Thai Prime Minister to visit Europe, Spain promotes Mercosur-EU FTA, Russia summons US Ambassador

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable world news this morning, March 8.

Asia

THE NATION. Thai authorities arrested eight suspects and seized more than 10,000 e-cigarette devices in a raid at Number One Market near Ramkhamhaeng University (Bangna campus) in Bangkok.

ANTARA. The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has approved a grant of Rp 31.3 billion ( US$ 2 million ) to provide technical assistance for infrastructure development, helping Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara, become a green and smart city.

PTI. The Indian Navy has commissioned a new base, INS Jatayu, on Minicoy Island, at the southern tip of the strategically located Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea.

KYODO. Holding talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar in Tokyo, Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko pledged to strengthen cooperation with India in the Indo- Pacific region.

CNA. About 900 luxury watches worth nearly $13 million are missing in Japan after Toke Match, a watch rental website, shut down and the site owner fled to Dubai (UAE).

Owners of Rolex and other expensive timepieces can consign their watches to Osaka-based Toke Match for rent to others. (Screenshot)

KCNA. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a large combat training facility in the western part of the country and gave instructions on the actual operations of units.

China and Russia are building a new model for major power relations, completely different from the outdated approach of the Cold War, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference on the sidelines of the 14th National People's Congress .

Europe

BANGKOK POSTt. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin visited Germany and France from March 7-14 to strengthen European investors' confidence in trade and investment in Thailand and step up efforts to sign the Thailand-EU FTA.

I24NEWS. Two Belgian ministers have called for Israel to be excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest, scheduled for May 7-11, as a punishment for Israel's harm to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

AFP. The European Parliament's (EP) Trade Committee has agreed to allow Ukrainian food products to be imported duty-free into the EU market for another year, as proposed by the European Commission (EC).

REUTERS. The 27 EU member states have agreed to equip themselves with a warning system that extends across the entire territory, to better detect possible cyber attacks.

BBC. The UK government has announced that it will hold its next renewable energy auction with a record annual subsidy of up to £1 billion ($1.28 billion).

FRANCE 24. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and France co-hosted the Global Forum on Building and Climate to find ways to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the construction sector.

FINANCIAL TIMES. Spain's AEPD data protection agency has suspended the Worldcoin cryptocurrency project that relies on iris scans to verify user identities, citing data security concerns.

The Worldcoin project, launched by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, began last year and provides users with a unique digital identifier – World ID – after they scan their individual iris patterns. (Source: Reuters)

RIA. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has prevented an attack on a synagogue in Moscow by a member of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).

REUTERS. Affirming that Russia is continuing its efforts to destabilize Moldova, President Maia Sandu warned that if President Vladimir Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, this effort will continue.

SPUTNIK. The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the US Ambassador to protest against "Washington's interference in internal affairs" and "funding of anti-Russian NGOs".

America

AP. Meeting with Brazilian President Lula da Silva in the capital Brasilia, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez affirmed that he will continue to make efforts to promote the signing of an FTA between the EU and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur).

REUTERS. The United States and Turkey have launched comprehensive talks to discuss whether the two NATO allies can overcome deep differences on issues such as Syria and Ankara’s close ties with Russia.

CNN. With 339 votes in favor and 85 votes against, the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives passed a package of six spending bills , worth $460 billion, to prevent a partial government shutdown from this weekend.

INFOBAE. Stopping the cocaine trade remains a priority for the US government, even as it pushes ahead with the fight against more dangerous synthetic drugs like fentanyl.

White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Rahul Gupta speaks in Bogota after meeting with President Gustavo Petro (R) and other Colombian officials. (Source: AFP)

PRENSA LATINA. Cuban police have dismantled a network of food thieves from state stores in the capital Havana and indicted 18 people, with the damage caused by the network estimated at $41,600.

AP. The escalating violence in Haiti has raised concerns for Caribbean countries, especially those closest geographically, such as Jamaica and the Bahamas.

Africa

Xinhua News Agency. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have announced the formation of a joint military force to fight jihadists who have been raging in the countries for years.

MEDAFRICA TIMES. Senegalese President Macky Sall dissolved the government and appointed Mr. Sidiki Kaba as the new prime minister, replacing Mr. Amadou Ba.

AL JAZEERA. South Africa has petitioned the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to impose new emergency measures on Israel over what it describes as “widespread famine” caused by the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

BLOOMBERG. Egypt has signed an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to increase its IMF loan from $3 billion to $8 billion.

WHO. The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners convened a ministerial conference in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, to discuss solutions to stop malaria in the worst-affected countries.

The conference was attended by health ministers and senior government officials from 11 African countries with “high burden to high impact” malaria, along with global malaria partners and donor organizations. (Source: WHO)

WFP. The conflict in Sudan, which has claimed millions of lives and caused the world's largest displacement crisis, risks triggering the world's largest famine , World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain has warned.

UN NEWS. At least 200 people have been kidnapped by Islamic extremists in an area of ​​northeastern Nigeria, most of them women and children who were taking refuge in camps for people fleeing violence.

UN NEWS. The UN said that in two days of fighting, more than 100,000 people were forced to leave their homes in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Oceania

Xinhua News Agency. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced at a press conference with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh that the two countries have upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

SBS. The 62nd Smart Energy Exhibition and Conference ( Smart Energy 2024 ) took place in Sydney (Australia), bringing together leading companies, introducing the latest advances in renewable energy technology.

KYODO. The Japanese government said it is considering holding a meeting with defense ministers from Pacific island nations later this month.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/diem-tin-the-gioi-sang-83-thu-tuong-thai-lan-cong-du-chau-au-tay-ban-nha-thuc-day-fta-mercosur-eu-nga-trieu-dai-su-my-262799.html