Ukraine seizes Russian oil tanker in the Black Sea

Russian oil tanker Nika Spirit. Photo:Tass

Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU) said on July 25 that it had detained the Russian-flagged oil tanker Nika Spirit as it entered the Black Sea port of Izmail, south of the country's Odessa city, over its alleged involvement in the incident between the two countries in the Kerch Strait in November 2018. The SBU accused the tanker Nika Spirit, then named Neyma, of blocking the Ukrainian ship during that incident. "Since then, Neyma has changed its name to Nika Spirit to hide the truth about its involvement," the SBU said in a statement.

Ukrainian authorities have searched the ship, seized documents and questioned the crew. It is unclear what will happen to the ship and its crew, although the SBU said it would seek a warrant to seize the vessel. Russian MP Vladimir Dzhabarov described Ukraine's seizure of the tanker as "absolutely illegal" and detrimental to relations between the two countries. The Russian Foreign Ministry warned Ukraine there would be "consequences" if it detained Russian citizens.

US and China resume trade talks, put sanctions on hold

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He (right) and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Beijing in February. Photo:AP.

China's Ministry of Commerce said on July 25 that senior trade negotiators from China and the United States will meet in Shanghai, China on July 30 and 31 for trade negotiations. Speaking at a press conference, Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng also said that Chinese companies are willing to buy US agricultural products, have received offers from the US side and the two sides will soon sign trade contracts.

On the US side, in an interview with the US news agency CNBC, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also confirmed that he and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will travel to China early next week to conduct a new round of dialogue with Chinese officials, on July 30-31 in Shanghai, before continuing with new dialogues in Washington. However, Mr. Mnuchin was cautious when saying that the US still has a long list of major issues to resolve when the negotiations resume. He does not expect the two sides to resolve all the issues, but the fact that the US-China negotiation delegation returns to the negotiating table under the direction of the two US-China leaders is extremely important.

North Korea may have test-fired an "unprecedented" missile

People watch a TV screen showing images of a North Korean missile being tested at a railway station in Seoul on July 25, 2019. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

On July 25, a South Korean official said that one of the two missiles North Korea launched into the sea that morning flew 690 km and was "a new type of missile" that the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) had never seen before. Earlier that day, the JCS confirmed that North Korea fired two short-range missiles from a location near the coastal town of Wonsan toward the Sea of ​​Japan on the morning of July 25. One was fired at around 5:34 am and the other at 5:57 am (local time) from the Hodo Peninsula.

According to Yonhap news agency, a JCS official cited US analysis as saying that one missile flew about 430 km before falling into the sea and the other appeared to have flown further, both reaching an altitude of about 50 km. However, in a separate statement later, the JCS cited analysis from South Korean and US intelligence officials as saying that the second missile North Korea launched flew 690 km and was considered a "new type of missile".

New British Prime Minister criticizes terms in Brexit deal

New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks after taking office at 10 Downing Street, London on July 24, 2019. Photo: THX/TTXVN

New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on July 25 said the terms of the current Brexit deal were "unacceptable" and called on European Union (EU) leaders to reconsider their refusal to negotiate a new deal with Britain. Prime Minister Johnson said the British government would make preparations for a no-deal Brexit "top priority" if a new deal with the EU is not reached by the October 31 deadline.

New Prime Minister Johnson has pledged to negotiate a new Brexit deal with the EU in less than 99 days. However, he warned that if EU leaders refuse - a scenario he said was "unlikely" - Britain will leave the EU without a deal. "We have a huge task ahead of us," the new British Prime Minister said. "At this pivotal moment in our country's history, we are all committed to leaving the EU on October 31 or sooner."

Multiple bombings in Afghanistan, dozens killed

On July 25, the capital Kabul of Afghanistan was shaken by a series of bombings, killing at least 15 people and injuring nearly 50. According to the spokesman of the Afghan Ministry of Interior Nasrat Rahimi, among the victims of the bombings were 8 employees of the country's Ministry of Petroleum who were killed and 27 others were injured in the first attack, when a magnetic bomb attached to a bus carrying government employees exploded. A few minutes later, a suicide bomber also detonated a device strapped to his body in an area just meters away from the scene of the previous bus explosion, killing at least 7 people and injuring 20 others.

On the same day, nine civilians from the same family were killed and four others were injured when their vehicle hit a roadside mine in Khogiani district, Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan. No terrorist group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombings.

South Korea: North Korea launches 'new type of missile' never seen before

Thursday, July 25, 2019 14:34

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On July 25, a South Korean official said that one of the two North Korean missiles launched into the sea that morning flew 690 km and was "a new type of missile" that the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) had never seen before.

Earlier the same day, the JCS confirmed that North Korea fired two short-range missiles from a location near the coastal town of Wonsan toward the Sea of ​​Japan on the morning of July 25. One was fired at around 5:34 a.m. and the other at 5:57 a.m. (local time) from the Hodo Peninsula.

According to Yonhap news agency, a JCS official cited US analysis as saying one missile flew about 430 km before falling into the sea and the other appeared to have flown further, both reaching an altitude of about 50 km.

However, in a separate announcement later, JCS cited analysis by South Korean and US intelligence officials as saying that the second missile launched by North Korea flew 690 km and was considered a "new type of missile".