Ships continue to be attacked in the Gulf of Aden, South Korea and China hold high-level strategic talks, Azerbaijan accuses France of causing tension in the Caucasus, Japan's Defense Minister visits the UK and Sweden, former President Trump talks about relations with the North Korean leader... are some of the outstanding international events in the past 24 hours.
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| Two oil tankers caught fire after colliding in waters off Singapore. (Source: Reuters) |
The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.
Asia-Pacific
*Two oil tankers caught fire after colliding in waters off Singapore: The Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile very large crude carrier caught fire off the coast of Singapore after colliding with another Sao Tome and Principe-flagged very large crude carrier (VLCC).
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said it was notified on the morning of July 19 of a collision resulting in a fire on the Singapore-registered Hafnia Nile (built in 2017) and the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged very large oil tanker Ceres I (IMO 9229439).
A helicopter evacuated two crew members to a hospital in Singapore, but gave no details.
Singapore is Asia's largest oil trading hub and the world's largest refueling port, and its surrounding waters are a vital trade route between Asia, Europe and the Middle East. (The tradewindsnews/Reuters)
*North Korea, Russia discuss military cooperation: North Korean media reported on July 19 that leader Kim Jong Un discussed the importance of military cooperation with Russia's Deputy Defense Minister, in the context of Pyongyang increasingly strengthening military ties with Moscow.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Mr. Kim Jong Un met with a Russian military delegation led by Deputy Minister Aleksey Krivoruchko in Pyongyang on July 18.
Deputy Minister Krivoruchko became the first Russian military official to visit North Korea since Kim Jong Un held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang last month.
KCNA said: “The discussion shared recognition of the importance and necessity of military cooperation between the two countries to protect common security interests.” (Yonhap)
*China condemns US “abuse” of chip export controls: On July 19, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced that the country opposes the US “abuse” of export controls and “fragmentation” of the global semiconductor market.
“We hope relevant countries will resist the US’ economic coercion,” the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement, following a Bloomberg report that the US was considering tougher trade rules on Chinese chips that would also affect Japanese and Dutch chipmakers. (Reuters)
*South Korea, China to hold first high-level strategic talks in 2 years: South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and his Chinese counterpart Ma Zhaoxu will hold their first high-level strategic talks in more than two years on July 24 in Seoul to discuss bilateral cooperation on regional and global issues, the South Korean Foreign Ministry announced on July 19.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry said the discussions next week are expected to cover a wide range of issues, including peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula, the regional and global security situation, as well as ways to strengthen bilateral ties. (Yonhap)
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*China wants bilateral dialogue with Japan, South Korea: On July 19, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian emphasized that China hopes to strengthen communication, promote cooperation and promote the healthy and stable development of China-Japan and China-South Korea relations through bilateral dialogue.
Lin Jian made the remarks at a press conference in response to questions about Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu's upcoming visit to Japan and South Korea from July 21 to 25. Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu will hold the 16th China-Japan Strategic Dialogue with his Japanese counterpart Masataka Okano in Tokyo and the 10th high-level strategic dialogue with his South Korean counterpart Kim Hong-kyun in Seoul. (THX)
*Azerbaijan accuses France of creating tension in the Caucasus: On July 19, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry criticized French President Emmanuel Macron's speech at the European Political Community (EPC) summit in London, accusing the French leader of trying to create tension in the South Caucasus and hinder the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
“We state once again that France’s efforts that do not serve peace and lead to destabilization in the region will not bring any results,” Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Hajizadeh stressed. (AFP)
Europe
*Russia sentences American reporter to 16 years in prison: RIA news agency reported that on July 19, a court in Russia ruled that American reporter Evan Gershkovich was guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.
Prosecutors allege that Mr. Gershkovich collected secret information at the behest of the Central Intelligence Agency about a company that manufactured tanks for Russian special operations in Ukraine.
He is the first American journalist to be arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War. The verdict came after a trial in the city of Yekaterinburg, where he was arrested in March 2023. (Reuters)
*Hungarian Prime Minister announces continuation of peace mission in Ukraine: On July 19, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced his intention to continue his peace mission in Ukraine, but did not want to announce the next steps in advance for fear of interference. The Hungarian leader emphasized that there are currently forces that are not interested in a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian conflict.
On July 2, Prime Minister Orban visited Kiev and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, then three days later Mr. Orban met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. On July 8, the Hungarian leader traveled to Beijing and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mr. Orban also met with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington and visited former US President Donald Trump in Florida. (AFP)
*Ukraine wants UK help to lift restrictions on using long-range weapons to attack Russia: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the British cabinet that long-range missile capabilities are key to Kiev's efforts in the fight against Russia.
