Israel released 114 Palestinians, Russia increased the age of military service from 30 to 50, Germany sent a frigate to the Red Sea, Moscow accused Washington of forcing Ecuador to transfer equipment to the US... are some of the prominent international events in the past 24 hours.
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| Iran's Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei has ordered to avoid direct conflict with the US. (Source: APA) |
The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.
Russia-Ukraine
*Russia accuses Ukraine of sinking missile-equipped ship in Crimea: According to information from Russian war correspondents, but not yet confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense , in the early morning of February 1, unmanned boats of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (VSU) attacked and sank the country's missile-equipped ship Ivanovets.
Representatives of the Main Directorate of Military Intelligence of Ukraine released a video of the attack, showing the Ivanovets being attacked by unmanned boats, which led to the detonation of Moskit missiles on board. The video clearly shows the crew fighting the attacking unmanned boats, which resulted in the downing of some. However, the ship sank.
The incident occurred near the entrance to Lake Donuzlav in the Crimean peninsula. The Ivanovets is a Project 12411 ship and is equipped with four Moskit anti-ship missiles, Strela-3 air defense systems, an AK-176 gun and two AK630M guns. The crew consists of 41 people. (TASS)
*Ukraine asks Russia to return the bodies of prisoners killed in the Il-76 plane crash: The representative of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Directorate, Mr. Andrei Yusov, was quoted on February 1 as saying that Ukraine has asked Russia to return the bodies of its prisoners killed in the Il-76 plane crash in Belgorod province on January 24.
Earlier, President Zelensky said that Ukraine would seek an international investigation into the crash.
In response to this statement, the press secretary of the Russian President, Mr. Dmitry Peskov, said: "If he (Zelensky) wants to conduct an international investigation into the criminal actions of the Kiev regime, then of course it is necessary."
President Vladimir Putin later said Moscow wanted an international investigation and said the plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners had been hit by a US Patriot air defence missile system. (AFP)
*Ukraine accuses Russia of drone attacks that left 40,000 without power : Ukraine said on February 2 that tens of thousands of people were left without power after 24 Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacked and damaged energy infrastructure in the central Dnipropetrovsk region.
In 2023, systematic winter bombardments by Russian forces left millions of people in Ukraine without electricity, heating or water for extended periods.
Meanwhile, the air force said Ukrainian air defense systems shot down 11 Russian UAVs. (AFP)
Asia-Pacific
*India buys UAVs worth nearly $4 billion from the US: On February 1, the US government approved an agreement to sell modern unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) worth nearly $4 billion to India, bringing a new advantage to this growing partner of Washington.
The deal marks a major milestone in India's purchase of US weapons after New Delhi's historic reliance on Russian weapons, which has become increasingly controversial due to sanctions related to the Russia-Ukraine war.
After months of discussions, the US State Department said it had notified Congress of the proposed sale of 31 armed MQ-9Bs – the most advanced of the Predator UAVs made by General Atomics.
The deal still needs approval from the US Congress, where most lawmakers support close ties with India. (Times of India)
*Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's sentence reduced: The Malaysian Pardon Board has just announced its decision to halve the prison sentence of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was convicted of corruption and money laundering related to the multi-billion dollar Malaysian State Investment Fund (1MDB).
According to the statement, Mr. Najib will be released on August 28, 2028 and the fine will be reduced from 210 million Ringgit to 50 million Ringgit ($10.59 million).
However, the Pardon Board also made it clear that if the fine is not paid, the former prime minister will have to serve an additional year in prison and his release date will be August 23, 2029.
Mr Najib began serving his prison sentence in August 2022 and is currently on trial on other charges related to the 1MDB scandal. (Straits Times)
* South Korean President's approval rating drops sharply: According to the results of a survey released by Gallup Korea on February 2, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating reached 29%, down 2% from last week (31%). The disapproval rating remained at 63%. Accordingly, President Yoon's approval rating fell below the 30% threshold for the first time in 9 months, since the second week of April 2023 with 27%.
The survey was conducted from January 30 to February 1 on 1,000 adults nationwide, with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 3.1%, and was posted on the website of the National Election Commission of Korea (nesdc.go.kr).
