Putin accuses US of secretly developing medium-range missiles; India arrests former finance minister
(Baonghean.vn) - Putin accused the US of secretly developing medium-range missiles; Germany hopes the UK avoids a no-deal Brexit scenario; Türkiye facilitates Syrian immigrants; India arrests former Finance Minister on charges of corruption and money laundering... are the world's top news in the past 24 hours.
Putin accuses US of secretly developing medium-range missiles
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US cruise missile test-fired on August 18. Photo:US Department of Defense. |
"The US missile test came too soon after they announced their withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. We have every reason to believe that the development of a ground-launched cruise missile was started by the US long before they found a reason to terminate the agreement," Russian President Vladimir Putin said, referring to the recent US missile test.
The US military on August 18 fired a cruise missile from a ground launcher on San Nicolas Island in California, hitting a target more than 500 km away. This is a variant of the Tomahawk line, using a Mark 41 vertical launcher, but not the same type equipped for the Aegis Ashore shield deployed by the US in Romania. This medium-range missile model violates the terms of the INF, which prohibits the US and Russia from developing ground-launched cruise missiles with a range of 500-5,500 km. However, the US unilaterally withdrew from the INF just 2 weeks before the test.
India arrests former Finance Minister on charges of corruption and money laundering
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Mr. Chidambaram (white shirt in the middle). Photo: RT. |
RT reported on August 22 that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided Chidambaram’s New Delhi residence and arrested the 73-year-old politician as he returned home from a press conference at the Parliament House. Images posted on social media showed a group of CBI officers breaking through the locked front gate and another group entering the house through the back door. Chidambaram was taken into a CBI vehicle as protesters gathered around his house.
Mr Chidambaram, a senior Congress leader, is accused of abuse of office and corruption, involving money laundering in the settlement of foreign direct investments when he was Finance Minister under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Türkiye facilitates Syrian immigrants
Syrian refugees in Kilis town, Türkiye. Photo: AFP/TTXVN
The Turkish government has decided to extend the deadline for illegal Syrian refugees to leave Istanbul, the country's largest city, by two months (until October 30). According to Xinhua News Agency on August 22, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced the decision on Haberturk TV. Last month, the mayor of Istanbul announced a deadline of August 20 for Syrian refugees to return to the first provinces they registered in or face deportation. The Ankara government also made a similar move.
There are currently around 3.6 million Syrian refugees living in Türkiye. They are entitled to “temporary protection” status and are required to live in the first locality they register in. They need approval from the local authorities before moving to other provinces.
Germany hopes Britain avoids no-deal Brexit scenario
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| German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
On August 21, German Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks with her British counterpart Boris Johnson, who is visiting Berlin, in which she expressed hope that the European Union (EU) and the UK can reach an agreement to avoid a no-deal Brexit scenario.
Chancellor Merkel said that the UK and the EU could reach a Brexit deal “within 30 days” if the two sides find a solution to break the deadlock in the Brexit deal’s “backstop” clause regarding the Irish border. She stressed that the “backstop” mechanism always plays a “transitional” role to protect the “integrity of the common market” while the UK and the remaining 27 EU member states determine their future relationship.
Russia sends robot to International Space Station ISS for the first time
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Image of the Skybot F-850 robot sitting in the Soyuz MS-14 rocket. Photo: RT |
On August 22, the Russian Soyuz MS-14 rocket carrying the only passenger, the Skybot F-850 robot, officially took off from the Baikonur Space Center (Kazakhstan) to the International Space Station ISS. "The trip was carried out in autonomous mode. This is a test launch of the Soyuz MS-14 rocket to check the compatibility of the upgraded propulsion system and rocket," Sputnik quoted a press release from the Roscosmos Space Corporation (Russia).
The Skybot F-850 robot is said to take the command position on the Soyuz MS-14 flight. The ship is expected to land on the ISS at 8:30 on August 24 (Moscow time). Skybot F-850 will greet the crew living on the ISS with a pre-recorded message, and transmit data and parameters related to flight safety back to Earth.
