European Commission gets first female president; India, Russia reach arms deal
(Baonghean.vn) - The European Commission has its first female president; India and Russia reach an arms deal; Britain will have three warships in the Gulf; Trump threatens to investigate Google's ties with China; Pakistan arrests the suspected mastermind of the Mumbai attack, India... are the world's top news stories of the past 24 hours.
The European Commission has its first female president.
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Ursula von der Leyen, newly elected President of the European Commission (EC). Photo:Standard. |
With 383 votes in favor, 327 against and 22 abstentions, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen was elected President of the European Commission (EC). Ms. der Leyen will run the highest executive body of the European Union (EU), which sets political direction, proposes laws, manages the budget and is responsible for enforcing EU law, from November 1.
In her speech immediately after being elected, the new EC President called for a "united and strong Europe", wanted Europe to be the world's first climate-neutral continent and proposed a "green deal" to minimize the EU's carbon emissions by 2050. Ms. von der Leyen also mentioned gender equality and pledged to enshrine the issue of violence against women in EU law.
India, Russia reach arms deal
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| Russia's S-400 air defense missile system. Photo: Reuters |
Bloomberg, citing high-level sources, revealed that India and Russia have agreed that large bilateral arms deals will be paid in rupees or rubles through an agreement between the two countries' central banks. With the new agreement, India can quickly make the first payment for two Russian warships being built for its navy. In addition, Moscow hopes to receive an advance payment for the S-400 air defense missile system under a contract worth $5.4 billion (more than VND 125,000 billion) before the end of this year so that it can start delivering it next year.
The above steps are said to help the two countries avoid the risk of sanctions and financial restrictions from the US. Currently, the US is implementing an embargo policy that threatens partners who buy high-value weapons from Russia, while continuously putting pressure on India regarding the S-400 deal.
Trump threatens to investigate Google's ties to China
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US President Donald Trump. Photo:AP. |
"Billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel believes Google should be investigated for treason. He accuses Google of working with the Chinese government. The Trump Administration will look into this," US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter. Trump also asserted that Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and a top supporter of his in Silicon Valley, is "a great and smart person who knows more about this subject than anyone."
Trump's statement came after Thiel on July 15 accused Google of working with the Chinese government instead of the US military, and called on the FBI and CIA to investigate the corporation. He also accused Google of trying to place its search engine in China despite being banned in that country.
Britain will have three warships in the Gulf.
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| Destroyer HMS Duncan on its way to the Gulf. Photo: Reuters |
According to Reuters on July 17, the Royal Navy's air defense destroyer HMS Duncan will operate in the Gulf to support the frigate HMS Montrose for maintenance in Bahrain. In addition, the UK will also send the frigate HMS Kent to the area "this year". Media reported that this ship will arrive in the Gulf in mid-September.
The Ministry of Defence said that HMS Kent would replace HMS Duncan but also "hedge" that it is "not uncommon" for warships to operate simultaneously. This information led to speculation that at some point three British ships would operate in the area. However, the Ministry of Defence affirmed that the deployment of ships is "a long-term plan to ensure an unbroken presence" on the vital sea route, and does not represent an increase in the UK's presence in the region.
Pakistan arrests suspected mastermind of Mumbai attack, India
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| Hafiz Saeed (center) at court in Lahore, Pakistan on November 21, 2017. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
Pakistani authorities on July 17 arrested Hafiz Saeed, suspected mastermind of the four-day attack in Mumbai, India, that killed more than 160 people in 2018, on charges of financing terrorism. According to a spokesman for the governor of Punjab state, Saeed was arrested near the town of Gujranwala, central Pakistan. He is facing the main charge of collecting money to finance terrorism.
The United States has listed Saeed as a terrorist. He founded the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist organization, which both the United States and India accuse of carrying out the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. Saeed has denied any involvement in the attacks, saying that the network he founded has no links to any terrorist group. The United States has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Saeed's conviction in the Mumbai attacks.
Australia discovers $100 million cocaine shipment hidden in excavator
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| 384 1kg packages of cocaine hidden in a sand shovel crane. Photo cut from video |
The Australian Border Force (ABF) has just discovered and confiscated a large amount of drugs hidden in an excavator shipped from South Africa. According to RT, the cocaine was packed in small 1kg packages. The total weight of the confiscated drugs weighed 384kg, worth 101 million USD (2.3 trillion VND). These packages of drugs may be distributed to the cities of Melbourne, Canberra as well as the Snowy Mountains resort.
The sophisticated smuggling operation was discovered when the ABF took the excavator for an X-ray at the Sydney Container Inspection Centre. Police also launched a raid on the suspected smuggling ring in the town of Bungendore, New South Wales, and arrested two suspects.