Speaking at Downing Street on July 19, Mr. Zelensky emphasized: “At the moment, we do not have the main answer to this problem and that is our long-range capability.”
Mr Zelensky called on Prime Minister Starmer to “persuade other partners to lift restrictions” on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons against Russia. (Reuters)
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*Japanese Defense Minister to Visit UK, Sweden: Japan's Defense Ministry said on July 19 that its head, Minoru Kihara, will visit the UK and Sweden next week. The visit comes as Japan is strengthening security cooperation with European countries.
Mr Kihara is scheduled to attend a trilateral ministerial meeting in London with Britain and Italy. The three countries aim to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet by 2035.
Mr. Kihara will meet with new British Defense Secretary John Healey. In Sweden, Mr. Kihara will hold talks with Defense Minister Pal Jonson. (Kyodo)
*German Chancellor visits Serbia to sign lithium supply contract: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Serbia on July 19 to hold talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
Scholz will attend the signing of an EU-Serbia cooperation agreement on the supply of key raw materials, primarily lithium, which is expected to be a key agenda item during the visit. Germany is the EU's largest carmaker and is keen on the supply of lithium, a key ingredient for electric cars. (Sputniknews)
*France's National Assembly election results: Lawmakers in the French National Assembly on July 18 awarded centrist politician Yeael Braun-Pivet, a loyal ally of President Emmanuel Macron, a second term as Speaker of the National Assembly with a narrow victory over a leftist candidate.
Ms Braun-Pivet won 220 votes, while her main rival for the position, veteran communist lawmaker Andre Chassaigne, received 207 votes, in a tight race that required three rounds of voting.
France's lower house of parliament has convened for the first time since an inconclusive election this month, in which the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition unexpectedly came out on top, ahead of Macron's centrists and Marine Le Pen's far-right, but neither group won a majority. (Reuters)
Middle East – Africa
*UK resumes funding for Palestinian refugee relief agency: On July 19, the new British Labour government announced that London will continue to fund the United Nations (UN) Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and called on Israel to allow more aid to be delivered to Gaza.
Britain was among a number of countries that suspended funding to UNRWA after Israel accused some of its staff of being involved in a Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 that sparked the Gaza war.
Speaking in parliament, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the government would provide £21 million ($27.1 million) in new funding.
Other countries including Japan, Germany, Italy, Australia and Canada have also resumed funding for UNRWA. The EU has pledged $435 million in funding to the Palestinian Authority over the next two months. (AFP)
*Israel: UAV attack on capital Tel Aviv was launched from Yemen: Speaking at a press conference, Israeli Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the Israeli army believes that the Iranian-made drone that attacked Tel Aviv early on the morning of July 19 was launched from Yemen.
Earlier, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) stated that the incident “should not have happened” and they took full responsibility for failing to prevent the deadly attack.
The incident is being “thoroughly investigated” and the IAF will increase fighter patrols “to protect Israeli skies.” (Times of Israel)
*Ships continue to be attacked in the Gulf of Aden: On July 19, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and British security company Ambrey announced that a ship was attacked by an unidentified weapon 83 nautical miles southeast of the city of Aden, Yemen.
UKMTO said all crew were safe. Since November 2023, Yemen's Houthi movement has carried out drone and missile attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The movement said its actions were in solidarity with Palestinians affected by Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.
Britain and the United States have carried out retaliatory strikes against the Houthis since February, including shooting down drones and bombing sites in Yemen. (Reuters)
America-Latin America
*Former President Trump wants to “get along” with North Korean leader: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on July 18 that he plans to “get along” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if he returns to the White House after winning the presidential election in November.
In a speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to formally accept the party’s nomination for the upcoming election, Mr. Trump said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “misses” him. “I get along very well with him, he wants to see me again. I think he misses me too,” he said.
Also in his speech, Mr. Trump pledged to bring auto and other manufacturing jobs back to the United States. (Reuters)
*US Election 2024: Mr. Donald Trump officially accepts the Republican nomination: On the last working day of the Republican National Convention taking place from July 15-18 (local time) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mr. Donald Trump officially accepted the nomination as the Republican candidate to run for US President in November.
In his first speech after the shooting attempt while campaigning in Pennsylvania on July 13, former President Trump emphasized that he was running to become “President for all of America, not for half of America, because there is no victory for only half of America.”
This is the third time Mr. Trump has accepted the Republican nomination to run for US President after similar efforts in 2016 and 2020. (Reuters)
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