President Joe Biden drops out of the race, nominates Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate. (Source: New York Times)

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

Russia-Ukraine

*Ukrainian President opens up to talks with Russia: In an interview with the BBC , Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 22 that he would allow talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, despite the decree banning such talks in effect in Ukraine.

“At the second world summit, if the plan is fully ready, if Russia is ready to speak about it, then we will be ready to negotiate with our representative partners. The representative of Russia may be Mr. Putin, or it may not be Mr. Putin,” Mr. Zelensky said.

Previously, on July 15, President Zelensky said that Russian representatives should attend the second conference to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. (AFP)

*Russia shoots down dozens of Ukrainian UAVs: On July 22, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its air defense system destroyed 75 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Ukraine overnight, including 8 near the Black Sea town of Tuapse, an area with an oil refinery belonging to Russia's Rosneft oil corporation.

On the Telegram app, the ministry said that 47 UAVs were shot down in the Rostov region in southwestern Russia, 17 in the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Azov, eight in the Krasnodar region, where the town of Tuapse is located, and one each in the Belgorod, Voronezh and Smolensk regions.

Sergei Boiko, the mayor of the town of Tuapse in the Krasnodar region, said infrastructure and residential buildings were not damaged. The Tuapse refinery has been the target of several Ukrainian air strikes since Russia began its special military operation. (Reuters)

Asia-Pacific

*Japan extends continental shelf to the east: Japan announced the extension of its continental shelf to the eastern part of islands about 1,000 km south of Tokyo, allowing the country to begin research into exploiting natural resources such as rare metals from the area.

The expansion took effect under a revised Cabinet order that designated a significant portion of the Ogasawara Plateau in the Ogasawara Islands as part of the country's continental shelf, Kyodo News reported. Japan's Ocean Policy Minister Yoshifumi Matsumura said the expanded continental shelf covers about half of Japan's Honshu island.

Japan's move to expand its continental shelf has drawn opposition from China. (Kyodo)

*Philippines affirms "no concessions" on the East Sea issue: On July 22, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Manila "cannot make concessions" and "cannot waver" on its stance on the East Sea, but will seek to reduce tensions in the disputed waters.

In his State of the Nation Address, Mr. Marcos also said that “appropriate diplomatic channels and mechanisms under the rules-based international order remain the only acceptable means of resolving disputes.”

Earlier in the day, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it would continue to assert its rights in the South China Sea after reaching a “provisional agreement” with China on conducting resupply missions to ships anchored at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal.

China's Foreign Ministry also confirmed that a "provisional agreement" had been reached with both sides agreeing to resolve differences at sea and de-escalate the situation. (Reuters)

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*Ukrainian Foreign Minister visits China: On July 22, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will visit China from July 23-26. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning announced that Mr. Kuleba visited China at the invitation of host country Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

"The main topics of discussion will be how to contain Russia and China's possible role in achieving a just and lasting peace," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. (THX)

Europe

*NATO puts more than 500,000 troops on high alert: NATO spokesman Farah Dakhlallah said the alliance currently has more than 500,000 troops on high alert.

Speaking to CNN on July 21, Mr. Dakhlallah said: "Since 2014, NATO has undergone the most important transformation in our collective defense system in a generation.

Earlier, NATO leaders confirmed in the Washington Summit statement released on July 17 that Ukraine is on an "irreversible path" to NATO membership.

The joint statement outlined the alliance's efforts to isolate Russia, strengthen security on its eastern flank and increase military aid to Ukraine. (Sputniknews)

*Czech speeds up ammunition supplies to Ukraine: Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said the Czech-led initiative to buy ammunition from around the world for Ukraine will deliver 100,000 rounds to Kiev in July and August this year.

"In July and August, we will send a total of about 100,000 more rounds. From September, the delivery of these shipments will be accelerated," Lipavsky told reporters in Brussels. (Reuters)

Middle East-Africa

*Israel sends delegation to negotiate hostage deal with Hamas: Israeli Prime Minister's Office confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the sending of a delegation to negotiate a hostage deal with Hamas on July 25.

