Ukraine "debt default", risk of Middle East "burning" with death of Hamas leader, dangerous mistake in protecting Mr. Trump

The situation in the Middle East is "hot" with the death of Hamas leader and senior Hezbollah official, Ukraine postpones foreign debt payment, Indonesian President-elect visits Russia, new details of Trump's assassination... are some of the outstanding international news.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in the Iranian capital Tehran after an attack on his residence early on July 31. (Source: Reuters)

Europe

* Ukraine's president signed a law allowing the suspension of foreign debt payments until October 1, according to a parliamentary database on July 31.

Previously, on July 22, Ukraine reached an agreement with foreign private creditors to restructure more than $20 billion in international debt, helping Kiev avoid default when it comes due in August. (Reuters)

* Ukraine prepares to receive more air defense systems: On July 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he expected the country to receive Western air defense systems, including Patriot missiles, between August and October. (Sputnik)

* Finland's stance on Russia-Ukraine peace talks: Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that the right time for talks between Russia and Ukraine will come soon and now, "the ball is in Moscow's court".

Noting that the path to peace is "Russia must withdraw its troops", he also called on Kiev not to ask Moscow to do this in order to start peace talks, stating: "You cannot consider this troop withdrawal as a precondition".

In addition, Mr. Stubb commented, Chinese President Xi Jinping could help end the conflict because he "has a strong stance towards Russia". (Le Monde)

* Russia sets conditions for arms control dialogue with the US: On July 31, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that any basis for dialogue with the US on arms control can only take place after Washington stops confronting Moscow.

Any hypothetical discussion of these topics can only be comprehensive if it emphasizes the elimination of important security issues, such as NATO's expansion eastward, Ms Zakharova added.

According to Russian officials, there is currently no political will from the US to initiate dialogue and Moscow has no reason to do so. (Reuters)

* The Russian naval group has completed its visit to Cuba and is heading towards the Atlantic, according to the Baltic Fleet. The group includes the patrol ship Neustrashimy, the training ship Smolny and the tanker Yelnya.

After setting sail, the patrol ship Neustrashimy, the training ship Smolny and the tanker Yelnya will continue their missions during the voyage. (TASS)

* Russia-India conduct drills in the Gulf of Finland with the participation of the Soobrazitelny corvette and the Tabar destroyer.

The event is part of the Russian-Indian joint military exercise Indra-2024, which includes rehearsing operations to rescue sailors from a simulated ship in distress. (Sputnik)

Middle East-Africa

* Hamas leader and Hezbollah military leader die : On July 31, the Hamas Islamic movement issued a statement saying that the group's leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in the Iranian capital Tehran after an attack on his residence early that morning. Mr. Haniyeh came to Iran to attend the inauguration of the host country's new president.

Meanwhile, Israel announced that Hezbollah's top military commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli attack on a suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut, which left nearly 70 people dead. The Islamist movement did not confirm Shukr's death. (Reuters)

* Russia, Syria warn of risk of Middle East 'burning': On July 31, Russia assessed that the Middle East is on the brink of a large-scale war and the main parties involved are continuing to increase tensions.

"The situation in the region is now on the brink of a global conflict. The parties continue to increase the level of danger," said Russian Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Andrei Nastasin.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry also condemned the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and warned that the latest escalation could "set the entire region on fire".

Meanwhile, Iran and Hamas have vowed to "severely punish" the mastermind behind the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. No party has yet claimed responsibility for the assassination. (AFP, Reuters)

* UN calls on Israel and Lebanon to exercise restraint: On July 30, the United Nations (UN) Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert expressed concern over the airstrike carried out by Israel in the suburbs of Beirut, which resulted in many civilian casualties.

In a statement, Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert stressed that there is no military solution to the current conflict, and called on both Israel and Lebanon. to pursue a cessation of hostilities and recommit to implementing UN resolution 1701 (2006). (Times of Israel)

* The US carried out airstrikes against forces threatening security in the south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad on July 30.

An unnamed US official revealed that these subjects were trying to deploy a suicide drone system that "poses a threat to US and coalition forces". (AFP)

Asia-Pacific

* Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto visits Russia from the afternoon of July 31. (TASS)

* Myanmar extended the state of emergency for another 6 months until January 31, 2025. MRTV reported that all members of the National Defense and Security Council... agreed to the decision.

* The US and South Korea conducted live-fire drills near the inter-Korean border with the participation of a rotating US Stryker combat vehicle unit from July 22 to August 3.

This is the first joint exercise, as previously it was only held by the US military alone. (Yonhap)

* The US and the Philippines reaffirmed the right to travel in the East Sea and international airspace, during a meeting between the heads of the two countries' foreign and defense ministries.

“We are making sure that all of us can protect and maintain sovereignty, territorial integrity, freedom of navigation, freedom of commerce, which are so important to everyone in this region,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Meanwhile, referring to the mutual defense agreement signed in 1951 between the US and the Philippines, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin emphasized: “The mutual defense treaty is enforced in the event of military attacks on our armed forces, aircraft or vessels anywhere in the East Sea.” (Air and space forces)

* US-Singapore sign landmark nuclear technology research agreement that could support energy and climate needs.

The agreement, also known as the “123 Agreement”, was signed by Secretary of State Vivian Balakrishnan and his US counterpart Antony Blinken during Blinken’s two-day official visit to Singapore.

The agreement, which will allow for deeper nuclear cooperation between Singapore and the US, is expected to come into effect later this year and last for 30 years. (The Straits Times)

America

* Communication error in the failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump: On July 30, acting Director of the US Secret Service Ronald Rowe admitted that neither the Secret Service's anti-sniper team nor members of former President Trump's security team knew that there was a man armed with a gun on the roof.

According to officials at the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), local law enforcement - tasked with monitoring rooftops in the neighborhood - identified the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, as a "suspicious person" about 90 minutes before the attack on July 13 in Pennsylvania.

According to Mr. Rowe, communication between local law enforcement and the Secret Service failed, and the agency also encountered technical difficulties, as its anti-drone function was not active at the time of the attack.

Acting Director Rowe expressed "embarrassment" at the security lapses and "no excuse" why the roof where Crooks opened fire was not better secured. (Reuters)

* The US Senate passed its first major package of bills on child online protection on July 30, aimed at pushing technology companies to take stronger action to protect children.

Specifically, the Children's Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) received overwhelming bipartisan support.

"Today is a great day," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. "The Senate has kept its promise to parents who have lost their children to the dangers of social media." (AFP)

* Venezuela severs diplomatic relations with Peru: On social network X on the evening of July 30, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil announced that the country was forced to decide to sever diplomatic relations with Peru "after the reckless statements of the Peruvian Foreign Minister".

Mr. Yvan Gil emphasized that the decision to sever diplomatic relations was made based on Article 45 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations in 1961.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-317-ukraine-khat-no-nguy-co-trung-dong-bung-chay-voi-cai-chet-cua-thu-linh-hamas-sai-lam-nguy-hiem-trong-bao-ve-ong-trump-280802.html