North Korea returns captured South Korean citizen; Terrorist bombing at Crimea school
(Baonghean.vn) - The world over the past 24 hours has been filled with many events such as: Terrorist bombing at a Crimean school killed 18 people; Britain will have to pay more than 30 billion pounds if it does not reach a Brexit agreement with the EU; Syria accepts the UN to deliver aid to the border area with Jordan; North Korea returns a captured South Korean citizen...
Terrorist bombing at Crimea school, 18 people dead
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The school where the explosion occurred. Photo:AP |
According toReuters, the incident occurred on October 17 at Kerch University, the city of Kerch on the Crimean peninsula. At least 18 people were confirmed dead and about 50 injured. Russian authorities declared it a terrorist attack and launched a criminal investigation. The Crimean Investigative Committee, the agency in charge of major criminal cases in the peninsula, said a group of armed men stormed Kerch University, planted an "unidentified explosive device" in the dining area and then detonated it. At least one of the attackers was killed in the explosion.
Witnesses said the attackers carried “machine guns” and threw “some kind of explosive everywhere” before storming the second floor of Kerch University. They “opened office doors and opened fire on anyone they found”.
Fighting poverty to ensure human rights
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| Malnourished children in Tanout, southern Niger. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
Extreme poverty and social marginalization are considered violations of human dignity, so fighting poverty is also understood as ensuring human rights, as the theme that the United Nations (UN) aims for on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (October 17) this year: "Let's work together with those at the bottom of society to build a cohesive world that respects human rights and dignity".
Poverty is considered both a cause and a consequence of human rights violations, as the extremely poor are almost completely deprived of all opportunities to access basic social services, from health care, clean water, education to employment, and are also deprived of the fruits of social progress. The UN considers the existence of poverty, including extreme poverty, a major concern and since 1992 has declared October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The goal of eliminating poverty has always been a priority in the UN's activities.
Britain will have to pay more than 30 billion pounds if it does not reach a Brexit deal with the EU
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| British Finance Minister Philip Hammond. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
UK Finance Minister Philip Hammond said the UK will have to pay a "divorce bill" worth between £30-36 billion if the UK and the European Union (EU) do not reach a Brexit deal. Speaking to British Government officials, Minister Hammond stressed that the UK probably will not win any legal battle to avoid having to pay the above Brexit bill, despite the UK Government's previous commitment to Parliament that this payment is a condition of the Brexit deal. According to him, the UK can only "save" at most £3-9 billion if it leaves the EU without any agreement.
With the above statement, the British Finance Minister seems to be contributing his voice to Prime Minister Theresa May in convincing cabinet members and members of Parliament to support the British Government's Brexit plan.
China, South Korea protest Japanese Prime Minister sending offerings to Yasukuni Shrine
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| Japanese lawmakers visit the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on August 15 to mark the 73rd anniversary of the end of World War II. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
Immediately after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent offerings to the Yasukuni Shrine - considered a symbol of Japan's past militarism - on October 17, China and South Korea voiced their opposition to the move.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang asked Japan to "reflect deeply" on its history and "win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community with concrete actions." Meanwhile, from Seoul, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official also expressed "deep concern" over Prime Minister Abe's sending of offerings to the Yasukuni Shrine, saying the shrine is "a symbol of Japan's past militarism."
Syria approves UN aid delivery to border area with Jordan
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| Syrian refugees at Rukban camp on March 1, 2017. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
On October 17, United Nations (UN) officials said the Syrian government has approved the organization's delivery of aid to thousands of people trapped near a US garrison in the Rukban area of southeastern Syria, on the border with Jordan, on October 25.
Earlier this month, the Syrian army increased security around the camp to prevent smugglers from transporting food. Meanwhile, the Jordanian government has said the camp is not within its territory, so it has no responsibility and all food must come from UN reserves in Syria. This has led to the deaths of at least 10 of the more than 50,000 people, mostly women and children, living in the camp in the past week.
North Korea returns detained South Korean citizen
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South Korean soldiers stand guard at the inter-Korean border area in April 2018. Photo:Korea Times. |
The 60-year-old citizen, surnamed Pyo, was arrested by North Korea last month and was returned to the South Korean Unification Ministry at 4 p.m. on October 16 at the village of Panmunjom inside the inter-Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), according toYonhap."Relevant authorities are investigating how the man entered North Korea," the South Korean Unification Ministry said. "The government positively evaluates North Korea's repatriation from a humanitarian perspective."
In August, North Korea also repatriated a 34-year-old South Korean man after detaining him for 16 days on charges of illegally crossing the border. The repatriation is seen as a gesture of goodwill from North Korea following recent inter-Korean summits.
Australia officially ratifies CPTPP
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| Representatives of CPTPP member countries took a souvenir photo in Chile in March. Photo: Reuters |
The Australian Senate on October 17 ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), becoming the fourth economy to complete domestic procedures. Mexico, Japan, and Singapore have already ratified, and it is expected that New Zealand and Vietnam will also ratify the agreement in the coming weeks. At that time, there will be 6 countries ratifying, meeting the minimum requirement of 6 economies completing the process for the agreement to come into effect.
The CPTPP, also known informally as TPP-11, was signed in March after President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement last year.
Canada officially allows recreational marijuana use
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| The first customers to buy legal cannabis at a retail store in St. John's, Canada. Photo: Reuters |
On October 17, Canada became the second country in the world after Uruguay and the first in the G7 to legalize recreational cannabis. Under the new law, adults 18 and older in Canada will be allowed to carry and share up to 30 grams of legal cannabis in public and grow up to four cannabis plants indoors for personal use. The supply of recreational cannabis may be limited, at least initially, to a limited number of regulated stores.
Regardless of whether the law allowing people to use recreational cannabis is passed and comes into effect, one thing foreigners should note is that when entering or leaving Canada, it is still considered illegal to carry cannabis, so if they violate this, they can still face criminal charges.
