They say the law’s wide scope of application could put foreign businesses in China in a big dilemma, as they could be caught between complying with foreign sanctions and the law. ban them from taking such measures. Chinese technology company Huawei. Photo of CPO MAGAZINE According to Article 12 of the law passed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on June 10, organizations and individuals that enforce or support foreign sanctions can be brought to court and forced to must “stop the violation and pay compensation”. Lester Ross, a partner at Beijing-based law firm WilmerHale, said he was concerned the new law would force regulators to “reduce companies’ discretion in determining whether they want to do business with them.” With whom”. “If so, this could have a big impact, especially for financial institutions,” he said. Businesses that may be at risk include multinational fashion brands that have announced they will not use cotton from Xinjiang after being banned by the US over human rights concerns, or suppliers to telecommunications giant Huawei, which has been hit by US export restrictions. Observers say the new law establishes a clear legal foundation for regulations issued by the Commerce Department last year. These include so-called untrusted legal entities lists, which identify foreign agencies deemed to pose a threat to China’s national security or interests and subject them to measures such as fines, economic restrictions and visa restrictions for employees. In January, the ministry also introduced a “blocking regulation” that forces Chinese organizations and individuals to report whether they have encountered any restrictions from foreign governments with the risk of fines if not, and allow them to claim. Tian Feilong, PSG at Beihang University’s law school, who has participated in consultations on the new law, said the blocking regulation has affected compliance with certain US sanctions. “In China, for example, Huawei can sue Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC for economic damages and seek compensation for the consequences,” Tian said. “Our court may rule that TSMC loses and Huawei will have a domestic legal channel to protect its interests. In this case, TSMC will have to decide whether to honor the sanctions. US sanctions or respect anti-sanctions laws in China,” he added. Tian said a leadership group would be set up to coordinate and enforce anti-sanctions measures, including representatives from the ministries of commerce and foreign affairs and the National Development and Reform Commission. “Simply put, foreign companies participating in sanctions against China will lose the Chinese market. Many companies need to weigh their pros and cons, whether to choose sides in the market. the Chinese market or the US and European markets, and between Chinese law and foreign law,” he said.

Besides, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also expressed optimism that the two sides will reach an agreement as soon as possible. US and EU express cooperation on protection issues for Boeing and Airbus In March, the EU and the US also agreed to suspend counter-tariff actions for four months over a dispute related to protections for Airbus and Boeing. The US accused the EU of protecting aircraft maker Airbus to create a competitive advantage, while the EU also accused the US of taking similar measures against Boeing. The related lawsuits have dragged on for the past 17 years but have not come to an end. The dispute has led Brussels and Washington to repeatedly launch tariffs to punish each other. In March 2018, former US President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on imported steel products and 10% on aluminum imports from the EU, Canada and Mexico. In response, the EU approved a regulation to impose tariffs on $3.2 billion in US goods, including a 25% tax on the country’s whiskey. In addition to the issue of Airbus-Boeing, the two sides are currently arguing about France, Spain and some EU countries imposing digital taxes on major US technology firms.

The German government remains committed to completing the Nord Stream 2 project despite strong objections from Washington. Photo: AP According to Bloomberg, Foreign Minister Maas affirmed that it is too early to conclude that the US will not impose additional sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project. Maas emphasized, in fact, in US politics, neither Democrats nor Republicans have a positive view of the gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. However, Minister Maas expects that the gas cooperation project between Moscow and Berlin will no longer be a conflict in US-German relations. The US has repeatedly voiced its objections and continuously put pressure on the implementation of the Russian gas project. Most recently, Washington imposed sanctions on 13 Russian ships and 3 companies related to the project, but lifted sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG – the company operating the Stream project. The North 2, and CEO Matthias Warnig. Speaking at a press conference on May 19, Foreign Minister Maas said the US decision was “a constructive step”, and affirmed that Berlin would continue to dialogue with its partners in Washington. The German government remains committed to completing the Nord Stream 2 project despite strong objections from Washington, and asserts that this pipeline will help ensure Europe’s energy security and is completely a economic project. In a related development, Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4 said that the Nord Stream 2 project is ready to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany.

“Some young people today have a high IQ but their EQ is low, their intelligence is immature and they are very susceptible to diseases,” said Mr. Nham Chinh Phi. Mr. Nham’s statement is only a part of the information that Reuters just posted, excerpted from an internal Huawei note. The document also shows that Huawei will focus on software instead of hardware as before. Nham Chinh Phi believes that today’s young people are emotionally weak and psychologically immature. Photo: Reuters. Specifically, Huawei will announce the new Harmony operating system for smartphones on June 2. This is considered an important step for Huawei to reduce damage to its smartphone industry. Huawei’s switch to Harmony operating system means that it will no longer depend on Android and the Google Mobile Services service pack. Since 2019, Google has stopped cooperating with the Chinese phone company, making Huawei from the position of the world’s second largest smartphone company, in the latest quarter, it only reached 4% of the market share, ranked 6th in the ranking of smartphone manufacturers. biggest. Internal documents also show that Nham Chinh Phi has called on employees to focus on developing the software segment, with the orientation that the company will be more autonomous and independent in the future to fight US sanctions. Sanctions by the US government have forced companies like Huawei to change their business strategies. Nham Chinh Phi’s statement is the clearest evidence that Huawei has been shifting its focus away from the mobile segment, which was once its mainstay. Huawei will focus on software because this area is outside the US domination. Not only software, Huawei will focus more on the smart car segment, which is being led by US brands like Tesla. Photo: China Daily. “Once we dominate Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa, if America’s standards don’t match ours and we can’t enter the US, the US can’t enter the territory either. ours,” Nham said. According to Mr. Nham, the software department needs to find a suitable business direction to be able to compete in the market. He advises employees to get “nutrients” from open technology communities and apply it right to the company’s conditions. In addition to software, Huawei’s rotating CEO, Eric Xu, also announced in April that the company will invest more than 1 billion USD in the smart car segment, and is expanding cooperation with Changan, a car manufacturer belonging to Huawei. state-owned, to develop automated semiconductors and designs.

