Ukraine offers to buy US weapons; Putin insists he does not want to sanction Georgia
(Baonghean.vn) - Ukraine offers to buy weapons from the US; President Putin affirms that he does not want to punish Georgia; Iran continues to put pressure on the UK after the oil tanker was seized; the US imposes new tariffs on steel from China and Mexico, exempting Canada... are the world's outstanding news in the past 24 hours.
Ukraine offers to buy weapons from the US
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| A US weapons expert loads rockets into an Apache AH-64D attack helicopter equipped with Hellfire missiles. Photo: AFP |
Ukraine has for the first time formally requested to purchase military equipment from the United States through a special program of the US Department of Defense. The request comes amid a possible summit between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. With the defense relationship between the US and Ukraine being strengthened, it could “hot” neighboring Russia with warnings that the US could push Ukraine into a bloody war.
In a statement posted on the website of the US Embassy in Kiev, US Charge d'Affaires to Ukraine William Taylor said that the US was pleased to be able to provide additional equipment to Ukraine. In particular, two Island patrol boats from the US will join the Ukrainian naval fleet in the coming months. In addition, the US is also considering Ukraine's request to purchase weapons through the US Department of Defense's Foreign Military Sales program.
Iran continues to pressure Britain after oil tanker seizure
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Iran has said that the UK's seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in the territory of Gibraltar was an act of intimidation. Photo: Reuters |
Iran's military chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, said the UK's seizure of an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar last week "will not go unanswered", the latest move by Iran since the British seizure of its oil tanker sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted General Bagheri as saying that the seizure of the Iranian oil tanker was based on a fabricated pretext. Iran will respond appropriately when necessary.
US imposes new tariffs on steel from China and Mexico, exempts Canada
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| A worker works at a steel factory in Zouping, China. Photo: AFP |
The US has announced new tariffs on some steel products from China and Mexico, saying these countries have unfairly helped domestic producers.
CompanyAFPWashington's decision, announced on July 8, comes just two months after President Donald Trump agreed to lift tariffs on Canadian and Mexican steel and aluminum in exchange for the two neighbors agreeing to remove tariffs on American goods. The US Commerce Department said that steel imported for construction in the US is benefiting from subsidies from China, Mexico and Canada. However, Canada's support is insignificant, so the latest round of tariffs does not include Canada.
Russian President Putin affirms he does not want to punish Georgia
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| Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on July 9 that he did not support a call by the Russian parliament to impose tough economic sanctions on Georgia. "I will not impose anything that would complicate our relations in order to fully restore them," Putin said in a speech broadcast on state television.
Earlier in the day, the Russian parliament unanimously backed a resolution calling on the government to impose sanctions on Georgia, a move that could dramatically escalate a political crisis between Russia and Georgia.
Mexico uses X-ray scanners to track people crossing the border into the US
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Illegal migrants are detected by an X-ray scanner during a raid in Zacatecas state, Mexico on July 7. Photo: Reuters. |
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said at a press conference on July 8 that Mexican authorities have increased security measures at the border to prevent illegal border crossings into the United States, including the installation of large X-ray scanners. These large X-ray scanners help authorities immediately detect people lying or sitting hidden in cargo containers or double-decker trucks crossing the border.
Ebrard said Mexican border guards had arrested more than 200 migrants hiding in the secret compartments of trucks in the past two days, dozens of whom were detected by X-ray scanners. On the same day, another 228 migrants were discovered in a raid in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas.
Indonesia returns more than 210 tons of waste to Australia
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| Eight containers of garbage were seized in the Indonesian city of Surabaya. Photo: AFP |
According to News AgencyAFP, a spokesman for the East Java Customs Agency said that eight containers seized in the Indonesian city of Surabaya were supposed to contain only paper waste, but authorities found hazardous waste and household waste, including used diapers. After an inspection by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment, they decided that "these items will have to be re-exported." The customs agency's statement referred to the waste as containing substances that are harmful to the environment and human health.
After China announced a ban on foreign plastic waste imports in 2018, the global recycling industry was thrown into chaos, with many developed countries scrambling to find places other than China to… dump their trash.
