French President visits Czech Republic, new Pakistani Prime Minister is optimistic, what does the Philippines oppose China about?

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable world news this morning, March 6.

Asia

KYODO. The online food delivery app Uber Eats (USA) has officially launched robot delivery in some areas of Tokyo (Japan).

JIJI. Japan plans to more than double the number of foreigners eligible for skilled worker visas over a five-year period starting in fiscal 2024 to more than 800,000.

JAPAN TIMES. The Japanese government will stop supporting treatment costs for Covid-19 patients, including fixing the cost of treatment drugs, at the end of March due to a decrease in the number of cases of the infectious disease.

YONHAP. South Korea and the United States announced new chief negotiators on cost-sharing talks for the upkeep of U.S. troops in South Korea, a move that suggests talks could begin soon.

KOREA TIMES. The Constitutional Court of South Korea has ruled to uphold the constitutionality of a law limiting the workweek to a maximum of 52 hours .

PTI. During his visit to South Korea, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar along with his counterpart Cho Tae-yul co-chaired the 10th India-South Korea Joint Commission (JCM) meeting.

CHINA DAILY. Under a newly signed defense cooperation agreement with the Maldives, China will provide free military assistance to Male, strengthening relations between the two countries.

MANILA TIMES. The Philippines has summoned China’s deputy ambassador to Manila to protest the “aggressive actions” of Beijing’s coast guard and maritime militia against Manila’s supply convoy for Philippine soldiers in the South China Sea.

BERNAMA. Four people were rescued after a Malaysian Coast Guard helicopter crashed in the Strait of Malacca on March 5.

NESDC. Thailand needs to step up measures to tackle air pollution , as more than 10 million people are expected to require pollution-related medical treatment by 2023.

MALAYSIA GAZETTE. Thailand and Malaysia discuss tourism cooperation under the “6 Countries, 1 Destination” initiative, rising airfares and investment in the food industry...

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin (left) and his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim met in Melbourne, Australia on March 5. (Source: Malaysia Gazette)

COLOMBO GAZETTE. Sri Lanka's cabinet has approved a proposal to assume $553 million in debt from SriLankan Airlines to facilitate divestment and make the airline more attractive to potential investors.

DAWN. The government will make every effort to stabilize the national economy, Pakistan's new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said, expressing optimism about the country's prospects of overcoming economic challenges in the coming years.

ARAB NEWS. Talks between the Hamas Islamist movement and mediators on a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Cairo (Egypt) ended without a breakthrough.

AL MASIRAH. The Houthi forces announced that ships must obtain permission from Yemen's maritime authority, which is controlled by the force, before entering Yemeni waters.

Europe

EURO NEWS. The European Commission (EC) has proposed a new €1.5 billion ($1.63 billion) defence programme , to be funded from the EU budget for 2025-2027.

REUTERS. The EU Council and the European Parliament (EP) have reached a provisional agreement to ban the import of products made with forced labour into the European single market.

REUTERS. Just hours after officially assuming the position of President of Hungary, Mr. Tamas Sulyok signed the law approving Sweden to join NATO.

TASS. Russia is taking measures to strengthen its forces in the western and northwestern strategic directions amid Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

FRANCE 24. With the French National Assembly voting to pass a historic decision to enshrine the right to abortion in the Constitution, France becomes the first country in the world to include this provision in its basic law.

AP. Defense cooperation, energy and the Ukraine issue were the focus of meetings between French President Emmanuel Macron and Czech leaders in Prague on March 5.

Czech President Petr Pavel (left) welcomes his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at Prague Castle on March 5. (Source: AP)

BBC. A group of northern European countries have agreed to a new “customs partnership” to stop the supply of small boats used to ferry migrants across the English Channel, the UK Home Office has said.

DW. The Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Deutsche Börse) announced the launch of a new cryptocurrency exchange for professional investors.

ANADOLU. Turkish authorities have arrested seven people suspected of spying for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, including a professional spy.

America

FOX2. Social networks Facebook, Instagram and the chat application Facebook Messenger of technology group Meta are having problems with many users in a number of countries saying they cannot access them.

BLOOMBERG. JetBlue and Spirit Airlines have withdrawn their merger, six weeks after a federal judge ruled the deal violated US antitrust laws.

AP. More than 140 organizations and individuals signed an open letter to the Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee calling for an end to the embargo on Cuba.

BNN BREAKING. Mexico's Foreign Ministry has denied reports that the country will join BRICS in 2024, just two weeks after Argentina announced it would not join the group.

CBC. As measles continues to spread silently through communities across the country, Canadian health officials are urging people to stay vigilant and get vaccinated.

INFOBAE. The Colombian government and the armed group Estado Mayor Central (EMC) - a splinter group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) - began the fourth round of peace talks in San José del Guaviare.

Africa

HERITAGE DAILY. Egyptian and American archaeologists have unearthed the upper part of a full-body statue of Pharaoh Ramses II dating back more than 3,200 years.

The upper part of the 3.8-meter-tall limestone statue, discovered in Minya province, matches the lower part of an Egyptian Pharaoh statue found in 1930. (Source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

EGYPT NEWS. Egypt is studying the expansion and completion of the second channel of the Suez Canal, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman Osama Rabie said.

AFRICA NEWS. A mid-air accident when two planes collided in the Nairobi National Park area (Kenya) left at least two people dead, 44 others were lucky to survive.

NNS. Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf held a phone call with his British counterpart David Cameron to discuss bilateral relations and international issues of mutual concern, especially the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

AL JAZEERA. Senegalese President Macky Sall has been advised to postpone the presidential election until June 2, after deadly protests erupted over the decision to postpone the vote so close to the scheduled voting day.

AFP. The EU continues to commit financial support to Tunisia, with a disbursement of 150 million euros ($162.74 million) under the Tunisia Macroeconomic Reform Support Program, approved in December 2023.

Oceania

ABC. Australia will establish Investment Trading Group hubs in Singapore, Jakarta (Indonesia) and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) with additional Trading Group representatives across the ASEAN region.

Announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the launch of “Invest: South-East Asia Economic Strategy 2040”, the Negotiating Group will work with governments and businesses in South-East Asia to identify and facilitate overseas investment opportunities for Australian investors. (Source: AFR)

MIRAGE NEWS. Canada and Australia have signed an agreement to cooperate on developing minerals needed for the clean energy transition as both countries avoid relying on a single source of imported raw materials.

SBS. Solar cells made using 3D printing technology developed by Australia's CSIRO were sent into space to test the reliability of these batteries as an energy source for space missions.

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