Ukraine launched NATO's GLSDB bomb for the first time, Israel lifted its precautionary measures, Singapore announced Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's successor, Kuwait has a new Prime Minister... are some of the world's outstanding news in the past 24 hours.
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| As Iran retaliates against Israel, the United Nations is calling for a de-escalation of tensions. (Source: AFP) |
Russia-Ukraine
* Ukraine launches NATO GLSDB bomb for the first time: Russian combat forces said on April 15 that the Ukrainian army launched the "Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb" (GLSDB) for the first time to attack the city of Tokmak in Zaporizhzhia province.
The GLSDB bomb used by Ukraine is a type of bomb developed by NATO. Many NATO countries use this type of bomb. The Russian military's operations department said that the GLSDB bombs were launched by Ukraine using the HIMARS high-mobility rocket launcher system. (TASS)
* Russia deploys long-range Kh-69 cruise missile: The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on April 15 that the Russian military is producing and deploying a new subsonic cruise missile called the Kh-69 in a new series of attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
"Sources said Russian forces launched the Kh-69 from up to 400km away from the target, exceeding the estimated range of 300km, as well as the 200km range of the most recent Kh-59MK2 version," the ISW report said. Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure in recent weeks, exploiting Ukraine's lack of air defense weapons amid delays in Western military aid. (ISW)
* Russian suicide UAV Lancet-3 attacks Ukrainian tanks: Russian Lancet unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in general and Lancet-3 in particular have proven their effectiveness on the Ukrainian battlefield, helping Russia neutralize Ukraine's counter-offensive campaign in late 2023 and destroy many weapons provided by NATO including heavy artillery and tanks.
The Russian Defense Ministry has released a video of a Lancet-3 suicide drone destroying a Ukrainian tank near Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast. According to the clip, the Lancet-3, also known as Izdeliye-51 (Product-51), crashes into the back of a Ukrainian tank hiding in a bunker behind a clump of trees. When the UAV hits its target, the armored vehicle explodes. (TASS)
* Russia will take control of the eastern settlement of Chasiv Yar: According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russian forces will take control of the eastern settlement of Chasiv Yar in the next few weeks, after admitting that the situation on the eastern battlefield is "getting significantly worse".
In a Telegram post on April 14, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the Russian military is trying to gain control of Chasiv Yar before May 9. (Telegram)
Asia-Pacific
* OpenAI opens first office in Asia: On April 15, OpenAI - the company that developed the ChatGPT chatbot - opened an office in the Japanese capital Tokyo. This is OpenAI's first office in Asia, as part of an effort to meet the growing demand for this service in Japan.
The opening of the OpenAI office in Japan follows a meeting between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in Tokyo in April 2023, during which he expressed his intention to open an office in Japan. (The Business Times)
* Singapore announces successor to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong: After being sworn in at 8pm on May 15 (local time) at the Istana Palace, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Chun-tai will officially become the fourth Prime Minister of Singapore.
Mr. Hoang Tuan Tai, born in 1972, was a secretary to Mr. Lee Hsien Loong during his first period as Prime Minister of Singapore. The future leader of Singapore has held many positions in the Lion Island's cabinet since 2011, such as Minister of Culture, Community and Youth, Minister of Finance... and began to gain attention when he took on the position of head of the Covid-19 task force. (Reuters)
* China leads in the number and capacity of nuclear power plants under construction: According to the Green Book "China Nuclear Power Development Report 2024" published on April 15, up to now, China has a total of 26 nuclear power units under construction with a total installed capacity of 30.3 million kW, continuing to rank first in the world.
In recent years, the country's nuclear power output has been steadily increasing and will reach more than 433 billion kilowatt hours by 2023, ranking second in the world. This figure is equivalent to reducing the consumption of more than 130 million tons of standard coal. (Xinhua)
Middle East-Africa
* Arab countries call for de-escalation: On April 14, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Oman, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Qatar expressed deep concern over the recent military escalation in the Middle East following Iran's attack on Israel, and called on all parties involved to exercise maximum restraint.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi has affirmed the importance of maintaining regional and global stability and called on the international community to deploy joint diplomatic efforts to peacefully resolve disputes. (Gulf News)
* The UN tries to "defuse" tensions: The UN Security Council (UNSC) held an emergency meeting on April 14 on the situation in the Middle East, focusing on Iran's retaliatory attack on Israel.
In his opening remarks, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the Middle East is on the brink of danger, stressing: “Neither the region nor the world can afford further conflict. Now is the time for de-escalation and de-escalation.” Urging “an immediate cessation of hostilities,” he called on all parties involved to absolutely respect the safety of diplomatic and consular facilities and personnel in all situations. (UN News)
* Israel lifts precautions: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that all precautions taken before the Iranian attack were lifted on the night of April 14.
The restrictions, which include a ban on schools and educational institutions and a ban on outdoor gatherings, took effect on the evening of April 13 and are expected to last until the evening of April 15, as part of Israel's defense plan against Iranian missile and drone attacks. (Reuters)
* Kuwait has a new Prime Minister: Kuwaiti Emir Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah appointed Ahmad Abdullah al-Ahmad al-Sabah as Prime Minister of the country. Previously, on April 6, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah submitted the Government's resignation to Emir Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. (KUNA)
Europe
* France concerned about Middle East conflict: On April 15, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the country will do everything possible to prevent escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
In an interview with BFM television channel and RMC radio, the French leader stressed: "We are all very concerned about the risk of an escalation of the situation."
On the same day, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced that Paris will increase security around Jewish schools and synagogues, as a response to the current Middle East crisis between Israel and Iran. (Reuters)
* Serbia refuses to buy Russian fighter jets: Due to the Ukraine conflict and international sanctions, Serbia is now unable to buy anything from Russia. Instead, Serbia has decided to order Rafale fighter jets made by France's Dassault Aviation and has agreed on 90% of the terms of the deal. Belgrade will receive 12 Rafale multirole fighters in a contract worth an estimated 3 billion euros ($3.26 billion). (Financial Times)
* German Chancellor visits China: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in China on April 14, starting a three-day visit to the Northeast Asian country. Mr. Scholz's first destination was the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing, with the aim of visiting a hydrogen fuel cell factory of German technology supplier Bosch.
He is scheduled to visit the financial hub of Shanghai on April 15 before heading to Beijing to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on April 16. This is Chancellor Scholz's second visit to China since taking office in late 2021, following his first visit in November 2022. (Reuters)
America-Latin America
* US economy reduces risk of recession: The Wall Street Journal on April 14 cited the results of the latest quarterly survey showing that business leaders and economic scholars have lowered the risk of the US economy falling into recession in the next 1 year to 29%, down from 39% in the survey in January.
This is the lowest level since April 2022. Experts participating in the survey even affirmed that the world's largest economy is not approaching the threshold of recession. (Wall Street Journal)
* Shooting in Chicago, USA: An 8-year-old girl was killed and at least 10 others were injured, including 3 children, in a mass shooting that occurred on the evening of April 13 (9:00 a.m. April 14, Hanoi time) in Chicago, Illinois (USA).
Police responded to a report of a shooting at SoundThinking in the 2000 block of West 52nd Street and found at least 11 victims suffering from gunshot wounds. (CNN)
* Mexican helicopter crash causes casualties: On April 14, a privately owned helicopter crashed in the southern area of Mexico City, killing all 3 people on board.
Local authorities said the helicopter, owned by the Let'Fly company, suddenly lost control and crashed at an intersection in the Coyoacán district, located in the southern part of the Mexican capital. The entire crew of three, including the pilot, died at the scene. (EPA Images)
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