Trump threatens to close the entire border with Mexico; Russia and Britain initially reconcile over spy case
(Baonghean.vn) - Trump threatens to close the entire border with Mexico if there is no budget to build a wall; Russia and the UK initially reconcile over the Skripal spy case; Indonesia evacuates tens of thousands of people due to the risk of a further tsunami; Disappointed with the US, Syrian militias turn to Russia for help... are the world's outstanding news in the past 24 hours.
Trump threatens to close the entire border with Mexico if there is no budget to build a wall
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| Barbed wire fence on the US-Mexico border. Photo: Reuters |
The US President showed his toughness when the Democrats were determined not to approve the budget of 5 billion USD to build a wall on the border with Mexico. "We will be forced to completely close the Southern Border if the Democrats do not provide the money to complete the Wall and change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is suffering from," US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter on December 28.
Trump's threat came after the US government was partially shut down on December 22 because the US Senate could not pass a federal budget bill, which included $5 billion to build a wall on the border with Mexico. Despite the determination of the Democratic members of the Senate, Trump refused to back down and declared that he would shut down the US government until the budget for the wall was passed.
Disappointed with the US, Syrian militias turn to Russia for help
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SDF fighters. Photo:AFP. |
Commanders of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed Kurdish militia, are planning to visit Moscow in the near future to urge Russia to persuade the Syrian army to send forces to the northern border to counter the threat from Türkiye.Reuterstoday news
These Kurdish officials were said to have made their first trip to Russia last week, shortly after US President Donald Trump announced that he would withdraw all 2,000 troops from Syria due to the complete defeat of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) militants.
Indonesia evacuates tens of thousands of people due to the risk of further tsunamis.
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| People evacuated to temporary shelters in Lampung province, Indonesia on December 27, due to concerns about the risk of further tsunamis. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
Indonesian authorities on December 28 ordered a large-scale evacuation of residential areas along the Sunda Strait after warning of a second tsunami triggered by the Anak Krakatau volcano eruption over the weekend. The total number of people forced to evacuate from dangerous areas in Banten and Lampung provinces has reached more than 40,300, double the number given a day earlier, the National Disaster Management Agency said.
Rescuers are still urgently searching for victims trapped under the rubble after the Anak Krakatau volcano erupted on December 22, causing a tsunami that claimed the lives of hundreds of people.
Russia and Britain initially reconcile over Skripal spy case
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| Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal at trial at the Moscow District Military Court on August 9, 2006. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
Russia and the UK have agreed in principle on gradually restoring the number of diplomatic staff of one country in the other and this process will officially start from January 2019. Speaking in an interview with Russia 24 TV channel on December 28, Russian Ambassador to the UK, Mr. Alexander Yakovenko, stated: "I cannot guarantee that we will restore all diplomatic staff, but at least half of the embassy staff will be there."
In March, Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over allegations that Russia masterminded the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury. Both were poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok and have since recovered.
Rejected by Italy and Malta, rescue ship carrying more than 300 migrants just docked in Spain
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Migrants wait to be rescued in the Mediterranean. Illustration photo: AFP/TTXVN |
- On December 28, the rescue ship "Open Arms" carrying more than 300 migrants, mainly Africans, from the Libyan coast last week arrived at the port of Crinavis, San Roque city, southern Spain.
The Spanish Red Cross is responsible for providing food, clothing and medicine to 311 migrants, including many pregnant women, babies and children from Somalia, Nigeria and Mali. Police are currently working to identify the migrants before taking them to temporary shelters.
China allows rice imports from the US
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| Goods are loaded at a port in Qingdao, Shandong province, China. Photo: EPA-EFE/TTXVN |
According to data released on December 28 by the Chinese Customs Administration, the country has allowed rice imports from the US in the context of the trade war between the world's two leading economies that has not yet ended.
The move is another clear signal of China's willingness to ease trade tensions with the United States as the world's second-largest economy shows signs of slowing growth amid sluggish domestic demand.
