South Korea fires warning shots at North Korea, Russia cuts consular staff in Norway, Canada expels 6 Indian diplomats

China and Russia expand military cooperation, India buys a series of US UAVs, Russia makes major military advances in Donetsk, Ukraine asks Brazil to arrest President Putin, Israel informs the US about its plan to attack Iran in response... are some of the notable international events in the past 24 hours.

Ukraine again demands that Brazil arrest President Putin if he attends the G20 Summit in November. (Source: Tasnim)

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.

Asia-Pacific

*South Korea fires warning shots at North Korea: South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced on October 15 that its military fired warning shots south of the Military Demarcation Line (DML) that separates the two Koreas. This move was in response to North Korea blowing up part of a road connecting to South Korea on the North Korean side.

Earlier, the JCS said North Korea blew up the road connecting to South Korea after declaring a complete severance of the road and railway that had been considered a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.

The same day, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang had “clear evidence” that Seoul’s military was behind recent drone incursions into Pyongyang and warned of retaliation. (AFP)

*China-Russia expand military cooperation: China's Ministry of National Defense announced on October 15 that Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia met with Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov in Beijing.

According to the ministry, at the meeting, the two sides expressed hope to deepen and expand bilateral military relations, as well as maintain high-level exchanges between the two countries. (Reuters)

*China calls on the Philippines to prevent the situation from becoming more complicated in the East Sea: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning on October 15 called on the Philippines to stop all actions that could aggravate the situation in the East Sea.

Philippine media previously reported that a Chinese coast guard vessel collided with a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel in the South China Sea on October 11. The Philippine vessel suffered minor damage, according to media reports.

Recently, in disputed areas in the South China Sea that China and the Philippines claim sovereignty over, incidents have been occurring with vessels from both sides. (Sputnik)

*US assesses "great risk" from North Korea's nuclear weapons development capability: According to Yonhap news agency on October 15, the US government assesses that North Korea's nuclear missile development with increased Russian-North Korean military cooperation is increasing great risk.

In Bob Woodward’s new book “War,” the author reveals that William Burns, director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), secretly visited China in June this year. Burns then reported to President Joe Biden, making the assessment that China was uneasy about North Korea’s close relationship with Russia, including increased military cooperation between the two sides.

In his newly released book, journalist Woodward argues that increased North Korea-Russia cooperation could make the North Korean leader more reckless. (Yonhap)

*India signs to buy 31 US UAVs: On October 15, in New Delhi, India and the US signed agreements worth more than 3.8 billion USD to buy 31 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the three military branches and set up maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities for these devices on Indian soil.

Last week, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the procurement proposal. Of the 31 UAVs, 15 will be delivered to the Indian Navy, while the remaining will be divided equally between the Air Force and the Army.

India has been negotiating the deal with the US for years but the final hurdles were cleared only a few weeks ago at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council, as it had to be resolved before October 31, when the US offer expires. (Times of India)

*US, Philippines conduct joint exercises right after China's drills: On October 15, thousands of US and Philippine marines began 10 days of joint exercises in the northern and western Philippines, one day after China conducted major exercises around Taiwan.

The joint US-Philippines exercises come amid escalating confrontation between China and the Philippines over reefs and waters in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

At the time the exercise began, the Philippine government announced that one of its civilian patrol vessels had suffered minor damage on October 11 after being “deliberately rammed by a Chinese maritime militia vessel.” (AFP)

Europe

*Russia makes major military advances in Donetsk: On October 15, the leader of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR, self-proclaimed and declared independence from Ukraine on April 7, 2014) said that Russian Armed Forces are entering Dzerzhinsk (Toretsk) in the DPR and have taken control of 2/3 of this city.

Meanwhile, Rossiya 24 channel quoted Mr. Pushilin as saying that at the same time as Russia's offensive in Dzerzhinsk, Ukraine was redeploying reserve troops to the city from neighboring Konstantinovka. He revealed: "Currently, we can say that 70% of the city (Dzerzhinsk) has been liberated."

The official noted that the evacuation of civilians was hampered by fighting, with at least 1,000 people still waiting to be evacuated to safety. He also predicted that once Russian forces fully control Dzerzhinsk, they will be able to advance further north into the DPR. (Sptuniknews)

*Italy supports the admission of Balkan countries into the EU: On October 15, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani affirmed that his country supports the Western Balkan countries joining the European Union (EU) and "all outstanding issues" preventing the Western Balkan countries from joining the EU must be resolved.

According to Mr. Tajani, the EU should pay attention to the Western Balkan countries so that they do not turn to Russia, and “with the Berlin Process summit being held, we are sending a very important signal of attention.”

Regarding the war in Ukraine, Mr. Tajani assessed that “the time for bilateral negotiations with (Russian President) Putin has not yet come. We need a peace conference that Russia and China must participate in to find a solution to a war that has been going on for too long. (AFP)

*Russia cuts consular staff in Norway: The Russian Embassy in Norway posted a notice on Facebook on October 14 saying that it would reduce its consular staff to two people at the request of the Norwegian government.

