Moscow denies 'secret talks with US' on Ukraine, big fire at military base in Crimea, Japanese diplomat attacked in US

UN staff killed in Mali, China blocks shipment from Japan, President Putin does not go to South Africa to attend BRICS Summit... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Smoke and flames rise from an explosion at a military training area in the Kirovske district of Crimea, July 19, 2023. (Source: STRINGER/ REUTERS)

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

Asia

* South Korea, US, Japan meet on North Korea issue: South Korea's special envoy for peace and security on the Korean peninsula, Mr. Kim Gunn, arrived in Tokyo on July 19 to meet with his Japanese and US counterparts to discuss North Korea's nuclear and missile issues.

The content of this trilateral meeting is said to focus on discussing how to respond to North Korea's recent moves, especially after Pyongyang test-launched the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week.

This is North Korea's 12th ICBM launch since early 2013. Officials from the three countries also held trilateral talks in Seoul in April. During this meeting, Mr. Kim Gunn is expected to have separate meetings with his US and Japanese counterparts in Tokyo . (Yonhap )

* China blocks seafood imports from Japan over radiation concerns: Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said on July 19 that Chinese customs had blocked some shipments of Japanese seafood bound for China. The move came after local media reported that China had begun checking for radiation levels on seafood imported from Japan.

The Yomiuri newspaper, citing informed sources, said the mass inspection was seen as an attempt to put pressure on Tokyo's plan to "discharge into the sea treated radioactive wastewater" from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Previously, Japan expressed concern that China - Japan's largest seafood importer - might stop buying this item after Tokyo "discharged radioactive wastewater into the ocean". ( Reuters)

* Italian Ambassador to Indonesia declares support for ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific : Speaking at a press conference during the visit of the ITS Francesco Morosini to Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta on July 18, Italian Ambassador to Indonesia Benedetto Latteri said Italy supports the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

Ambassador Latteri added that among other tasks, the Morosini's mission includes ensuring stability and peace in the region, in line with ASEAN's stance on the Indo-Pacific.

Mr. Latteri added that Francesco Morosini is the latest high-tech ship of Italy, which was commissioned by the Italian Navy in October 2022 and is currently on its first operational deployment. The ship has been at sea since April 2023 and has stopped in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea before arriving in Indonesia.

The Morosini, designed with enhanced dual-purpose capabilities to carry out both military missions, including patrolling, logistics transport and surface combat, as well as civil protection operations, will sail to other ports before returning to Italy at the end of September. (VNA)

* South Korea sends warning signal to North Korea: On July 19, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol boarded the US ballistic missile submarine USS Kentucky at a Navy base in Busan.

Speaking at the base, Mr. Yoon emphasized: "The deployment of the USS Kentucky clearly demonstrates the commitment of South Korea and the United States to regularly deploy US strategic assets and ensure the credibility of extended deterrence.

The two countries will strongly and resolutely respond to North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats through the ROK-US Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) and the regular deployment of strategic assets, such as SSBNs."

A U.S. Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) visited a port city in southeastern South Korea, the first visit by a U.S. SSBN since 1981. (Yonhap)

* Thai Parliament cancels nomination of Prime Minister Pita: On July 19, the Thai Parliament voted to cancel the nomination of the Prime Minister position for the leader of the Progressive Party (MFP) Pita Limjaroenrat.

Of the 715 lawmakers from both houses who voted, 394 voted in favor of withdrawing Pita's nomination, 312 voted against it, eight abstained and one did not vote.

After the results were approved, President of the Thai National Assembly Wan Muhamad Noor Matha officially announced the cancellation of the nomination of Mr. Pita as prime minister. Before that, the two houses of Thailand had a debate lasting more than 7 hours on this issue. (TTXVN)

* Moscow denies news of “secret negotiations with the US” on Ukraine: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on July 19 that information about negotiations between Moscow and Washington on Ukraine last April was all fake news.

Ms. Zakharova stated: "Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has not had any negotiations with the US side as reported in the US media. This is a distortion and falsification. This is done deliberately to shake Russia from within."

Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser Jake Sulluvan said the Biden administration did not send any signals about Ukraine through Lavrov in New York in April . (AFP)

* Large fire at military base in Crimea, more than 2,000 people evacuated : Crimean authorities said on July 19 that more than 2,000 people had to be evacuated and a highway was closed after a fire broke out at a military training facility in the Kirovske region of the Crimean peninsula.

Crimean Governor Sergei Aksyonov confirmed that "There are plans to temporarily evacuate residents from four settlements with more than 2,000 people". The nearby Tavrida highway was partially closed, but the reason is unclear.

According to Russian security services and Ukrainian media, an ammunition depot at a base caught fire after an overnight airstrike by Ukrainian forces . (Reuters)

* Russian military to receive advanced 5th generation fighter jets : Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced that the country plans to increase the delivery of 5th generation fighters to the Russian armed forces. Speaking on July 18, Mr. Mishustin affirmed that by the end of next month, aircraft manufacturers will hand over a batch of Su-57 aircraft to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Prime Minister Mishustin added that Uralvagonzavod delivered the T-90M Proryv and T-72BZM tanks on schedule. Mr. Mishustin added that the Su-57 aircraft (according to NATO classification) is Russia's fifth-generation multi-role fighter, designed to destroy all types of air, ground and surface targets.

The Su-57 has supersonic cruise speed, internal weapons and "stealth" capabilities. The Su-57 also has intelligent systems, allowing the aircraft to take on some of the pilot's tasks, including navigation and preparing to use weapons. (TASS)

* British expert says Ukraine will suffer a heavy defeat if… : Expert Robert Clark of the London-based Civitas research institute said the Kiev government could suffer a "heavy defeat" and have to cede territory to Russia.

