The world is in turmoil.

(Baonghean) - The world's political arena is always 'noisy' due to unexpected developments. Storms, both literally and figuratively, slow down planned progress, or even steer it in a new direction.

Relations between Russia and the US are heating up again.

The US and Russia had a turbulent week as talks between them on Syria broke down on Monday, October 3rd. Tensions continued into Friday, October 7th, with numerous actions reflecting mutual distrust.

Recently, the US even bluntly accused Russia of being behind the hacking attacks on the Democratic Party, stealing information related to the presidential election.

President Putin and US Secretary of State John Kerry on September 5 in Hangzhou, China. Photo: AFP

U.S. intelligence director James Clapper stated in a press release: “These attacks were aimed at interfering with the U.S. election process. Based on the scale and sensitive nature of the plot, we believe only high-ranking Russian leaders could have directed these operations.”

The stolen information has been published on websites such as WikiLeaks, Guccifer 2.0, and DCLeaks. This past Tuesday, at a press conference marking the 10th anniversary of WikiLeaks' founding, Julian Assange promised to release more crucial information related to the US presidential election. Hillary Clinton and her allies have been warned that they will continue to be targets of WikiLeaks.

In response, a Kremlin spokesperson dismissed Washington's accusations as "nonsense." "President Putin's websites are targeted by tens of thousands of hackers every day. We trace numerous attacks originating from US territory, but we don't always accuse the White House."

President Obama himself was quite cautious in his statements about the incident – ​​which displeased many members of Congress. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton have both explicitly named Moscow.

In another development, on Friday, Washington took a tough stance against the continuing bombings in Aleppo, Syria. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry even mentioned “an investigation into war crimes” against Moscow and Damascus. “Russia and the Syrian regime owe the world more than an explanation for their relentless attacks on hospitals, medical facilities, children, and women.”

The US also warned of new sanctions it could impose on the Al-Assad regime and its Russian allies if the attacks in eastern Aleppo continue. On Saturday, October 8, the UN Security Council will also decide on two possible solutions to the situation in Syria.

The first solution, submitted by France, called for a halt to bombing and a no-fly zone over parts of Aleppo. The second solution, proposed by Russia, called for a ceasefire agreement. Moscow also stated it would veto the French proposal.

US elections suspended due to hurricane.

On Friday, October 7th, Hurricane Matthew, nicknamed "the devil's face," made landfall in the United States, sweeping along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina. Predicted to be one of the strongest hurricanes since Wilma in 2005, with wind speeds reaching 120 km/h and the threat of tsunamis, Matthew ultimately did not cause the severe consequences that US authorities had feared.

In fact, the "devil's face" hurricane reached its peak intensity when it entered the Caribbean Sea. As it passed through Haiti, the hurricane killed 900 people before making landfall in Florida.

The city of Jeremy, Haiti, after Hurricane Matthew passed through. Photo: Reuters

Here, the storm uprooted hundreds of large trees, damaged numerous roads and homes before continuing north along the coast. Although the storm's intensity has decreased, authorities are still warning residents to exercise caution until it leaves U.S. territory this Sunday.

A state of emergency was declared in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. President Obama urged residents in the affected areas to follow evacuation instructions and called for urgent assistance for Haiti, which suffered the most damage from Hurricane Matthew.

In summary: Hurricane Matthew's impact extended over a radius of 1,000km, forcing 2 million people to evacuate inland, causing 4,500 flight delays, and mobilizing 3,500 security forces. In Florida, more than 1 million households were without power as of Friday.

Many ancient cities with monuments dating back to the 17th century were warned to prepare for flooding with water levels potentially reaching 2.5 meters. More than a dozen power plants are in the path of Hurricane Matthew, including two nuclear power plants. Estimates of damage from Hurricane Matthew range from $20 to $25 billion.

One of the "side effects" of the superstorm was the disruption of the election campaign in Florida – one of the most important states for the election.

Local Democratic candidates have asked the state governor to extend the voter registration deadline. However, the governor – who is close to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump – has refused the request.

Hai Trieu

(According to Le Monde)