Maldives President visits China, Türkiye holds naval exercises, Australia invests in rare earth research

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable world news this morning, January 9.

Asia

TEMPO. The Indonesian Ministry of Transport has temporarily suspended the operations of three Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, despite their different configuration than the Alaska Airlines (US) plane whose windows burst and made an emergency landing last week.

MINT. Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu arrived in China amid tensions between Maldives and India over offensive comments by three Maldivian officials against Prime Minister Modi.

NHK. The death toll from the earthquake in Ishikawa prefecture on January 1 rose to 168, with 323 people missing as of January 8.

YONHAP. ​​Mr. Cho Tae-yul, who was recently appointed as the new Foreign Minister of South Korea, pledged to focus on promoting cooperation with the United States and Japan amid increasing security tensions in the region.

South Korea's newly appointed Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul speaks at a parliamentary hearing in Seoul on January 8, 2024. (Source: Yonhap)

DAWN. At least five police officers were killed and about 20 others injured in a bomb attack on a police vehicle in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

PTI. Indian rice exporters are likely to face challenges due to policy uncertainty and rising domestic prices, making it unlikely that normalisation of exports will happen soon.

TIMES OF ISRAEL. The conflict in the Gaza Strip could continue throughout 2024 and spread to other fronts, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said.

GUARDIAN. The World Health Organization (WHO) was forced to cancel plans to deliver medical aid to the northern Gaza Strip on January 7 after failing to receive security guarantees.

Europe

VATICAN NEWS. Pope Francis delivered a 45-minute speech to diplomats at the Vatican, addressing the current conflict in the Middle East and calling for "a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon".

REUTERS. German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck will visit Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the West Bank from January 8-10 to discuss economic and energy relations with regional officials.

DW. Germany is ready to approve the sale of Eurofighter fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed.

BLOOMBERG. The EU has approved a 900 million euro ($985 million) German state subsidy for Swedish electric vehicle battery company Northvolt to build a factory in Germany .

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said it was the first aid to be granted under a system set up in 2023 to counter the huge subsidies introduced by the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). (Source: Bloomberg)

ANADOLU. Turkey has begun the Seawolf-1/2024 naval exercise, which will run until January 16 in three seas around the country: the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.

AFP. The Polish government has asked a state-owned company that manages more than 7 million hectares of forests to limit logging in its 10 oldest forests, fulfilling a pledge made after last October's elections.

IN-CYPRUS. Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides announced a cabinet reshuffle, replacing the heads of the ministries of Health, Justice, Defense and Agriculture.

REUTERS. The President of the National Council (Parliament) of Slovakia, Mr. Peter Pellegrini announced that the first round of the country's presidential election will be held on March 23.

IRNA. Iranian and Russian exporters can conduct transactions in local currencies two months after integrating the financial information exchange system, according to Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Mohsen Karimi.

UKRINFORM. Since August 2023, Ukraine will export 15 million tons of goods , including 10 million tons of agricultural products, via the new transport corridor on the Black Sea.

America

ANADOLU. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before leaving for Israel.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan received US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in the capital Abu Dhabi on January 8. (Source: AFP)

CNN. The first US lunar lander in more than five decades, built by Astrobotic, has encountered a problem that prevents it from turning its solar panels toward the Sun.

NBC NEWS. US President Joe Biden is not considering firing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, but it is unclear whether the Pentagon chief has been unconscious in the past few days.

NIKKEI. Automaker Honda is considering building its next electric vehicle factory in Canada at a construction cost of around 2 trillion yen (nearly $14 billion).

AP. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned of an “alarming” food security situation in Haiti, with more than 70% of the population not having enough to eat in October and November.

INFOBAE. Colombian and Ecuadorian police have jointly dismantled Los Curva , a criminal organization that trafficked 5 tons of cocaine per month to the US and Europe, and arrested its leaders, two Colombian brothers.

VALLARTA DAILY. 62 flights of Mexico's largest airline Aeroméxico were canceled and 90 others were delayed, after the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a suspension order for Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

Africa

FTL SOMALIA. The Somali National Army (SNA), with the support of international partners , killed 76 al-Shabab militants and wounded several others after two days of fighting in the Mudug region.

AFP. Tunisia has dismantled a network that illegally smuggled African migrants into Italy, the Tunisian National Guard announced on Facebook.

Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa and is considered one of the most popular transit points for illegal immigrants to Europe. In this photo: African migrants on the street in Tunis, Tunisia on December 18, 2023. (Source: Anadolu)

Oceania

The Australian government will spend nearly 22 million Australian dollars ($14 million) on rare earth and critical minerals research as Canberra moves toward becoming a global clean energy provider.

THE AUSTRALIAN. On January 8, laws banning the Nazi salute and displaying or selling symbols associated with terrorist groups officially came into effect in Australia.

“This is the first law of its kind and will ensure no one in Australia is allowed to glorify or profit from actions and symbols that glorify Nazi Germany and its evil ideology.” (Australian Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/diem-tin-the-gioi-sang-91-tong-thong-maldives-tham-trung-quoc-tho-nhi-ky-tap-tran-hai-quan-australia-dau-tu-nghien-cuu-dat-hiem-256675.html