Russia investigates Wagner plane crash, many countries 'suspicious', Chinese President unexpectedly absent from BRICS opening session

China stops importing Japanese seafood, US aircraft appear when Chinese ships block Philippine ships, Ukraine conducts "special operation" in Crimea... are some notable world news in the past 24 hours.

Russian investigators are investigating the plane crash that allegedly involved the boss of the Wagner group. (Source: Reuters)

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.

Europe

*Ukraine conducts "special operation" in Crimea : The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on August 24 that the Ukrainian military and naval intelligence forces carried out a "joint special operation" overnight, in which servicemen landed in Crimea and raised the Ukrainian flag there.

"Special units on ships landed on the shore in the settlements of Olenivka and Mayak," the agency said, adding that Ukrainian forces had achieved "all objectives" and the enemy had suffered losses in personnel and equipment. The Ukrainian flag was also flying in Crimea. However, the agency did not disclose specific targets. The source said the Ukrainian soldiers had left the scene after completing their mission. (Reuters)

* Russia investigates plane crash involving Wagner boss , France, US, Germany... 'suspect' incident: On August 24, the press service of the Russian Investigative Committee reported that investigators have opened a criminal case on violation of traffic safety rules and air transport operations after the plane crash in the Tver region, in which the Federal Air Transport Agency said that on board at that time was the head of the Wagner private military corporation, Mr. Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Earlier, at 6:20 p.m. Moscow time, an Embraer Legacy private jet believed to be owned by Mr. Prigozhin crashed in the Bologovsky district of Tver province. According to the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, there were 10 people on board, including 3 crew members and 7 passengers. The passenger list included the name of Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. By 10 p.m. Moscow time, 8 bodies had been found at the scene.

Meanwhile, many countries, including Germany, France, the US... declared "suspicion about the death of the Wagner group boss". (Reuters)

* Slovak President dismisses Director of Civil Intelligence : On August 23, the Office of the President of Slovakia announced that President Zuzana Caputova had dismissed Director of the Civil Intelligence Service (SIS) Michal Alac.

Mr Alac, his predecessor Vladimir Pcolinsky and three others were charged by Slovak police with obstructing investigations into corruption and other crimes. All five have been arrested, Slovak media reported.

The incident comes as Slovakia is set to hold a snap general election in September. Former Prime Minister Robert Fico, leader of the Smer-SD party, which is leading in the polls ahead of the election, has accused the National Crime Agency (NAKA) of “an attempted coup by the police with the support of the interim Prime Minister and the President, as well as sabotage and an attack on the foundations of the state.” (Reuters)

*Ukraine claims to have destroyed a missile system : Ukraine announced on August 23 that it had destroyed Russia's powerful S-400 air defense missile system on the Crimean peninsula. The ministry also released a video of a large explosion with a huge plume of smoke rising, saying the incident occurred near the village of Olenivka on the Tarkhanut peninsula, with the caption that the explosion "destroyed the system, missiles and personnel of this system".

Moscow has not yet commented on the information, but Russian military bloggers say the attack has exposed shortcomings in Russia's defense capabilities.

Russian-controlled territory has been a frequent target of drone attacks in recent weeks. Moscow was hit by a drone for the sixth night in a row early on August 23. Later, the governor of the Kaluga region south of Moscow, Vladislav Shapsha, said air defense systems in the region had also shot down two other drones. (AFP)

* Poland spends 12 billion USD to buy US Apache helicopters : On August 23, the US State Department agreed to sell the Polish Air Force 96 Apache AH-64E helicopters with a total value of 12 billion USD.

A year ago, the Polish government sent a request to the US to buy Apache helicopters manufactured by Boeing. According to the plan, the first of these will be assigned to the 18th Division of the Polish Army, which is also equipped with American Abrams main battle tanks.

The Russia-Ukraine war has served as a catalyst for Poland’s arms purchases. In addition to the above contract, Poland has also ordered 250 Abrams tanks, Spike anti-tank missiles made by Israel’s Rafael, as well as upgrades to Poland’s air defense systems, worth a total of $15 billion.