Consular services will also be cut, the announcement said. The Norwegian foreign ministry said it was in dialogue with Russia to ensure a diplomatic presence in both countries.

In April last year, Oslo expelled 15 Russian embassy staff who the Norwegian foreign ministry said were intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover. At the time, the Russian embassy in Oslo described Norway's decision as "another extremely unfriendly step." (Reuters)

Middle East-Africa

*Israel's internal consensus on method and timing of attack on Iran: On October 15, Israel's national radio station Kan reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant agreed on the method and timing of a retaliatory attack on Iran after security consultations with other ministers.

The operation still needs final cabinet approval, the radio station said. (Sputnik)

*US begins shipping defense systems to Israel: The Pentagon confirmed on October 15 that components of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system began shipping to Israel on October 14 and will soon be operational.

“In the coming days, additional US military personnel and remaining components of the THAAD system will continue to be sent to Israel,” said US Defense Department spokesman Major General Pat Ryder.

General Ryder stressed that the THAAD system aims to enhance Israel's ability to protect against regional threats. (Reuters)

*Russia warns Israel about military action in Syria: Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov confirmed on October 15 that Moscow has repeatedly expressed concerns to Israel regarding the activities of the Israeli military in Syria.

Earlier, on October 2, the Syrian Defense Ministry said the Israeli Air Force had attacked an apartment building in the Mezzeh neighborhood of Damascus, killing three civilians and wounding three others. On October 8, at least seven civilians were killed and 11 others were injured in an Israeli airstrike in the same area.

A day later, Syria's SANA news agency reported that a Syrian security officer was killed in an Israeli attack on the southwestern city of Al-Quneitra. (Al Jazeera)

*Israel informs US about plan to attack Iran in response: NBC quoted some unnamed officials in the administration of US President Joe Biden as saying that Israel has "zoned" targets in Iran that can be attacked in response to Tehran's airstrike on October 1.

According to the source, the above targets are mainly Iranian military and energy distribution facilities. US officials said Israeli strategists are still in the process of calculating and have not reached a final decision, saying that up to this point, Israel has not shown any readiness to carry out assassinations or attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Some newspapers have suggested that Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement (October 11-12), could be the occasion when Israel would strike, but it appears that Israeli military commanders have decided to wait for a more opportune time. (Al Jazeera)

*Qatar accuses Israel of deliberately expanding conflict in the Middle East: Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on October 15 accused Israel of choosing to expand the conflict in the Middle East to carry out "pre-existing plans" for the occupied West Bank and Lebanon.

At the same time, the Qatari leader accused Israel of taking advantage of the current international situation to carry out settlement plans in the West Bank.

Qatar has played a key role in efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and to call for a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel began expanding its military campaign in late September. Doha has repeatedly called for a settlement of the Palestinian issue on the basis of a Palestinian state established alongside Israel. (Gulf News)

*Iran denies supplying ballistic missiles to Russia: A day after the European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on Iran, writing on social network X on October 15, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Ismaeil Baghaei, condemned the new EU sanctions on Tehran and denied supplying ballistic missiles to Russia. (Reuters)

America - Latin America

*Ukraine asks Brazil to arrest Russian President: Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andrei Kostin has called on Brazil to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin on the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC) if he attends the G20 summit, scheduled to take place in Brazil next November.

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andrei Kostin said he had received intelligence that President Putin might attend the G20 summit in Brazil. Mr Kostin called on Brazilian authorities to execute an ICC arrest warrant if Putin showed up there.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader in March 2023, about a year after Moscow launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine. Russia denies the allegations and the Kremlin has dismissed the ICC's warrant as "invalid." (Sputniknews)

*White House warns Iran of consequences if it attacks Americans: On October 14, the White House said the US closely monitored threats from Iran against former President Donald Trump over the years and warned of "serious consequences" if Tehran attacked any US citizens.

"We consider this a matter of national security and homeland security of the highest priority, and we strongly condemn Iran for these blatant threats. If Iran attacks any of our citizens, including those who currently serve or have served the United States, Iran will face serious consequences," said Sean Savett, spokesman for the US National Security Council. (Reuters)

*US election: Mr. Trump pledges to resolve the conflict in Ukraine through negotiations: Former US President and now Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pledged to resolve the conflict in Ukraine through negotiations, while blaming incumbent leader Joe Biden for not contacting Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I will resolve this through negotiations,” Trump pledged during a town hall meeting in Pennsylvania. He added that he has good relations with both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, and said that under his leadership, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine “would never happen.” (Sputnik)

*Canada expels 6 Indian diplomats: A government source revealed that Canada has expelled 6 Indian diplomats after police gathered evidence that they were involved in the Indian government's "violent campaign". The foreign ministry asked the 6 diplomats to leave Canada by 11:59 p.m. on October 19.

The Washington Post earlier reported that the diplomats had been expelled. India withdrew its ambassador from Canada on October 14, along with other officials and diplomats named by Ottawa as being involved in a matter related to the investigation in the country.

The 2023 murder of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar has severely damaged diplomatic relations with India after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were "credible allegations" linking Indian intelligence agencies to the case. (AFP)

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