The world is in 'storm'

(Baonghean) - The world political scene is always 'noisy' because of unexpected developments. The storms, both literal and figurative, slow down the expected progress, even taking it in a new direction.

Russia-US relations heat up again

The US and Russia had a rough week when talks on Syria broke down on Monday, October 3. Tensions continued through Friday, October 7, with many moves showing mutual skepticism.

Recently, the US even bluntly accused Russia of being behind the hacker 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

“These attacks were intended to interfere with the US election process. Given the scale and sensitivity of the plot, we believe only senior Russian leaders could have directed these activities,” US intelligence director James Clapper said in a statement.

The stolen information has been published on websites such as WikiLeaks, Guccifer 2.0 and DCLeaks. Last Tuesday, at a press conference to mark the 10th anniversary of WikiLeaks, the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, promised to publish more important information related to the US presidential election. Hillary Clinton and her allies were warned that they would continue to be "targets" for WikiLeaks.

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

President Obama himself was quite cautious in his comments on this incident - which made many Congressmen upset. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party and Mrs. Hillary Clinton both openly pointed out Moscow.

In another development, Washington took a tough stance on the continued bombing of Aleppo, Syria on Friday. US Secretary of State John Kerry even mentioned “a war crimes investigation” 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 has also warned of new sanctions it could impose on the Assad regime and its ally Russia if attacks in eastern Aleppo continue. The UN Security Council will also decide on two options for resolving the situation in Syria on Saturday.

The first, proposed by France, called for a bombing halt and a no-fly zone over parts of Aleppo. The second, proposed by Russia, called for a ceasefire. Moscow also announced that it would use its veto power on the French proposal.

US election "suspended" due to super storm

On Friday, October 7, the “demon face” super storm Matthew made landfall in the United States, sweeping along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina. Forecasted to be one of the strongest storms since Wilma in 2005, with winds reaching 120km/h and the risk of a tsunami, Matthew ultimately did not leave behind the serious consequences that the US government feared.

In fact, the “Devilface” superstorm reached its peak intensity when it entered the Caribbean Sea. As it passed over Haiti, the superstorm killed 900 people before making landfall in Florida.

Jeremy City, Haiti after Hurricane Matthew passed. Photo: Reuters

There, the storm uprooted hundreds of trees and damaged roads and homes before continuing north along the coast. Although the storm has weakened in intensity, authorities are warning residents to exercise caution until it leaves the U.S. on Sunday.

States of emergency have been declared in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. President Obama urged people in the storm zone to follow evacuation instructions and called for urgent assistance for Haiti - the place that suffered the most damage from Hurricane Matthew.

To sum up: Hurricane Matthew's impact reached a range of 1,000km, forcing 2 million people to evacuate deep inland, causing 4,500 flights to be canceled, and mobilizing 3,500 security forces. In the state of Florida, more than 1 million households were without electricity on Friday.

Many ancient cities with 17th-century relics have been warned to prepare for flooding with water levels of up to 2.5 meters. More than a dozen power plants are in the path of Hurricane Matthew, including two nuclear plants. Estimates put the damage from Hurricane Matthew at between 20 and 25 billion USD.

One of the “side effects” of the super storm was the suspension 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)