North Korea parades without ICBMs; Obama calls on voters to rescue US politics

North Korea does not show off intercontinental missiles in national day parade

North Korea celebrated its 70th anniversary on September 9 with a series of celebratory activities, most notably a large-scale military parade in Kim Il Sung Square. During the parade, North Korea displayed many modern weapons, demonstrating its advanced military level, such as Baofenghu tanks, self-propelled artillery and many types of aircraft arranged in the number 70, symbolizing the 70th anniversary of North Korea's founding. However, Pyongyang did not deploy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and medium-range missiles in this parade. The largest weapon system on display was the KN-06 long-range air defense missile, a copy of Russia's S-300 series.

Not deploying long-range missile systems in the parade seems to send a signal that North Korea has goodwill and sincerity in its denuclearization efforts, as well as showing leader Kim Jong-un's focus on economic and scientific and technological development in the coming time.

A day after his speech criticizing President Donald Trump, Mr. Obama continued to call on California voters to actively vote in November to "rescue" American politics. "This is a decisive moment in the history of our country. If we do not act decisively, things will get worse," former US President Barack Obama warned on September 8.

At a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee event in southern California, Obama called on Democratic voters to express their frustrations in a practical way by voting in the November congressional elections.

Russian and Syrian air forces carry out 'non-stop' airstrikes overnight on Idlib

Russian and Syrian air forces spent the night of September 8 and the early morning of September 9 busy with continuous sorties bombing rebel targets across both Idlib and Hama provinces of Syria.

According to a military source from Hama province quoted by Al-masdarnews (Lebanon), the Russian and Syrian air forces have conducted over 100 airstrikes in the past 24 hours, attacking rebel fortifications, tunnels and hideouts.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it had only attacked the Al-Nusra Front group and did not target populated areas. Among the targets hit was a warehouse used by the group to assemble drones.

Russia unexpectedly tops the list of foreign investors in Ukraine

A corner of Kiev at night. Source: UkraineTrek.com

The Ukrainian Statistical Service has just released a report on foreign investment in the first six months of the year, and surprisingly Russia tops the list of foreign investors in Ukraine.

According to the National Statistical Agency, Russian investment in Ukraine is over 436 million USD (out of a total of 1.3 billion USD invested in the first 6 months of the year), accounting for about 34.6% of total foreign direct investment. French investment in Ukraine is estimated at about 47 million USD.

Notably, the second country on the list of foreign investors in Ukraine is Cyprus, a member of the European Union (EU), known as a "tax haven" and home to many foreign bank accounts.

France spends $4.2 billion to upgrade military satellites

Illustration photo.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly said today (September 9) that France will invest 3.6 billion euros (equivalent to 4.2 billion USD) to renew and upgrade military satellites to protect the country's networks from the risk of espionage attacks. In an interview with French television channel Cnews, the French Defense Minister said that in the near future, France will install surveillance cameras on its satellites to understand the situation.

France's plan to upgrade its satellites and military equipment comes just weeks after US President Donald Trump announced plans to create a "Space Force" - a new branch of the US military - in 2020.

South Korean government holds emergency meeting on MERS outbreak risk

The South Korean government held an emergency meeting on September 9 to discuss measures to deal with the risk of the spread of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) virus after the country detected its first case of infection with the virus in the past 3 years. The meeting focused on discussing measures to control the situation and solutions to prevent the virus from spreading.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) confirmed on September 8 that a 61-year-old South Korean man being treated at a hospital in Seoul was diagnosed with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus. The patient returned home after a long business trip to Kuwait and was hospitalized due to high fever and sore throat.

Violence in Afghanistan's capital Kabul

Afghan security forces are deployed at the scene of an attack on a police training center in Kabul on August 16. Photo: THX/TTXVN

September 9 was considered a violent day in the capital Kabul of Afghanistan with at least one suicide bombing and shootings that injured many people, causing panic among the people.

Kabul police said at least two people were killed and nine wounded in a suicide bombing in central Kabul. A motorcyclist detonated his explosives as he approached a convoy of vehicles carrying gunmen taking part in a procession. Kabul security forces also said they killed another would-be suicide bomber before he could detonate his explosives.

Meanwhile, AFP news agency reported that dozens of vehicles carrying heavily armed gunmen drove around the city, with gunshots ringing out, making people afraid to leave their homes. Health Ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh said at least 13 people were wounded by gunfire.