What is the purpose of the Russian Foreign Minister's visit to China? Japan-US-Australia-Philippines conduct military exercises in the East Sea, Israel and Hamas deny information about progress in negotiations, US conducts combat training in the Philippines... are some of the world's outstanding news in the past 24 hours.
The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.
Russia-Ukraine
*Consequences of Ukraine's attack on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: The Kremlin said on April 8 that the attack by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was very dangerous.
Moscow accused Kiev of carrying out three attacks on the ZNPP controlled by Russian forces on April 7 and demanded a response from the West. Meanwhile, Ukraine denied involvement in these attacks.
Ukraine has previously denied allegations of Kiev's involvement in drone attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
According to the press service of the Zaporizhzhia plant, Ukrainian drones attacked the nuclear power plant on April 7. (THX)
*Russia announces its stance on the Ukrainian Embassy building in Moscow: Mr. Alexei Polishchuk - Director of the Department of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) of the Russian Foreign Ministry - announced on April 8 that in compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, Russia maintains the integrity of the Ukrainian Embassy building in Moscow after terminating the land lease contract.
According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, even in the event of an armed conflict, the host country must respect and protect the premises of the mission, its property and archives. Earlier, on February 10, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that the Moscow City Real Estate Management Agency had decided to terminate the lease contract for the land plot assigned to the Ukrainian Embassy. (THX)
Middle East - Africa
*Germany rejects Nicaragua's accusation at ICJ regarding Gaza: On April 8, Germany responded to Nicaragua's claim at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of the United Nations (UN) that Berlin is facilitating genocide in Gaza through its policy of supporting Israel, while affirming that Berlin fully complies with international law.
Speaking to the press, German lawyer Tania von Uslar-Gleichen said: “Germany completely denies the accusations. We have never violated the Genocide Convention or international humanitarian law, directly or indirectly... Nicaragua’s presentation is completely biased and tomorrow we will announce how we fully comply with our responsibilities.”
Earlier, Nicaragua's representative said he would ask the ICJ to order Germany to stop arms exports to Israel and revoke its decision to stop funding the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA). (AFP)
*Iran considers timing of retaliation against Israel: TASS news agency on April 8 quoted Professor Adnan Hussein - an expert on Arab politics at the Lebanese University - as saying that Israel's attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus (Syria) was intended to divert public opinion away from the war in the Gaza Strip. He said: "Tehran has recognized this Israeli plot and will choose not to retaliate hastily, and will maintain a state of strategic restraint."
Mr Hussein said Iran is delaying but will not abandon the idea of retaliatory strikes. Tehran is likely to carry out the attacks itself, rather than through armed groups such as Hezbollah. A visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to Syria on April 8 will provide more information on further developments.
In recent days, Israel has been on high alert and has stepped up preparations for the worst-case scenario if attacked. (Al Jazeera)
*Israel announced the "elimination" of a Hezbollah commander: The Israeli Army (IDF) announced on April 8 that in an overnight airstrike targeting the Sultaniyeh area in southern Lebanon, the IDF "eliminated" Ali Ahmed Hussein - a senior commander of the Radwan Brigade of the Hezbollah movement.
The statement said Hussein had been the direct commander of Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel in recent months. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s national news agency (NNA) reported that IDF aircraft had struck an unoccupied house in Sultaniyeh, causing “significant damage” to surrounding homes and structures, affecting at least eight households.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which broke out shortly after the war in the Gaza Strip, has so far killed more than 360 people in Lebanon and dozens in Israel. (the Times of Israel)
*Israel and Hamas deny information about progress in ceasefire negotiations: Israeli and Hamas officials on April 8 denied information about progress in ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip taking place in Cairo, Egypt.
Israeli media quoted an Israeli official as saying: “We do not see any prospect of reaching an agreement in the near future. The gap in the parties’ views remains large and there has been no breakthrough so far.” Meanwhile, a Hamas official also confirmed that there has been no progress in the negotiations due to Israel’s “stubborn” stance.
