International Archives - Planet 101.1 FM

The United States has warned China not to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to exert itself in the South China Sea after Vietnam said Beijing sank a trawler.

Amid the global focus on fighting COVID-19, China has ramped up self-described research stations and landed special military aircraft in the dispute-rife sea, according to the State Department.

ELSEWHERE – The Indonesian Medical Association has said at least 25 Indonesian doctors had died after contracting the new coronavirus, raising alarm about the toll the disease was taking on health workers.

According to the association’s spokesman, Halik Malik, at least 19 doctors and six dentists have succumbed to COVID-19. Malik, however, said that no figures were available for casualties among other health workers, including nurses.

Written By Saviour Robert

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Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan promises to increase military support to Libya if needed.

International

Turkey's President

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that Turkey would increase military support to Libya if necessary, and evaluate all options.

His comments come a day after the Turkish parliament ratified a security and military cooperation deal signed between Ankara and Tripoli last month.

Although President Recep Erdogan has said Turkey is willing to send troops to Libya, the government must seek a separate mandate from the Turkish parliament to send forces to fight there.

ELSEWHERE – A series of explosions rocked a southern Philippine city known for Islamic State-linked violence, wounding at least 17 people including soldiers.

A hand grenade was thrown into a military truck patrolling Cotabato City in the restive southern island of Mindanao, with 8 soldiers and 4 civilians sustaining injuries from the bomb’s shrapnel.

Regional military spokesperson Major Arvin Encinas said it was quickly followed by an improvised explosive device blast in the nearby town of Libungan, wounding five civilians with one in “serious” condition.

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Russia vows to finish Gas Pipeline construction despite U.S sanctions.

International

Gas Pipeline, Russia, US Senate

Russia has vowed to complete construction of a major gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea, despite approval by the US Senate of sanctions that have also angered European states led by Germany.

Reports say the Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Russia and Germany, a key part of Moscow’s export strategy for state energy giant Gazprom, aims to deliver Russian gas to Europe via the Baltic Sea.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow does not like such actions, and neither does the European capitals, adding that sanctions would only lead to higher gas prices for European consumers.

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US House of Representatives impeach President Donald Trump.

International, Uncategorized

House of representatives, US President Donald Trump

Donald Trump has become the third US president in history to be impeached by the House of Representatives, setting up a trial in the Senate that will decide whether he remains in office.

The US House of Representatives voted on two charges that the president abused his power and that he had obstructed Congress.

Both votes fell along party lines with nearly all Democrats voting for the charges and all Republicans against, but the White House released a statement saying that the president was “confident that he will be fully exonerated” in a Senate trial.

ELSEWHERE – Lebanon‘s caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri has announced he would not seek the top post again, on the eve of twice-delayed talks to name a new prime minister that were expected to lead to his selection.

Hariri’s announcement yesterday came 50 days after he resigned the post amid massive protests against the ruling elite that in recent days have escalated into clashes of an increasingly sectarian shade.

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Debate on articles of impeachment against U.S President Donald Trump begins today, Wednesday.

International

Democrats and Republicans.

US lawmakers in the House of Representatives are due to start debate on the articles of impeachment against U.S President Donald Trump today, Wednesday, with a vote expected to follow a heated battle between Democrats and Republicans.

Democrats accuse the president of abusing his office by soliciting Ukraine to dig up dirt on his political rival, Joe Biden, and withholding military aid as pressure. He is also alleged to have obstructed Congress’ investigation of the affair.

Republicans reject both articles of impeachment against the U.S President Donald Trump saying he did nothing wrong in his contacts with Ukraine.

The House has the power to impeach with a simple majority, but the trial in the Senate will require a two-thirds majority to remove a president from office, making the prospect very unlikely.

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Congo appeals for help after flood disaster on 150,000 people.

International

flood disaster, Republic of Congo

The Republic of Congo appealed for help after 150,000 people in the north of the country were hit by rains,the flood disaster that flooded homes, destroyed fields and swept away cattle.

President Denis Sassou Nguesso issued an “urgent appeal to the international community” to help provide “a more effective response to the humanitarian situation which has arisen”.Sassou Nguesso, who made the call in his annual state-of-the-nation speech to parliament, blamed “climatic disruption” for the disaster.