Customers visit a Huawei store in Shenzhen. (Photo: Reuters) Using its own mobile operating system means Huawei is no longer dependent on Google Android. The US has banned Google from providing technical support for new Huawei phone models and blocked access to the Google Mobile Services developer suite. It is not clear if the Chinese company will introduce a new smartphone at the same time as Harmony, or if Harmony will be updated on models sold on the market. Harmony OS can only partially mitigate the impact of US sanctions on Huawei’s mobile division. The US ban in 2019 also barred Huawei from accessing important US-origin technology, hindering its ability to design its own chips and buy components from outside manufacturers. Once the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, Huawei currently ranked 6th globally with a market share of 4% in the first quarter. The administration of former US President Donald Trump accused the Chinese telecommunications giant of threatening national security. This week, Huawei founder Nham Chinh Phi urged employees to “dare to lead the world in software”, moving into an area where the US cannot influence. The company needs to attract more software experts from abroad for this effort. Du Lam (According to Reuters)

Former Czech President Vaclav Klaus. Photo: TASS “We are punishing one of the great powers in the world … I see this as proof that our country does not have a proper foreign policy,” former Czech President Vaclav Klaus on April 23 told Blesk newspaper. is based in Prague, mentioning Czech-Russian diplomatic tensions, TASS reported. Mr. Vaclav Klaus also said that the fact that Czech diplomats tried to blame Russian intelligence for the Vrbetice explosion in 2014 and used it as an excuse to expel Russian diplomats, is an act of trying to score points with The United States and the NATO military in the hope of receiving support. According to Mr. Klaus, the Czechs were hasty in this case. He argued that Prague “should have waited for true and serious evidence” before making any conclusions regarding the Vrbetice explosion. “It was a mistake to issue an ultimatum to Russia before having the facts,” Klaus warned. The former Czech president also revealed that he had discussions with his successor, current Czech President Milos Zeman, about tensions with Russia and the explosion seven years ago in Vrbetice. Russia-Czech relations became strained after Prague last week expelled 18 Russian diplomats accused of being officers of intelligence services. Prague also questioned Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency was involved in the ammunition explosion in Vrbetice in October 2014 that caused two deaths. Russia denied all related allegations and asked 20 staff of the Czech Embassy in Moscow to leave Russian territory in response. Moscow’s strong retaliation surprised Czechs. On April 22, the Czech Republic again expelled 63 more Russian diplomats and staff, followed by corresponding action from Russia.

Last week, the administration of US President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on Russia. (Source: Getty) On April 23, White House top international economic aide Daleep Singh said that the US sanctions imposed on Russia last week had achieved “pretty close” results. Washington, amid tensions between the two countries over Ukraine, seems to have eased. “Our intention is to act adequately, to focus on our approach, as well as to signal that we are likely to cause greater losses if Russia continues,” Mr. Daleep Singh stated. To date, the results of the sanctions are quite close to our expectations. ” Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had begun withdrawing military units from the Crimean Peninsula to its permanent bases after deploying tens of thousands of soldiers near the Ukrainian border area, causing concern. afraid of war. Last week, the administration of US President Joe Biden imposed sanctions against Russia for “intimidating” Ukraine, meddling in the US election in 2020, cyber attacks and other actions. . Mr. Biden passed provisions to make it easier for officials to extend sanctions in any sector of the Russian economy in response to future aggression. However, Mr. Biden also stressed that he did not want to escalate tensions with Russia.

At 18:00 on March 20, Xie Ming, a villager in Luoguan Village, Jinniu Town, Binchuan County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, stabbed Jin Min, the female owner of the mutton restaurant in the same village, with more than ten knives. Jin Min died on the spot.

This is Xie Ming’s second death. In 2006, Xie Ming was sentenced to 15 years in prison for wounding and causing death in a brawl. After a total of five reductions in his sentence, he was released from prison on January 26, 2017.

A reporter from the Beijing News learned that in addition to the two murders, Xie Ming had clashed with his family and neighbors on many occasions, or threatened them, or injured or disabled them.

After the incident occurred on March 20, more than 120 villagers jointly filed a petition, hoping that the judicial department will severely punish the murderer in accordance with the law and return a stable and peaceful village to the village.

On the afternoon of April 14, the police surnamed Li from the Binchuan County Public Security Bureau stated that the county party committee and county government had set up a special investigation team to take Xie Ming’s assault as a key inspection and verification case for the education and rectification of the political and legal teams. The case is currently being strictly and orderly. During the verification process.

“Kill you if you don’t close the store”

Binchuan County is known as the “Hometown of Citrus in China”, “Hometown of Grapes in China”, and “Top 100 High-quality Demonstration Counties for the Development of the National Fruit Industry Development Project”. Among more than ten counties under the jurisdiction of Dali, it is a relatively economically powerful county. Qiang County.

