World News of the Week - Highlights

(Baonghean.vn) - Horrific shooting outside the British Parliament building; Former Russian MP shot dead in Kyiv; Arms depot fire in Ukraine, nearly 20,000 people evacuated; Tainted meat product scandal rocking Brazil;... These are some of the notable world news stories of the past week.

1. Horrific shooting outside the British Parliament building.

The attacker was treated by paramedics at the scene. The circled objects in the photo are two medical knives he was carrying. He later died. Photo: PA

Five people were killed and at least 40 injured in London on March 22nd after an attacker drove a vehicle into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing into the gates of the British Parliament. The assailant fatally stabbed an plainclothes police officer and was then shot dead by authorities. Other victims were pedestrians who died as a result of the vehicle's impact.

"We declare this a terrorist attack and are conducting a full investigation into today's events," said Mark Rowley, Britain's top counter-terrorism official.

2. Former Russian MP shot dead in Kyiv

Ukrainian investigators examine the scene where a former Russian lawmaker was shot dead in Kyiv. Photo: Reuters

Ukrainian officials confirmed that former Russian lawmaker Denis Voronenkov was shot dead early on March 22 in Kyiv, according to Reuters.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko condemned the shooting as "state terrorism." "This is an act of state terrorism from Russia; Mr. Voronenkov was forced to leave the country for political reasons," Poroshenko said.

Poroshenko also stated that Voronenkov was one of the key witnesses in "the Russian invasion of Ukraine" and that he knew about "the role of former president Viktor Yanukovich in allowing Russian troops into Ukraine."

3. Fire at an arms depot in Ukraine forces nearly 20,000 people to evacuate.

Photo: Reuters

Nearly 20,000 people were evacuated from the city of Balakleya in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine after a massive fire broke out at what is believed to be the country's largest arms depot.

The fire broke out around 3:00 AM on March 23 (local time). After the Balakleya authorities issued an emergency evacuation order for the entire city, chaos and severe traffic congestion occurred on many roads.

Videos posted on social media by city residents show an object resembling a rocket flying out of the raging fire and falling to the ground, creating a loud explosion.

4. The tainted meat scandal rocked Brazil.

Illustrative image. Source: Reuters

On March 18 (local time), Brazilian President Michel Temer convened an emergency meeting between Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi and Foreign Trade Minister Marcos Pereira, along with representatives from slaughterhouses and meat production facilities, following a tainted meat product scandal.

A spokesperson for the Brazilian presidential office said that President Temer is concerned the scandal could seriously affect meat exports. The incident occurred after police announced the discovery of a bribery ring that issued certificates for substandard products for sale.

5. Forbes publishes its list of the world's richest people.

Billionaire Bill Gates. Photo: AFP/VNA

The prestigious Forbes magazine has just published its 2017 list of the world's richest people, with familiar billionaire faces at the top. Leading the list of the world's richest people in 2017 is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, with a net worth of $86 billion. This is also the fourth consecutive year Bill Gates has held this position.

The top 10 richest people in the world also include investment expert Warren Buffett, founder of online retailer Amazon, and Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump dropped 220 places compared to the previous year, falling to position 544.

6. France announces 11 candidates eligible to run for president.

Eleven candidates are eligible to run for President of France.

The French Constitutional Council has officially announced the list of 11 candidates who have received more than 500 votes of support/nomination from members of parliament, as required by French electoral law, and are therefore eligible to participate in the race for the Elysee Palace.

The candidate Francois Fillon of the right-wing "Republicans" (LR) party is leading with 3,635 votes, ahead of the Socialist (PS) and left-wing candidate Benoit Hamon with 2,039 votes.

The remaining candidates were former Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron (1,829 votes); and Jean-Luc Melenchon, the candidate of the "France Unbowed" movement (805 votes). Notably, Marine Le Pen, the candidate of the far-right "National Front" (FN) party, only came in eighth with 627 votes, despite consistently leading in previous opinion polls.

7. German civilian aircraft suffers two engine failures, freefalls 3,000m.

The sequence of events involving the Bombardier Challenger. Photo: Times

Turbulent air currents from an Airbus A380 passenger plane overhead caused a German civilian aircraft to lose both engines and plummet 3,000 meters.

The Challenger 604, operated by MHS Aviation of Germany, was carrying 11 passengers and crew members. While flying over Omani airspace at an altitude of 10,300 meters, it encountered turbulence caused by an A380 aircraft flying overhead. The Challenger completely lost control, and both engines stopped working.

Fortunately, the pilot managed to regain control of the aircraft after it flipped over five times and plummeted more than 3,000 meters. The incident caused significant damage to the aircraft's interior, shattering many windows, tearing seats apart, and scattering food throughout the passenger cabin.

Peace

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