In addition, Poland will also purchase 1,884 Hellfire missiles for helicopters, along with 460 air-to-ground missiles, 580 Stinger shoulder-fired missiles and other weapons systems. (Politico)

* Ukraine accuses Russia of destroying 13,000 tons of grain destined for Egypt and Romania : Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kubrakov, said on August 23 that the Russian army continued to attack ports on the Danube River on the night of August 22 and August 23, destroying 13,000 tons of grain and causing damage to port infrastructure and grain warehouses.

“Russia has systematically targeted grain warehouses to prevent Ukrainian agricultural exports. This is the eighth attack since Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” Kubrakov added. According to Kubrakov, 270,000 tonnes of grain have been destroyed in the past month due to Russian military attacks on ports.

"The world needs to understand that attacks on grain infrastructure are attacks on countries in Africa and Asia that are already starving for food. These are attacks on the global food market, where wheat prices have skyrocketed due to a shortage of food from Ukraine after the suspension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and attacks on ports on the Danube," Kubrakov stressed. (Reuters)

Asia-Pacific

* China stops importing all seafood from Japan : In a statement on August 24, Chinese customs decided to suspend the import of all seafood products originating from Japan after the Tokyo government began discharging wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

"In order to comprehensively prevent food safety risks caused by radioactive contamination from the Fukushima nuclear waste discharge into the sea, protect the health of Chinese consumers, and ensure the safety of imported food, the General Administration of Customs (China) has decided to completely suspend the import of aquatic products originating from Japan from August 24, 2023, including edible aquatic products," the statement said.

On the same day, speaking to reporters, Prime Minister Kishida said: "We have complained through diplomatic channels to China, calling on Beijing to immediately cancel this ban. (AFP)

* North Korea launches "ballistic missile" again : The Japanese government said that early on August 24, North Korea launched an object believed to be a ballistic missile, on the first day of the "satellite" launch schedule that Pyongyang had previously announced.

According to an emergency warning issued on the "J-alert" system, the Japanese government said North Korea appeared to have launched a missile, and asked residents of Okinawa to take shelter indoors.

Earlier, on July 12, the South Korean military said that North Korea had launched a long-range ballistic missile from the capital Pyongyang into the East Sea of the country. This was North Korea's 12th missile test since the beginning of this year. Among them were a number of notable test launches including the test of its first solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and a failed test launch of a rocket carrying a spy satellite.

North Korea's last missile launch was on June 15, following a failed attempt to launch a military reconnaissance satellite in late May.

However, according to the Japanese government, the missile that North Korea launched early on August 24 appeared to have flown over Japanese airspace and caused no damage to the country or the surrounding area. ( Kyodo )

* Cambodia arrests fugitive Chinese drug lord: sbm.news reported on August 23 that the criminal police force under the Cambodian Ministry of Interior arrested Chen Hsin Han, a prisoner and fugitive drug lord in the attack on a prison guard in Siem Reap province on August 17.

Earlier, at around 8:00 a.m. on August 17, a group of masked and armed men stormed the Chum Chenda Dental Clinic in Siem Reap City, Siem Reap Province, to help prisoner Chen Hsin Han, a 45-year-old Chinese drug criminal, escape. According to Siem Reap City Deputy Police Chief Mom Sarin, four prison guards brought the prisoner to the clinic to get his teeth fixed, and while waiting for the dentist, they were attacked by the men.

Deputy Director of Siem Reap Provincial Prison - Brigadier General Seng Samooeun said that prisoner Chen Hsin Han was sentenced to 52 years in prison for "transporting and trafficking drugs". After nearly 2 days of pursuit, by the morning of August 19, Cambodian authorities had arrested 7 subjects. Of these, 6 subjects were identified as Cambodian-Americans, the remaining subject was a Chinese person holding a US passport. (sbm.news)

* US aircraft appear when Chinese ship blocks Philippine ship : According to AP , the territorial dispute between China and the Philippines at Second Thomas Shoal has continued to escalate in recent days with the presence of US aircraft.