Luoguan Village is located on both sides of National Highway 554, with convenient transportation and prosperous commerce. It is commonly known as “Luoguanying” locally. Many people in the village open shops on the street to do small business, and there are many car repair shops, canteens, and restaurants on both sides of the road.

Jin Min’s house is on the west side of the national highway. In the second half of 2019, her family used 3 bungalows facing the street to open a dog meat restaurant.

According to his family, when the dog meat restaurant was first opened, Xie Ming occasionally came to eat. Seeing Jin Min’s business booming, Xie Ming also had the idea of ​​opening a dog meat restaurant.

According to information from Tianyan, Xie Ming opened the “Binchuan County Optimistic Dog Meat Restaurant” in May 2020. Xie’s house is less than 100 meters away from Jin’s house, but Xie’s house is not facing the street, but in an alley. The business of Xie’s Dog Meat Restaurant is not as prosperous as the Jin’s.

Jin Min’s relatives recalled that the jealous Xie Ming threatened Jin Min many times and asked him to close the dog meat restaurant. In this regard, some villagers also confirmed that they had seen Xie Ming arguing in Jin Min’s shop.

On April 10, the mutton restaurant of Jin Min’s home, family members introduced that this was the site where Jin Min was assassinated.Beijing News reporter Wu Xiaofei

According to Jin Lei, Jin Min’s son, in the second half of 2020, due to repeated threats from Xie Ming, Jin Min closed the dog meat restaurant.

“The mother and daughter are at home, and they will be closed if they are afraid of accidents.” Jin Lei said that his father had been working outside for a long time. He himself didn’t often go home from work in the urban area of ​​Dali. Only his mother and sister lived together at home.

The Jin family’s fear of Xie Ming and his son was not only because Xie Ming had a “previous record” in the murder case, but also related to an old grievance. Jin Lei said that Xie Ming stabbed Jin Min’s father-in-law more than 20 years ago. “At that time, the thigh of the old man was pierced.”

In March 2021, Jin Min reopened the mutton restaurant in the original dog meat restaurant, but this still caused Xie Ming’s dissatisfaction, and a bloody crime occurred within a few days.

Jin Lei saw Xie Ming assaulting his mother in the neighbor’s surveillance video. According to his description, on the morning of March 20, Xie Ming came to his mother’s restaurant, accused his mother of daring to open the restaurant, and asked Jin Min to close it immediately. Xie Ming’s threat can be clearly heard in the surveillance video, “Kill you if you don’t close the store.”

Surveillance video showed that Xie Ming came to the restaurant to argue with Jin Min again at around 6 pm that day, and then Xie Ming left. A few minutes later, Xie Ming entered the restaurant with a knife and attacked Jin Min. The assault continued from inside the store to outside the store. Jin Min has no ability to resist.

On the day of the incident, only Jin Min’s mother and daughter were in the Jin family. My daughter Mengmeng was in the bedroom on the second floor of the courtyard. She did not hear her mother arguing with Xie Ming. There was a faint noise in the middle, “I thought it was because of the crowds in the store.”

Later, a relative in the village went upstairs and called her, telling her mother that “there was a car accident.” She went downstairs and saw her mother lying in a pool of blood. The relatives had already covered the dead mother with a blanket.

“Men, women and children in the village are afraid of him”

Regarding the death of his mother, Jin Lei said that the villagers’ “indifference” made him unable to let go. “You can see a lot of people watching in the video, but I didn’t see anyone calling the police. I heard that it was a passerby who called the police first.”

In this regard, a reporter from the Beijing News asked Zhang Hao, deputy director of the Binchuan County Public Security Bureau, for confirmation. He replied that “subject to the county government’s notification.”

On April 15, the Binchuan County Government Information Office issued a notice showing that at about 18:8 on March 20, the 110 Command Center of the County Public Security Bureau received a report from the masses. “In Luoguan Camp, Jinniu Town, a fight occurred and someone was killed by a knife. After receiving the police, the County Public Security Bureau quickly organized police to rush to the scene for disposal. At 18:26 that day, the suspect Xie was arrested.

Some insiders told reporters that the villagers’ reaction was not without reason.

On March 30, 2021, the village committee of Luoguan Village issued a certificate stating: “Xie Ming was aggressive since he was a child, and he had fought with others and his family many times. After drinking, he often caused trouble and ignored laws and regulations…. I’m afraid of him… often bullying his neighbors.”

66-year-old Xie Ming, a junior high school student, is over 170 cm tall, has a long face and a short head. The old man in the village said that there are five brothers and sisters of Xie Ming, and he is the eldest in the family.

Xie Ming’s ex-wife Wang Yumei told the Beijing News reporter that after Xie Ming got married, he separated from his parents. His parents live with his younger brother. Because of complaining about his parents taking care of his younger brother, Xie Ming estranged from his parents and younger brother.

Wang Yumei and Xie Ming married in 1975 and have two sons and a daughter. Wang Yumei said that in the first ten years of marriage, Xie Ming was the same as her husband in an ordinary family. The apparent change in his temperament began with a joke made by his neighbor in his middle age.

Wang Yumei recalled that once a wedding banquet was held in the village, she took three children to help cook for the head of the household, but at the wedding banquet, a neighbor teased her for having an affair with others. Although it was just a joke, the seeds of suspicion were planted in Xie Ming’s heart.

