NATO prepares 'wartime scenario', considering preventive attack on Russia. (Source: AP)

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

Asia-Pacific

*Expert predicts the risk of Sino-US conflict in the East Sea: Former Chinese military colonel Zhou Ba, currently a senior fellow at the Center for International Strategy and Security at Tsinghua University, said that military conflicts involving China and the US in the East Sea region are "highly likely" to occur during Donald Trump's second term.

Expert Zhou Ba drew this conclusion based on the dynamics of collisions between the Chinese and US militaries in the air and at sea. He cited a report by the US Department of Defense, according to which, from the fall of 2021 to the fall of 2023, “more than 180 incidents of risky interceptions of US aircraft by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) occurred, more than a decade ago.” According to the expert, there will be more such complex collisions in the future. (Sputnik)

*Pakistan deploys army to respond to violence: Geo TV channel reported on November 26 that the Pakistani Ministry of Interior deployed army in the capital Islamabad amid ongoing clashes between police and protesters supporting the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

In the notification, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry invoked Article 245 of the constitution, which allows the military to help maintain law and order and deal with wrongdoing “with an iron hand.” The notification also gives the military the authority to impose curfews wherever necessary to curb lawlessness.

The initial clash left four police officers dead and seven others injured. ( Geo TV)

*US deploys missile units in Philippines: The US is planning to deploy advanced missile units to Japan and the Philippines, a move that analysts say is aimed at countering China in the region and strengthening defense cooperation with key allies.

Japan's Kyodo news agency quoted sources familiar with Japan-US relations as saying on November 25 that Washington is planning to set up temporary bases in Japan and the Philippines to deploy missiles "in case of a situation involving Taiwan."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing firmly opposes the plan. “China firmly opposes relevant countries using the Taiwan issue as an excuse to increase military deployment in the region,” Mao Ning told a press conference on November 25. (Kyodo)

*Uzbekistan, Tajikistan ratify alliance treaty: Uzbekistan's lower house of parliament on November 26 ratified a treaty on alliance relations with Tajikistan, a neighboring country with which Tashkent has complicated relations due to tense border disputes.

In a statement, the Lower House of Uzbekistan confirmed that “the Oily Majlis (parliament) discussed and approved a draft law on ratification of the Treaty on Allied Relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Tajikistan.” According to the Uzbek legislature, the treaty, signed on April 18 during the visit of the country’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Dushenbe, contains more than 180 documents. The treaty includes an agreement on strategic partnership and an agreement on “eternal friendship,” as well as a declaration on “strengthening eternal friendship and alliance.” (AFP)

*North Korea supplied hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia: Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Agency said North Korea has supplied more than 100 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles and sent military specialists to Russia to assist in the conflict with Ukraine. The allegation is another sign of deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, which has involved the deployment of more than 10,000 North Korean troops to Russia.

The KN-23 and KN-24 are North Korea's short-range ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, known as Hwasong-11 variants.

The missiles, which caused numerous civilian casualties, were found to contain components made by foreign companies, including those from Britain, China, Japan, Switzerland and the United States, according to Ukraine's intelligence agency. (Yonhap)

Europe

*Russia appoints new senior commander of combat forces in Ukraine: RBC news agency quoted anonymous Russian sources on November 26 revealing that Lieutenant General Alexander Sanchik has been appointed acting commander of Russia's "Southern" forces.

The move comes after the previous commander of the force, one of the major military units involved in Russia's campaign in Ukraine, was fired. (Reuters)

*Ukraine confirms Russia launched record number of UAVs: The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed on November 26 that Russia launched a record number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into Ukraine overnight, causing damage to buildings and “critical infrastructure” in many areas.

“During the attack last night, the enemy launched a record number of Shahed attack drones and unidentified drones,” the Ukrainian Air Force said, referring to the Iranian-designed UAV, of which a total of 188 were used in the strikes. The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 76 Russian drones in 17 areas, while another 95 either lost their radar signals or were shot down by electronic jamming defense systems. (Reuters)

*Russia opposes “freezing conflict” in Ukraine: The head of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign intelligence agency said on November 26 that Russia opposes simply freezing the conflict in Ukraine because Moscow needs a “solid and lasting peace” that addresses the core causes of the crisis.

Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), said Moscow was holding the initiative on the battlefield. Naryshkin said Russia was firmly against "freezing the conflict" and stressed that Moscow wanted a lasting peace. Russia was ready for negotiations, the SVR chief said. (Reuters)

*Germany charges 4 over Hamas arms cache in Europe: German federal prosecutors announced on November 25 that they had charged four suspected members of Hamas, who are believed to have been responsible for sourcing and storing weapons for the Islamist movement in Europe.

In a statement, the federal prosecutor's office said two Lebanese-born men, an Egyptian citizen and a Dutch national were suspected of "being members of a foreign terrorist organization".

