British and Israeli Prime Ministers hold phone talks, US President "reveals" reason for re-election, UNESCO honors Bolero art

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable world news this morning, December 7.

Asia

BERNAMA. Malaysia aims to surpass pre-Covid-19 tourist arrivals by 2024 thanks to better flight connectivity and higher potential visitors from China and India.

Tourism is expected to contribute 14% to the country's gross domestic product in 2022 and is one of the largest contributors to the Malaysian economy. (Source: Malay Mail)

THE STAR. Singapore citizens entering Malaysia will not be required to declare the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC), which will be mandatory for all international visitors from January 1, 2024.

TEMPO. The Indonesian Government released the White Paper on the national strategy for digital economic development until 2030, as a reference document in the process of implementing the digital transformation goal.

BANGKOK POST. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has ordered the military to step up its efforts to curb drug trafficking along the border with Myanmar and stabilize some restive areas in the south.

THAIGER. Four employees in Thailand's tax department have been fired after authorities discovered they were "unusually wealthy" with more than 2 billion baht (approximately 57 million USD) in their bank accounts.

KYODO. Japanese forces have begun training Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia in aerial maritime surveillance to help improve the three countries' maritime surveillance capabilities.

JAPAN TIMES. The National Space Policy Committee under the Cabinet Office of Japan has decided to postpone the launch of a Mars probe until 2026, two years later than originally planned.

KYODO. Japan, Britain and Italy will sign a pact in Tokyo next week to set up an organization and joint venture to develop a planned advanced jet fighter.

Xinhua News Agency. Promoting the healthy, stable and sustainable development of China-US relations is in the common interests of the two countries and an important responsibility of major countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone call with his US counterpart Antony Blinken.

ANADOLU. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has appointed Assistant Foreign Minister Ayman Soussan as Syria's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, months after the two countries re-established diplomatic relations.

AFP. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were living in “absolute terror”, and called for an urgent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

ARAB NEWS. Some 55,500 Lebanese have been displaced by the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah since October 7.

TASS. The UAE is Russia's largest trading partner and the largest investor among Arab countries in the Russian economy.

Điểm tin thế giới sáng 7/12: Ngoại trưởng Mỹ-Trung Quốc điện đàm,

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan emphasized at talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the capital Abu Dhabi, December 6. (Source: Reuters)

Europe

BBC. The UK has announced 46 new sanctions against individuals and organisations from various countries that it says are linked to Russia's military supply chain and supporting Moscow's special military campaign in Ukraine.

REUTERS. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone, sharing concerns about attacks by Houthi forces in Yemen on commercial ships in the Red Sea.

UKRINFORM. President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged to the Ukrainian people to defeat Russia and achieve a just peace “against all odds” as the future of US military and financial aid hangs in the balance.

GUARDIAN. The European Commission has proposed a three-year delay to a tax on electric vehicle trade between the UK and the EU, which was due to come into effect in January 2024, marking a significant shift from the EU’s previous stance.

REUTERS. The EU plans to organise six new humanitarian flights to deliver vital aid to people in need in the Gaza Strip in December.

NOVINITE. From the beginning of the year to the end of November 2023, the Bulgarian Border Police prevented about 176,000 attempts by third-country nationals to illegally enter Bulgarian territory, an increase of 13% compared to the same period last year.

America

CNN. Speaking at a fundraiser in Boston, Massachusetts, US President Joe Biden announced that he decided to run for re-election to prevent Mr. Trump from regaining the White House.

NBC NEWS. US President Joe Biden is willing to make concessions in negotiations with Republicans on demands related to border reform with Mexico in exchange for a stance supporting additional aid to Ukraine.

DC NEWS. The New York City government (USA) held a ceremony to hand over 41 stolen artifacts worth 8 million USD to Turkey.

NEW YORK TIMES. UNESCO officially recognized Bolero art as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, at the request of Cuba and Mexico.

TASS. The National Payment Card System of Russia (NSPK) announced that the Russian MIR payment card has been approved in Cuba and can be used in the same way as Visa or Mastercard.

CBC. Canada has released a draft plan to cut methane emissions by 75% , which would see widespread industrial activity at natural gas facilities banned entirely by 2030.

Africa

KBC. The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) and the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (MKWC) have signed a partnership agreement to use geospatial technology to save the Bongo antelope from extinction and protect its habitat.

Bongo antelopes are native to Kenya and are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with fewer than 100 individuals remaining in the wild. (Source: KBC)

VON. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an investigation after the country's military admitted to mistakenly bombing the village of Tudun Biri while people were celebrating an Islamic festival, killing at least 85 people.

AFP. Niger and Mali have decided to terminate their tax agreements with France within the next three months to protect the interests of people in the two African countries.

AFP. The two remaining members of the G5 alliance in the West African region - Chad and Mauritania - said they are preparing to dissolve the G5 anti-jihad group , after the three founding countries left.

Oceania

NZ HERALD. New Zealand's new government has announced it will cut budget spending, reduce income tax for households and adjust the central bank's monetary policy framework to focus on domestic price stability .

1NEWS. Air New Zealand has ordered a fully electric 5-seat ALIA aircraft from US company BETA Technologies, as part of a long-term plan to reduce carbon emissions on short domestic flights.

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