“I don’t believe anything at all. Since then, he has been drinking frequently, hitting people as soon as he drinks, and sometimes even without drinking.” Wang Yumei pointed to the head, arms, legs, and feet. Many scars said that her body was already scarred, and her arms and legs had been discounted.

In the upper right corner of Wang Yumei’s head, there was a five-cent coin-sized wound showing obvious dents. She said that Xie Ming “pierced it with a nail.”

In the late 1990s, Wang Yumei and Xie Ming divorced.

Sentenced to death and sentenced to 5 reductions in 15 years

It was found from the Judgment Documents Network that Xie Ming had been punished several times for intentionally injuring others.

On June 29, 1999, Xie Ming was sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Binchuan County People’s Court for the crime of intentional injury, with a four-year probation.

On November 11, 2005, he was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment with a two-year probation by the Binchuan County People’s Court for the crime of intentional injury.

On the evening of August 3, 2006, Xie Ming accompanied his girlfriend in Jinniu Town to search for his girlfriend’s daughter who had not returned home for several months. The two saw his girlfriend’s daughter with Yang and others near Xiaoxin Village. Xie Ming used one Steel brazed Yang on the head. At about 21 o’clock that day, Shi and many others carried weapons such as knives and steel pipes to “revenge” Yang. After Xie Ming was found near Daxin Village, the two sides fought. During the fight, Shi was stabbed in the chest by Xie Ming with a steel drill, and Xie Ming was also knocked to the ground by multiple opponents. Shi died of his injuries afterwards. Xie Ming was seriously injured.

The Beijing News reporter learned that Xie Ming lost his right arm in the fight.

On November 29, 2007, the Intermediate People’s Court of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture issued a criminal and attached civil sentence, and Xie Ming was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime of intentional injury. After the sentence was pronounced, Xie Ming lodged an appeal on the grounds that his behavior was too defensive and the sentence was too heavy.

On March 7, 2008, the Yunnan Higher People’s Court commuted Xie Ming to 15 years’ imprisonment for the crime of intentional injury. The sentence was from December 27, 2006 to December 26, 2021.

Another[(2016)Yun29XingGengNo.1890]Criminal ruling of the Intermediate People’s Court of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, shows that Xie Ming was sent to Dali Prison on April 21, 2008 to serve his sentence and reform. While serving his sentence, Xie Ming was commuted 4 times because of his repentance. The sentence after the commutation ended on January 26, 2018.

Subsequently, Xie Ming was commuted again, and his sentence ended on January 26, 2017.

Villagers petition for severe punishment

After being released from prison, Xie Ming returned to the village to live with his eldest son, two young granddaughters, and ex-wife Wang Yumei.

“He was the same as before. He always drank and went crazy when he drank too much. With the exception of his two granddaughters, he did everything at home.” Wang Yumei said, Xie Ming carried a small bag with a knife in it after he was released from prison. Because he feels that he has only one hand, and Wan is unable to beat others in a conflict, so he should bring a knife.”

At the beginning of 2018, Wang Yumei revealed that his son did not follow Xie Ming’s request to dispose of a field in his home. He stabbed his son with a sharp object, causing multiple traumas to the latter. “My son’s entire face was chopped off by him (Xie Ming) with a knife.”

The neighbors across the road from Xie’s family were very afraid of Xie Ming. In order to reduce the frequency of direct contact with Xie Ming, the neighbor retreated more than 20 meters of the new home that was supposed to be built along the roadside, and the door was also planned to be installed in a direction where Xie’s house could not be seen.

Xia Mou, deputy director of the Luoguan Village Committee, said that the village committee would mediate after receiving reports from the masses, but he did not want to say more about Xie Ming’s daily life.

According to the “certificate” issued by the village committee, due to Xie Ming’s disability, in August 2017, the village committee included Xie Ming in the minimum living standard after a visit and democratic evaluation, and at the same time received a subsidy for the disabled.

Regarding the assessment of Xie Ming’s minimum living standard, Li Police Officer of the Binchuan County Public Security Bureau said that Xie will be older next year, has a bad relationship with his family, and has a low willingness to take care of his children. This is the result of democratic review in accordance with the law.

The “proof” also stated that at the beginning of 2019, Xie Ming and villager Liu had a dispute over the ridge passage, and the village committee promptly resolved the conflict through mediation and resolved the conflict.

On the afternoon of April 11, a reporter from the Beijing News came to Xie Ming’s home. The door to the dog meat restaurant run by the Xie family was open and there was no one in the restaurant.

After the murder of Jin Min, more than 120 villagers put their fingerprints on the petition and signed them, hoping that law enforcement agencies will severely punish the murderer in accordance with the law and return to the hometown in peace.Photo courtesy of the interviewee

After the murder of Jin Min, the Jin family organized the villagers to initiate a petition, hoping that law enforcement agencies would severely punish the murderer in accordance with the law and return to the hometown for peace. The Beijing News reporter learned that there are more than 120 villagers who put their fingerprints on and signed the petition.

A villager who cooperated with the police investigation told the Beijing News that when the police asked him if he knew the content of the petition, he said that although he did not read the specific text, he knew the purpose of the petition. “We hope he will be tried soon.”

Xia, deputy director of the village committee, said that some villagers spontaneously formed “emergency commandos” in the village, which are mainly used to guard against theft and fire prevention at specific times such as busy farming or festivals. The daily function of the village committee is to coordinate neighbourhood disputes and other issues, and cannot prevent vicious cases. Local public security is mainly the responsibility of the public security department.

