Putin inspects Vostok exercise; US state forces businesses to have female directors
(Baonghean.vn) - The world in the past 24 hours has been filled with many events such as: President Putin inspects the largest military exercise in Russia's history; Thousands of people evacuated due to gas leak in Central Mexico; Malaysia extends work for foreign workers with 10 years of seniority; Spanish Prime Minister denies plagiarism in doctoral thesis...
President Putin inspects the largest military exercise in Russian history
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| Russian President Putin at Tsugol training ground. Photo: Sputnik |
Russian President Vladimir Putin personally went to the training ground on September 13 to watch live the Russian and Chinese military parade in Siberia. This parade is part of the Vostok 2018 military exercise, the largest in Russia in the past 4 decades.
At the Tsugol training ground, President Putin spoke highly of the performance of the soldiers during the Vostok 2018 exercise, which began on September 11. President Putin also affirmed that the demonstration of military power was not aimed directly at any country and that Russia always aimed at “constructive partnership”.
Thousands evacuated due to gas leak in central Mexico
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| Firefighters work at the scene of a gas leak in Puebla, Mexico on September 12. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
On September 12, a gas leak occurred in the city of Puebla in the state of the same name, central Mexico, forcing the evacuation of about 2,500 people. The leak began at 4:00 a.m. (local time) on a pipeline owned by the state-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex).
The leak forced businesses and schools to close in 10 neighborhoods after Puebla state's civil protection agency ordered evacuations. Authorities cut power to the area and restricted vehicular traffic as Pemex worked to plug the leak. About 1,500 firefighters, aid workers and police were involved in the operation.
Britain will not pay compensation to the European Union after Brexit
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| UK Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab. Photo: AFP/VNA |
UK Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab warned that the UK will not pay the financial commitment to the European Union (EU) after Brexit, meaning the UK leaves the EU, if the two sides do not reach a "divorce" agreement.
In an interview with the BBC on September 13, Raab said that under the EU withdrawal agreement, London had agreed to pay £39 billion (about $51 billion) in compensation. However, negotiations on the extension agreement are still stalled, raising concerns that the UK will still leave the EU in March 2019 with or without a deal. As a result, Prime Minister Theresa May's government will not pay the amount as promised.
Minister Raab stressed that "this is not a threat but a real statement" in accordance with the plan when the UK fails to reach an agreement with the EU.
Malaysia extends work forforeign workers10 years experience
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Arrest of illegal immigrant workers at a construction site in Port Dickson, Malaysia on July 11, 2017. Photo: AFP/VNA |
Foreign workers who have been granted a 10-year Temporary Work Permit (PLKS), or in other words, foreign workers who have been legally working in Malaysia for 10 years, will be allowed to continue to stay and work here for a maximum of 3 years, Malaysian Manpower Minister M. Kulasegaran said on September 13. The said workers must renew their passes annually during the renewal period. However, they are not allowed to apply for permanent residence or Malaysian citizenship.
Malaysia is a major recipient of foreign workers in Southeast Asia. According to the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs, the number of foreign workers legally working in the country is approximately 1.8 million.
Spanish Prime Minister denies plagiarism in PhD thesis
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| Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at a press conference in Madrid. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has denied claims that he plagiarized his doctoral thesis. The incident comes just two days after Spain's Health Minister Carmen Monton resigned after being accused of academic fraud.
In a statement released on September 13, Mr. Sanchez stressed that the information appearing in the media that there was plagiarism in his doctoral thesis was completely false. He said he would take legal action to protect his honor and reputation if the information published in the media was not corrected.
According to the Spanish daily ABC, Mr. Sanchez committed fraud in his 2012 doctoral thesis on innovation in Spanish economic diplomacy. The online newspaper Ok Diario also made accusations of plagiarism.
Germany reaches agreement with Italy to return migrants
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| Refugees wait to register in Passau, southern Germany. Source: AFP/VNA |
On September 13, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced that Berlin had reached an agreement with Rome on the return of migrants who apply for asylum in Italy. He hoped the agreement would be signed as soon as possible. Minister Seehofer said that he and his Italian counterpart would sign the agreement in the next few days.
Germany reached a similar deal with Greece and Spain in August, under which migrants who crossed the Austrian border and had previously applied for asylum in Greece or Spain could be sent back to those countries within 48 hours.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's administration is under pressure to reduce the number of new immigrants arriving in the country after Berlin failed to process a record 1 million asylum applications from 2015-2016.
Former President of El Salvador sentenced to 10 years in prison for laundering $300 million
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Former President of El Salvador Antonio Saca. Photo: Reuters |
An El Salvador court sentenced former President Antonio Saca to 10 years in prison on September 12 after he pleaded guilty to corruption and money laundering charges. Saca, 53, pleaded guilty to charges brought against him last month. His lawyer said at the time that he had pleaded guilty in exchange for a reduced prison sentence.
During his trial, prosecutors said that former President Saca had misappropriated public funds for himself and others, including taking more than $7 million for his former political party, the Right-wing National Republican Alliance (ARENA). Saca was sentenced to five years for money laundering and five years for corruption. The former President of El Salvador was also ordered to return $260 million to the state.
The court also sentenced six other former officials in Mr Saca's government to prison terms ranging from three to 16 years for their involvement in the corruption ring.
California requires businesses to have female directors
The California State Legislature has passed a bill requiring all companies headquartered in the state to have at least one female director by the end of 2019, according to The Washington Post. By 2021, any company with six or more directors must have 50% female representation. The new law is awaiting Governor Jerry Brown’s signature, but has been opposed by many business groups and some major corporations have warned that they will file a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court.
Once enacted, California will become the first state in the US to mandate female directors for companies. Meanwhile, such laws are becoming increasingly common in Europe, with countries like France and Norway requiring companies to have 30-40% female directors.
