Iran holds presidential election, Russia warns of direct conflict with NATO, two US presidential candidates debate live

Philippines accuses Chinese ships of violating territorial waters, Belarus strengthens border security with Ukraine after incident, Malaysia, Australia and the US conduct military exercises, Bolivian President denies coup plot allegations... are some of the notable international events in the past 24 hours.

The two US presidential candidates began their live debate. (Source: CNN)

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

Asia-Pacific

*Philippines accuses Chinese coast guard ship of violating territorial waters in the East Sea: The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on June 27 that Chinese coast guard ship (CCG) 5901, dubbed the "monster" because of its "huge" size, has passed through 12 areas of the West Philippine Sea (ie the East Sea) in the past 10 days.

In a statement, PCG spokesman Jay Tarriela said the force used Canadian ship detection technology to track Chinese vessels in the waters of 12 regions.

The 12,000-ton CCG 5901 is currently the world’s largest littoral combat ship—far larger than the U.S. Navy’s Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers. It is armed with heavy machine guns, and has a helipad and hangar large enough to accommodate larger rotary-wing aircraft. (GMA/RFA/Manila Bulletin)

*China, Peru complete negotiations on upgrading FTA: On June 28, China Central Television (CCTV) reported that China and Peru have achieved "significant results in negotiations" on upgrading the free trade agreement (FTA) between the two sides.

According to the news, during his talks with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that both sides should coordinate and promote cooperation in many areas such as minerals, energy, manufacturing, agriculture and other fields. (CCTV)

*Malaysia, Australia and the US conduct joint exercises in Sabah: From June 28 to July 12, military units from Malaysia, the US and Australia participated in the joint exercise "Keris Strike" 29/2024 in Sabah, Malaysia.

The exercise brings together the Malaysian Army’s 5th Infantry Division based in Sabah, the US Army Pacific Command’s 25th Infantry Division (25ID-USARPAC) based in Hawaii, and the Australian Army’s Rifle Company, Butterworth (RCB) based in Butterworth, Penang. A total of 3,670 personnel are participating in the exercise, including 2,850 from Malaysia, 690 from the United States and 130 from Australia. (Reuters)

*China calls on the US to stop supporting the Philippines' "provocations": On June 28, China called on the US to stop tolerating and supporting the Philippines' "provocative actions".

China made the statement after US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell expressed concern about Beijing's "destabilizing actions in the East Sea".

Speaking at a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning emphasized: "The party causing the current tense situation is the Philippines." (AFP)

Europe

*Kremlin pessimistic about EU-Russia relations: On June 28, the Kremlin assessed that the prospects for relations between the European Union (EU) and Russia were bad after EU leaders nominated Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as President of the European Commission and Estonia's Kaja Kallas as the EU's foreign policy chief.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the bloc's decision to nominate von der Leyen for a new term would not change anything because she does not support normalizing relations between the EU and Russia.

Commenting on the selection of Ms. Kallas as the EU's foreign policy chief, Mr. Peskov noted that she is "famous" for her harsh anti-Russian statements and has never shown the ability to handle diplomatic situations flexibly. (TASS)

*Belarus strengthens border security with Ukraine after incident: Belarus' border guard service said it is coordinating with the country's Defense Ministry to strengthen border security with Ukraine after a security incident.

Belarusian border guards shot down a drone on June 26 after it illegally crossed the border from Ukraine to collect information about Belarus' border infrastructure, the country's border service said in a statement.

Earlier this week, the agency also said it had discovered homemade bomb-making materials hidden in the same area of ​​Ukraine bordering Belarus. (Reuters)

*Russia warns of risk of direct conflict with NATO: On June 28, Russia said it had seen an increase in US drone activity over the Black Sea and vowed to respond, warning that these flights could lead to "direct confrontation" with NATO.

The Russian Defense Ministry has noted an increase in the number of “US strategic drones” operating over the Black Sea and accused Washington of using these flights to help Ukraine attack Russian targets.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Minister Andrei Belousov has asked the military to "present proposals on measures to respond promptly to provocations." (AFP)

*Poland confirms it will sign security agreement with Ukraine before NATO summit: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on June 28 that Poland will almost certainly sign a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine before the NATO summit in July in Washington.