From April 11 to April 13, relevant persons in charge of the Binchuan County Public Security Bureau, Jinniu Town Government, and Luoguan Village Village Committee visited Jin Min’s home to give condolences and investigate the case, and said that government departments would vigorously assist in solving the difficulties.

Announcement from the Information Office of Binchuan County Government. Said that the case was listed as a key supervision case for the county government’s team education and rectification.Photo courtesy of the interviewee

On April 15, the Binchuan County Government Information Office stated that based on the clues of the suspect’s other issues reported by the masses, the county party committee and the county government attached great importance to it and established a special working group for the investigation and investigation of the case to carry out verification of related issues in accordance with the law. , And listed the case as a key supervision case for the county government’s team education and rectification, and the results of the verification will be announced in a timely manner.

(Jin Min, Jin Lei, Mengmeng, Wang Yumei are pseudonyms)

Beijing News reporter Wu Xiaofei, intern Zhou Huaiyang and Chen Siyu editor Hu Jie proofreading Wei Zhuo

Russian President Putin and US President Biden. Photo: BBC

“When I spoke to President Putin, I expressed confidence that direct and personal communication between the two of us is essential to a more effective relationship. He agrees on that point.” – he said.

He added: “So I proposed that we meet face to face this summer in Europe for a summit to address a wide range of issues that both our countries are facing. face.”

According to him, “our teams are discussing this possibility right now.”

“And if that summit takes place and I believe it will happen, the US and Russia can launch a dialogue of strategic stability to pursue cooperation in arms control,” Biden stressed. and security ”.

“We can tackle important global challenges that require Russia and the US to work together, including curbing nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea, ending the global pandemic. and deal with the existing climate change crisis “- declared by US President.

In the same speech, Mr. Biden said he warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of the sanctions in a phone call he called a “straightforward, respectful conversation” on April 13.

“I have made it clear to President Putin that we can take more action, but I choose not to. I chose to respond accordingly. The US does not want to start a cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia. We want a stable, predictable relationship, ”Mr. Biden said at the White House on April 15.

The sanctions “send a signal that the United States will impose measures strategically and have an economic impact on Russia if it continues or escalates destabilizing international actions,” the White House said. know in a statement. “Our goal is not to escalate, to impose sanctions on what we feel is an unacceptable action by the Russian government,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. before the press on April 15.

The White House said on April 15 that recent sanctions actions were also prompted by Moscow “targeting dissidents or journalists” and undermining “security in countries and regions.” important to US national security ”, referring to the recent Russian alleged poisoning of opposition leader Alexey Navalny and military consolidation along the Ukrainian border.

Mr. Biden has strained his relationship with Putin personally by agreeing with the view that Putin is a “killer”. The US President did not apologize and also refused to hold talks with the Russian President when Putin proposed a dialogue.

For a while, Mr. Biden continued to send signals that the US would punish Russia for its interference in the US’s internal affairs, including cyber attacks and election interference. At the same time, the US leader suggests direct dialogue with the Russian President.

For the past two days, Mr. Biden has repeatedly heated up American media about what he sees as a measure of pressure on Moscow, forcing it to pay the price for what it has done with America, while leaving the door open. the door to directly negotiate with Mr. Putin.

Analysts said that Mr. Biden’s actions in imposing new sanctions against the possibility of a live conference with Putin, will give Mr. Biden’s negotiating advantage.

Expert Lev Sokolschik, scientist of the Center for Integrated Research on European and International Affairs at Russia’s HSE State Research University, said that the US is continuing its policy of restraining Russia on all fronts. Important aspects include economic, military, political and using pressure in areas of interest to win the US over Russia.

The US has followed the roadmap: Announcing the summit proposal, negotiating and then imposing sanctions on dialogue with Russia with its strengths, the Russian expert said.

However, given the ever-confrontational nature of the Russia-US relationship, the actions of the US would immediately receive a response from Russia. The Russian side is also considering a number of retaliation sanctions and could be announced in the near future.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan previously called the sanctions “adequate measures to protect US interests from harmful Russian actions including cyber intrusion and election interference”.

The recently announced measures include sanctions on six Russian companies that support domestic cyber operations, along with sanctions on 32 individuals and organizations allegedly trying. to interfere in last year’s presidential election.

The White House said 10 Russian diplomats were deported, including representatives of Russian intelligence agencies.

“What is currently being considered – possibly sanctions – will not help the meeting,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The head of the White House said in a phone call earlier this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin he made a clear stance that the US and Russia may have “gone further,” emphasizing that Washington “did not want to arrest. the beginning of a cycle of escalation and conflict “with Moscow.

Mr. Biden asserted that after direct communication between him and Putin, the US and Russia could establish “a more effective relationship” and the Kremlin boss “agreed” with this view.

According to Biden, his proposal to hold a summit with his Russian counterpart this summer in Europe will be an opportunity to launch a stable strategic dialogue.

Putin has yet to react to the White House boss’s invitation, but Biden said his cabinet is discussing the possibility now.

Before that, despite President Biden proposing a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart, on April 15, the US still announced economic sanctions against Russia and expelled 10 foreign diplomats. This was in response to actions that Washington alleged was “interference” by the Kremlin in US elections and large-scale cyber attacks.

In addition, the US Treasury Department also announced sanctions against 8 individuals and entities involved in Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

For its part, the Kremlin vowed to respond adequately to any new illegal US sanctions against Russia and noted that any new sanctions would reduce the chances of a meeting. two sides summit.

