The United States voted to reject the draft resolution on Palestinian membership in the United Nations
On April 18, local time, the United States vetoed a draft resolution on Palestine's application for full membership in the United Nations Security Council.
That afternoon, the 15-member Security Council voted on a draft resolution recommending to the General Assembly that "the State of Palestine become a Member of the United Nations". The draft received 12 votes in favour, with the United States voting against and two abstentions. The draft could not be adopted because of the veto exercised by the United States, a permanent member.
Palestine is currently an observer State of the United Nations. The admission of new Members to the United Nations is subject to the recommendation of the Security Council and a decision by the General Assembly.
Britain and the United States announced sanctions against Iran
On April 18, local time, the United Kingdom and the United States government issued separate statements, announcing sanctions against a number of Iranian individuals and entities in response to Iran's retaliatory strike against Israel a few days ago.
The British government said in a statement that the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on seven individuals and six entities in Iran. The sanctions are a package of measures coordinated with the United States to further increase sanctions on key players in Iran's drone and missile industry.
The U.S. Treasury Department issued a statement saying that the U.S. government announced sanctions on 16 individuals and two entities involved in Iran's drone program, five companies involved in Iran's steel industry, and one Iranian car company, and imposed new export control measures on Iran.
It was revealed that the United States pressured Mexico to distance itself from Chinese electric vehicle companies
Reuters released an "exclusive message" on the 18th, saying that according to 3 Mexican officials familiar with the matter, the Mexican federal government, under pressure from the United States, is distancing itself from Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers by refusing to provide low-cost public land or incentives such as tax cuts. Prior to the disclosure of this news, the U.S. side had raised concerns about the intention of Chinese electric vehicle companies to invest in Mexico, and the Chinese side has made it clear that the practical cooperation between China and Mexico is a matter between two sovereign states, and it is a normal business activity carried out by the companies of both sides based on international rules and market principles, and no third party has the right to interfere.
The commander of the Kenya Defence Forces was killed in a helicopter crash
Kenyan President Ruto confirmed at a press conference on the evening of the 18th that 10 senior military officers, including the commander of the Kenyan Defence Force, Francis Ogra, died in the helicopter crash that occurred in the western part of Kenya that afternoon.
Ruto said that the helicopter in which Ogra was traveling took off from an elementary school in the western county of El Guaiyo-Malaquette on the afternoon of the 18th and crashed and caught fire at about 14:20. The wrecked helicopter was carrying 12 people, two of whom survived and are currently being treated in hospital.
Ruto said Ogra and his entourage travelled by military helicopter from the capital, Nairobi, to the west that morning to visit troops deployed on the border and in areas of unrest, and to inspect the renovation of schools with the help of the National Defence Forces.
Germany has arrested two people suspected of spying on Russia
German prosecutors said on the 18th that law enforcement officers arrested two people suspected of working for Russian intelligence and preparing to carry out sabotage activities in Germany in southern Germany on the 17th.
The German Federal Prosecutor General's Office issued a statement saying that the two suspects, both of whom have dual German and Russian citizenship, were arrested in Bayreuth, Bavaria. The main suspect, Dieter M. S is accused of engaging with a Russian agent in October last year to discuss explosions and arson on German military bases and industrial sites, including US military bases in Germany. These planned activities are aimed at weakening German military support for Ukraine.
Some Tesla employees were laid off with too low severance pay, and Musk apologized
Tesla's mass layoffs are causing a stir in the United States, and CEO Elon Musk has apologized.
According to Bloomberg, Musk admitted in an email sent to employees on the 17th local time that the severance pay given to some laid off employees was "too low" and said that he would correct the mistake.
According to Bloomberg, Musk said in a brief email sent to employees that day, "In the course of our restructuring of Tesla, I noticed that some severance payments were wrongly depressed" and that "I apologize for the mistake." I correct it promptly. ”
It is unclear how many of the laid-off employees were affected, the report said.
Japan's food exports to China fell by three percent
According to preliminary trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance on the 17th, Japan's import and export trade balance deficit in fiscal year 2023 (March 2023 to April 2024) is 5.89 trillion yen (1 yuan is about 21 yen), a deficit for the third consecutive year. In fiscal 2023, Japan had a surplus of 9.1356 trillion yen with the U.S. and a deficit of 5.9287 trillion yen with China, of which food exports to China fell by 33.6% year-on-year. Japan's news agency said that this was due to the impact of China's complete suspension of imports of Japanese aquatic products after the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea.
Two children were injured in a knife attack near a school in France
The government of the Lower Rhine government in eastern France said on the 18th that a knife attack occurred near a school on the outskirts of Strasbourg in the province that afternoon, causing minor injuries to two children, and the perpetrators have been arrested.
The two injured children, aged 6 and 11, have been taken to hospital. The perpetrator, born in 1995 with an unknown motive, was arrested without resistance and was not previously on the watchlist of the relevant security services.
The eruption of Mount Rouen in Indonesia has sent tens of thousands of people to evacuation
A volcano erupted on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, and tens of thousands of residents in the surrounding area received evacuation orders, and a nearby airport was temporarily closed.
Mount Rouen erupted at least 5 times on the 17th. Indonesia's Volcano and Geohazard Mitigation Center has raised its alert level to the highest level. Authorities advise residents to keep a distance of at least 6 kilometers from the crater. Tens of thousands of people have been asked to evacuate, and at least 800 have left.
Smoke continued to rise from the Rouen volcano on the 18th. More than 100 kilometers from the volcano, Manado City's Samra Turangi Airport is temporarily closed. Airport officials said the spread of ash could threaten civil aviation safety.
Torrential rains and floods in Afghanistan have killed 70 people
Afghan officials confirmed on the evening of the 17th that the torrential rain and floods in some parts of Afghanistan since the 12th have killed 70 people and injured 56 people.
A spokesman for Afghanistan's interim government's national disaster management department said the floods swept through the capital, Kabul, Parwan and Kandahar provinces, destroying more than 2,500 houses and killing more than 2,000 livestock.
(Yangcheng Evening News, Yangcheng Pai Comprehensive Xinhua News Agency, CCTV International, Global Times, The Paper, etc.)
Editor: Qian Kejin
Source: Yangcheng Evening News • Yangcheng faction