He expressed solidarity with the populations hit by the flood disaster and landslides, blaming “climatic disturbances which, more than ever, represent a real planetary challenge”. More than 40 people have died since October, with torrential rains causing landslides and leading to rivers bursting their banks.

While seeking international aid, Sassou Nguesso assured his government would take all possible measures to assist those affected. The flooding has badly affected people living on the banks of the Congo and one of its tributaries, the Ubangi.

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UN Court to hear Myanmar genocide case next month.

International

Buddhist state of genocide against its Rohingya Muslims., UN Court to hear Myanmar genocide case next month.

Gambia will open its case against Myanmar before the UN’s top court in December accusing the mainly Buddhist state of genocide against its Rohingya Muslims.

The small, majority-Muslim African country will ask the International Court of Justice to make an emergency injunction to protect the Rohingya, pending a decision on whether to deal with the wider case.

Gambia’s case at the ICJ accuses Myanmar of breaching the 1948 UN Genocide Convention through a brutal military campaign targeting the Rohingya minority in Rakhine state.

The ICJ said in a statement that it “will hold public hearings in the case” from December 10 to 12.

STILL ON THE FOREIGN SCENE; The U.S has shifted its position on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, no longer viewing them as inconsistent with international law.

U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the status of the West Bank was for Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate.

Israel welcomed the move – a reversal of the U.S stance under President Donald Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama.

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Palestinians condemn US over Jewish West Bank settlements.

International

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, West Bank

Palestinians have condemned a decision by the US to abandon its four-decades-old position that Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank are inconsistent with international law.

Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said it threatened to replace international law with the “law of the jungle”.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the US move on West Bank, saying it “rights a historical wrong”

IN ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT – Officials from South Korea and the United States have broken off talks aimed at settling the cost of hosting the US military, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said, amid a public backlash over a US demand for a sharp increase in the bill.

Officials had resumed a planned two-day negotiation, trying to narrow a $4billion dollars gap in what they believe South Korea should contribute for the cost of stationing US troops in the country for next year.

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South Africa ready for e-visa system to attract more tourists.

International

South Africa will start the pilot process for an online e-visa system later this month in a fresh bid to attract more tourists.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, this new electronic self-service solution system will speedily facilitate the movement of low-risk travelers.

It said the pilot will be conducted with Kenya first at the OR Tambo and Lanseria airports in Johannesburg. Aqccording to it, at the end of November, the project will be evaluated to determine what other countries the e-visa system will be expanded to.

ELSEWHERE – Turkey deported three foreign jihadists, with more than 20 Europeans including French and Germans in the process of being expelled to their countries of origin.

Turkey has criticised Western countries for refusing to repatriate their citizens who left to join the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, and stripping some of them of their citizenship.

Its interior ministry said it deported an American and a Dane, while Germany confirmed that one of its citizens had also been expelled.

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Bolivian President Evo Morales set to face a run-off vote for fourth consecutive term.

International, Uncategorized

Bolivian President

Bolivian President Evo Morales is set to face a run-off vote for the first time after failing to secure a fourth consecutive term at Sunday’s general election.

According to partial results, Bolivian President Evo Morales had 45% of the vote to 38% of former President Carlos Mesa with 83% of the votes counted.

On the other hand, if Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous leader who has been in power since 2006, wins another term, he will be in power until 2025 while a run-off vote is due to take place on 15 December.

MEANWHILE: – Lebanon’s coalition government is expected to approve a package of economic reforms as it attempts to quell the biggest protests in years.

The proposals reportedly involve scrapping new taxes and halving the salaries of top officials.

The government’s move comes as people prepare for a fifth day of protests, amid calls for a general strike.

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International

US warns China not to ‘exploit’ virus for sea disputes

Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan promises to increase military support to Libya if needed.

Russia vows to finish Gas Pipeline construction despite U.S sanctions.

US House of Representatives impeach President Donald Trump.

Debate on articles of impeachment against U.S President Donald Trump begins today, Wednesday.

Congo appeals for help after flood disaster on 150,000 people.

UN Court to hear Myanmar genocide case next month.

Palestinians condemn US over Jewish West Bank settlements.

South Africa ready for e-visa system to attract more tourists.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @Planet_101FM

Bolivian President Evo Morales set to face a run-off vote for fourth consecutive term.

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