The statement states that the decision made by the Polish Foreign Ministry was due to the fact that three Russian diplomats have engaged in activities that are inconsistent with diplomatic regulations and endanger Poland’s security.

Russian and Polish flags. Photo: Dreamstime

The statement also expressed Poland’s absolute support for the US measures taken against Russia on April 15.

It is known that earlier in a related development, the US government announced to impose large-scale sanctions on Russia. At the same time expelled 10 Russian diplomats, on the grounds of conducting cyber attacks and interfering in the US presidential election.

The British Foreign Ministry has summoned the Russian Ambassador regarding London’s deep concern about Russia’s hostile policy.

According to Russian media, the British Foreign Ministry has summoned Russian Ambassador to London Andrei Kelin, regarding Russia’s “hostile line of conduct”, the London Foreign Service said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to Warsaw, Sergei Andreev, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland. According to diplomatic sources, the reason for the summons was related to “the introduction of new sanctions by the United States against Russia”. Another reason may be the situation on Ukraine’s eastern border.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

“Such an act of aggression will be strongly opposed. The response to the sanctions will be inevitable … The responsibility for what is happening completely belongs to the US “- Ms. Zakharova said in a press conference.

According to Ms. Zakharova, US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry to have a “difficult” conversation with the US side.

“We have repeatedly warned the United States about the consequences of their hostile actions, which represents the degree of confrontation between the two countries” – said Ms. Zakharova – “Such a (political) process. do not serve the people’s interests of the two leading nuclear powers, which are historically responsible for the fate of the world.

“In a phone call with the Russian President, Mr. Joe Biden expressed interest in the normalization of Russia-US relations. However, the actions of his administration showed the opposite “- the spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized.

Earlier, the United States imposed anti-Russia sanctions and expelled 10 diplomats in response to accusations of Moscow’s election meddling and cyber activities.

US President Joe Biden said he is ready to take further action if Moscow continues to “interfere in our democracy” but at the same time still hopes to improve relations with Russia.

According to the owner of the photo, the scene of starfish dying dry, lying on the sand was taken at noon on April 2. Previously, this female tourist and her family were transported by the taxi driver and introduced it as “a beach with many stars and arranged into a heart shape”.

Upon arrival, this visitor was surprised to witness the scene of a dead starfish basking in the sun. This person then took the photo and posted the story on social media.

The photo of dry starfish on the coast of Phu Quoc

Frustrated by the above incident, Mr. Le Chien, representative of Marine Life Rescue Center, said that this situation happened a few years ago, not just recently.

We need to know that starfish play an important role in the ecosystem. People call starfish a key type. Without such a key species, the surrounding ecosystem will collapse.

Starfish has the characteristic of being alive above all temperatures. No matter what environment they live in, they play an important role in that ecosystem, but many people take starfish ashore to take pictures and let them die. This situation has a very low general assessment of Vietnamese people’s consciousness.

“We have many foreign volunteers, sometimes they come to Vietnam to play and meet the scene where Vietnamese people catch sea animals and leave them on the shore, all foreigners have a very offensive impression. jobs on.

However, this work with Vietnamese people is as natural and innocent as meals. That is really sad, expressing the common sense of society “-anh Chien shared.

According to the representative of the Marine Life Rescue Center, people in the countryside or the city when traveling are the same, it is lack of knowledge about the sea.

The story of the starfish is like the story of the coral, really to solve the above problem requires handling sanctions. Although the Marine Life Rescue Center has repeatedly proposed this issue to higher levels, it still cannot solve it because there is no penalty.

Our country needs a penalty to strictly punish violators. If Thai and Filipinos just touch the coral and be photographed, that tourist will be ordered to deport and pay a large fine. However, in Vietnam, there is no force to check.

Bringing starfish to shore and then letting them die for photography is very offensive. (Illustration)

“Summarizing to solve and limit the above things, we have to do in 3 aspects. The first is the community communication aspect by giving scientific knowledge to tourists, especially people. local people.

Only local people who understand, they will work enthusiastically and supervise closely. The second is in terms of education, it is necessary to provide more information about the environment, about marine life and forests in order to make tourists travel for civilization.

Finally, it is imperative to have a sanction against both foreigners and Vietnamese when violating “-anh Chien emphasized.

In addition, the representative of the Marine Life Rescue Center shared more about the current tourism situation in our country.

According to Chien, 90% of tourism businesses make mistakes and put visitors at risk. For example, if you go diving to see coral, they will give you a life jacket, diving goggles, and a breathing tank, that’s absolutely wrong and internationally forbids it. When guests wear life jackets into the water, the body will be difficult to control and even people die in the coral reef because corals cut into arteries.

“When in the water, all the tourists trampling on we must accept and correct mistakes, even go to replant the coral, but will not interfere at that time because it will affect the customer’s lives and of ourselves.

Not to mention that there are many types of corals, some are poisonous and many tourists do not necessarily understand this. The image of starfish dying dry on the shore made many people get up, but looking at the tourist picture of Vietnam, it was really bad, ugly …

Russian President and US President – documentary photo.

On April 15, the administration of US President Joe Biden intends to impose new sanctions on many Russian individuals and organizations.

The US news agency, citing some well-informed sources, said Washington would punish 30 entities in Russia and expel 10 officials from the United States.

