President Macron criticizes French people; Macedonian parliament agrees to change country's name

US does not grant any more waivers from Iran oil import ban

US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook said on January 12 that the US will not grant any more waivers from the ban on importing Iranian oil. Mr. Brian Hook did not reveal what the Trump administration will do when the above waiver expires in May 2019, but only emphasized that the US will cut off all sources of revenue for Iran. According to Mr. Brian Hook, 80% of Iran's revenue comes from oil exports and this is the top source of terrorism funding.

Previously, in November 2018, the US launched new sanctions targeting Iran’s shipping, banking and energy sectors. But at that time, the US allowed eight importers including China, India, Japan and South Korea to continue buying oil.

President Emmanuel Macron "adds fuel to the fire" by criticizing the French people

French President Emmanuel Macron. Photo: Sputnik

President Emmanuel Macron has criticized some French people for wanting things without trying too hard, as the “yellow vest” protests enter their ninth week with no signs of abating. “Many of our citizens think they can get something without making the same effort. Sometimes people forget that alongside rights there are responsibilities,” Macron said on January 11. He also reiterated this when referring to France’s youth.

On January 15, Mr. Macron plans to launch a three-month national debate to address the country's burning issues. According to the French research center ELABE, about 41% of the population plans to participate in the debate. Meanwhile, Angry France, a group affiliated with the "Yellow Vest" movement, has rejected Mr. Macron's invitation to participate in the national debate, calling it a political trap.

Macedonian parliament agrees to change country's name

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev speaks at the vote. Photo: Reuters

Macedonia's parliament has approved a draft constitutional amendment to change the country's name to the Republic of North Macedonia. The move is expected to end a long-running dispute with Greece, which has seen Athens repeatedly veto Macedonia's accession to the EU and NATO.

The Republic of Macedonia broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991 but has since been opposed by Greece because it shares the same name with one of its provinces. Athens fears that calling its neighbour Macedonia would imply a claim to sovereignty over its northern territories.

The US-North Korea summit is expected to take place in mid-February.

Yonhap news agency on January 13 quoted a statement by Chairman of the ruling Democratic Party in South Korea Lee Hae-chan saying that the US-North Korea summit is likely to be held in mid-February, but the two sides need to conduct negotiations between high-ranking officials.

Previously, the Korea Herald quoted a South Korean Foreign Ministry official as saying that Vietnam and Singapore were among the two final locations being considered to host the second US-North Korea Summit.

Israel confirms completion of campaign to destroy cross-border tunnels

Israeli soldiers destroy a cross-border tunnel from Lebanon to Israeli territory on December 26, 2018. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

On January 13, the Israeli military announced that it had discovered all the cross-border attack tunnels dug by the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon and was planning to destroy them. Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said that the latest tunnel discovered by Israel on January 12 started from the Lebanese village of Ramyeh, about 800 meters from Israel, and advanced several dozen meters into Israel, reaching a depth of 55 meters.

This is the sixth tunnel to be revealed and marks the end of Israel's "Northern Shield" operation. Lieutenant Colonel Conricus confirmed that no more cross-border tunnels dug by Hezbollah from Lebanon to Israel have been discovered, but the Israeli military will continue to monitor Hezbollah's excavation sites inside Lebanon.