US President shows off "hot" plan about Ukraine, bombing shakes Russian capital, South Africa fires back at Mr. Trump

The World and Vietnam Newspaper highlights some outstanding international events in the past 24 hours.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (left) expressed his desire to meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump amid the White House boss's threat to cut aid to Cape Town. (Source: AOL)

Europe

* A bomb exploded in a luxury apartment complex in Moscow, Russia, on February 3, killing at least one person and injuring four others. Russian media reported that a bomb was detonated as a man with bodyguards entered the Scarlet Sails complex, just 12 km from the Kremlin.

TASS news agency quoted Russian officials as saying that this was an “assassination”. There is still no detailed information about the target of the assassination.

* Two Russian frigates and a tanker will conduct exercises searching for and destroying simulated enemy submarines, as well as carrying out maritime air defense in the Asia- Pacific region.

A source from the press service of the Russian Pacific Fleet stated: "As part of the upcoming combat training activities, the frigate Rezkiy and the frigate Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov will carry out a series of exercises." (RIA)

* German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will travel to the Middle East from February 3, during which he will meet the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey.

The trip will focus largely on the changing security situation in Syria, where longtime ruler Bashar Assad was recently ousted by Islamist rebels after nearly 14 years of civil war, as well as the current situation in Gaza. Iran's weakening position in the region and changes in US foreign policy under President Donald Trump are also expected to be on the agenda. (DW)

* Belgium formed a new government on February 3, nearly eight months after an election won by the nationalist N-VA party. Five parties reached an agreement on a broad majority coalition on the evening of January 31.

N-VA party leader Bart De Wever has been appointed Prime Minister, marking the first time the Belgian federal government has been led by a Dutch-speaking nationalist.

Belgium's new government aims to limit unemployment benefits and reduce pensions for early retirees, while increasing pensions for those working past retirement age. (Reuters)

* Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was re-elected as leader of Ethiopia's ruling Prosperity Party (PP) at the party's ongoing second congress, which opened on January 31 in the capital Addis Ababa.

Speaking at the opening session of the congress, Mr. Abiy reiterated that the PP has fulfilled its promise by transforming the country's economy and promoting inclusiveness. (THX)

Asia-Pacific

* South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol meets with acting leader of the ruling People's Power Party (PPP) Kwon Young-se, PPP parliamentary group leader Kweon Seong-dong and Assemblyman Na Kyung-won at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, south of Seoul.

At the meeting, President Yoon Suk Yeol called on them to unite to "give hope" to the people "including young people in their 20s and 30s," officials said. (Yonhap)

* China proposed to restore the "Phase 1" trade deal with the US that the two sides signed during Mr. Trump's first term in 2020.

Other parts of China's plan would include a pledge not to devalue the yuan, a proposal to increase investment in the US and a commitment to reduce exports of fentanyl precursors, the newspaper said.

The Phase 1 deal that Trump signed with Beijing in 2020 ended a nearly two-year tariff war. The deal called for China to increase its purchases of US exports by $200 billion over two years, but Beijing fell short of its targets as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold. (Wall Street Journal)

* North Korea has reacted strongly to the Trump administration's plans to strengthen its missile defenses , after Trump signed an executive order on developing a "next generation" missile defense system for Washington and its allies last week.

North Korea warned that the United States may accelerate the modernization of its missile defense system in the Asia-Pacific region, strengthen cooperation with Japan and other allies in developing hypersonic missile interceptors, and plan to deploy more high-tech defense systems in South Korea, including the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

Faced with that possibility, North Korea affirmed that it will continue to develop its domestic military capabilities without limits. (KCNA)

Middle East-Africa

* South Africa has hit back at US President Donald Trump's threat to cut aid to the African nation, citing Cape Town's "land confiscation and very bad treatment of certain classes of people".

On February 3, the South African Foreign Ministry announced that the country's expropriation laws are no exception, stating: "We believe that President Trump's advisers will use the time of investigation to thoroughly understand South Africa's policies within the framework of a constitutional democracy."

On the same day, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his desire to meet with his US counterpart, stating: "We believe that through cooperation, the two sides will have a better common understanding of the above issues." (Reuters)

* Hamas has declared the Gaza Strip a “disaster area”, warning of an unprecedented disaster that threatens the lives of more than 2.4 million Palestinians, as widespread devastation continues and essential resources in the territory run out.

The Hamas-run media office said more than 61,709 people in Gaza had been killed, including 47,487 confirmed dead in hospitals, while 14,222 were still missing under the rubble. The number of injured people had risen to 111,588.

The conflict in the Gaza Strip has displaced more than 2 million Palestinians, many forced to flee multiple times.

The office reported that 450,000 homes have been damaged in the conflict, including 170,000 completely destroyed. The brutal fighting has also crippled the health system, forcing 34 hospitals and 80 health care centers to shut down. The office estimated the economic damage at more than $50 billion. (THX)

America

* US President Donald Trump announced plans to hold "meetings and dialogue" with Russia and Ukraine in a statement to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on February 2.

"We had a busy weekend. We're dealing with Israel, Ukraine and Russia. We have meetings and conversations scheduled with many parties, including Kiev and Moscow... The discussions are actually going quite well," President Trump said. (RIA Novosti)

* The leaders of the US, Canada and Mexico will discuss the issue of punitive tariffs on February 3, after President Trump signed an order to impose tariffs of up to 25% on goods from the two neighboring countries and 10% on goods from China.

In addition, President Trump also said that he will soon impose tariffs on goods from the European Union (EU). (Reuters)

* Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino received US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on February 2 with the agenda focusing on bilateral relations as well as issues surrounding the Panama Canal.

Speaking after the meeting, President Mulino stressed that sovereignty over the Panama Canal was not up for discussion and he did not feel there was any real threat at present to the 1999 treaty handing over the canal between the United States and Panama.

Regarding the migration issue, Mr. Mulino proposed that Panama help repatriate some migrants if the US pays for this activity.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rubio warned Panama of Washington's actions if the Central American country did not "immediately change" its stance on the Panama Canal, accusing Panama of violating the handover treaty. (Reuters)

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