"I have to determine together with the defense minister how we can continue to help Ukraine, but we cannot weaken Poland's defense capabilities," Tusk told reporters. "There is a 99 percent chance that we will sign this agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky." (Reuters)

*Russia responds to US drones in the Black Sea: According to RIA on June 28, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov ordered the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to take countermeasures against the increased activity of US drones in the Black Sea.

Russia said such activities increase the risk of incidents involving Russian aircraft and could trigger direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. (Sputniknews)

America - Latin America

*Bolivian President Denies Coup Plot Allegations: Bolivian President Luis Arce on June 27 denied a plot with his former army commander, who was arrested after deploying troops and tanks to the center of the capital La Paz, where the group tried to break down the presidential palace.

Earlier, General Juan Jose Zuniga claimed that he was following orders and that President Arce had hoped to trigger a coup to boost his reputation.

In his first public appearance since announcing the coup plot on the evening of June 26, Mr. Arce denied that he had conspired with General Zuniga.

On June 27, Bolivian Interior Minister Carlos Eduardo Castillo confirmed that the country's police had arrested at least 17 military officers involved in organizing a coup plot in the South American country. (AFP)

*Argentine Congress approves President Milei's reform package: On June 28, the Argentine Congress approved President Javier Milei's economic reform package after months of debate.

"We will equip President Milei's government with the tools to reform the state once and for all," said the head of the ruling bloc, Gabriel Bornoroni.

Before the reform package was passed, Mr. Milei congratulated himself, hailing it as "the biggest financial adjustment not only in the history of Argentina but in the history of humanity."

His government has implemented a comprehensive and drastic austerity program, aiming to achieve a “zero budget deficit” by the end of 2024 to control persistent inflation. (AFP)

*Two US presidential candidates debated live: On the afternoon of June 27 (Washington time), current US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump began the first live debate between candidates in the 2024 election at CNN headquarters in Atlanta.

The two opponents did not shake hands despite standing on a podium just a few feet apart in a studio without a live audience.

The two candidates will seek to reshape the political project as they debate topics including the economy, foreign policy and international crises, immigration and the state of American democracy.

Millions of Americans are tuning in to watch a debate in what promises to be a bitter summer of campaigning, in a deeply polarized and tense America still traumatized by the chaos and violence that accompanied the 2020 election. (CNN)

*Brazil opens another consulate in China: The Brazilian Foreign Ministry announced on June 27 that the country has opened a consulate in Chengdu city - the capital of China's Sichuan province.

This is Brazil's third consulate in China. Brasilia previously opened consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Brazilian Ambassador to China Marcos Galvao affirmed that the consulate in Chengdu plays an important role in enhancing bilateral cooperation, especially in the context of Brazil and China celebrating the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations this year. (AFP)

Middle East-Africa

*US prepares to evacuate citizens from Lebanon: According to NBC, the US Department of Defense is mobilizing forces near the Israel-Lebanon border to promptly evacuate citizens due to concerns that Israel may conduct a ground operation in Lebanon in the coming weeks.

Earlier, it was reported that the Israeli army had approved plans for an attack on the Hezbollah Islamist militant group in Lebanon in mid-June.

On June 26, the US redeployed the USS Wasp multi-purpose amphibious assault ship and the 24th Marine Corps to the Mediterranean. In addition, US officials remain in contact with allies to coordinate the evacuation of citizens if necessary. (NBC)

*Iran begins presidential election: Speaking on Iran's state television, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said that on June 28, tens of millions of Iranian voters began voting in the new presidential election.

The election saw a race between four candidates, including Saeed Jalili (58 years old), former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and former Chief Nuclear Negotiator of Iran; Masoud Pezeshkian (69 years old), a reformist member of parliament and former Minister of Health; Mostafa Pourmohammadi (64 years old), former Minister of Justice and former Minister of Interior; and Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf (62 years old), current Speaker of Parliament and former Mayor of Tehran.

Iran's 14th presidential election, originally scheduled for 2025, was held a year early after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on May 19. (Al Jazeera)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-286-iran-election-president-russia-warns-of-truc-tiep-conflict-with-nato-two-candidates-presidential-america-tranh-luan-truc-tiep-276749.html