Putin plans to visit Japan; US will not change plans to withdraw troops from Syria
(Baonghean.vn) - The US announced that it will not change its plan to withdraw troops from Syria; Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit Japan; the EU affirmed that the "barrier" clause on Ireland is only temporary; China sentenced a Canadian citizen to death for drug trafficking... are the world's outstanding news in the past 24 hours.
Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit Japan in June
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| Russian President Vladimir Putin. Source: AFP/TTXVN |
Reuters reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said during a visit to Moscow on January 14 that Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit Japan next June. Mr. Kono revealed the information before holding talks with host country Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Russia and Japan are still trying to sign a peace treaty after World War II. The main obstacle in this issue is the sovereignty dispute over the islands that Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories.
The US announced that it will not change its plan to withdraw troops from Syria.
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| US military vehicles in Manbij city, northern Syria on December 30, 2018. Source: AFP/TTXVN |
Reuters reported on January 14 that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said President Donald Trump's threat to devastate Türkiye economically if Ankara attacks Washington-backed Kurdish militia in Syria will not change plans to withdraw troops from the Middle Eastern country.
Speaking to reporters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during his Middle East tour, Mr. Pompeo said that President Trump's comments on Twitter were a reference to imposing sanctions.
EU affirms 'backstop' clause on Ireland is only temporary
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| The British flag (bottom) and the EU flag (top) in London, UK, January 7, 2019. Source: THX/TTXVN |
On January 14, European Union (EU) leaders affirmed the legality of the commitment not to use the "backstop" clause, which is intended to help ensure an open border between the British region of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the Brexit deal, to bind London to the bloc's regulations.
In a letter to British Prime Minister Theresa May, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker ruled out agreeing to any changes or inconsistencies with the deal. Regarding the "backstop" clause relating to the Republic of Ireland, the EU does not wish to see it come into force and will only apply it temporarily if absolutely necessary.
China sentences Canadian citizen to death for drug trafficking
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| High Court in Liaoning Province, China. Photo:China News. |
The Dalian High Court in China's Liaoning Province on April 1 sentenced Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg to death for drug trafficking. The verdict threatens to further escalate diplomatic tensions between China and Canada.AFPThe appeals court hearing lasted a day, with the Chinese judge saying the 15-year sentence was too lenient. Observers included officials from the Canadian embassy in China and three foreign journalists.
Schellenberg simply nodded after hearing the verdict, while still maintaining his innocence. The court said Schellenberg has the right to appeal to a higher court. Schellenberg has been detained in China since late 2014, and the Canadian citizen's trial began in 2016. The defendant filed an appeal after the Liaoning Intermediate Court handed down a 15-year prison sentence on November 20, 2018.
Black box cockpit recording of Indonesian plane that crashed into the sea found
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| Rescue workers arrange debris believed to be from the Boeing 373 MAX 8 plane that crashed into the sea on the morning of October 29. Photo: Reuters |
An Indonesian official said the black box voice recorder from the plane that crashed into the sea, killing 189 people in October 2018, has been found. The National Transportation Safety Committee has notified the ministry of the discovery of the black box, according to Deputy Maritime Minister Ridwan Djamaluddin. He said that while searching for the black box, rescuers continued to find more body parts on the seabed.
A Lion Air Boeing 737-MAX 8 plane on a domestic flight from Jakarta crashed into the sea on October 29, killing all passengers and crew. Three days after the accident, rescuers found the black box that recorded the flight data.
However, finding the black box that records the audio is more difficult. The second black box is the cockpit voice recorder, which may contain information about the last conversations between the captain and co-pilot before the plane crashed.
South Korean court orders compensation for Sewol ferry victims
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| Relatives of victims of the Sewol ferry disaster watch the salvage process off the coast of Jindo Island, South Korea on March 28, 2017. Photo: EPA/TTXVN |
On January 14, the Suwon District Court in South Korea ruled that the government and the Sewol ferry operator, Cheonghaejin Marine, should compensate each survivor of the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking 80 million won (about 71,000 USD) while the victims' relatives will be compensated between 2-32 million won.
The court held the coast guard and Cheonghaejin Marine responsible for negligence in failing to promptly ask passengers to disembark. Cheonghaejin Marine was also held responsible for failing to check the ferry's condition before loading passengers.