According to reports, on the evening of August 21, the Philippines sent two coast guard ships to escort a supply ship to the area of Second Thomas Shoal, where the country's marines were stationed on an old warship that had run aground. Immediately after, China sent four coast guard ships and four maritime militia ships to tail and block the Philippine supply ships for five hours.

At the same time as the incident, the US Navy in the area deployed two aircraft to support two Philippine Coast Guard vessels. Immediately after the incident, the Philippine Coast Guard condemned China for its blockade of Philippine maritime forces at Second Thomas Shoal, in violation of international law. (AP)

Middle East – Africa

* India, Iran accelerate development of Chabahar port : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi recently agreed to accelerate the development of Chabahar port to enhance bilateral cooperation. The two leaders discussed the potential of Chabahar port as an important trade gateway, connecting India with Afghanistan and Central Asia as well as through Pakistan.

Chabahar Port, located in southeastern Iran, is a key focal point in India’s efforts to increase connectivity and trade with the region. The two countries aim to leverage the port’s capabilities to promote economic growth and stability in Afghanistan and beyond. This is in line with India’s broader goal of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which aims to establish efficient trade routes connecting the Indian Ocean to the Caspian Sea.

The rapid development of Chabahar port by the two countries is also seen by observers as a way to compete with Pakistan's deep-water port of Gwadar, located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, near the main shipping routes into and out of the Persian Gulf. Gwadar port is an important project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and is leased to a Chinese consortium for 99 years. (TNA)

* Israel will increase gas exports to Egypt : Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said on August 23 that the Jewish state will increase natural gas exports to Egypt from the Tamar field off Haifa.

On the social network X, formerly Twitter, Mr. Katz stated: "This step will increase state revenue and strengthen diplomatic relations between Israel and Egypt." The leader also added that after ensuring sufficient gas supply for domestic needs, he would sign the decision to export more of this energy product to neighboring Egypt.

Egypt is facing increasing demand for gas as the country grapples with power shortages due to a heat wave that has hit the region over the past two months. Meanwhile, domestic gas production has fallen 12% compared to the same period in 2021. Meanwhile, Israeli companies produced 21.29 billion cubic meters of gas in 2022 and exported 9.21 billion cubic meters to Egypt and Jordan. (The Times of Israel)

America

* South Africa confirms BRICS agree to expand bloc , Chinese President absent from opening session : On August 24, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the BRICS group has decided to invite 6 countries - Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - to become new members of the bloc. The above countries will be accepted as BRICS members from January 1, 2024.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also at the summit, said the bloc's expansion would "pool our strength and pool our wisdom for more just and equitable global governance.

However, according to CNN on August 23, Chinese President Xi Jinping unexpectedly did not attend the opening session of the BRICS Summit and Business Forum held in Johannesburg (South Africa), while the Indian Prime Minister, the Brazilian President and the South African President all attended. Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao was assigned to attend the conference's programs during President Xi's absence. (AFP)

* Former President Trump agrees to appear in court and pay bail : CNN reported on August 23 that former US President Donald Trump has agreed to appear in court and pay $200,000 for bail in Georgia.

According to the indictment, Mr. Trump committed a criminal offense by leading a group of 18 people to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in this state. Thus, Mr. Trump is now facing 4 indictments, while accelerating his 2024 presidential campaign.

On the same day, Mr. Rudy Giuliani and Ms. Sidney Powell, the lawyers representing former President Trump in failed lawsuits to overturn the election results, appeared before Georgia judicial officials at the Fulton County jail. According to NBC , these are two prominent faces in supporting Trump's baseless "election fraud" story.

Previously, some of the 18 individuals indicted with Mr. Trump, such as Scott Hall, John Eastman, David Shafer, Cathy Latham, Ray Smith, Kenneth Chesebro... appeared in court. (CNN)

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