Ukraine passes bill to impeach corrupt officials; Trump fires 'hawkish' security adviser
(Baonghean.vn) - Ukraine passes bill to impeach officials for illegally enriching themselves; Trump fires "hawk" security advisor; Malaysia is covered in dust; North Korea agrees to inter-Korean cooperation proposal on separated families... are the world's outstanding news in the past 24 hours.
Ukraine passes bill to impeach officials for illegal enrichment
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A session of the Ukrainian Parliament. Photo: Ukrayinska Pravda. |
Ukraine's parliament on September 11 approved a bill criminalizing state officials' illegal enrichment as part of a condition for the country to receive a financial aid package from the International Monetary Fund. However, to come into effect, the bill needs to be voted on again in parliament.
Previously, in 2015, the Ukrainian Parliament also passed a similar bill, but the bill was quickly rejected by the constitutional court. This move has caused concern among activists and anti-corruption organizations.
Trump fires “hawk” security adviser
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US President Donald Trump and National Security Advisor John Bolton. Photo: Reuters |
US President Donald Trump on September 10 fired his third National Security Advisor of his presidency - Mr. John Bolton when their positions on many foreign policy issues conflicted with each other, most recently the pursuit of a peace plan with the Taliban.
President Trump and Mr. Bolton have often clashed over how to handle foreign policy issues facing the United States. Mr. Bolton, a longtime national security adviser, has long been at odds with Mr. Trump’s preference for sanctions and military action against certain countries, even when President Trump has pursued diplomacy.
North Korea agrees to inter-Korean cooperation proposal on separated families
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| The moment of reunion of families separated during the Korean War at the Kumgang Mountain resort on August 24, 2018. Photo: AFP/VNA |
North Korea has accepted the recommendation of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) held last spring to cooperate with South Korea to resolve the issue of families separated by the Korean War (1950-1953).
In its response to the Human Rights Council on September 11, North Korea announced that it accepted 132 of the 199 recommendations. In addition, 56 recommendations were noted as "will be noted", while 16 were rejected. One of the most interesting contents among the recommendations that Pyongyang accepted was the issue of families separated by war.
China exempts 16 US products from tariffs
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US export containers at the port of Los Angeles, California on September 1. Photo:AFP. |
The State Council Tariff Commission of China released a list of 16 categories of US products that will be exempt from tariffs starting September 17. The exemptions will apply to products such as seafood, anti-cancer drugs, alfalfa pellets, fish feed, linear accelerators and mold release agents. The list released today does not include items that China imports in large quantities from the US, such as soybeans and pork.
This is the first time China has announced tariff exemptions since it imposed tariffs on US imports last July. The Chinese government began accepting exemption applications in May, while the Office of the US Trade Representative has announced six rounds of tariff exemptions on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods since December.
Malaysia covered in smog
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Malaysia has had to close more than 400 schools due to smog pollution. (Illustration: KT) |
Malaysia sent 500,000 face masks to Sarawak state and closed more than 400 schools on September 11 as ash from forest fires in Indonesia drifted in. The move came as local air pollution levels reached unhealthy levels, Malaysian authorities said.
Forest fires have been raging in parts of Sumatra and Borneo, Indonesia for more than a month. The Indonesian government has deployed 9,000 soldiers, police and National Disaster Management Agency personnel to fight the fires. Indonesian authorities are using 37 helicopters carrying 239 million liters of water to put out the fires and are also using cloud seeding technology to create artificial rain.
