Former US President Donald Trump during an election campaign. (Source: Reuters)

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

Russia-Ukraine

*Russia predicts that President Zelensky is about to lose his position: Speaking to the press on April 1, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Mr. Peskov cited the provisions of the Ukrainian Constitution to affirm that May 21 will be the end of the term of incumbent President Zelensky.

Previously, on March 28, when asked about the possibility of Russia recognizing Mr. Zelensky's legitimacy after May 21, the Kremlin spokesman hinted: "It is very likely that we (Russia) will not have to recognize anything," referring to the possibility that the Ukrainian politician will not continue in office.

According to the Ukrainian Constitution, presidential elections were supposed to be held on the last Sunday of March. But this year's elections did not take place because of the war. (Reuters)

*Ukraine rejects Russia's demand to hand over terrorist individuals: Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) on March 31 rejected as "nonsense" Russia's demand to hand over individuals it accuses of being involved in terrorism, stressing that Russia has "forgotten" that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is the subject of an international arrest warrant.

“Statements about terrorism sound particularly peculiar coming from this country itself… Therefore, any words from the Russian Foreign Ministry are meaningless,” the SBU noted. (AFP)

Asia-Pacific

*US-Japan close to reaching important military agreement: Nikkei newspaper reported on April 1 that US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are close to reaching an agreement to allow large US military ships to be repaired in Japan.

According to Nikkei, the agreement will enhance the mobility of US forces in the East Asia region. President Biden will host Prime Minister Kishida during the Japanese leader's official visit to the US on April 10.

Earlier in January, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel revealed that Washington and Tokyo were seeking to reach an agreement that would allow Japanese shipyards to regularly overhaul and maintain US Navy warships so they could stay in Asian waters and be ready to respond to any potential conflicts. (Reuters)

*China is ready for strategic cooperation with Indonesia: Chinese state media on April 1 quoted President Xi Jinping as assessing the relationship between China and Indonesia from a strategic and long-term perspective, as well as expressing his goodwill and willingness to strengthen comprehensive strategic cooperation with the Southeast Asian country.

Speaking during talks with Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto in Beijing, Xi Jinping stressed that China is willing to maintain close communication, promote the two countries' regional economic integration corridor projects and continue to strengthen maritime cooperation. (THX)

*India's defense exports hit record high: Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh announced on April 1 that the country's defense exports have increased to a record high, surpassing the $2.5 billion mark in history since India gained independence.

Major contributors to India's defence exports include personal protective equipment, offshore patrol vehicles, ALH helicopters, Tejas light combat aircraft, SU avionics, coastal surveillance systems, light engineering components, etc.

India's defense exports span 84 countries and regions worldwide such as: Italy, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Russia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Poland, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, Spain, Chile... (First Post)

*Chinese warships reappear at Cambodian naval base: Nikkei Asia website reported on April 1 that the Chinese Navy continues to approach Cambodia's Ream naval base, with at least two ships recently confirmed to be present at the facility.

Images obtained by Nikkei Asia show a vessel identified as the Wenshan corvette, flying the Chinese flag and belonging to the People's Liberation Army Navy. The Ream base, strategically located near the entrance to the Gulf of Thailand, has been used by the Cambodian Navy to access the South China Sea and other locations.

Speculation has persisted that Cambodia has granted the Chinese Navy access to the base for military use in exchange for assistance with the reclamation. Phnom Penh denies this, saying the Cambodian constitution does not allow foreign forces to base on its territory. (Nikkei Asia)

Europe

*Russia tightens control over migrants: The Russian Interior Ministry on April 1 completed drafting a bill to tighten control over migrants. The bill was rushed to completion after the bloody shooting at the Crocus City Hall Theater in the suburbs of Moscow on March 22, and the suspect was an immigrant.