In an editorial published in the Daily Telegraph (UK), Mr. Clark stated: "If Kiev fails in its attempt to divide the Crimea bridge and cannot regain most of its territory before winter, calls for territorial concessions will become more common - not only in Ukraine but also from Western countries due to "war fatigue" and anxiety of politicians before upcoming national elections.

Mr Clark commented: "The fighting will begin to subside as the cold winter weakens the Ukrainian army's ability to wage high-intensity warfare. This will only give Russia more time to further strengthen its defences, as it did last winter... At this time, in the West, all eyes will be on the upcoming US election, as well as the general election in Britain. (Daily Telegraph)

* British intelligence affirms that AI cannot replace human spies: On July 19, Director of the British Foreign Intelligence Service (MI6) Richard Moore spoke in the capital of Prague, Czech Republic, saying that artificial intelligence (AI) will not be able to replace human spies.

Mr. Moore stressed that governments and intelligence agencies around the world are looking to harness the power of AI, but it will complement rather than replace humans, as humans have the ability to uncover secrets beyond the reach of technology.

Spies are not just passive information gatherers and they can ask new questions that the intelligence agency is not aware of and they can even influence decisions within a government or terrorist group.

It was a rare public speech by the head of MI6 since taking up the post in 2020. In his first public speech, Moore warned that China and Russia are racing to master technologies such as AI and quantum computing, and that this will continue to be a focus . (AP)

* Beijing declares that the US "cannot contain" China : On July 19, in Beijing, Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of China Wang Yi met with veteran US diplomat Henry Kissinger.

After the meeting, Mr. Wang Yi declared that the US "cannot contain or encircle" China, but still praised the role of Mr. Kissinger, the former US Secretary of State, for opening diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing.

Mr. Wang Yi affirmed: "China's development has strong endogenous momentum and inevitable historical logic. We cannot try to transform China, let alone encircle and contain China."

According to China's top diplomat, "US policy towards China needs Kissinger-style diplomatic wisdom and Nixon-style political courage," referring to former US President Richard Nixon, who established diplomatic relations with China. Meanwhile, Mr. Kissinger, then the US national security adviser, secretly flew to Beijing in July 1971 to carry out a mission to establish diplomatic relations with China. (AFP/Reuters)

America

* Senior Japanese diplomat attacked in the US : Local media reported that Yuzo Yoshioka, the Japanese Consul General in Portland, USA, was pushed by a woman while walking in the downtown area of ​​this western US city on June 17.

The attack on the Japanese diplomat was reportedly motivated by “anti-Asian hatred”. Consul General Yuzo Yoshioka, who suffered a head injury after hitting the pavement, told a police officer that the attacker had pushed him “for no reason”.

The 23-year-old attacker has been charged with hate crimes and assault, and is also accused of assaulting a 76-year-old Asian man in August last year, according to media reports. (Kyodo)

Oceania

* Australia-US to hold ministerial consultations : According to an Australian press release, next week, Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong will welcome U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to Brisbane to attend the 33rd “Australia-US Ministerial Consultations” (AUSMIN).

The statement said the United States is Australia’s key security ally and closest global partner. AUSMIN is the primary forum where Australia and the United States set the strategic direction for their alliance.

At AUSMIN 2023, Australia and the US will discuss ways to strengthen their comprehensive partnership, including defence and security, climate and clean energy, and economic resilience. After AUSMIN, Mr Marles and Minister Austin will travel to north Queensland, where Australian and US military personnel are participating in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 with their counterparts from 11 partner nations. (AFP)

Middle East – Africa

* US calls on Egypt to release jailed human rights activist: On July 19, the US called on Egypt to release human rights researcher Patrick Zaki, a day after he was sentenced to three years in prison for "spreading false information".

The US State Department said it was “concerned by the three-year prison sentence of Egyptian human rights defender Patrick Zaki,” and called for “the immediate release of him and others unjustly detained.”

Zaki, 32, was jailed for an article detailing the discrimination he and other members of Egypt's Coptic Christian minority said they had suffered. Zaki had previously spent 22 months in pre-trial detention, and was re-arrested on July 18 following the court ruling in Mansoura, 130km north of Cairo. (AFP)

* UN staff killed in Mali : The United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) said on July 18 that at least one of its staff was killed and four others were seriously injured when their patrol was attacked in northern Mali on July 14.

The incident occurred near the town of Ber, in the Timbuktu region - an area that has become a hotbed of jihadist activity over the past decade. MINUSMA did not name the perpetrators but said it was a "complex attack" and would provide updates on casualties.

Islamist militants, some with links to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS), have waged an insurgency in northern Mali since 2012. Violence has spread across the sub-Saharan Sahel region despite international military intervention. Thousands of people have been killed and more than 6 million displaced by the fighting, according to the United Nations.

At least 309 MINUSMA personnel have been killed in Mali since the Mission began its mission in the country in 2013, including 174 deaths due to malicious acts, making it the deadliest UN peacekeeping mission in the world. (VNA)

* President Putin will not attend BRICS summit in South Africa : The South African presidency announced on July 19 that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS summit (including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in South Africa next August, ending months of speculation about whether the Russian leader would attend the event or not.

In a statement, President Cyril Ramaphosa's spokesman Vincent Magwenya said: "According to general consensus, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin will not attend this summit, but the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister (Sergei) Lavrov." (AFP)

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