US aircraft carrier approaches Syria, North Korea adjusts time to coincide with South Korea
(Baonghean.vn) - The world in the past 24 hours has been highlighted by many events such as: North Korea adjusts its time to coincide with South Korea, 37 countries participate in exercises in Indonesia, US aircraft carrier approaches Syria to strike IS, Russia accuses UK of blocking the media to prevent leaks of information about the Skripal case...
37 countries participate in the KOMODO 2018 Multilateral Naval Exercise
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| The Indonesian Navy Air Force performed an impressive parachute jump to celebrate MNEK 2018. |
On May 5, on Lombok Island, Indonesia, the opening ceremony of the Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo 2018 (MNEK 2018) took place with the theme: "Cooperation in responding to natural disasters and humanitarian assistance".
The international naval parade took place immediately afterwards at the Lembar port anchorage with the participation of 50 ships of various types from countries participating in MNEK 2018, including Hospital Ship 561 of the Vietnam People's Navy. For more than an hour, two ships carrying the Commander of the Indonesian Navy, the commanders and commanders of the navies of the countries conducted a surface ship parade.
Participating in MNEK 2018 are naval forces from 37 participating countries, including countries in and outside the region such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, China, Russia, Japan, France, the US, the UK, the Netherlands... Of which, France sent the FS DIXMUDE class helicopter-carrying amphibious assault ship, the SURCOUF frigate, Japan sent the JSD destroyer and the US sent the USNS MILIONCKET amphibious ship and the P8 POSEIDON maritime patrol aircraft to participate in the exercise.
MNEK 2018 activities took place in onshore and offshore areas of Lombok Island and Nusa Penida Island, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
North Korea officially sets time to coincide with South Korea
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| A clock showing Pyongyang time (right) running 30 minutes behind Seoul time (left) at Panmunjom, the inter-Korean Demilitarized Zone on April 27. Photo:BBC. |
On May 5, the North Korean state news agency (KCNA)announced that the country would move its clocks forward 30 minutes to match South Korea's time zone. "The time adjustment is the first practical step after the third historic summit between the North and South to expedite the unification process,"KCNAannounced on May 5.
The adjustment will put North Korea, South Korea and Japan on the same time zone of GMT+9, according toAFP.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un promised to change Pyongyang time on April 27 after being "heartbroken" by seeing two different clocks in the Peace House at the inter-Korean summit in Panmunjom, the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas. South Korea hailed the move as a symbolic move to improve relations.
In 2015, North Korea moved its clocks back 30 minutes to create a new “Pyongyang time” to mark the 70th anniversary of its liberation from Japanese colonial rule, putting it half an hour behind South Korea and Japan. South Korea’s time had been different from Japan’s in the 1950s but was adjusted back in the 1960s.
Russia accuses UK of blocking media to prevent leaks of Skripal case
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British police outside the scene of the Skripal poisoning. |
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that London was deliberately suppressing information about the Skripal poisoning in the media. "We note that the British government is using a ban on the publication of press information in this case," she said.
Ms Zakharova said the UK's move was aimed at preventing information from leaking out about the Skripal case. If it did, it would prove that London was deliberately inciting anti-Russian sentiment.
In particular, the Russian spokesman pointed out that: "The British government prohibits mentioning British intelligence officer Pablo Miller - who is related to former spy Skripal - in the media."
Finally, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it was time for the British side to provide an answer regarding this controversial incident.
US aircraft carrier approaches Syria to strike IS
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Harry Truman aircraft carrier strike group. Photo:US Navy. |
The Harry Truman Carrier Strike Group is moving toward the Mediterranean to continue operations against IS militants in Syria. "Fighters from the Harry Truman Carrier Strike Group's (HSTCSG) Air Wing 1 squadrons conducted multiple airstrikes in Syria, demonstrating the ability to support two combatant commands in two different theaters simultaneously,"SputnikMay 4, citing a statement from the US Navy.
The aircraft carrier Harry Truman and its escort of five Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser left their home port in Norfolk, US on April 11 and began moving into the Eastern Mediterranean to approach Syria in late April to operate in the areas of responsibility of both the 5th and 6th Fleets.