According to Russian Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk, the new bill will use biometric identification methods in the entry procedure to Russia. The duration of stay of foreigners in Russia will be reduced to 90 days within 1 year (currently within half a year)…

There will be about 6.5 million foreign citizens in Russia by 2024, mainly workers from Central Asian and Asian countries. The number of migrant workers usually increases in the summer. (TASS)

*Russia denies being warned by Iran about Crocus attack: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on April 1 that he did not receive any warning information from Tehran regarding "terrorist activities" in Russia before the attack on the Crocus City Hall Theater on the evening of March 22.

Earlier the same day, three informed sources revealed that Iran had warned Russia about the risk of a large-scale "terrorist campaign" before the Crocus City Hall incident.

One of the sources also confirmed to Reuters: “Tehran has shared information with Moscow about a possible major attack inside Russia, which was obtained during the interrogation of suspects arrested in connection with the bombing in Iran.” (Reuters)

*Big explosion at cafe in Voronezh, Russia: Russian news agencies, citing information from local police, confirmed that on April 1, a large explosion "tore apart" the Central Asian-style cafe called "Eastern Tea House" on Lenin Street in Voronezh, Russia, causing windows to shatter.

There are no reports of injuries in the explosion. Police said they are investigating the incident. The cafe was attacked in the early hours when no one was on the premises.

Last month , another mysterious explosion occurred in St Petersburg on March 2, damaging two buildings and forcing residents of St Petersburg to evacuate. There were no casualties, although residents reported hearing strange noises, followed by an explosion and fire. The cause may have been a drone strike, RIA reported. (The Jerusalem Post)

Middle East – Africa

*Israeli army withdraws from Al-Shifa Hospital: Gaza Health Authority said on April 1 that the Israeli army withdrew tanks and vehicles from the Al-Shifa Hospital complex after several days of launching a major operation there.

The Israeli army withdrew from the Al-Shifa Hospital complex after setting fire to buildings and rendering the facility completely out of service, the Gaza Health Authority said in a statement. “The scale of destruction inside the complex is enormous,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army has not confirmed the withdrawal information.

The Israeli military began attacking Al-Shifa Hospital on 18 March, describing it as a “precision” operation targeting Hamas militants operating there. In response, Hamas has denied allegations of operating at Al-Shifa Hospital and other medical facilities in Gaza. (Al Jazeera)

*Israel arrests sister of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh: Israeli police said on April 1 that they had arrested Sabah Abdel Salam Haniyeh, sister of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, during an investigation in southern Israel.

According to an Israeli police spokesman, Sabah Abdel Salam Haniyeh is suspected of having links with Hamas members, inciting and supporting terrorist acts in Israel.

Israeli police said they found documents, phones and evidence in the 57-year-old woman's home that showed Sabah Abdel Salam Haniyeh had committed serious crimes against the State of Israel.

Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in Doha, is the head of Hamas' Political Bureau. (Al Jazeera)

America - Latin America

*Venezuela warns of risk of violence before election: On March 31 (local time), Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez warned that violent assassination attempts in Venezuela will increase before the presidential election on July 28.

Lopez's warning came after Venezuelan opposition figure Mario Ivan Carratu Molina revealed a "liberal movement" to overturn Venezuela's electoral process. Lopez described the plan as "another desperate attempt against Venezuela" and called on the armed forces to remain loyal.

On July 28, Venezuelans will go to the polls to elect the next president for the 2025-2031 term. (THX)

*Former President Donald Trump is trying to raise funds, about to have another 33 million USD: While the US President Joe Biden's election campaign is proudly promoting the "record" amount of 25 million USD raised at the fundraising event held on the evening of March 28 in New York City, the election team of former President Donald Trump began to "leak" the plan to organize a campaign with the expected fundraising level up to now is 33 million USD.

US media quoted several anonymous sources in former President Trump's advisory team as saying that Mr. Trump will have a meeting with potential sponsors on April 6 at the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

American media commented that if the event was successfully organized, the $33 million sponsorship would help reduce some of the financial burden on Mr. Trump's side in the context of former President Trump facing fines totaling more than $460 million. (NYT)