South Korean President to visit Pyongyang
(Baonghean.vn) - In the past 24 hours, many events have taken place in the world such as: The President of South Korea will go to Pyongyang to meet Mr. Kim Jong Un in September; The Philippines fired a series of military officers accused of corruption; President Erdogan said the US is trying to "stab Türkiye in the back"; Russia wants to abandon the USD in international trade...
Russia wants to abandon the US dollar in international trade
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| The Russian Finance Ministry wants to switch from the US dollar to the ruble and euro in international trade. Photo: Reuters |
CNN on August 13 quoted Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov as saying that the country will continue to sell US government bonds and switch to international trade without using the USD in retaliation for US sanctions.
“We have significantly reduced our investments in US assets. In fact, the US dollar, which is considered an international currency, has become a risky payment instrument,” Siluanov said, adding that he would promote trade in rubles, euros and other currencies.
However, according to Minister Siluanov, Moscow has no intention of closing American companies in Russia because these companies employ local workers.
South Korean President to visit Pyongyang to meet Kim Jong Un in September |
| South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung Gyon (left) meets with his North Korean counterpart Ri Son Gwon on August 13. Photo:AP. |
The South Korean Unification Ministry announced on August 13 that the two countries held several high-level talks at the truce village of Panmunjom to discuss the upcoming inter-Korean summit. "At the meeting, the sides agreed to hold the summit in Pyongyang in September as planned,"Yonhapcited the joint communiqué of the meeting on the same day.
This will be the third time North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets South Korean President Moon Jae In this year. The two leaders previously met in April and May.
Iran sells oil to Asian customers at preferential prices
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| Iranian ships dock to extract oil from the Khark Island refinery off the Persian Gulf. Source: AFP/VNA |
Iran is selling oil and gas at preferential prices to Asian customers as the Islamic nation prepares to cope with US sanctions on its oil industry, which are expected to be restored in November, the official IRNA news agency said on August 13.
An Iranian Oil Ministry source did not provide details on the preferential prices, but confirmed that this was normal business practice for all oil exporters.
Philippines fires military officers accused of corruption
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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo:Rappler. |
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the dismissal and court martial of a general and a colonel in the country's military for alleged involvement in corruption.
Philippine Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said 20 senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), including Brigadier General Edwin Leo Torrelavega, Director of the Bureau of Military Medicine, Colonel Antonio Punzalan, Head of Logistics, and officers of this bureau, had illegally purchased equipment and engaged in fraudulent transactions.
"This 'ghost transaction' alone was worth $28,000," Mr. Roque stressed, adding that the total value of illegal transactions was estimated to be in the millions of dollars.
President Erdogan: US seeks to “stab Türkiye in the back”
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| Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Source: AFP/VNA |
On August 13, the Turkish President continued to criticize the United States, saying that Washington was trying to "stab Ankara in the back" with sanctions, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Speaking at an annual meeting of Turkish ambassadors, Mr. Erdogan asserted that “attacks on the Turkish economy will continue for some time,” but Ankara will take countermeasures.
According to President Erdogan, Türkiye is under an economic “siege” that has nothing to do with the country’s economic indicators. He asserted that Türkiye will soon overcome this attack.
Indonesian police arrest several IS-linked terrorists
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| Indonesian police arrest a terrorist suspect in Yogyakarta province on July 14. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
South Sulawesi police spokesman Dicky Sondani said on August 13 that the Indonesian police’s anti-terrorism squad had arrested five militants with ties to the Islamic State (IS) and foiled their secret plans to carry out several terrorist attacks. All five were members of the Indonesian Islamist group Timur, which is linked to the global IS.
Mr Dicky said the terrorists had plotted attacks on several targets across Indonesia before being arrested by counter-terrorism forces in Luwu and Bone districts in South Sulawesi province. Police also seized 15 kg of explosives that were intended to be used to detonate explosives at several locations in Indonesia, Mr Dicky said.
Unprecedented flash floods in India, 37 people killed
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A house in Kozhikode district, Kerala state, destroyed by floods on August 9. Photo:PTI. |
At least 37 people have died and 40,000 have been evacuated after heavy rains caused severe flash floods in the Indian state of Kerala, a popular tourist destination.
After heavy rains caused landslides and overflowing reservoirs, the state government decided on August 10 to release water from dams to prevent the risk of disaster. The massive flooding caused widespread flooding, causing many flights to be delayed and local schools to be closed.
More than 400 rescue workers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed for relief efforts, according to the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs. Several soldiers from the army, navy and coast guard have also been deployed in the area.
Another Japanese princess marries a commoner
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| Princess Ayako and her fiancé Kei Moriya. Source: Japan Internal Affairs Agency |
Princess Ayako, the youngest daughter of the late Prince Takamado, was officially engaged to commoner Kei Moriya in a traditional ceremony in Tokyo on August 12, according to Kyodo News.
The engagement ceremony is the first in a series of ceremonies before the wedding on October 29 between the 27-year-old princess and her 32-year-old fiancé, who works at the shipping company Nippon Yusen KK.
After her marriage, Princess Ayako was forced to leave the royal family and become a commoner according to Japanese court law.