This is part of the US response to Russia over accusations that Moscow is the culprit behind large-scale cyber attacks against US software supply chain SolarWinds in December last year.

Through that attack, the hackers gain access to the data of thousands of companies and government offices that are partners of Solar Winds.

However, the Russian side has always strongly rejected and affirmed that it had prepared the scenario to deal with the worst situations.

Official sources from the White House, the State Department and the US Treasury Department have not officially announced or responded to the leaked information.

If confirmed, this is the “pain” of the US and Russia at the moment when the tense relationship between the two countries is falling into disagreement regarding the hot spot on the Russia-Ukraine border.

Earlier, this disagreement led the US to send two destroyers to the Black Sea towards Russia to show support for Ukraine.

However, after Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden made a phone call and the two sides agreed to hold a summit meeting in the near future, the US stopped the plan to destroy the USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS destroyers. Donald Cook into the Black Sea.

Turkey has received notification of this route change. This is a move that is expected to help cool the situation in Ukraine and ease tensions between the US and Russia.

Thus, in combination with the frigate developments and the US administration’s imposition of sanctions on Russia, it can be seen that the Biden administration probably wants to demonstrate the diplomatic stance with Moscow, which he immediately identified. from the beginning.

That is the US will react strongly to protect national interests against Russian actions such as accusations of cyber attacks, election interference … but will not make too much tension in matters related to international affairs. .

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden.

The sanctions are part of the US government’s response to Russia’s election meddling in the US and the launch of the SolarWinds cyber attack last December, according to the New York Times.

Sources say that among the Russian citizens that the US is preparing to impose sanctions are both government officials and intelligence services.

The Wall Street Journal also cited sources as saying that US President Joe Biden would issue a decree extending a ban on US banks from conducting transactions related to Russia’s national debt.

Earlier in January, the US Agency for Cyber ​​Security and Infrastructure (CISA) issued a joint statement by the FBI and several other agencies, under which Russia is likely to be behind the attack. Large-scale networks targeted at customers of the computer security firm SolarWinds.

According to Washington, the goal of the attack was to gather intelligence. However, it was later reported that the attackers did not gain access to sensitive information.

In mid-March, US intelligence released a new report, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of directing the Russian government’s influence campaigns to reduce the likelihood of Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s victory in elections in 2020 and deepening political divisions in America.

Advisor to US President Joe Biden on national security Jake Sullivan recently stated that in response to this attack the White House is ready to use a variety of methods, not only sanctions but also “tangible and intangible” tools.

The New York Times also wrote that the US is planning to carry out “secret counterattacks” on Russian systems.

The Kremlin rated the allegations as “completely unfounded” and said that this was just an excuse for the new sanctions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia did not interfere in the US election and was not involved in cyber attacks.

The United States and three European powers, Britain, France and Germany, oppose Iran’s decision to increase the purity of enriched uranium to 60%, the news agency said. Reuters said.

US Foreign School Antony Blinken said the decision to increase uranium enrichment was a “provocative” move and raised questions about the seriousness of Tehran with nuclear talks.

“We take their (Iran’s) provocative statement very seriously regarding their intention to start uranium enrichment at 60%. I must say that this step raises the question of the seriousness of the uranium level.” of Iran for the nuclear talks “- Mr. Blinken said.

American Foreign School Antony Blinken. Photo: US Department of Foreign Affairs

Britain, France and Germany – the three countries of the P5 + 1 group that signed the historic nuclear deal – made a joint statement, concerned about Iran’s raising uranium enrichment levels and earlier mass activation of the machine. Advanced centrifugation at the Natanz (Iran) factory. These three countries said that Tehran’s moves were “contrary to the constructive spirit and goodwill to discuss”.

“Iran’s announcements are particularly unfortunate because they come at a time when all parties are involved in the deal and the US has begun substantive discussions, with the aim of finding a diplomatic solution. quick to renew and reinstate agreement “- UK, France, Germany wrote in a joint statement.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Archbishop Ali Khamenei criticized that the United States was trying to impose terms favorable to Washington during the negotiations, while Europe was said to be “bowing to people. America and does not act independently “.

Khamenei reiterated Iran’s stance, demanding that the sanctions be lifted before Tehran can fulfill its commitments to the P5 + 1.

The decision to begin enriching uranium at 60% was announced by Iran on April 14, just three days after the Natanz nuclear plant was “under terrorist attack”.

Before Iran made this decision, Iran enriched uranium at 20%, which is 3.67% higher than as bound in the nuclear agreement but much lower than the 90% required to be usable. in nuclear weapons.

However, both the US and Iran confirmed that they would continue to pursue the dialogue. On April 14, the White House Press Secretary said the indirect negotiations between the US and Iran would be resumed from April 15.

The US intends to punish a series of Russian diplomats.

Accordingly, 12 Russian individuals, including intelligence officials and government officials, and 20 other entities in the US sanctions category.

In addition, Washington is also preparing to expel 10 Russian diplomats.

Just last week, Bloomberg reported that the US administration had completed an intelligence assessment of Russia’s potential role in a cyberattack against SolarWinds and meddling in the 2020 presidential election.

The White House is considering actions against US diplomats, including punishing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advisers and agencies involved in allegations of election interference.

In mid-March, US intelligence released a new report, alleging that Putin had authorized the Russian government’s “influence activities” to undermine the then Democratic candidate. Biden in the 2020 election and exacerbated political divisions in the US.

