China continues to retaliateUS trade measures

Huawei logo at a store in Beijing, China, May 20, 2019. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

China's Ministry of Commerce said on May 31 that it would soon publish a list of foreign companies and individuals that Beijing considers "unreliable" - a move that is expected to further escalate tensions in the trade war between the US and China.

Specifically, Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng said that foreign companies, organizations and individuals will be put on the list of "unreliable entities" if they do not comply with market regulations, go against the rules in contracts, or block or stop supplying goods to Chinese enterprises for non-commercial purposes and seriously damage the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises in the host country. Gao Feng said detailed measures will be announced in the near future. According to observers, Beijing's above move is to put pressure on foreign companies to maintain commercial relations with the country's telecommunications group Huawei.

US announces tariffs on Mexico over illegal immigrants

US Border Patrol agents stand guard at the border with Mexico. Photo: Reuters

“Starting June 10, the United States will impose a 5% tariff on all Mexican goods until illegal immigrants no longer come through Mexico to cross into our country,” President Trump wrote on Twitter on May 30. “The tariffs will gradually increase and will only be removed when the illegal immigration problem is completely resolved,” the White House owner emphasized.

The statement was made after border guards in Texas (USA) on May 29 arrested 1,036 people crossing the border from Mexico, according to AFP.

Opening of the 18th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore

Scene of the opening ceremony. Photo: VNA

The 18th Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) - the leading security forum in the Asia-Pacific region - officially opened on the evening of May 31 in Singapore. This dialogue attracted the largest number of delegates ever, including defense officials and scholars from nearly 50 countries and territories, including 30 defense ministers or deputy ministers.

Tim Huxley, Executive Director for Asia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said that SLD 18 has 6 plenary sessions, including: The US vision for Indo-Pacific security; North Korea security: Next steps; Asia's evolving security order and challenges; China and international security cooperation; Preventing conflicts in competitive areas; Ensuring a resilient and stable region. In addition, the forum also has 6 concurrent sessions with topics related to maritime security, defense industry development, and defense cooperation.

Taliban admits attacking US military convoy in Afghanistan

Authorities were mobilized to the scene of a bomb explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan on May 31, 2019. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

The May 31 bombing of a US military convoy in Kabul was carried out by the Afghan Taliban. In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group was behind the attack, which killed 10 people, including Afghan and foreign soldiers, and destroyed two vehicles.

However, there are currently different information about the number of casualties. According to the spokesman of the Afghan Ministry of Interior Nasrat Rahimi, the explosion occurred at about 8:40 am on May 31 (local time) in the east of the capital Kabul when a car loaded with explosives exploded right at the time a convoy was moving through. The explosion killed four Afghan soldiers and injured four American soldiers. A spokesman for the US forces in Afghanistan confirmed the information and said the American soldiers only suffered minor injuries. Meanwhile, an unnamed Afghan security official said that nine people were killed and six civilians were injured.

Putin rewards families with 7 or more children

President Vladimir Putin on the evening of May 31 (Russian time) welcomed eight large families from many cities and localities across the country to the Kremlin for the annual honoring ceremony. He awarded them the Order of Parental Glory as a thank you for their contribution to fighting Russia's population decline, with each family having seven or more children. "This year, this noble government award was given to eight couples. When families have as many children as you do, this is true happiness," the Russian leader said. "Please accept my words of appreciation for your selfless daily parenting."

The Kremlin-sponsored ceremony, which coincided with International Children's Day, was designed to recognize efforts to promote family development and child-rearing. Since the mid-1990s, Russia's population has declined by an average of 0.5 percent, or 750,000 to 800,000 people a year, according to UN statistics. The country's population is expected to fall from 144 million to 138 million by 2035, although it has remained relatively stable in recent years.

Trying to enter Jerusalem, a Palestinian teenager was shot dead by Israeli police.

Palestinian protesters during clashes with Israeli soldiers in Khan Younis city, border area with Israel in the Gaza Strip on May 15, 2019. Illustration photo: THX/TTXVN

A Palestinian teenager was shot dead by Israeli border police as he tried to enter Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank on May 31, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said Abdullah Ghaith, 16, died after being shot by Israeli occupation soldiers near Bethlehem while another man, 21, was shot in the stomach in the same location and is being treated in hospital. Palestinian media said the men were trying to cross the Israeli barrier separating the West Bank and Jerusalem to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Opening of the 18th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore

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The 18th Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) - the leading security forum in the Asia-Pacific region - officially opened on the evening of May 31 in Singapore.

This dialogue attracted the largest number of delegates ever, including defense officials and scholars from nearly 50 countries and territories, including 30 defense ministers or deputy ministers.

According to a VNA reporter in Singapore, a high-ranking Vietnamese military delegation led by General Ngo Xuan Lich, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and Minister of National Defense, attended the 18th Shangri-La Dialogue.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered an opening speech, emphasizing the importance of a "stable and constructive" relationship between the US and China and highlighting the potential roles that Singapore and other small countries can play in strengthening the multilateral world order.

Tim Huxley, Executive Director for Asia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said that SLD 18 has six plenary sessions, including: The US vision for Indo-Pacific security; North Korea security: Next steps; Asia's evolving security order and challenges; China and international security cooperation; Preventing conflicts in contested domains; Ensuring a resilient and stable region.

In addition, the forum also has six concurrent sessions with topics related to maritime security, defense industry development, and defense cooperation.