The Bulgarian arsenal was built in early 2019 and contained weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles and ammunition, according to the source. In mid-2019, Ibrahim El-R. “emptied” another arsenal in Denmark and prosecutors say he took a pistol from there to Germany. (AP)

*Russia expels British diplomat on espionage charges: Interfax news agency quoted information from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) on November 26 saying that Russia expelled a British diplomat on espionage charges.

TASS news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that the ministry had summoned the British Ambassador in connection with the expulsion of the diplomat.

According to the FSB, the British diplomat took over the duties of one of the six diplomats expelled in August this year, also on espionage charges. The FSB said the diplomat had falsified personal information and carried out espionage and sabotage activities. (TASS)

Middle East – Africa

*Iran calls for Israel and the US to be brought to justice: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called for the formation of a world coalition to punish the Israeli regime, as well as bring Tel Aviv's patrons to justice, especially the US, which supplies weapons and money to the Israeli regime.

On the Iranian Foreign Ministry's official Telegram channel, Araghchi called on the international community not to allow Israel's lawlessness and aggression to become a norm. He noted that the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant against Netanyahu was "a necessary but belated step on the path to justice and punishment of Israeli criminals."

The ICC last week issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant on charges of war crimes in the Gaza Strip. (Sputnik)

*International coalition calls on Israel to give up 90 nuclear weapons: The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) coalition released a statement saying that Israel has at least 90 nuclear weapons, although the government does not admit it, and they need to give them up.

“Israel is one of nine nuclear weapons states, with an estimated arsenal of 90 nuclear warheads, which can be delivered by missiles and aircraft, and possibly by sea-launched missiles. Despite widespread recognition of their existence by experts and former government officials, the Israeli government and many Western countries maintain a policy of secrecy regarding Israel’s nuclear weapons,” ICAN notes.

ICAN called on Israel to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), adopted in 2017, to help make the Middle East a zone free of weapons of mass destruction. (Reuters)

*US opposes Israel's West Bank annexation proposal: The US on November 25 expressed concern about the increasing violence by illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, and opposed Israel's proposal to annex the West Bank or build settlements in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting, US Deputy Representative to the UN Robert Wood emphasized: "The US still opposes proposals to annex the West Bank or build Israeli settlements in Gaza."

Mr. Robert Wood also said that the US is very concerned about the increasing extremist violence of Jewish settlers in the West Bank, saying that the Israeli government must prevent extremist violence of settlers and protect all communities from harm. (Al Jazeera)

*Israel intensifies airstrikes in central Syria: On November 25, Syrian state media reported that an Israeli airstrike hit the Daff, Joubanieh and Hawz bridges in central Syria, as well as the Jusiyah border crossing on the Syria-Lebanon border.

However, the sources have not provided any details about casualties or damage, and the Syrian government has not officially commented on this information. Similarly, Israel has not commented on the alleged attack.

This is a tense area due to its important strategic location, where Hezbollah members travel between Syria and Lebanon.

The latest attack comes amid heightened tensions in the region, with Israel escalating attacks on what it says are Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. (AFP)

*Israel reveals terms of ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah : Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on November 25 mentioned the terms of a potential ceasefire agreement with the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, according to which the movement would have to disarm and move away from the border with Israel.

“The test of any agreement will be the implementation of two main points, not in words or expressions. The first is to prevent Hezbollah from moving south across the Litani River, and the second is to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding and rearming throughout Lebanon,” Saar told the Knesset, according to Israeli television.

Earlier, the press reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had basically agreed to a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, although there were still many disagreements that needed to be discussed further. (Al Jazeera)

America – Latin America

*Democratic Party plans to elect new leader: The US Democratic Party announced on November 25 that it will elect a new party leader in February 2025. This election is considered an important starting point after the party's failure in the recent US presidential election.

Two Democrats have already announced their candidacies for the chairmanship: Ken Martin, DNC Vice Chairman, and Martin O'Malley, former Maryland Governor and current commissioner of the Social Security Administration.

Other top Democrats considering a run to succeed Harrison include former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, former party vice chairman Michael Blake; Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman Ben Wikler; US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, Senator Mallory McMorrow and Chuck Rocha, a longtime Democratic strategist. (AFP)

*Federal court stops criminal trial against President-elect Donald Trump: On November 25, a US federal judge decided to stop the criminal trial against US President-elect Donald Trump, in which he was accused of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The move came after prosecutors requested to suspend this case and another case related to the president-elect.

Prosecutor Smith also dropped his appeal on November 25 against a decision by federal judge Aileen Cannon in July to dismiss the case against Trump in the Florida mishandling of classified documents. However, he will continue to pursue his efforts against two other defendants involved, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira. (Reuters)

*US President-elect announces tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China: US President-elect Donald Trump announced on November 25 that he would impose a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, citing concerns about illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

As for China, the US President-elect said he would add 10% tariffs on China, in addition to additional tariffs, on all products from this country.

Mr Trump has previously pledged to end most-favored-nation status for China and impose tariffs on Chinese imports of over 60%, much higher than the tariffs imposed during his first term.

Mexico, Canada and China have yet to respond to Mr. Trump's statement. (Reuters)