Iran, Russia, Türkiye Summit on Syria; Duterte sued in international criminal court

Iran, Russia, Türkiye Trilateral Summit on Syria's Future

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will travel to Iran to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on September 7, according to sources.

According to Türkiye's private NTV television station, the summit will take place in Tabriz, a city in northern Iran. Meanwhile, the Russian President's spokesman said that the trilateral meeting is being prepared but did not confirm the time or location of the meeting.

Earlier, Turkish President Erdogan had suggested that he planned to host a summit on Syria on September 7 in Istanbul with the Russian President, the French President, and the German Chancellor. However, in recent weeks, the press reported that such a meeting was unlikely to take place and was replaced by a three-party meeting: Iran, Russia, and Turkey.

UN: All sides in Yemen are guilty of war crimes

Yemeni pro-government forces on duty in the area near Al Jah city, Hodeida province on June 7. Source: AFP/VNA

All sides in Yemen's bloody conflict may have committed war crimes, UN investigators said on August 28, highlighting deadly airstrikes, widespread sexual violence and the recruitment of child soldiers.

In its first report, a team of UN-mandated investigators said they had “reasonable grounds to believe that all parties to the armed conflict in Yemen have committed numerous violations of international humanitarian law.” Many of these violations could amount to “war crimes,” the report said, and the investigators identified some of the perpetrators.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since 2015. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their Sunni Muslim allies have been fighting in Yemen with Western support for more than three years against the Iran-backed Houthi forces./.

Japan suspects North Korea possesses hundreds of Nodong missiles

Japan's Defense Ministry said on August 28 that Japan still considers North Korea's nuclear and missile programs to be "an unprecedented and imminent serious threat" to its security, despite easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

“Given the fact that North Korea appears to possess and deploy hundreds of Nodong missiles capable of reaching most parts of Japan, as well as North Korea’s advances in developing and operating nuclear weapons and missiles through its numerous nuclear tests and missile launches to date, there has been no change in our perception regarding the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs,” Japan’s Defense Ministry said in its annual white paper on August 28.

According to the document, Japan will strengthen its air defense network by deploying two US-made Aegis Ashore ground-based missile defense systems.

Russia will mobilize 1,000 aircraft for the largest military exercise in history

Russian soldiers participate in Zapad 2017 exercise. Photo: RT.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on August 28 that about 300,000 soldiers, 1,000 military aircraft of various types, two naval fleets and all airborne units will be mobilized to participate in the Vostok-2018 exercise, scheduled to be held next September in Siberia and the Far East, according toReuters.

Mr. Shoigu also affirmed that Vostok-2018 will be the largest exercise since 1981. At that time, more than 150,000 Soviet soldiers were mobilized to participate.

According to observers, Vostok-2018 appears to be Moscow's response to recent large-scale NATO exercises near Russia's borders.

Protests turn violent in Germany, many injured

Riot police were deployed in Chemnitz over the weekend. Photo: AFP

At least six people were injured when a far-right protest erupted into violence in the eastern German city of Chemnitz, where the stabbing murder of a German citizen sparked racist attacks.

German news agency DPA reported on August 28 that hundreds of riot police used water cannons to disperse a crowd of more than 1,000 people who caused chaos on the night of August 27, most of whom were shouting slogans against foreigners.

Trump accuses Google of manipulating search results to defame him

President Donald Trump speaks before signing a bill in Bedminster, New Jersey on August 12, 2017. Photo: Reuters

"Search results for 'Trump news' only show stories from the Fake News Media," US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter on August 27. "In other words, they have it rigged, for me and others, so that most of the stories and news are bad. Fake News CNN is the case." Trump said that people searching for the latest news about him are being shown "dangerous" stories from the "Left Wing Media," while the "conservative and fair" media are being ignored.

The White House boss even suggested that search results may have been "illegally manipulated" by Google, but did not provide evidence to prove it.

The search results that appear on any Google search page are determined by an algorithm that takes into account many factors, most of which are known only to Google.

Activists and families of eight victims of the Philippines' anti-drug campaign have filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court accusing President Duterte of crimes against humanity.

The 50-page complaint calls for the prosecution of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for thousands of alleged "extrajudicial" killings, including executions carried out by police without accountability, according toReuters.

This is the second complaint against Mr. Duterte filed at the ICC after a similar complaint in April 2017, related to the campaign that has left about 4,400 people dead in the past two years in the Southeast Asian island nation.

South Sudan: Opposition leader refuses to sign final peace deal

South Sudan opposition leader Riek Machar arrives for talks with President Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on June 20. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

On August 28, a peace broker in South Sudan said that opposition leader Riek Machar in the country has refused to sign a final peace deal with the government to end the years-long civil war.

Speaking to reporters, Sudanese Foreign Minister Al-Dierdiry Ahmed, who is involved in the mediation efforts in South Sudan, said that the main opposition groups in South Sudan, including the SPLM-IO led by Mr. Machar, refused to sign the final peace document and demanded that their territories be guaranteed in the agreement. According to Mr. Ahmed, this is the first time that the opposition in South Sudan has announced that it will not sign the agreement. He also stressed that there will be no peace in South Sudan if these groups do not sign the agreement.

Since late June, Sudan has been mediating talks between the warring factions in South Sudan. These talks are being held within the framework of regional efforts to achieve lasting peace in South Sudan.

Thailand arrests hundreds of illegal foreign workers

Illustration photo: phnompenhpost.com

Thai media quoted the Director General of the Department of Employment under the Ministry of Labor, Mr. Anurak Tossarat, saying that 1,162 illegal workers were arrested and 204 employers were prosecuted after inspections of nearly 50,000 foreign workers last August.

According to Mr. Anurak, since August 3, authorities have inspected 2,419 employers with a total of 46,254 foreign workers nationwide. Police have arrested and prosecuted 204 employers, 157 of whom were accused of hiring undocumented workers. In addition, authorities have arrested 1,162 workers, 612 of whom were accused of working without official permits.