Representatives of Israel and Hamas arrived in Cairo on April 7, a day after CIA Director William Burns led a US delegation there. According to Israeli media, Burns presented a new draft of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. (Al Jazeera)
Asia-Pacific
*US conducts combat training in the Philippines: Major General Marcus Evans - Commander of the 25th Infantry Division of the US Army - said that this force is conducting joint live-fire training activities in the Philippines to improve combat readiness, including the task of ensuring adequate supply of ammunition and other needs in difficult conditions in tropical forests and on scattered islands.
About 2,000 U.S. and Philippine troops will participate in multi-day combat exercises in the Philippines in June, Evans said. The live-fire training will be held for the first time in the Philippines at Manila’s request, but Evans said it was unclear whether the two longtime treaty allies would decide to make the exercises annual. (AP)
*China responds with warnings about consequences if it helps Russia: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on April 8 that relevant countries should not smear the normal relationship between Moscow and Beijing.
The statement was made by Ms. Mao at a press conference in response to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's warning about the consequences for Chinese companies when helping Russia.
Earlier, at a press conference in Beijing, Ms. Yellen warned companies, including Chinese enterprises, not to provide material support to Russia in the Ukraine crisis, otherwise they will face serious consequences.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that normal cooperation between China and Russia in various fields should not be interrupted or restricted. (Sputnik)
*Japan-US-Australia-Philippines joint military exercise in the East Sea: The Philippine military announced on the evening of April 7 that the country conducted a joint maritime exercise with Japan, the US and Australia in the East Sea, leading to China organizing a maritime and air patrol in response.
According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the four-way joint exercise, which took place on April 7 in the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ), demonstrated “a commitment to strengthening regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region through interoperable exercises in the maritime domain.”
The drills come amid China's increasingly assertive stance in the resource-rich South China Sea. In a protest against the drills, the Chinese military said on the same day it had conducted a "strategic patrol" under the direction of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Southern Theater Command. (Kyodo)
Europe
*German Chancellor visits China: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit China from April 13-16. Speaking at a press conference on April 8, spokesman for the German Chancellor's Office - Mr. Steffen Hebestreit stated - Chancellor Scholz will meet with Mr. Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing.
Other stops on the German leader's trip will include Chongqing on April 14 and Shanghai on April 15. Scholz is expected to hold talks with German businesses and deliver a speech at a university in Shanghai.
This is Chancellor Scholz's second visit to China since taking office. His first trip to the Asian giant took place in November 2022 (AFP)
*Purpose of Russian Foreign Minister's visit to China: The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on April 8 that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has begun an official visit to China to discuss the war in Ukraine, bilateral relations and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Earlier, Russia announced that Foreign Minister Lavrov would meet with his host counterpart Wang Yi and discuss a series of "hot topics", which would also include joint cooperation in international organizations, such as the UN and the G20.
Also in March, Reuters reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China in May to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which will be the Kremlin leader's first foreign trip during his new presidential term. (Reuters)
*Russia warns of German military presence in Lithuania: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned on April 8 that the plan to deploy German troops in Lithuania would escalate tensions.
Lithuania, a member of both NATO and the European Union that shares borders with Russia and Moscow's ally Belarus, has previously said it would partly fund a permanent German military presence of 5,000 troops from 2027. (Reuters)
America
*The US may tax China's green exports: In an interview with CNBC on April 8, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Washington will not rule out tariffs on China's green energy exports.
Asked about potential tariffs, Yellen said: “I wouldn’t rule anything out at this point.” Yellen, who is on a trip to China, warned Beijing that Washington would not accept new industries being harmed by Chinese imports. (Reuters)
*Argentina condemns Ecuador's raid on Mexican Embassy: On April 7, the Argentine Foreign Ministry issued a statement urging Ecuador to comply with international regulations after Ecuadorian security forces raided the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, accused of corruption.
The statement posted on account X stated that "like other countries in the region, Argentina condemns the raid on the Mexican Embassy in Quito and calls for full compliance with international rules and obligations arising from the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations."
On her X account, former Argentine President Cristina Fernández also strongly condemned Ecuador's actions, saying that this was an "unprecedented attack in Latin America" and "a violation of international law as well as Mexico's historical tradition in the issue of political asylum." (AP)
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