Russian presidential election begins, Azerbaijan-Armenia "closer than ever to peace", Poland replaces dozens of ambassadors

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable world news this morning, March 15.

Asia Owner

KCNA. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un directed the drill involving tank units, aiming to test the actual combat capabilities of tank crews and familiarize them with combat forms and tactics.

Leader Kim Jong Un expressed satisfaction as a new type of main battle tank demonstrated its offensive power during a drill. (Source: Yonhap)

KOREA TIMES. South Korea's Hyundai Motor and Kia will voluntarily recall about 170,000 electric vehicles in the country due to software problems in the charging system.

CHINA DAILY. China believes that the US House of Representatives' passing of a bill forcing TikTok to divest ownership from its parent company ByteDance is against fair competition.

"The bill passed by the US House of Representatives on March 13 puts the US on the opposite side of the principles of fair competition, as well as international economic and trade rules." (Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin)

JAPAN TIMES. The US military has resumed operations of its Osprey military transport aircraft in Japan, ending a three-month flight ban on the aircraft following a crash last year.

KYODO. Japan and ASEAN countries will integrate payments using QR codes from 2025, according to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

JAKARTA GLOBE. “Japan is Indonesia's strategic partner,” Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto told reporters after a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Masaki Yasushi.

MANILA TIMES. The Philippine coast guard will step up surveillance against drug trafficking after seizing $2.2 million worth of cocaine in offshore waters this month.

TEMPO. Prosecutors at the Jakarta City Court in Indonesia have requested a 13-year and eight-month prison sentence for Supreme Court Secretary Hasbi Hasan, who is accused of taking Rp 11.2 billion (US$718,848) in bribes.

BANGKOK POST. A fire broke out on the Royal Thai Navy ship HTMS Khirirat at noon on March 14, injuring 13 navy officers, 10 of whom were seriously injured.

CNA. Choosing March 13 as National Elephant Day , Thailand is determined to promote elephant conservation, by reminding people of the important role of this animal in life, whether economically, in employment or spiritually.

MINT. Thousands of farmers from across India gathered in the capital New Delhi to protest against the government for higher prices for their crops.

ISRAEL DEFENSE. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)'s revenue in 2023 reached a record $5.327 billion, up 7.12% from 2022, with net profit increasing 49% from 2022 to $318 million.

TIMES OF ISRAEL. Irish low-cost airline Ryanair has decided to suspend flights to Israel until at least the end of October due to increased parking costs at Ben Gurion Airport following the war in the Gaza Strip.

Before the conflict between Israel and the Hamas Islamist movement in the Gaza Strip, Ryanair was the largest airline serving routes between Israel and Europe. (Source: FLASH90)

Europe

TASS. Speaking ahead of the Russian presidential election from March 15-17, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that participating in the election is an expression of love for the country and for Russia's successful future.

GUARDIAN. The UK and Turkey have officially begun negotiations on a new FTA with the aim of including services as well as goods in the deal.

BBC. British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has agreed to buy biotechnology company Amolyt Pharma , based in Lyon, France, for about $1 billion, continuing its expansion into rare drugs.

CNN. Italy's antitrust authority fined video-sharing app TikTok 10 million euros ($10.9 million) for failing to protect minors from harmful content.

AZE.MEDIA. Azerbaijan is now closer to peace with Armenia "than ever before", President Ilham Aliyev said at the opening of the 11th Baku Global Forum themed "Repairing the Fractured World".

REUTERS. In 2023, the number of cyber attacks in Italy increased to a record high of more than 1,400 , said Italian Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano.

AL MAYADEEN. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski decided to recall ambassadors from more than 50 countries and withdraw dozens of candidates put forward by the previous government in Warsaw.

According to the Polish Foreign Ministry, these changes will help address the challenges facing Poland's foreign policy "in a better and more professional way." (Source: AP)

America

CNN. The SpaceX Super Heavy rocket carrying the unmanned Starship spacecraft (USA) lifts off from the launch pad at the company's Starbase launch site near Boca Chica on the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, near Brownsville.

AFP. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Kenyan President William Ruto spoke by phone about accelerating the deployment of a multinational security assistance mission in Haiti.

REUTERS. The United States has imposed arms restrictions on Nicaragua and the Biden administration remains concerned about the Nicaraguan government's "brutal repression" of its people.

RIO NEWS. The Brazilian government has reached an agreement with Argentina to adopt an “open skies” policy , which would allow unlimited flights between the two countries over each other’s territory.

AP. The National Assembly of El Salvador approved a draft law amending the Income Tax Act , which clearly states that all capital originating from abroad transferred for investment and business purposes is exempt from personal income tax.

SKY NEWS. Venezuela has arrested two men who threatened to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro while he was in the city of Maturín in the western state of Monagas.

AP. A technical problem involving the pilot's seat is the main focus of the investigation into the sudden mid-air loss of a LATAM Airlines (Chile) Boeing 787 that injured dozens of people.

Africa

AFP. Nigerian border officials have been ordered to immediately reopen the border with Niger , which has been closed since August last year after a military coup in Niger.

Điểm tin thế giới sáng 15/3: Bắt đầu bầu cử Tổng thống Nga, Azerbaijan-Armenia 'gần với hòa bình hơn bao giờ hết', Ba Lan thay hàng chục Đại sứ

The 1,600km border was closed after West African leaders imposed sanctions on Niger following a coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. (Source: AFP)

BBC. Nigeria's Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris conveyed President Bola Tinubu's directive on his firm stance against accepting ransom payments to kidnappers of schoolchildren and women.

AFRICA NEWS. Nigeria has opened its land and air borders with Niger, lifting sanctions imposed on its neighbor after a 2023 coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

Oceania

ABC. The Australian government will provide 840 million Australian dollars ($550 million) to help build the Northern Territory's first combined rare earths mining and refinery , securing its status as a renewable energy superpower.

SBS. New South Wales has become the first state in Australia to ban forced animal swimming and smoking experiments , after the state's House of Representatives passed the Animal Research Amendment Bill.

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