Russian President officially visits Serbia; US affirms determination to defeat IS
(Baonghean.vn) - In the past 24 hours, there have been many outstanding news in the world such as: Russian President officially visits Serbia; American newspaper reports that the US-North Korea Summit may take place in Da Nang; Thailand may loosen immigration policies; Facebook removes more than 500 accounts from Russia...
Russian President pays official visit to Serbia
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| Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: RT |
On January 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid an official visit to the Republic of Serbia. Mr. Putin will hold talks with the host country's President Aleksander Vucic, discussing prospects for developing bilateral relations.
The Kremlin statement said the two leaders would discuss the extension of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline and the situation in Kosovo, a territory that unilaterally declared independence many years ago but is not recognized by Serbia. At the end of the talks, the two sides are expected to sign about 20 cooperation documents in the fields of infrastructure, energy, defense, agriculture and tourism. The visit of the Russian leader is of great importance to Serbia at present in terms of gas.
US newspaper: US-North Korea Summit may take place in Da Nang
Leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump (right). Photo: wfaa
On January 17, the Washington Post cited a reliable source as saying that the second US-North Korea Summit will likely take place in Da Nang city in March or April. According to the source, President Trump may officially announce the time and location of the second US-North Korea Summit on January 18 (US time) after his meeting with Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Yong-chol, who arrived in Washington on January 17.
The Washington Post newspaper asserted: “If announced soon, the second summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could take place in Da Nang city in March or April.” The US newspaper added that Thailand is also an option.
France launches plan to deal with no-deal Brexit scenario
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| French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
The French government on January 17 launched a contingency plan to deal with the impact of a no-deal Brexit, a scenario now considered highly likely. The move came after the British House of Commons rejected the Brexit deal agreed by the Prime Minister and EU leaders at the end of 2018.
The French plan includes 50 million euros in investments in the “most affected” ports and airports. Some ports will have additional parking spaces, while others will be equipped with infrastructure to facilitate customs checks, Philippe said.
India builds express troop transport road along China border
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| Prime Minister Modi at the inauguration of India's longest bridge, the Bogibeel Bridge, spanning 9.2 km, connecting Assam and Arunachal Pradesh for the purpose of transporting tactical military assets. Photo: AFP |
India will spend $2.9 billion on 44 roads along its border with China to ensure immediate movement of troops in case of conflict, according to the PTI news agency on January 17. The new, reinforced roads that will allow armored vehicles to move will be built in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.
The plan, which has been rolled out along with several other infrastructure projects that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pushed since he began his term four years ago, is aimed at preparing the northeastern states for a possible armed flare-up at the border. The new project, recommended by an inter-party parliamentary committee, is awaiting clearance from Modi's cabinet.
US affirms determination to defeat IS after attack in Syria
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A convoy of the US-led coalition against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization in the city of Manbij, Syria on April 3, 2018. Photo: AFP/VNA |
The US will fight to ensure the defeat of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) while still implementing its plan to withdraw troops from Syria. US Vice President Mike Pence made the above affirmation after IS claimed to have carried out an attack the same day in the city of Manbij, northern Syria, which killed many people, including four US soldiers.
Speaking at a meeting with US Ambassadors at the State Department headquarters in Washington, Vice President Mike Pence emphasized: "We will stay in the region and will continue to fight to ensure that IS cannot raise its head again." Mr. Pence affirmed that the US will protect the achievements that its soldiers as well as its partners in the coalition have won in the fight against IS in Syria.
Thailand may relax immigration policy
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| Photo for illustration purposes only. Source: The Nation |
On January 17, the head of the Thai Immigration Bureau, Surachate Hakparn, pledged not to force refugees to return to their country after the case of Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, a Saudi Arabian asylum seeker, drew international attention to Thailand, which does not accept such cases.
Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents' Club, Mr. Surachate said that a new approach would be implemented, and under his supervision, "no one will be sent back to a country they do not want to go back to." Regarding Ms. Rahaf's case, Mr. Surachate noted that the experience in handling this case will not be considered a model for future cases in Thailand, but instead the authorities will consider each case on a case-by-case basis.
Facebook removed more than 500 accounts from Russia
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| Facebook strengthens measures against fake news. Photo: AFP |
Facebook announced on January 17 that it had removed more than 500 pages, groups, and accounts with Russian origins that were believed to have spread disinformation. Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, said the removed accounts were linked to two "Russian influence" campaigns in several countries in the Baltic region, Central Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe. Facebook added that it conducted the review and removed the pages based on information provided by US authorities.
On the same day, Sputnik confirmed that its pages and accounts on Facebook had been removed, condemning the move as "politically motivated censorship".
