More than 35 countries agreed to send troops to Ukraine, Colombia argued with the US about the drug issue, China spoke out about the Red Sea tension... are some of the outstanding international events in the past 24 hours.
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| South Korea and the United States maintain regular joint military exercises to enhance their readiness to respond to threats. (Source: Asia News Network) |
The World and Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.
Asia-Pacific
* Military collision in South Korea : On March 17, a military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed into a helicopter at a South Korean Army air unit in the Gwangjeok-myeon area, Yangsu-ri, Gyeonggi Province.
Firefighters were dispatched and extinguished the fire on the helicopter after about 30 minutes. Although there were no casualties, the helicopter was completely burned. ( Yonhap )
* South Korea and the US conduct joint military exercise “Freedom Shield”: On March 17, the South Korean and US armies conducted a joint military exercise simulating combat in tunnels, aiming to enhance readiness to respond to threats.
The four-day exercise at a training ground in Paju, about 30 kilometers north of Seoul, is part of the annual Freedom Shield exercise between the two countries.
The underground exercise was led by the ground operations command, with exercises training soldiers in combat tactics in underground facilities in the event of war.
Specifically, soldiers are trained to use explosives to isolate enemies inside tunnels, while deploying small drones like the US military's Black Hornet for reconnaissance and information gathering. ( Korea Times )
* China speaks out on Red Sea tensions: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning on March 17 called for dialogue and to ease tensions in the Red Sea, after Houthi forces claimed to have attacked a US aircraft carrier group twice within 24 hours.
"China opposes any action that escalates the situation in the Red Sea. The causes behind the Red Sea situation and the Yemen issue are complex and should be properly resolved through dialogue and negotiation," Ms. Mao Ning stressed.
In recent times, the Houthi forces, which currently control most of Yemen, have attacked Israel and ships in the Red Sea in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians. ( THX )
* Australia suffers damage from Cyclone Alfred : On March 16, Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Cyclone Alfred, the first tropical cyclone to hit the country's eastern region in 50 years, is expected to cause damage of about 1.2 billion AUD (759 million USD), reducing GDP by 0.25 percentage points in the quarter to March.
Cyclone Alfred made landfall north of Brisbane, Australia's third most populous city, earlier this month, causing flash flooding and power outages in parts of Queensland and New South Wales. Speaking to reporters in Brisbane, Mr Chalmers said the storm would cause "huge" economic damage. However, he insisted the Treasury could manage the damage and the cost of the national budget. ( ABC News )
Europe
*More than 35 countries agree to send troops to Ukraine : On March 16, The Times newspaper quoted a British military source as saying that European countries plan to deploy more than 10,000 soldiers in a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
Although the bulk of the troops will be provided by London and Paris, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has managed to attract more countries than the three countries that initially proposed sending troops to Ukraine, according to the newspaper. More than 35 countries have agreed to provide weapons, supplies, technical support and intelligence for the mission.
In early March, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the presence of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory under any name, including as peacekeepers, is a threat to Russia and Moscow will not accept this under any circumstances. ( Sky News )
*Russia has not eased US sanctions: On March 16, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova denied information that Moscow had lifted sanctions on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and affirmed that this was "fake news".
"The sanctions against him have not been lifted. This information is completely fake news," Zakharova said, adding that the restrictions remain in place. Rubio was previously added to Russia's list of sanctions against US individuals from May 2022, with measures including an entry ban. ( Sputnik )
*Germany "empties its purse" to aid Syria: Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced on March 17 that Germany has pledged to provide an additional 300 million Euros (326 million USD) in aid to Syria through the UN and a number of related organizations.
Baerbock said that more than half of the aid will go to the Syrian people and will be delivered without the transitional government in Damascus. According to the German Foreign Ministry, the funding will be used to provide food, medical services and emergency shelter, as well as protection measures for particularly vulnerable groups. Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey will also receive the aid. ( DW)
*Corruption suspected in North Macedonia fire: On March 16, North Macedonia's Interior Minister, Pance Toskovski, announced that the country is investigating allegations of corruption and bribery in the fire at a nightclub in the town of Kocani, which killed dozens of people.
Speaking at a press conference, Minister Toskovski said that the company that owns the Club Pulse nightclub in Kocani did not have a valid operating license. North Macedonian authorities are investigating allegations of corruption and bribery during the licensing process. ( Euractiv )
Middle East - Africa
*Israel's Shin Bet director "lost his seat": Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on March 16 that Director of the Internal Security Agency (Shin Bet) Ronen Bar was fired.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated: “Due to lack of trust, I have decided to propose that the government terminate the term of Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar.”
Meanwhile, the head of the Shin Bet said that Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision to fire him had nothing to do with Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, saying the move was largely political. ( Al Jazeera )
*Iran welcomes prospects for peace in the Caucasus: On March 16, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan exchanged views on the draft peace treaty recently reached between Yerevan and Baku, aiming to end the long-standing tensions between the two neighboring countries.
During the phone call, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as the latest developments in the Caucasus region. President Pezeshkian congratulated Armenia and Azerbaijan on the completion of the draft peace agreement, affirming that Tehran always welcomes peace and stability in the region, especially between neighboring countries. ( IRNA )
*South Africa seeks to appease the US: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on March 17 that Pretoria considers improving relations with the US a "priority", after Washington expelled South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool.
Tensions escalated between the two countries on March 14, when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on social network X that Ambassador Rasool was no longer welcome in the US, after he made a speech criticizing President Donald Trump for racism.
Responding to the press, President Ramaphosa stated: "Improving relations with the US is our priority", emphasizing that the US is "our second largest trading partner after China". ( AFP )
America - Latin America
*US continues airstrikes on Houthi: On March 17, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Washington's airstrikes on Yemen will continue until Houthi forces are no longer able to attack US ships and the Navy.
Mr. Rubio said there were no plans for US ground raids in Yemen and insisted that this was not necessary at this time. Secretary of State Rubio also asserted that the Houthi forces "could not possibly" have the ability to attack ships without support from Iran. ( Reuters )
*Colombia disputes US over drug issue: Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez on March 16 warned the Trump administration about blacklisting Bogota for failing to curb drug trafficking.
The US is currently considering the possibility of “decertifying” Colombia as a partner in the fight against drugs, which would mean Bogota would lose millions of dollars in military aid from Washington and seriously damage its reputation.
Minister Sanchez said that the decision to “decertify”, if made, would cause Colombia to “lose its ability to contain the threat” and the amount of drugs flowing into the US would be greater. ( AFP )
*Cuba restores electricity service to people: On March 16, the Cuban National Electricity Commission (UNE) restored nearly 50% of electricity service to people, more than 30 hours after the national power system collapsed on the afternoon of June 14.
UNE said that by noon on March 16, the agency had stably supplied over 1,000 MW of electricity to essential services as well as people's lives. This is the fourth time in 6 months that Cuba's national power system has had a problem leading to a nationwide power outage. ( 1News )
*The US thanks El Salvador's goodwill: On March 16, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele announced that his country had just received 238 suspects of the Tren de Aragua transnational criminal organization who were deported by the US under the order of President Donald Trump.
The plane carrying the suspects landed at a military airport in the early morning of March 16. Immediately afterwards, the authorities escorted the suspects to the Terrorist Detention Center (Cecot) - El Salvador's largest and most modern prison with a maximum capacity of 40,000 inmates.
On social network X, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked El Salvador President Nayib Bukele for actively supporting Washington in the process of receiving criminals, as well as seriously implementing the agreement between the two governments. ( Reuters )
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