The Kremlin considers the report “completely unfounded and unfounded” and expressed its belief that this is just an excuse to introduce new sanctions. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed that Russia does not interfere in the US vote, is not involved in the campaign against any candidate. He also noted that Washington’s sanctions policy could exacerbate bilateral relations.

One day earlier, the RIA news agency quoted information from the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying that Russia would act decisively if the US took new “unfriendly steps” such as imposing sanctions.

The same day, the White House announced that the new US administration would work towards a stable relationship with Russia, but to seek predictability rather than trust between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Mr. Biden recently offered to have a face-to-face conference with the Russian president in a European country. The Russian president just “wished him well” and invited Mr. Biden to a face-to-face conversation after hearing that the US President agreed with the view that Putin was a “murderer”.

Northern flow 2: Germany receives a request for a building permit, President Biden falls into a ‘dilemma’. (Source: The Brussels Times)

The website Tagesspiegel.de recently published an article titled “A guaranteed gas supply even without the Northern Stream 2 project”.

Accordingly, the Northern Flow 2 gas pipeline project not only supplies gas to Germany and the European Union (EU) but also has strategic implications for the transition of energy, the environment and political geography.

Once again, this has become a central issue in the context of Russia increasing its military forces on the Ukrainian border and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin making his first visit to Germany.

The question is, is this piping system really necessary? What would the consequences be if the pipeline didn’t go into service?

The opinions are mixed

Experts have many different opinions. Some people, like Jens Hobohm from Prognos Institute for Economic Research (Germany), believe that Northern Flow 2 from an energy point of view is necessary and meaningful.

In contrast, expert Claudia Kemfert from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) argues that the answer is “definitely not”.

According to Kemfert, it is not necessary to have any additional infrastructure for the transportation of natural gas from Russia. In addition, the plan to increase natural gas consumption will conflict with the discussed and agreed climate protection goals.

This expert said that there would be no serious problems if the Northern Flow 2 could not be completed and put into operation. If gas from Russia cannot reach Germany through this pipeline system, Germany and Europe will find other energy solutions.

In this regard, new US President Joe Biden has stated that, like his predecessor, Donald Trump, he wants to prevent the completion of the project through the threat of punishing companies involved in the project. .

Still many EU partners believe that, with the assistance of the Northern Flow 2, Germany is acting against the common interests of Europe.

Chairman of the European People’s Party (EPP) group at the European Parliament Manfred Weber said that the Northern Flow 2 project “will definitely not be feasible” if Russian President Vladimir Putin lets the conflict in the region. East Ukraine escalated.

Will the gas supply be at risk then? To answer this question, the forecasts of the amount of gas that Germany and Europe will need in the coming years are central.

From the outset, critics accused the conglomerates that built the pipeline project “inflated” the data on German and European gas demand, making the project indispensable. and completely overwhelmed the opposition.

However, Jens Hobohm believes that this criticism holds true only in previous years, but in recent years, gas consumption in Germany and Europe has increased more than expected due to the need for natural gas. as a bridge for energy transitions.

When countries like Germany give up nuclear power, Poland reduces its dependence on coal, while solar and wind energy are still unable to meet demand, gas is the optimal solution.

According to a study by the Prognos Research Institute, in 2014, the EU consumed 400 billion cubic meters of gas; in 2015, the figure was 419 billion cubic meters and in 2019 it was 470 billion cubic meters.

Consumption figures for 2020 have not been specifically calculated, but according to expert Hobohm, this number is expected to decrease due to the impact of the epidemic of acute respiratory infections Covid-19.

In Germany alone, gas consumption will also increase from 77 billion cubic meters in 2015 to 89 billion cubic meters in 2019, while in 2020 this figure will decrease by about 2.5 percent.

Is that a compelling argument for the construction of the Northern Flow 2 project or would the existing pipes be enough to meet demand?

Is the project really necessary?

If we compare the gas consumption figures for 2019 to 2006, when the first Northern Flow system was planned to be constructed, it can be seen that the consumption volume has never been as high as it was before. Meanwhile, the project construction consortium insists that pipelines are needed as gas consumption will increase continuously. In fact, in 2006, Germany consumed 92 billion cubic meters of gas, while in the EU it was 511 billion cubic meters.

Hobohm adds that Europe’s gas imports from outside Europe depend on how much the continent can produce and to what extent can it meet its own demand?

Currently, the amount of gas produced internally has decreased, partly due to the Netherlands cutting production share faster than planned.

The key point now, experts say, is that the Northern Flow 2 project is still under construction. And Europe has no problems with gas supplies. Whether this project can go into operation or not and never work is an open question.

The later this pipeline is completed, the less necessary it is to be, as the role of natural gas will decline more and more.

Along with that, security policy risks are also very concerned.

First, it is due to the dependence of Europe and Germany on gas from a Russia.

Second, additional risks come from this project because the pipeline runs from Russia through the Baltic Sea and then directly to Germany, not through intermediate states such as Ukraine, Belarus and Poland.

Critics of the project raise two questionable issues.

FirstlyMr. Putin wants free hands to implement his policies with neighboring countries without being afraid to depend on them (when gas exports no longer have to pass through these countries).

Monday, the operation of the Northern Flow 2 system leads to a decrease in the amount of gas flowing through the existing pipes, thereby reducing Ukraine’s income from allowing gas from Russia to transit through its territory. .

The national budget of Kiev will be more than 2 billion euros. Then, the pressure on the EU to increase its aid to Ukraine will grow.