Russian troops destroyed a Challenger tank supplied to Ukraine by the UK. (Source: Getty Images)

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

* Russia destroys Challenger tank in Ukraine : On September 5, the Telegram channel “Military Chronicle” posted a video showing a British Challenger 2 tank destroyed by Russia. The channel stated: “There is information that the first British Challenger 2 tank was destroyed near Rabotino. This armored vehicle, assigned to the 82nd Special Forces Reserve Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU), was allegedly destroyed by artillery fire.”

The Challenger 2 is the British main battle tank. The VSU has received 14 of these. The British tanks were supplied to reserve brigades and have not been used for a long time since the Ukrainian counter-offensive began in Zaporizhzhia. Previously, the VSU's elite 82nd Brigade, which had just joined the counter-offensive, lost a lot of equipment in the first clashes (including 10% of the US M-1132 Stryker armored vehicles). (TTXVN)

* Russia : Ukraine's counterattack on September 5 "did not achieve its goals" : Speaking on the same day, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu affirmed: "The VSU has not achieved its goals on any front." However, he also described the situation in a part of the southern Zaporizhzhia region controlled by Russia as tense.

On the same day, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that in the early morning, Russian air defenses shot down unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Kaluga region and the Istra district of the Moscow region when the UAVs were trying to attack the capital: “There were no damage or casualties at the place where the debris fell.” He also said that emergency response forces were present at the scene. (TASS)

* Russia comments on Ukraine's change of Defense Minister : On September 5, commenting on Ukraine's change of Defense Minister, the Kremlin said that this adjustment will not change the nature of the current situation.

Earlier, on September 5, writing on Telegram , MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said that on the same day, the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine approved the dismissal of Mr. Oleksii Reznikov. He will be replaced by Mr. Rustem Umerov, a former Crimean Tatar MP who participated in the management of the State Property Fund. (Reuters)

* Ukrainian President visits Donetsk: On September 4, Volodymyr Zelensky said he had visited the frontline area east of Donetsk. Posting a video on social media of a meeting with commanders and soldiers at an unnamed location in the area, the leader wrote: "Donetsk. We are visiting the combat brigades defending Ukraine of the Donetsk tactical and operational group." (Reuters)

* Germany delivers first batch of Gepard artillery shells to Ukraine : On September 5, the German Ministry of Defense announced that Berlin had delivered to Ukraine the first batch of shells for the Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the first delivery of Gepard artillery shells will be in the “five-digit range”.

The artillery shells were produced by the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall under a 168 million Euro order from the German Ministry of Defense in February 2023, to supply up to 300,000 artillery shells. Mr. Pistorius affirmed that the construction of the ammunition production line was successful in a short time. (TTXVN)

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Southeast Asia

* Philippines may take over rotating ASEAN chairmanship in 2026 : President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on September 5 that his country is ready to assume the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2026, a year earlier than originally planned, replacing Myanmar. However, the Philippine President did not give a reason for the change. (Reuters)

* Former Thai Prime Minister may continue to apply for pardon: On September 4, Mr. Winyat Chartmontree, lawyer of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said that this politician may apply for pardon again due to his poor health condition. According to lawyer Winyat Chartmontree, the parole order can be granted if the detainee's condition meets the criteria in the Corrections Act and the Department of Corrections regulations related to this issue. He said that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has the right to apply for pardon on Royal holidays to be able to receive a pardon order and probation outside prison, including the use of electronic monitoring (EM) devices.

Previously, on August 22, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra returned to Thailand after 15 years and went to the Supreme Court of Thailand to accept the verdict of 8 years in prison. However, on the first night in prison, this politician was transferred to the high-level ward of the Police General Hospital after suffering from chest pain, high blood pressure and low blood oxygen saturation.

On September 1, Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn issued a pardon, according to which Mr. Thaksin only has to serve one year in prison. According to information published in the Royal Gazette of Thailand on September 1, Mr. Thaksin admitted his crimes and expressed remorse. The newspaper also said that the former Prime Minister is sick. (Reuters)

* Russian Foreign Minister to attend EAS: On September 5, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced: "On September 7, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry will attend the 18th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Jakarta." Thus, the country's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend EAS on September 7.

Earlier, on the morning of September 5, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related summits with the theme “ASEAN Stature: The Center of Growth” officially opened at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) under the chairmanship of host country President Joko Widodo.

The series of conferences attracted the participation of leaders of member countries, Timor Leste as an observer, nine dialogue partners and EAS members (including South Korea, Japan, India, China, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Russia, the United States), two guest countries, Bangladesh and the Cook Islands, and nine international organizations. (Sputnik)

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South Asia

* China: Relations with India “generally stable” : On September 5, speaking at a regular press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning answered a number of questions surrounding President Xi Jinping’s absence from the G20 Summit scheduled to take place from September 9-10 in India. Although he did not mention the direct reason, the diplomat affirmed that Chinese leaders “have always supported India in hosting this year’s summit and are willing to cooperate with all parties to make the G20 Summit a success.”

