01South Korea plans to demand repayment of loans from North Korea for its transportation line projectAccording to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean Ministry of Unification recently stated that South Korea will resolutely and principled respond to North Korea's infringement of South Korean property rights, and is considering demanding that North Korea repay the loan losses caused by North Korea's bombing of the South Korean transportation line.
It is reported that the Jingyi Line and Donghai Line highways and railways are the most representative cooperation projects between South Korea and North Korea, connecting important areas between the two countries. The Korean side onceFrom 2002 to 2008, a loan of 132.9 million US dollars was provided to North Korea to support the construction of transportation line projects. According to the original plan, both parties will determine the final size of the loan after the project is completed, but the project has not yet been completed and the two countries have not finalized the final loan size. A senior official of the South Korean Ministry of Unification pointed out that North Korea's previous bombing of the Gyeonggi Line and Donghai Line highways and railways can be seen as a statement of its stance that it will not repay the loans.
01Putin allies say Russia will deploy new weaponsAccording to Reuters, senior Russian legislator and Putin ally Volodyne recently stated that if Kiev uses long-range missiles to attack Russia with the support of the United States, Russia may deploy a new weapon system in Ukraine.
althoughVolodin did not disclose specific details of the new weapon system, but pointed out that Ukraine is already using long-range missiles to attack Russia. He emphasized in the statement that if the scope of use of these weapons is expanded, it willThoroughly destroy the Russia US relationship.
02US envoy arrives in Lebanon for ceasefire negotiations
According to Agence France Presse,On November 19th,US envoy Hochstein arrives in the Lebanese capital Beirut for talks related to the ceasefire agreementPrior to this, a proposal drafted by Washington was approved by the Lebanese government and Hezbollah.
Assistant Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament KhalilcallBoth the Lebanese government and Hizbullah agree with the United Statesbefore Submit a ceasefire proposal in written form and provide some comments on the content. He refused to clarify Lebanon's comments on the draft, but stated that it was inIn a positive atmosphere”Proposed in accordance with the United Nations Security CouncilResolution 1701,Some details still need to be further finalized.
01Thousands of farmers in the UK protest against farm inheritance tax
According to Reuters, on November 19th, the UK government's budget proposal calling for millions of dollars in taxes for farmers sparked dissatisfaction, with thousands of British farmers taking to the streets to protest, claiming that inheritance taxes would destroy family farms and threaten food production, and demanding the abolition of inheritance taxes.
It is reported that according to Finance Minister ReevesThe budget announced last monthStarting from 2026, individuals inheriting farms worth over £ 1 million must pay a 20% inheritance tax. Previously, farms were passed down from generation to generation as tax-free. Farmers say they have suffered from unfair competition because in recent years, there has been a large influx of cheap imported agricultural products into the market. Although the value of land and machinery is high, the profits of the farm itself are low, and the inheritance tax on the farm means that their descendants must sell the land to pay the tax.
01Two submarine cables in the Baltic Sea have been cut off
Lianhe Zaobao reported that recently, two submarine optical fiber communication cables located in the Baltic Sea were cut off. One of them belongs to the Finnish state-owned network security and telecommunications service company, which connects Helsinki and Rostock Port in Germany, with a total length of 1200 kilometers. The other one is owned and operated by the Swedish connection service provider Arelion, which is used to carry the company's Internet traffic.
At present, relevant units have initiated an investigation into this incident. The United Nations stated that this incident is reminiscent of two other accidents that occurred in the water area,The damage to natural gas pipelines and submarine cables in 2023, as well as the Nord Stream gas pipeline leak in 2022, and the statement that Russia's war against Ukraine and "mixed tactics of malicious actors" pose a threat to European security.
02Over 200 children have died in Lebanon
According to Agence France Presse, on November 19th, UNICEF spokesperson Erd stated at a press conference in Geneva that over 200 children have died and 1100 have been injured in Lebanon in the past two months. He pointed out that death has become a norm for Lebanese children, with an average of three children dying every day and many more children being injured and traumatized.
According to reports, in Israel andHamas During the 13 month war, over 43000 people have lost their lives, mostly children. The situation in Lebanon and Gaza is very similar, and UNICEF is providing psychological and social support to children in the conflict zone, as well as medical supplies, meals, and sleep packages for hundreds of thousands of children fleeing the fighting.
01Headless' mermaid 'found in Thai watersAccording to reports from Bangkok, a decaying body of a pangolin was recently discovered in the waters off Phuket Island, Thailand. The local Coastal Resources Research Center stated that the adult male pangolin, who had lost its head, is estimated to have been dead for 4 to 5 days. The obvious knife wound on its neck indicates that it was hunted before its death. The local villagers believe that the illegal hunting of dugongs is due to hunters' superstition that their sharp teeth and tears can ward off evil and are used to make talismans, but this claim has no scientific basis.
According to the data, the pangolin is a large herbivorous marine mammal belonging to the order Manatees and the family Dugongae. It is currently the only surviving species in this family and is mainly distributed in shallow waters along the coasts of the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific Ocean. Their bodies are spindle shaped, their forelimbs degenerate into paddle shaped fins, and their tail fins are circular, possessing unique physiological characteristics that are often mistaken for legendary onesThe mermaid.
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