Putin Admits He Wanted Trump to Win; Israel Closes Border with Gaza Strip
(Baonghean.vn) - The world in the past 24 hours has been filled with news such as: President Putin admitted that he wanted Mr. Trump to win in 2016; Israel closed its trade border with the Gaza Strip; French President welcomed the national football team in Paris; Korea and North Korea completely restored the western military communication line; Corruption scandal in Malaysia may be related to Chinese companies...
President Putin Admits He Wanted Trump to Win in 2016
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| Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) continues to deny Moscow interfered in the 2016 US election. Photo:AP. |
Speaking after the Russia-US summit, President Vladimir Putin admitted that he wanted Donald Trump to win the 2016 election but denied that Moscow interfered in the election results. "Yes, I wanted that (Trump to win the US presidency). He said he would bring US-Russia relations back to normal," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a joint press conference with his US counterpart on July 16 in Helsinki, Finland.
President Putin also continues to reject the evidence that the US intelligence community and law enforcement agencies rely on to accuse Russia of interfering in the 2016 election, according to Politico.
Also at the press conference, Mr. Putin said that Moscow is ready to consider extraditing 12 citizens who were indicted by a US court last week for interfering in the 2016 election, on condition that Washington takes appropriate action in response.
EU deploys legal mechanism against US sanctions on Iran
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| EU deploys legal mechanism to counter US sanctions on Iran. Source: Sputnik International |
On July 17, local media reported that the European Union (EU) has agreed to implement a legal mechanism to protect European companies in Iran from US sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic.
The EU’s blocking mechanism will be applied from August 6, coinciding with the first US sanctions against Iran. The EU’s blocking regime, established in 1996, protects businesses and individuals around the world from US sanctions on the basis that they are outside the jurisdiction of US law. However, some major European companies, such as French oil giant Total, have decided to leave Iran unless they receive a waiver from US sanctions.
Previously, on July 16, the EU rejected the US request to economically isolate Iran.
Israel closes trade crossing with Gaza Strip to punish Hamas
Israel says it will close its only goods crossing with the Gaza Strip for several days. Photo: AFP
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on July 17 that Israel will stop transferring gas and fuel through the Kerem Shalom crossing until next week, but will still allow the transport of essential food and medical supplies into the Palestinian enclave.
The closure of the country’s only goods crossing with the Gaza Strip was in response to hostile actions by the Islamic Movement Hamas. Shortly after Hamas agreed to a ceasefire ending 24 hours of intense conflict, Gaza continued to launch kites and incendiary balloons into Israel to set fires and damage farms.
South Korea and North Korea fully restore western military communication line
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| South and North Korean military officials met on June 14. Photo:Ministry of National Defense of South Korea. |
The two Koreas fully restored military communication lines including fax and telephone connections in the western part of the peninsula on July 17, the South Korean Defense Ministry said.Yonhap.
The western military communication line was severed in 2016, after South Korea shut down an inter-Korean industrial park in the North Korean border city of Kaesong. However, telephone communication was restored in January, ahead of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
South and North Korea also plan to reconnect the eastern communication line, which was cut in 2011 and then completely damaged in a fire in 2013.
Malaysia's $4.5 billion corruption scandal may involve Chinese companies
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Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. Photo: Reuters |
The BBC quoted a source from a senior Malaysian official saying that the investigation into the 1MDB corruption scandal now has a new detail: Chinese companies may be involved in the case.
Malaysia’s new government, which took office in May, has halted three major construction projects with Chinese companies in just two months. The source said Malaysian authorities believe two pipeline projects are being used as money laundering tools for the Najib administration.
The allegations have prompted the Malaysian Finance Ministry to further expand the scope of its investigation into the 1MDB fund, which is currently being carried out in several other countries around the world.
French President welcomes national football team in Paris
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Photo: Reuters. |
President Emmanuel Macron and his wife welcomed the national football team at the Elysee Palace yesterday. "Thank you all," he said. "This team is beautiful because you are united!" The president and his wife posed for a photo with the team as they sang the national anthem before going into a private meeting.
Mr Macron has promised to award the players the Legion of Honour for their “outstanding service” to their country, a medal previously awarded to the team that won the World Cup for the first time in 1998.
Cambodia deploys nearly 70,000 security personnel in National Assembly elections
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| Cambodian police stand guard in Phnom Penh. Photo: AFP/VNA |
Nearly 70,000 security personnel will be deployed at all 22,967 polling stations in the upcoming National Assembly election, a member of the Cambodian National Election Committee (NEC) said on July 17.
At the press conference, NEC member Hel Sarath announced that on election day, each polling station will have three uniformed security personnel. The security personnel are tasked with preventing any disturbances, threats or any incidents that may occur, and prohibiting anyone from bringing weapons, explosives and dangerous items to the polling stations.
NEC officials also introduced an indelible ink that will be used to smear on voters' fingers in the upcoming election. The ink will leave an indelible mark on voters' fingers for several weeks, and is one of the measures to prevent voters from voting more than once.
IS suspected of bombing Taliban commander to gain territory
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Afghan security forces at the scene of the bombing. Photo:IB Times |
According toAP, a bombing occurred during a funeral at a mosque in the northern province of Sar-i-Pul of Afghanistan on July 17. Afghan authorities confirmed that at least 20 people were killed in the bombing, including a senior Taliban leader.
Abdul Qayuom Baqizoi, police chief of Sar-i-Pul province, said the bombing occurred while local elders were meeting with Taliban commanders in a nearby area. The purpose of the meeting was not made public. Afghan authorities said the bombing was likely an attack by the Islamic State (IS) group on the Taliban.
Northern Afghanistan is a fierce battleground between the Taliban and IS. About 100 Taliban and IS fighters have been killed in recent clashes between the two groups in the region.
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