World News 11/1: Russian and North Korean Foreign Ministers hold talks, Israel sets ceasefire conditions with Hezbollah, Moscow exposes Ukraine's "secret deal"

US officials accuse foreign countries of election interference, Japan and the EU sign a new security and defense treaty, Russia deploys hypersonic weapons to distant waters, Lebanon accuses Israel of "refusing" a ceasefire, and the Malaysian Prime Minister visits China... are some of the notable international events in the past 24 hours.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui during a meeting in Moscow, January 2024. (Source: Yonhap)

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.

Asia- Pacific

*Russian and North Korean foreign ministers hold talks in Moscow: On November 1, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui will have a bilateral meeting later in the day.

On the Telegram app, Ms. Zakharova confirmed the meeting, and also published photos of Mr. Lavrov meeting Mr. Choe Son Hui at a Moscow train station. (Reuters/Sputniknews)

*Malaysian Prime Minister visits China: On November 1, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian announced that Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will visit China from November 4-7.

According to the Ministry, the visit will take place at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang. (THX)

*Japan, EU sign new security-defense pact: On November 1, Japan and the European Union (EU) signed a new security and defense partnership pact in Tokyo, welcomed by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell as a "historic and timely step".

Borrell and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya announced the agreement, which will take effect in January 2025. According to local media, the pact includes more joint military exercises, high-level dialogue and cooperation in the defense industry. (AFP)

*South Korea and the US conduct first joint UAV strike drill: The South Korean Air Force announced on November 1 that the country and the US conducted their first joint drone strike drill, a day after North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The live-fire exercise, involving a South Korean RQ-4B Global Hawk surveillance UAV and a US MQ-9 Reaper attack UAV, took place at an undisclosed location in South Korea.

A military source said the two sides had no plans to publicize the drill, but decided to do so as a warning to North Korea after the ICBM launch. (Yonhap)

*Pyongyang warns of dangerous situation on the Korean peninsula: On November 1, during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui accused the US and South Korea of ​​plotting a nuclear attack on North Korea.

However, Foreign Minister Choe did not provide evidence for her accusations, only referring to regular consultations between Washington and Seoul, where she said such plots took place.

Warning that the situation on the Korean peninsula could "explode" at any moment, Foreign Minister Choe told Mr Lavrov that Pyongyang needed to strengthen its nuclear arsenal and perfect its readiness to launch a retaliatory nuclear strike if necessary.

"Due to the US plots, the situation and security of our country are now in a very dangerous and unstable state. This is very dangerous for the security of the Korean Peninsula as well as for the entire Northeast Asia region," Foreign Minister Choe noted. (Reuters/Sputniknews)

Europe

*Foreign Minister Lavrov: US, Russia "on the brink" of direct conflict: On November 1, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that his country and the US are on the brink of a "direct military conflict".

In an interview with a Turkish newspaper ahead of the US presidential election, Lavrov noted: "Under the current President (Joe Biden), who has pushed anti-Russian sentiment in the US to the extreme, the two countries are on the brink of direct military conflict."

Asked about next week's US election between Republican former President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, Lavrov said the outcome would not make much difference to Russia. "We have no preferences," he said. "When the Trump administration came to power, it imposed the highest number of sanctions against Russia compared to its predecessors." (AFP)

*EU warns of "Chinese threat" to Europe: On November 1, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union (EU) Josep Borrell warned that China's "material and diplomatic" support for Russia in its special operation in Ukraine poses a "direct threat" to European security.

"China's increased exports of a large number of dual-use goods and materials are of great help to the construction of Russia's military-industrial base," Borrell said in an interview with Japan's Kyodo news agency. He also cited North Korea's support for Russia's war in Ukraine as an illustration of the "close connection between European security and Indo-Pacific security."

The EU diplomat also called for boosting cooperation with Japan and like-minded countries in the face of Russia's conflict in Ukraine and other security threats. (Kyodo)

*Russia deploys hypersonic weapon ship to distant seas for the first time: The press office of the Russian Northern Fleet announced on November 1 that the Admiral Golovko destroyer of Project 22350 of the Russian Navy equipped with Tsirkon hypersonic missiles has begun its first voyage to distant seas.

"Today, a group of ships of the Northern Fleet left the Severomorsk dock and began a long-distance deployment. The units of the group set off for the Atlantic Ocean through the designated areas of the Barents Sea. For the Admiral Golovko destroyer, which was received by the Russian Navy in December 2023, this is the first long-distance deployment," the office confirmed in a statement.

The main goal of this long-range deployment is to ensure the presence of the Russian Navy in important areas of operations on the oceans. (TASS)

*Russia sentences former US consulate employee to prison: On November 1, the Primorsky District Court of Russia sentenced former US Consulate General employee in Vladivostok, Russian citizen Robert Shonov, to 4 years and 10 months in prison for collaborating with the US.

Last month, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared two employees of the US Embassy in Moscow as “persona non grata” who “conducted illegal activities by maintaining contact with Russian citizen Shonov, accused of ‘secret cooperation’ with a foreign state”.

Defendant Shonov was also ordered to pay a fine of $10,269 and will be placed on probation for one year and four months after his prison term ends. (Sputniknews)

*Russia exposes "secret deal" between Ukraine and the US: Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia has just revealed shocking information about secret annexes in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace plan. Accordingly, Kiev is ready to hand over the right to exploit many strategic resources such as uranium, titanium, lithium and graphite to Washington.

Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on October 31, Mr. Nebenzia stressed that this could violate Article 13 of the Ukrainian Constitution, which stipulates that Ukrainian territory does not belong to the government. In addition, Kiev also agreed to transfer assets of the defense industry to Brussels in exchange for loans from frozen Russian assets.

The plan, announced by Mr Zelensky in mid-October with the ambition of ending the conflict by 2025, includes five public provisions and three secret annexes. The main proposals are Ukraine joining NATO, lifting restrictions on attacks on Russian territory, and deploying a "comprehensive non-nuclear deterrent package".

The plan has been criticized by both the EU and NATO for placing too many obligations on Western allies without any commitment from Kiev. (TASS)

Middle East-Africa

*Lebanon accuses Israel of "refusing" ceasefire: On November 1, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati criticized Israel's "expansion" of attacks on his country, saying it showed Tel Aviv was rejecting efforts to broker a ceasefire after more than a month of war.

Speaking after overnight Israeli raids on Beirut's southern suburbs, the first such attack this week, Mikati said: "The Israeli enemy's continued expansion of its aggression into Lebanese areas, its repeated threats to completely evacuate the cities and villages, and its continued targeting of Beirut's southern suburbs with sabotage attacks, are all signs that confirm that Tel Aviv rejects all ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire." (AFP)

*Iran summons German charge d'affaires after consulate closure: On November 1, Iran's ILNA news agency reported that the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned German charge d'affaires in Tehran Hans-Peter Jugel after Germany decided to close Iranian consulates.

On October 30, the German news agency DPA reported that the German Foreign Ministry had decided to close all three Iranian consulates in its territory following the execution of a German citizen of Iranian origin Jamshid Sharmahd in Iran. However, the Iranian Embassy in Berlin will continue to operate.

In February, Sharmahd, one of the leaders of the Tondar group that opposes the current Iranian government and advocates the restoration of the monarchy in Iran, was sentenced to death by Tehran's Revolutionary Court on charges of "corruption, treason by planning and directing terrorist acts." The death sentence was carried out on October 28. (Sputniknews)

*Israel sets conditions for ceasefire with Hezbollah: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 31 told US Special Envoy Amos Hochstein and Middle East Adviser Brett McGurk, who are visiting the country, that any ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah must ensure Israel's security.

"The prime minister made it clear that the main issue is not the paperwork for this or that agreement, but Israel's determination and capacity to ensure the application of the agreement and prevent any threat to its security from Lebanon," the Israeli prime minister's office said.

On the same day, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also held separate meetings with US representatives to discuss security arrangements regarding the northern front and the hostage exchange in Gaza. In the past year, 39 people have been killed by rockets from Lebanon, including seven on October 31 alone. (Al Jazeera)

*US-Israel discuss efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East: On November 1, US Defense Department Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder announced that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant had a phone call and discussed opportunities to ease tensions in the Middle East.

According to the ministry's press release, during the phone call, Mr. Austin also reaffirmed Washington's commitment to "protecting Americans, Israelis and partners across the region from threats from Iran and Iran-backed groups."

In addition, the two ministers discussed the steps that Israel is taking and will take to "improve the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza", as well as the prospects for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. (Sputniknews)

America - Latin America

*US presidential election: Two candidates are closely chasing each other in some battleground states: According to surveys conducted by the University of Massachusetts' Lowell Center for Public Opinion and YouGov, US Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris leads Republican rival Donald Trump in voter support in the swing states of Michigan and Pennsylvania, while Mr. Trump is ahead in North Carolina.

Polls show that 49% of respondents support Vice President Harris in Michigan compared to 45% for former President Trump. In the key state of Pennsylvania, Ms. Harris has a narrow lead over Mr. Trump, 48% to 47%.

However, former President Trump is leading his opponent by 2 percentage points in North Carolina, receiving 47% of the vote, while Ms. Harris's vote is 45%. The US presidential election will take place on November 5. (Sputniknews)

*Brazilian President cancels APEC meeting in Peru: On October 31, the Brazilian government announced that President Lula da Silva has canceled his trip to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, which will take place in Lima (Peru) on November 14-15.

This is the fourth foreign trip that President Lula has canceled after falling at home on October 19. Doctors have advised President Lula not to travel far.

Last week, Mr. Lula announced that he would cancel his attendance at the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (COP29), which will be held from November 11-22 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Mr. Lula also canceled his trip to Kazan, Russia, to attend the 16th BRICS Summit. He also canceled his attendance at the UN Conference on Biological Diversity (COP16), in Cali, Colombia. (AFP)

*US officials accuse foreign countries of election interference: On October 31, Georgia state election official Brad Raffensperger said there was "intentional misinformation" circulating online related to the US election. This was likely the result of "foreign interference to sow discord and chaos".

"This morning (October 31), our office was made aware of a video purporting to show a Haitian immigrant with multiple Georgia identification numbers claiming to have voted multiple times... This is false and an example of the intentional misinformation we have seen in this election. It is likely foreign interference intended to sow discord and chaos on the eve of the election," the office said in a statement. (Reuters)

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