Malaysia reshuffles cabinet, South Korean president visits Netherlands, US welcomes distinguished guests from Eastern Europe

The World & Vietnam newspaper highlights some noteworthy world news this morning, December 12th.

Asia

NATION THAILAND. Thailand has begun operating a railway network to export agricultural products to China, Russia, and the EU.

Chuyến hàng vận chuyển nông sản đầu tiên đã bắt đầu khởi hành vào ngày 10/12 từ ga Map Ta Phut, tỉnh Rayong và dự kiến sẽ đến Thành Đô, Trung Quốc vào ngày 15/12 sau đó sẽ tiếp tục di chuyển đến Nga và Ba Lan. (Nguồn: Nation Thailand)

The first shipment of agricultural products departed on December 10th from Map Ta Phut station in Rayong province and is expected to arrive in Chengdu, China on December 15th, before continuing on to Russia and Poland. (Source: Nation Thailand)

THE STAR. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is expected to announce a cabinet reshuffle today, December 12.

MANILA TIMES. The Indonesian National Police (Polri) will deploy 70,350 officers to ensure security for Christmas and New Year celebrations as part of the "Candle 2023" campaign from December 22, 2023 to January 2, 2024.

BLOOMBERG. Chinese app TikTok announced a $1.5 billion investment in Indonesian technology group GoTo in a deal that will allow TikTok to relaunch its online store there.

Xinhua News Agency. China has released a report on its energy transition outlook, affirming its pursuit of green growth with low CO2 emissions.

China's grain production in 2023 increased by 1.3% compared to the previous year, reaching a record high of 695.41 million tons, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

YONHAP. A US F-16 fighter jet crashed into the Yellow Sea shortly after takeoff from Gunsan Air Base in South Korea; the pilot ejected safely.

ANADOLU. The Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted a resolution calling for facilitating “immediate and unimpeded” humanitarian access in Gaza.

TIMES OF ISRAEL. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Palestinian Hamas fighters to "surrender now."

AL JAZEERA. Israel will not be able to use force to rescue the hostages , asserted Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the al-Qassam Brigades of the Hamas movement.

Europe

AFP. Thousands took to the streets in Brussels, Belgium, to protest rising anti-Semitism across Europe amid the conflict between Israel and the Hamas Islamist movement in the Gaza Strip.

YONHAP. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has begun a visit to the Netherlands aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in the semiconductor and defense industries.

Tổng thống Hàn Quốc Yoon Suk Yeol và phu nhân Kim Keon Hee lên đường tới Hà Lan tại căn cứ không quân Seoul ở Seongnam, Hàn Quốc, ngày 11/12/2023. (Nguồn: Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit, at the invitation of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, marks the first visit by a South Korean president to the Netherlands since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1961. In the photo: President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife depart for the Netherlands from Seoul Air Base in Seongnam on December 11. (Source: Yonhap)

AP. The largest cargo border crossing between Ukraine and Poland has reopened despite weeks of protests organized by Polish transport companies that prevented truck drivers from crossing the border.

NTV. The S-400 surface-to-air missile system that Turkey purchased from Russia is in storage, ready for use when needed , Defense Minister Yasar Guler said.

REUTERS. Sleeper service on overnight trains between Berlin and Paris has officially reopened after nearly a decade of interruption, with the first train departing from Berlin's main station.

DW. The multinational corporation Bosch has announced plans to cut 1,500 jobs at two gearbox manufacturing plants in Germany, amid difficulties faced by automotive component suppliers in transitioning to electric vehicles.

SWISS INFO. A shooting in the city of Sion, Valais canton, Switzerland, left two people dead and one injured. The suspect is an unidentified male.

America

CNN. US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky are holding talks in Washington D.C. today, December 12, as Democrats strive to reach an agreement in Congress to provide additional aid to Kyiv.

NBC NEWS. The U.S. Commerce Department will provide a $35 million subsidy to BAE Systems, the largest defense technology company in the UK, to quadruple production in New Hampshire of critical semiconductor chips used in F-35 fighter jets and commercial satellites.

AP. Compared to last year, air and road traffic in the U.S. is projected to be busier during the Christmas and New Year 2024 holiday period.

BLOOMBERG. The US-based Transition Industries LLC and the World Bank will build a $2.2 billion green methanol production complex in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa, aiming to reduce carbon emissions in North American countries.

BUENOS AIRES HERALD. Argentina's new president, Javier Milei, has decided to cut the total number of government ministries in half, from 18 to 9; Diana Mondino will head the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

REUTERS. Nearly 1,000 sea lions and seals have died from avian flu in southern Brazil, raising concerns about the risk of widespread disease transmission.

Africa

AFP. Leaders of West African countries have declared that they will maintain sanctions against Niger following the coup in July of this year.

Các nhà lãnh đạo của Cộng đồng Kinh tế Tây Phi (ECOWAS) đã họp thượng đỉnh trong bối cảnh khu vực này đang đối mặt với khủng hoảng sau các cuộc đảo chính ở Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea và Niger kể từ năm 2020 và hai âm mưu đảo chính ở những nước khác trong thời gian gần đây. (Nguồn: AFP)

Leaders of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) are meeting against the backdrop of a regional crisis following coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger since 2020, and two recent coup attempts in other countries. (Source: AFP)

EGYPT NEWS. Ambassadors from several UN Security Council member states have arrived in Egypt to visit the Rafah crossing point connecting to the Gaza Strip, in order to assess the conflict and humanitarian situation in this Palestinian territory.

IANS. Tunisian authorities evacuated 57 citizens and their families from the Gaza Strip; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to closely monitor the situation of Tunisians in Palestine.

Xinhua News Agency. The death toll from recent El-Nino-induced flooding in Somalia has risen to 118 as floodwaters recede in many flooded areas, easing the risk.

Oceania

ABC. Australia has announced it will tighten visa regulations for international students and low-skilled workers in an effort to reduce immigration by 50% over the next two years.

NZ HERALD. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said he would bring the country closer to its intelligence partners – the US, UK, Canada and Australia – as part of a renewed focus on security under the new center-right government.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 20% of the population in the Western Pacific region, or 385 million people, are already facing excessively high healthcare costs .

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