about 30 - 50 million USD and was sold after only 5 minutes. The new owner renamed it Winston Pink Legacy.
Once owned by the Oppenheimer family, owners of the De Beers mining company, the Pink Legacy has been called “one of the world’s finest diamonds.” The gem was discovered in an African mine about a century ago and appears to have remained largely unchanged since it was first cut in 1920. Finding a diamond of the same vivid pink color and larger than 10 carats is rare, Christie’s said. It beat the previous world record price of $2.6 million per carat.