She stated: “Currently, China-India relations are generally stable, with dialogue and communication maintained at all levels. We are willing to work with India to promote the continuous development and expansion of China-India relations.” (VNA)

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Northeast Asia

* Culture ministers of China, Japan and South Korea meet after 4 years : The culture ministers of South Korea, Japan and China will hold a meeting this weekend to discuss ways to expand cultural exchanges and cooperation among the Asian neighbors, the South Korean government said on September 5.

Specifically, South Korean Culture Minister Park Bo Gyoon will attend the 14th Trilateral Ministerial Meeting with his Japanese counterpart Keiko Nagaoka and Chinese counterpart Hu Heping at the National Intangible Heritage Center in Jeonju, a historic city located about 240 km south of Seoul, from September 7-8. This will be the first face-to-face exchange between these officials in four years, when online conferences replaced in-person meetings due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The Culture Ministers’ Meeting of South Korea, China and Japan is a strategic platform dedicated to cultural and people-to-people exchanges in East Asia. The upcoming meeting is expected to have in-depth discussions on ways to further expand the scope of cultural and people-to-people exchanges,” Park said. (Yonhap)

* Chinese, Russian officials to attend North Korea's 75th anniversary parade : China and Russia will send delegates to attend North Korea's massive military parade on September 9, marking the 75th anniversary of the country's founding. Satellite images taken in recent weeks show North Korean troops practicing for a parade at the Mirim training ground on the outskirts of Pyongyang. The practice area is a replica of Kim Il Sung Square in the center of the capital, where the government often holds military and paramilitary parades.

Earlier, on September 2, in an interview with TASS (Russia), Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora also confirmed the above information. He also revealed that North Korea could be invited by Russia and China to participate in joint military exercises. However, he refused to provide details. This is considered a response to the results achieved at the Camp David summit on August 18 between the leaders of South Korea, the US and Japan. Accordingly, the three countries plan to hold regular joint military exercises to strengthen security cooperation in the face of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile testing activities.

On July 27, Chinese Politburo member Li Hongzhong and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also attended the parade in Pyongyang to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Victory Day, which ended the Korean War.

In related news, on September 5, the New York Times (USA) reported that North Korea is planning a visit to Russia by President Kim Jong Un this month. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry has not confirmed the news. ( JoongAng Daily / Reuters)

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Europe

* Austria admits it still needs Russian gas : On September 4, speaking on ORF television (Austria), Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said: “Our top priority is to ensure energy security. Although this is unpleasant, it is the reality. If this is violated, the production and energy supply system for the people will be interrupted. As Chancellor, I have an obligation to do that.”

In June 2018, Gazprom Export LLC (Russia) and OMV Gas Marketing & Trading GmbH (Austria) signed an agreement to extend the contract for Russia to supply natural gas to Austria until 2040. Recently, OMV CEO Alfred Stern also announced that OMV will continue to buy Russian gas under the contract because the company is not subject to sanctions from the European Union (EU). According to the European Network of Gas Transport Operators (ENTSOG), last July, 66% of Austria's gas imports came from Russia. (ORF)

* Albanian Prime Minister reshuffles cabinet on a large scale : On September 4, Albanian Prime Minister, leader of the ruling Socialist Party Edi Rama, announced the largest cabinet reshuffle of his term.

One of the notable points in this reshuffle is the position of Foreign Minister. Accordingly, former Albanian Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna (Austria) Igli Hasani will replace Ms. Olta Xhaçka, who has held the position of Foreign Minister since 2021. Ms. Xhaçka is currently embroiled in a legal dispute related to her husband's unclear interests in a complex tourist project on the southern coast of Albania.

Other changes in the cabinet include the appointment of Ervin Mete, the head of the Financial Supervision Authority, who served as Deputy Minister of Finance (2013-2017), as Minister of Finance, replacing Delina Ibrahimaj, who will be transferred to the position of State Secretary for Enterprise Affairs, replacing Edona Bilali. The Ministries of Education, Health and Agriculture will also have new leaders, in the context of the Ministry of Agriculture being accused of corruption in the implementation of agricultural projects. At the same time, the Ministry of Standards and Services will be merged into the Ministry of Local Government and will be headed by Arbjan Mazniku, the current Deputy Mayor of Tirana.

Mr. Rama has been Prime Minister of Albania since 2013. The politician announced a cabinet reshuffle to adjust the government's priorities, strengthen the judicial system and turn the country into a high-end tourist destination. (Tirana Times)

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Middle East-Africa

* Turkey criticizes Syria over normalization : On September 5, speaking on the return flight after talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, President Tayyip Erdogan said that Syria is not taking a positive approach to normalizing relations with Turkey. According to this politician, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is only watching from afar and has not played a truly proactive role.

At the same time, the Turkish President also stated that normalization of relations will only be possible if there is progress in the fight against terrorism, the safe and voluntary repatriation of refugees as well as in the political process.

Earlier, on September 4, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad stated that the indispensable precondition for normalizing relations with Turkey is that Ankara must withdraw its troops from the country. According to the state news agency SANA (Syria), he emphasized that the Turkish presence in northern Syria must end. The diplomat stressed that Ankara must know that withdrawing its forces from Syrian territory is the only way to restore relations between the two countries as before. (Reuters)