China determined to unify Taiwan; Israel fears Iranian attack from Iraq
(Baonghean.vn) - China affirms its determination to unify Taiwan; Israel is worried about being attacked by Iran from Iraq; Russia is about to equip its army with Iskander-M missiles; Cuba celebrates the 60th anniversary of the successful Revolution... are the world's outstanding news in the past 24 hours.
Cuba celebrates 60 years of successful Revolution
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| First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Raúl Castro Ruz speaks at the Santa Ifigenia cemetery, the resting place of National Hero José Martí, the historic revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. Source: AFP |
This is the first time the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Cuban Revolution has been celebrated at the Santa Ifigenia cemetery, the resting place of National Hero José Martí, historic revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and many other outstanding sons of Cuba.
Speaking at the ceremony, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Raúl Castro Ruz affirmed that after 6 decades, the 1959 revolution is still completely fresh. The head of the Communist Party of Cuba expressed satisfaction with the current leadership transition process with “no stumbles and no hasty steps”, as well as the process of building the country's new Constitution, which will be put to a referendum on February 24, after 3 months of collecting people's opinions and being approved by the National Assembly.
Israel fears Iranian attack from Iraqi territory
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Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Photo:Al-Awsat. |
"Iraq is increasingly under the influence of Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran may see Iraq as a place to entrench itself, similar to Syria, and use Iraq as a buffer zone to build up forces capable of threatening Israel,"Times of Israelquoted the statement of the director of the Israeli military intelligence agency, Major General Tamir Hayman.
The Israeli official's statement came as US President Donald Trump announced on December 19 that he would withdraw all 2,000 troops from Syria after defeating IS militants. The Pentagon will complete the plan within four months. In September, multiple sources revealed that Iran had supplied short-range ballistic missiles to its Shiite Muslim allies in Iraq and helped these groups produce their own weapons. However, Tehran denied the accusation.
Russia is about to mass equip Iskander-M missiles for the army
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Iskander missile complex participates in exercises in Russia. Photo:RIA Novosti. |
"In 2019, the process of equipping all missile units of the Russian Army with Iskander-M will be completed. In the near future, an Iskander-M missile unit will be transferred by the manufacturer to the Western Military District,"TASSJanuary 1, citing a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The Iskander missile line was developed by Russia to replace the OTR-23 Oka ballistic missile, which was dismantled under the INF nuclear arms limitation treaty. With high accuracy and great destructive power, the Iskander-M is considered to be able to help Russia create a great deterrent against any enemy weapons system. The Russian Defense Ministry also said that in 2019, the country's military will test about 200 new weapons at the Kapustin Yar testing range in the Astrakhan region of southern Russia.
Mr. Tap declared that he would not give up the use of force against Taiwan.
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Liaoning aircraft carrier and escort fleet operating at sea. Photo:SCMP. |
In a speech marking the 40th anniversary of the thaw in relations with Taiwan, Xi said that Taiwan's return to China under the "one country, two systems" model, similar to Hong Kong and Macau, is the best way to protect the rights and interests of the island's people. "Beijing has always maintained its determination to take all necessary measures to counter foreign forces that interfere with Taiwan's peaceful reunification efforts and Taipei independence separatist activities,"AFPJanuary 2, citing a statement by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
China has always considered Taiwan a part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. Relations across the strait have cooled since President Tsai Ing-wen, who rejects the "One China" policy, took office in mid-2016.
North Korea warns it will “seek a new path” if US continues to exert pressure
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North Korea warns it will “seek a new path” if the US continues to exert pressure. Photo: Reuters |
Some analysts said the statement could be seen as a warning from North Korea to the US that it could return to its nuclear weapons development policy if the US does not lift sanctions. However, most opinions said that the nuclear development policy is essentially a measure of the past rather than a new approach.
According to the Korea Institute for National Unification, it seems that the North Korean leader wants to declare that the country will not give in to US pressure and will not implement the statement made at the June 2018 Summit with President Trump, unless the US takes corresponding steps in exchange for denuclearization measures.
Fearing fake news, DR Congo "cuts" both Internet and text message services
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| The election in the Democratic Republic of Congo is still undecided. Source: Breibart |
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has cut off all internet and SMS services across the country for two consecutive days, to prevent the spread of fake news about the election results, causing riots in society.
Although the vote counting is still ongoing and is not expected to be announced until the end of the week, both the ruling and opposition parties of the Democratic Republic of Congo are confident of claiming victory. This move is making the "race" even hotter.
3 million Indian women build 620km long “living wall” demanding equality
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Indian women build "living walls" to demand equality. Photo: AFP |
The event, called the “Women’s Wall” or Vanitha Mathil, attracted around 3 million women of all ages and walks of life. They formed a 620km-long human wall along the main roads and highways in Kerala on the first day of the new year 2019 to send a strong message of gender equality. According to RT, this could be the world’s largest human queue.
The event was held in the wake of controversy surrounding women's access to the sacred Sabarimala temple in Kerala. The queue lasted for 15 minutes and participants pledged to demand equal rights for women and fight against violence.
