Russian spacecraft lands on the Moon, Japan aids Hawaii, Israel-Paraguay relations warm

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable world news this morning, August 17.

Asia

KYODO. At the upcoming trilateral summit at Camp David, Japan, the United States and South Korea are expected to agree to hold annual trilateral talks involving their foreign and defense ministers.

YONHAP. In order to encourage an increase in the birth rate, the Korean government is promoting the implementation of a national “ maternity and child insurance ” system, which will support insurance premiums related to pregnancy and health monitoring for infants up to 12 months of age.

CHINA DAILY. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Beijing has always adhered to a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons.

"China firmly adheres to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and condemns putting geopolitical interests above the issue of nuclear non-proliferation." (Spokesperson Wang Wenbin)

Xinhua News Agency. China will continue to impose anti-dumping duties on halogenated butyl rubber imported from the US, EU and Singapore.

BANGKOK POST. Speaker of the Thai National Assembly Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said a joint session of the House of Representatives and Senate will be convened on August 22 to elect a new Prime Minister.

WION. American fast food chain Burger King has removed tomatoes from its burgers at many of its outlets in India after the price of the fruit more than quadrupled.

ANADOLU. Lebanon has successfully moved a drilling rig to a gas-rich area off the Mediterranean coast in preparation for production, which is expected to begin in September.

Europe

The probe will orbit 100 km above the Moon's surface before landing on August 21 north of Boguslawsky crater on the Moon's south pole. (Source: AFP)

SPUTNIK. Russia's Luna-25 lander was successfully launched into lunar orbit on August 16, Moscow's first such mission since 1976.

"For the first time in the modern history of Russia, an automated spacecraft was launched into lunar orbit at 12:03 p.m. Moscow time." (Roscosmos space agency spokesman)

TASS. The Central Bank of the Russian Federation has started the testing phase of the digital ruble to limit the negative impact of Western sanctions after the military campaign in Ukraine.

REUTERS. The European Commission has transferred 135 million euros in funding originally earmarked for a cooperation programme with Russia and Belarus to a programme related to partnerships with Ukraine and Moldova.

AFP. Spanish authorities have ordered the evacuation of five villages at risk as a wildfire spread across 300 hectares in a national park on the island of Tenerife.

DW. German officials warn that the risk of cyber attacks in the country remains high, but less than 50% of companies are equipped to respond to such potential attacks.

PAP. The Polish parliament has passed a law allowing a nationwide referendum to be held on the day of the general election scheduled for mid-October.

America

KYODO. Japan will provide $2 million in humanitarian aid to help the US state of Hawaii recover from recent wildfires.

MOSCOW TIMES. Rossiya Airlines (Russia) will resume regular flights to the Cuban capital Havana from December 24, after being interrupted for several years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

AP. Mexico's Ministry of Economy announced an increase in import tariffs on a range of products to protect domestic production, with the highest increase being up to 25% and taking effect from August 16, 2023 to July 31, 2025.

CBC. The Canadian military has been deployed to the Northwest Territories as wildfires in the region threaten the livelihoods of local communities.

JNS. Paraguay's new President Santiago Pena said he will reopen the embassy in Jerusalem and Israel will also reopen its embassy in the capital Asunción, ending a five-year diplomatic conflict between the two countries.

President Santiago Pena (right) receives Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen during a visit to Paraguay, just one day after the South American country's leader took office, August 16. (Source: Israeli Foreign Ministry)

Africa

REUTERS. Seventeen Nigerien soldiers were killed in an attack believed to have been carried out by jihadists near Niger's western border with Mali.

UN. UN humanitarian agencies call on the conflicting parties in Sudan to end the fighting, protect innocent civilians, and allow aid workers to operate safely and unhindered.

ARAB NEWS. Libya's Emergency Medical Center said clashes between two large armed groups in the capital Tripoli left 27 people dead and 106 injured.

Oceania

ABC. The Australian Government and the State of California (USA) have signed a new memorandum of understanding to accelerate joint efforts to address the urgent issue of climate change and support the clean energy transition.

THE AUSTRALIAN. The Australian state of New South Wales has declared a biosecurity emergency after discovering a dangerous parasite in honey bees.

REUTERS. A Chinese military delegation attends a US-hosted defense chiefs conference in the South Pacific island nation of Fiji.

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