International events of the past week

(Baonghean.vn) - The British House of Commons officially approved Brexit, the US temporarily suspended the implementation of the controversial immigration decree, a big explosion at a French nuclear power plant, a bloody bombing near the Afghan Supreme Court... are the most notable international news of the past week.

1. US temporarily suspends enforcement of controversial immigration order

Negin's daughter hugs her mother, Shanez Tabarsi, after being allowed back into the US at Logan Airport in Boston. The woman had trouble entering the US after Donald Trump's ban. Photo: Reuters

On February 9 (US time), the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals based in San Francisco decided to uphold the lower court's ruling on temporarily suspending the implementation of President Donald Trump's immigration ban.

The decision was made after a hearing on February 8 in response to a lawsuit filed by the states of Washington and Minnesota. The US Supreme Court is likely to be the final judicial body in this lawsuit. The US Department of Justice said it is reviewing the ruling issued by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and considering other options.

In its ruling, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said it was aware of the pressing public interests of national security and freedom of movement, but the U.S. government had not presented “any evidence” of national security concerns to justify banning citizens from those seven countries.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals also said the US government had no evidence that anyone in the seven affected countries had launched a terrorist attack on US soil.

Finally, the appeals court's ruling also pointed out that it was unlikely that the White House advisory team had the authority to amend a presidential executive order and that the government had not shown how the order would be enforced in some places.

2. British House of Commons officially approves Brexit

Illustration photo: Reuters

According to Reuters, on February 9 (Vietnam time), with 494 votes in favor and 122 votes against, the British House of Commons voted to pass a bill allowing Prime Minister Theresa May to activate Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to start the official process of the country's exit from the European Union (Brexit).

This result ended many days of fierce debate, and is an important step for the UK to start Brexit negotiations, which are predicted to be "full of difficulties and complications" with issues of trade, immigration and security.

The bill also needs to be passed by the House of Lords before it becomes law. The House of Lords will have two days to consider the bill, starting from February 20.

3. Big explosion at French nuclear power plant

Flamanville nuclear power plant is located on the coast of the Normandy region of France - Photo: Reuters

An explosion occurred at the Flamanville nuclear power plant in northern France on February 9 but caused no casualties and did not create a risk of radiation leakage.

The announcement from EDF, the plant's owner, said the explosion started from a fire in the machine room, but fortunately this is a "non-nuclear" area of ​​the plant.

Workers at the plant brought the fire under control shortly after the incident. Reactor No. 1 at the plant was also temporarily disconnected from the national grid. No one was injured in the fire or explosion, but five people were affected by the smoke.

According to Reuters, the Flamanville plant has two reactors, each with a generating capacity of up to 1,300 MW and was built in the 1980s. An EDF spokesman said the group is building a new reactor at the same plant and it was not affected in the February 9 explosion.

The French nuclear safety agency (ASN) said it had not yet received any information and could not immediately comment.

4. Bloody bombing near Afghanistan Supreme Court

Afghan police at the scene of the explosion. Photo: Reuters.

A suicide bombing at the Supreme Court in central Kabul killed at least 19 people and injured dozens more, Afghan officials said on February 7. This is the latest attack in the capital Kabul that has shocked the conflict-ridden South Asian nation.

AFP news agency quoted an Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman as saying that a suicide bomber detonated his explosives as court staff were boarding a bus at the court's parking lot, located on the road leading from the international airport to the US Embassy. Meanwhile, the Afghan Health Ministry said that among the injured were women and children.

Police cordoned off the road around the courthouse immediately after the bombing. Ambulances and fire engines were at the scene. It is not yet clear who carried out the deadly attack, but the Taliban have previously attacked the Supreme Court and courts in other provinces of Afghanistan.

The attack has raised concerns about increasing security instability in Afghanistan, as US-backed armed forces are fighting against Taliban insurgents as well as Al-Qaeda and the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).

5. Russia, Türkiye and Iran meet on ceasefire in Syria

A refugee camp in the Rashidin area of ​​Aleppo - Syria's most populous city. (Photo: AP).

The group monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire in Syria, including Russia, Türkiye, Iran and UN experts, held a meeting in the capital Astana, Kazakhstan on February 6.

According to the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, the meeting was also attended by representatives from Jordan. The agenda of the meeting included: Reviewing the implementation of the ceasefire by the parties concerned; discussing the commitments of the Syrian government and the opposition to the ceasefire; and clearly defining measures to implement the commitments.

The Kazakh Foreign Ministry confirmed that the meeting was also a forum with the aim of creating a mechanism to implement the ceasefire. However, there was no specific information about the composition of each delegation at the meeting.

6. US President declares support for "one China" policy

US President Donald Trump. Photo: EPA/VNA.

On February 10, Reuters quoted US President Donald Trump in a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying that Washington would respect the "One China" policy. This is a statement contrary to what Mr. D. Trump made in December 2016.

According to a White House statement released after the phone call, the US President's new decision was made after a proposal from Chinese President Xi Jinping. Immediately afterwards, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Beijing strongly welcomed Washington's decision, affirming that joint cooperative efforts will bring the relationship between the two countries to a new level.

During the phone call, the two leaders also discussed many other topics, agreeing that representatives of the US and China will conduct discussions and negotiations on many issues related to common interests.

7. Hundreds of Korean artists file lawsuit against the president

South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Photo: Reuters

On February 9, the Korean Association of Lawyers for a Democratic Society said that up to 461 artists in the country have filed lawsuits against impeached President Park Geun-hye and her former aide over allegations that the government blacklisted them for their critical stance.

Each of them is demanding 1 million won in compensation from the government of Park Geun-hye, former presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon and former culture minister Cho Yoon-sun, the association said in a statement.

Mr. Kim Ki-choon and Ms. Cho Yoon-sun were convicted on February 7 of abuse of power and coercion for creating a blacklist of nearly 10,000 people to prevent them from receiving state support.

8. Brazil: Violent riots erupt, more than 100 people killed

Looting and vandalism have become common in the city of Vitoria, Brazil.

More than 100 people have been killed and many others injured in riots in the city of Vitoria (Brazil) after a series of police officers went on strike to demand better pay and benefits.

The police strike began last Saturday. Many family members of security personnel also protested in front of police stations and blocked official convoys.

The lack of police officers has led to a surge in thefts across the city. Schools, businesses and stores have been forced to close. Buses across the city have also been suspended.

Brazilian authorities have deployed about 1,200 soldiers and federal police to contain the riots. However, the situation shows no signs of abating and is at risk of spreading to neighboring cities./.

Peace

(Synthetic)