The HSTCSG attacks were carried out within the framework of the 6th Fleet's operations, which were conducted in parallel with the US Navy's 5th Fleet's campaign in the Persian Gulf against terrorist forces in Iraq and Syria.
Israel drops out of UN Security Council race
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| A session of the United Nations Security Council. Photo: AP |
Israel has dropped out of the race for the 2019-2020 United Nations Security Council seat as Arab countries at the United Nations launched a campaign to block the effort.
Israel's decision paves the way for Belgium and Germany to hold two non-permanent seats on the Security Council, a regionally-based allocation mechanism, when the UN General Assembly holds a vote in June.
This is the first time Israel has attempted to win a seat on the Security Council, which has 15 permanent and non-permanent members. Israel did not give a reason for its withdrawal, but diplomats said it was clear that Israel would lose to Germany and Belgium when the vote is scheduled for June 8.
US asks China to urgently reduce trade deficit
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US delegation at the negotiations. Photo:Getty. |
On May 5, a high-level US trade delegation and Chinese officials concluded two days of work to resolve the trade deficit between the world's two leading economies.
The US delegation, which included Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, did not make any public statements. However, according to documents sent to Chinese officials ahead of the meeting, the US asked China to reduce its trade surplus by $200 billion by 2020 and reduce import tariffs on all goods to the same level as those on Chinese goods in the US.
In addition, Washington also asked Beijing to stop state subsidies for the modern technology industry, end all cyber espionage activities in the US and open the agricultural sector to competing companies.
Meanwhile, Beijing said it was willing to de-escalate tensions by opening its market to foreign automakers and financial services companies to compete with domestic corporations.
But China has also made some demands. Beijing wants Washington to ease restrictions on exports of high-tech commercial products that could have military applications, and has also raised questions about US sanctions on China’s leading telecommunications equipment maker ZTE for illegally shipping US goods and technology to Iran.
Thousands of people marched against the French President in Paris
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People marched in central Paris against French President Emmanuel Macron's reform plans. Photo: AFP |
On May 5, thousands of people marched in central Paris to protest the reform plans of French President Emmanuel Macron.
About 2,000 security personnel, including riot police, were deployed as demonstrators gathered at the Opera Square to stage a protest against the French leader, a year after he took office. Smaller rallies took place in the cities of Toulouse and Bordeaux, while a large march in Paris attracted many families.
The march will take place from the Place de la Opera to the Bastille area, east of central Paris, according to organizers. The march is being organized by LFI MP Francois Ruffin and former members of the left-wing Up All Night movement. They have called on marchers to demonstrate peacefully.
Myanmar sets conditions for protecting repatriated Rohingya
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| Rohingya people line up to receive relief goods at Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Source: AFP/TTXVN |
On May 5, Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar's armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, affirmed that Rohingya refugees returning to Myanmar will be safe as long as they live in villages built specifically for them.
On Facebook, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing posted a statement he made to a visiting UN Security Council delegation in the capital Naypyitaw on April 30 that there was no need to worry about safety if the Rohingya lived in areas reserved for them.
About 700,000 Rohingya people have been forced to leave Rakhine state, Myanmar, and live in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, after the Myanmar military launched a security operation in August 2017.
Taiwan discovers largest illegal weapons shipment in 10 years
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| 109 guns and 12,378 bullets worth more than 1.34 million USD. Photo: CNA |
SCMP quoted Chen Kuan-liang, spokesman for Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau, as saying that on May 5, a total of 109 guns and 12,378 bullets were found inside two large injection molding machines in a container transported by a Guangzhou-based express delivery company to northeastern Taiwan via Hong Kong. Six suspects were arrested, but the mastermind escaped.
Chen said none of the weapons were made in Hong Kong or China, and the 109 rifles and pistols, bearing 32 brands, were made in various countries, including the United States, Austria, Germany, Australia and Brazil. The guns and ammunition were estimated to have a market value of at least NT$40 million ($1.34 million) to NT$50 million ($1.67 million).