President Yoon's approval rating hit a record low of 24% in the first week of August 2022. (Yonhap)
Europe
*Russia accuses Washington of forcing Ecuador to transfer equipment to the US: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Ecuador's decision to transfer Moscow's equipment to the US was reckless and was under serious pressure from external parties (referring to the US).
Earlier, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said that his country would not refuse to transfer old Russian equipment to the United States and would do so regardless of Russia's stance. According to Noboa, by the end of January 2024, Ecuador had exchanged old Russian and Ukrainian equipment for new US equipment - worth $200 million. However, he did not specify whether the equipment he was referring to was military or civilian. (Sputnik News)
*Italian Prime Minister to visit Japan: Italian news agency Agenzia Nova quoted an announcement on February 1 by Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshi Moriya that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will visit Japan from February 4-6.
During the visit, Meloni will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to discuss Italy’s G7 presidency and “strengthening bilateral relations, cooperation on the international stage, regional situations and other topics of mutual interest, to further strengthen relations between Japan and Italy, “a strategic partnership that shares common values and principles.” (Kyodo News)
*France backs EU AI rules: A European Union (EU) diplomatic source said on February 2 that France has decided to back landmark EU rules on artificial intelligence (AI) subject to strict conditions, after earlier sources said France was the last EU country to delay backing the plan.
Such conditions include balancing transparency and protecting business secrets, as well as making commitments to high-risk AI systems without creating an administrative burden, EU officials said. Ambassadors from the 27 EU countries will formally endorse the AI Act at 9 p.m. on February 2 (Hanoi time). (Reuters)
*Russia raises military service age from 30 to 50: The Russian State Duma has drafted a new bill on raising the military service age to 50 for men holding Russian passports.
According to parliamentarians, many foreigners currently receive Russian citizenship but avoid registering for military service or wait until they reach the age of military service (currently 30 years old) to apply for citizenship.
In August 2023, police in Saint Petersburg found and brought 100 Russians of foreign origin to military commands to register for military service in two days.
According to information from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, in the first 10 months of 2023, Russia granted citizenship to 318,000 foreigners, mainly people of Central Asian origin: Tajikistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
According to another bill, dodging military service is one of the crimes that could result in a naturalized person being stripped of Russian citizenship. (AFP)
Middle East – Africa
*Israel releases 114 Palestinian hostages: The Israeli army on February 1 released 114 Palestinians captured in a ground operation, through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip.
A Palestinian security source in the area said some of the released Palestinians were transferred to Najjar hospital in Rafah city due to their deteriorating health.
According to the Euro-Med Human Rights Watch, during the ground operation in Gaza, the Israeli army arrested hundreds of Palestinians and transferred them to unspecified locations. (Xinhua)
*Iran vows to respond strongly if 'bullied': On February 2, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said his country would not initiate war but would "respond strongly" to any country that bullies Iran.
Earlier, Iran's Supreme National Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. Supreme Leader Khamenei ordered: avoid direct war with the US and prepare to respond. Iran's command put all armed forces on high alert, activated missile defense systems and deployed ballistic missiles along the border with Iraq.
Tehran's move came a day after Washington approved a plan to carry out multi-day attacks targeting Iranian personnel and infrastructure in Iraq and Syria. (Reuters)
*Germany to send frigate Hessen to Red Sea: DPA news agency reported that Germany will send frigate Hessen to the Red Sea next week to join the European operation to protect commercial ships from attacks by Houthi forces in Yemen.
The frigate Hessen, equipped with anti-aircraft missiles among other weapons, is expected to arrive in the Red Sea at the end of February.
The EU aims to establish and launch a maritime mission in the Red Sea by February 19, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on January 31, adding that the mission will be defensive in nature and will not involve any land-based operations. (Sputnik News)
America - Latin America
*US State Department Special Advisor visits Cuba: US State Department Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, Sara Minkara, met with representatives of the Cuban Government in Havana.
The US Embassy in Havana said Ms. Minkara visited Cuba from January 29-31 but did not specify which Cuban officials or representatives of ministries, departments or agencies she met with.
According to the official statement, the US State Department's Special Adviser on the International Rights of Persons with Disabilities had numerous meetings with "representatives of the Cuban Government, independent Cuban businesspeople, alumni of Embassy-sponsored programs, and students from educational institutions in Havana."
So far, Cuba's state media has not reported on Ms. Minkara's visit. (TTXVN)
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