Outstanding international events of the past week

(Baonghean.vn) - Cuban people bid farewell to leader Fidel Castro; Plane carrying Brazilian football team crashes in Colombia; Thailand has a new King; Russian President reads federal message... are the most notable international news of the past week.

1 - Cuban people bid farewell to outstanding leader Fidel Castro

People bid farewell to late leader Fidel Castro as a hearse carrying his ashes arrives at Matanzas Malecon, Cuba. (Source: EPA/VNA)

At the end of two days of ceremonies to pay respect to President Fidel Castro at Revolution Square in the capital city of Havana (November 28-29), thousands of Cubans quietly gathered on the streets of Havana to say farewell to the outstanding Commander-in-Chief on his final journey to his final resting place, where Fidel initiated the Cuban Revolution nearly 60 years ago.

The funeral procession carrying the ashes of leader Fidel Castro has begun a four-day journey to recreate the "Journey to Freedom" of the Sierra Maestra insurgent army led by former Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro in 1959. The convoy will travel through 13 provinces of Cuba in four days to take the revolutionary leader to his final resting place at Santa Ifigenia cemetery, Santiago de Cuba city.

Next, the ashes of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro were brought to the Ernesto Guevara memorial, which holds the remains of hero Che Guevara, who fought with President Fidel Castro in the Sierra Maestra, and other guerrillas of the armed struggle in the city of Santa Clara, central Cuba. This was the first overnight stop of the "Journey to Freedom". Cuba's "Vanguardia" newspaper reported that the funeral procession had previously stopped at two points: the town of Cascajal, Villa Clara province, and Cienfuegos province, where a memorial service for leader Fidel Castro was held with military honors.

2 - Russian President reads federal message

President Putin appeared before parliament to deliver his 2016 State of the Union address. Photo: Reuters.

On the afternoon of December 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his State of the Nation address to the National Assembly. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of normalizing relations with the United States on an equal basis. This was the 23rd State of the Nation address in modern Russian history and the 13th time Putin delivered this speech.

President Putin said that despite the pressure Russia has faced from abroad in the past year, the country is not looking for enemies. "We are not looking for enemies and have never been looking for enemies. We need friends," he said, adding that Russia wants to hold an equal dialogue with its partners.

"Russian-American cooperation in solving global problems is in the interests of the whole world. We have a common responsibility to ensure security, stability, and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. I want to emphasize that attempts to disrupt the balance are dangerous and can lead to a global catastrophe," he said.

The President also praised Russia's anti-terrorism campaign in Syria with great success.

Mr. Putin affirmed that Russia has no intention of getting involved in any geopolitical confrontation but is ready to stand up for its own interests and will not tolerate any attempts to harm the country's interests.

3 - Thailand has a new King

New King of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn (Photo: Reuters)

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn officially accepted the invitation of the parliament on December 1 and became the new King of Thailand.

“I accept the invitation for the benefit of the Thai people,” Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn said in a televised speech on December 1. After announcing his acceptance of the throne, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn officially became King Rama X - the 10th king of the Chakri Dynasty in Thailand.

Earlier, President of the Thai Legislative Assembly Pornpetch Wichitcholchai visited Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn at Dusit Palace in Bangkok to officially invite him to the throne. Immediately after the Crown Prince accepted the invitation, a public announcement about King Rama X's accession to the throne was also issued.

The new King of Thailand, born in 1952, is the only son of the four children of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who passed away on October 13 after seven decades of reigning over Thailand. The new King Maha Vajiralongkorn studied in England and Australia and spent much of his time in Germany. He married three times and had seven children, including two sons and five daughters.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced that the new king's coronation will take place in 2017 after the body of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej is cremated.

4 - Plane carrying Brazilian football team crashes in Colombia

Scene of the plane crash in Colombia.

The plane with registration number CP 2933 of LAMIA Bolivia carrying members of Brazilian football club Chapecoense Real and some other passengers suddenly encountered an accident and crashed near Medellin, Colombia's second largest city on the night of November 28. According to statistics, on the flight from Bolivia to Medellin there were a total of 81 people including 72 passengers and 9 crew members. According to Colombian authorities, the tragic accident killed at least 77 people.

It is known that the Chapecoense Real football team was on its way to Colombia to play against Atletico Nacional in the Copa Sudamerica 2016 tournament. According to information from the Brazilian press, most of the members of the Chapecoense Real football team were on the ill-fated flight number CP 2933 mentioned above.

The initial cause of the plane crash was determined to be a fuel shortage at around 10:15 p.m. on November 28, local time. Early on the morning of November 29, many fans were present at the home stadium of Chapecoense to watch the news and hold hands to pray for the unfortunate victims.

5 - United Nations sanctions North Korea

Overview of the United Nations Security Council meeting on the Resolution to impose new sanctions on North Korea, in New York on November 30. (Source: AP/TTXVN)

The new sanctions resolution, led by the US, was adopted by all 15 members of the United Nations Security Council on November 30, AFP reported.

The resolution calls on North Korea to "abandon all existing nuclear weapons and programs" and restricts Pyongyang's coal exports. North Korea is banned from exporting more than 7.5 million tons of coal in 2017, down 62% from 2015.

Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said the resolution was expected to cut North Korea's coal exports by $700 million, which would drastically reduce the amount Pyongyang spends on nuclear and ballistic weapons. Ms. Power described the move as "the strongest sanctions the Security Council has ever imposed."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on all countries to implement the resolution. He reaffirmed his commitment to "sincere dialogue" to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

China, North Korea's sole ally, is one of the few markets for coal from Pyongyang. China's ambassador to the United Nations, Liu Jieyi, reiterated Beijing's "strong opposition" to Pyongyang's nuclear test but also criticized joint military exercises between the US and South Korea.

The resolution also condemned North Korea's September 9 missile test "in the strongest terms." North Korea said at the time it had made major progress in its efforts to miniaturize a warhead to mount on a missile with the range to reach the United States.

6 - South Korean President announces his readiness to resign

President Park Geun-hye speaks on November 29, 2016.

President Park Geun-hye announced on November 29 that she will let the National Assembly decide her fate and will resign at the appropriate time and procedure to avoid causing chaos when suddenly transferring power.

"I will leave the matter to the National Assembly, including shortening my presidential term," Park said in a five-minute speech broadcast on television on November 29.

President Park has continued to apologize for the political scandal involving her close friend Choi Soon-sil, saying she felt heartbroken by her inability to ease the anger and frustration of the South Korean people. Ms Park also affirmed that she was ready to resign but did not want to let South Korea fall into a state of “anarchy”, according to the BBC.

"If the ruling party and the opposition party come up with a solution to minimize the consequences in state management and ensure the government transition is not disrupted, I will resign in accordance with the roadmap and legal procedures," Ms. Park added.

7 - French President Francois Hollande announced that he will not run for re-election.

French President Francois Hollande.

On the evening of December 1 (local time), speaking live from the Elysée Palace, French President Francois Hollande announced that he decided not to run for president for another term.

French President Hollande said: “Power, the exercise of power, the corridors of power, the rituals of power have never made me lose my perspective. I have served my country with all sincerity and for the good of France. And today, I am also aware of the risks of running for another term without enough engagement with my supporters. That is why I have decided not to run.”

Hollande's announcement ended weeks of speculation about whether the incumbent French president would seek re-election. Observers said that if he did decide to run, his chances of winning were slim. The announcement, made on December 1, also made Hollande the first French president since 1958 not to seek a second term.

Peace

(Synthetic)