World 24/7: Risk of Russia-Ukraine conflict; Many divisive issues "shadow" G20

Risk of Russia-Ukraine conflict:On the morning of November 25, the Russian coast guard temporarily detained three Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea, near the Crimean peninsula. Moscow accused the three Kiev vessels of violating Articles 19 and 21 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea by deliberately violating the territorial waters of the Russian Federation. Ukraine also accused Russia of violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea by obstructing freedom of navigation. In photo: Russian patrol boats surround Ukrainian naval vessels near the Kerch Strait. Photo:RT

On November 26, the Ukrainian parliament voted to declare martial law on the border with Russia. This is the first time Kiev has declared martial law since the conflict with Russia began in 2014. In response, the Russian military plans to deploy a radar station capable of detecting ballistic and cruise missiles from a long distance in the area near the port of Sevastopol, where Moscow's Black Sea Fleet is based. In photo: Ukrainian warship sailors (right) are taken by Russian special forces to a court in Crimea on November 28. Photo: Reuters

Ukraine has repeatedly urged the US, NATO and European countries to strongly respond to Russia's actions. However, NATO, EU and German leaders have only voiced their opposition to Russia's shooting and capturing of Ukrainian warships without mentioning any action on the ground in response. US President Donald Trump has not directly criticized Russia but only announced that he may cancel his meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 summit. In photo: Russian cargo ship blocking the passage through the Kerch Strait on November 25. Photo: Reuters

Many divisive issues "shadow" the G20:The G20 Summit, which takes place over two days (November 30 - December 1), with the main theme "Building consensus for equitable and sustainable development", the host country, Argentina, hopes that this will be an opportunity for member economies to discuss and seek solutions to the world's hot issues, aiming to reach a joint statement focusing on balanced and sustainable development. In photo: Leaders of G20 countries at the Summit. Photo: Reuters

This year's G20 summit was one of the most tense in the history of G20 meetings, overshadowed by a series of tensions from US President Donald Trump's warning to increase import tariffs on Chinese goods, as well as military tensions between Russia and Ukraine. In addition, the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at this year's G20 summit also caused an awkward situation for leaders, in the context of the ongoing controversy related to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Türkiye) on October 2. In photo: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman talks with President Putin at the opening ceremony. Photo: Reuters

"Yellow vest" protests take a complicated turn in France:From early morning on December 1, the "yellow vests" took to the streets as usual on weekends, for the third consecutive week. Clashes broke out almost immediately, mainly in Star Square, as the protesters were determined to keep up the pressure to protest the government's decision to increase fuel prices while the authorities did not want the capital to be harassed again. Photo: Reuters

French police had to use pepper spray and smoke grenades to disperse the crowd of "yellow vest" protesters who tried to break through the security barriers on the Champs Elysees. By the afternoon of December 1, the Paris Police Department said more than 115 protesters had been detained; nearly 10 people were injured around the Champs-Elysees, including 3 police officers. Photo: Reuters

Canada, Mexico, US sign new trade agreement:On November 30, the leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada officially signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a new version of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The USMCA has made fundamental technical changes to the rules for manufacturing cars and trucks, the opening of the Canadian dairy industry market, the scope of copyright and dispute resolution rules... In the photo: US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto attend the USMCA signing ceremony. Photo: Reuters

US military uses tear gas in clashes at border with Mexico:On November 25, at the US-Mexico border, there was a clash between the US military and Central American migrants after US President Donald Trump said it would not be easy for asylum seekers to enter the US. A group of migrants reportedly rushed towards the border fence. US Customs and Border Protection officers fired tear gas into Mexico to stop the flow of migrants from Central America. Photo: Reuters

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has received a request from the Department of Homeland Security to extend the deployment of troops at the border with Mexico, which was due to end on December 15, Reuters reported on December 1, citing unnamed US officials. US Defense Secretary James Mattis said he was still studying the request from the Department of Homeland Security. If the proposal is approved, US troops will continue to carry out the mission of stopping migrants in this area until the end of January 2019. Photo: Reuters

Mass whale deaths in New Zealand:The New Zealand Department of Conservation said the stranded whales were part of a pod of 80-90 whales that was spotted on the evening of November 29 on the coast of Chatham Island, 800 km east of the South Island. When rescuers arrived at the scene, 50 whales were dead, only one stranded whale was still alive while the rest returned to the sea. However, the surviving whale was in very poor health and was euthanized. Photo: Reuters

This is the fifth whale stranding in New Zealand in less than a week. Previously, on November 26, New Zealand authorities said that up to 145 whales had died due to being stranded on the small island of Stewart, located about 30 km from the country's South Island. There was also the stranding of a group of 12 dwarf killer whales on the northern coast of New Zealand; two separate incidents of a sperm whale and a dwarf sperm whale being stranded on the North Island. In the photo: 145 pilot whales died due to being stranded on the small island of Stewart. Photo: Reuters

Controversy over China's genetically modified baby experiment:On November 25, researcher He Jiankui announced that his experimental project had created the world's first pair of twins with DNA resistant to HIV infection. The gene editing was performed on embryos during artificial insemination for volunteer couples where the husband had H. Mr. He said the experimental results were a breakthrough in medical research. However, his announcement was met with criticism from the scientific community inside and outside China. In this photo: Scientist He Jiankui attends the International Summit on Human Genome Editing at the University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong, China on November 28, 2018. Photo: Reuters

On November 29, the Chinese government ordered a team of researchers working on human gene editing to stop their work. China's Vice Minister of Science and Technology Xu Nanping said the ministry strongly opposed the experiment that took place earlier this month. Xu called the group's actions illegal and unacceptable, and said a government investigation was underway. In this photo: Researcher He Jiankui introduces "The Human Genome," a book he edited, at Genomics Direct in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. Photo: Reuters