South Korean President visits UK, BRICS summit on Gaza, China "clarifies" to Australia

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable world news this morning, November 21.

Asia

YONHAP. South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho met with General Paul LaCamera, Commander of the United Nations Command (UNC), to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation.

During the hour-long meeting at Camp Humphreys (Pyeongtaek City) - the headquarters of the UNC, Minister Kim Yung-ho expressed his willingness to cooperate closely with the UNC and member countries to ensure stability on the Korean Peninsula. (Source: Yonhap)

KOREA TIMES. Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko will travel to Busan this weekend for a trilateral meeting with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts.

BANGKOK POST. Thailand and South Korea are stepping up negotiations to sign an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), Thai Trade Representative Nalinee Taveesin said.

BLOOMBERG. Thailand is considering waiving visa requirements for tourists from more European countries and hosting more cultural and sporting events to extend stays and boost spending by international visitors.

XINHUA. China will carry out four cargo and manned space missions in 2024, including the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-7 and Tianzhou-8, and the manned spacecraft Shenzhou-18 and Shenzhou-19.

CHINA DAILY. In the first 10 months of the year, China had 41,947 newly established foreign-invested enterprises , up 32.1% over the same period last year.

Xinhua News Agency. The People's Bank of China and the Central Bank of Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral currency swap agreement worth 50 billion yuan (about 6.98 billion U.S. dollars) valid for three years.

IRNA. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani criticized allegations that Tehran was behind the seizure of the Israeli cargo ship Galaxy Leader on the night of November 19 in the Red Sea.

ANADOLU. Palestinian officials have confirmed that the first Jordanian-funded field hospital has entered the Gaza Strip to treat victims of the conflict between Hamas and Israel.

Europe

BNN. The court in Vibo Valentia, southern Italy, convicted and sentenced about 200 alleged members of the 'Ndrangheta gang and their accomplices.

This historic trial comes nearly three years after the trial against the notorious 'Ndrangheta gang in Calabria. (Source: BNN)

TASS. The Russian Foreign Ministry has sent an official note of protest to the Finnish Ambassador in Moscow regarding Helsinki's closure of four busy border crossings with Russia.

REUTERS. The Ukrainian government has fired two senior officials in the field of cybersecurity over allegations of embezzlement.

CNN. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a surprise visit to Kiev to reinforce Washington's commitment to continue supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

"I was honored to meet with President Zelensky in Kyiv on November 20 to reaffirm America's unwavering support for Ukraine." (Secretary Lloyd Austin)

GUARDIAN. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Britain from November 20, along with First Lady Kim Keon Hee, the first state guests to Britain since King Charles III's coronation in May.

BBC. He chaired and co-hosted the Global Food Security Summit at Lancaster House, London, along with Somalia, the UAE, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

AFP. Britain's opposition Labour Party announced that foreign policy chief David Lammy is visiting Israel and the West Bank, meeting Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Palestinian Authority Deputy Foreign Minister Amal Jadu.

HUNGARY TODAY. The Slovak government has decided to maintain temporary controls on the border with Hungary until December 23 to prevent a resurgence of illegal migration.

America

AP. US President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping agreed last week to meet again but no specific date has been set, White House spokesman John Kirby said.

CNBC. Argentine President-elect Javier Milei said his first foreign trip before his inauguration will be to the United States, followed by Israel.

Mr. Javier Milei will be sworn in on December 10, with the top task of reviving Latin America's third largest economy from stagnation and inflation, along with settling its debt with the International Monetary Fund. (Source: Getty Images)

SPUTNIK. Argentina's candidate for Foreign Minister Diana Mondino has said that the country will not join the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

GLOBE AND MAIL. A group representing many of Canada’s largest employers is concerned that Ottawa remains left out of a Washington-led effort to expand economic cooperation among allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

Africa

AFP. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his capacity as BRICS Chair, convened an "extraordinary meeting" on the situation in Gaza and the Middle East today, November 21.

AFRICA NEWS. Campaigning for presidential, legislative and local elections has officially begun in the Democratic Republic of Congo, leading up to elections scheduled for December 20.

MIRAGE NEWS. Liberia's National Elections Commission (NEC) has announced former politician Joseph Boakai as the winner of Liberia's presidential election, defeating incumbent President George Weah.

CNN. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has pledged an additional $60 million to support Mozambique's budget through an expanded credit facility.

24NEWS. At least 32 people were killed in communal fighting along the border between South Sudan and Abyei Administrative Region, according to the Secretary General of the Abyei Administrative Region Office, Mr. Arou Manyiel Arou.

MAP. Moroccan police seized 4,635 tons of cannabis and arrested two suspects allegedly linked to a drug trafficking network.

Oceania

Xinhua. China's Defense Ministry said its military did not take any action that could affect the operations of Australian divers after Canberra criticized the Chinese navy for " unsafe and unprofessional " behavior with an Australian warship.

ABC. The CEO of Optus - Australia's second-largest telecommunications company - Kelly Bayer Rosmarin resigned after a major outage that left more than 10 million customers disconnected earlier this month.

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