According to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu held a meeting with the negotiating team and senior officials from the country's Ministry of Defense on July 21. However, the statement did not specifically mention the destination of the Israeli negotiating team, nor did it clarify the Israeli side's position.

So far, all mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement led by Qatar and Egypt, with support from the US, have made no progress. Meanwhile, both Israel and Hamas blame each other for the stalemate in the Gaza conflict that has lasted for more than nine months. (Al Jazeera)

*US-UK coalition airstrikes on 2 ports held by Houthis in Yemen: Houthi-run al-Masirah TV channel reported that US-UK naval coalition warplanes conducted 6 airstrikes on 2 ports under the control of this force in western Yemen on July 21.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have carried out numerous drone and missile attacks on Israeli-linked commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November last year.

Meanwhile, the US-UK naval coalition, stationed in the waters since January 2024, has carried out airstrikes and missile attacks on Houthi targets in retaliation. (Arab News)

*Turkey rejects Israel's accusations of arming Hamas: Turkey on July 21 criticized Israel's claim that Ankara is arming and funding the Palestinian Hamas movement, calling it "lies" and accusing Tel Aviv of trying to divert public attention from the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Ankara's response came after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of "providing weapons and money to Hamas." Turkey has sharply criticized Israel's war in Gaza, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to "spread war" across the Middle East. The Turkish Foreign Ministry also said Ankara would continue to defend the Palestinian people's right to live in justice and peace. (Al Jazeera)

*Russian, Iranian navies conduct drills in Caspian Sea: Spokesman for the drills, Colonel Abbas Hassani, said on July 22 that a maritime security exercise involving Iranian warships and a Russian naval vessel has begun in Iran's territorial waters in the Caspian Sea.

"The drills will involve both naval vessels and naval aircraft, including the guided missile destroyers Darafsh, Separ and Paykan, two AB-212 helicopters, and the Shahid Basir ship of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, Iran 's elite armed forces," Hassani said, according to Tasnim news agency. Representatives of the Caspian coastal states are present at the naval drills as observers.

Iran's Fars news agency reported on July 21 that the Russian tugboat SB-45 entered Iran's territorial waters in the Caspian Sea to participate in a maritime rescue and security exercise. (TASS)

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*Belarusian Foreign Minister Makes Noteworthy Visit to North Korea: The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on July 22 that Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Vladimirovich Ruzenkov will visit North Korea from July 23-26 amid deepening relations between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Belarus has been supporting Russia's special military operation in Ukraine and is considered one of Russia's close allies. With Ruzenkov's visit to Pyongyang, the two countries are expected to discuss bilateral and trilateral cooperation including Russia. North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Im Chon-il and his Belarusian counterpart Evgeny Shestakov held talks in Pyongyang to enhance high-level exchanges. (Yonhap)

America-Latin America

*President Biden withdraws from campaign, introduces replacement: US President Joe Biden announced on July 21 that he is withdrawing from the 2024 presidential re-election campaign and supporting Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him in the challenge against Republican candidate Donald Trump.

On social network X, President Biden wrote: “Today I want to express my full support and endorsement for Kamala Harris to be our party's nominee this year.”

According to observers, the decision is a surprising end to the 50-year political career of the 46th boss at the White House, proving that he had to step back under pressure from within the Democratic Party after the debate on June 27 with Republican opponent Donald Trump. (Reuters)

*Canada's intelligence agency has its first female leader: Local media reported on July 21 that Vanessa Lloyd has been appointed as acting director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). This appointment makes Lloyd the first woman to lead CSIS.

Ms. Lloyd joined the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in 1998. Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Ms. Lloyd has shown an impressive commitment to protecting Canada, its people and its interests during her 26 years at CSIS. Mr. LeBlanc said that based on her extensive experience and the good coordination of outgoing Director David Vigneault, Ms. Lloyd will be well-equipped to steer CSIS during her tenure. (AFP)

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*More than 3,000 migrants approach the US border: On July 21, a caravan of more than 3,000 people from Central American, South American and African countries left the city of Ciudad Hidalgo, southern Chiapas state, bordering Guatemala, to find their way to the US.

According to activists, this is the largest migrant caravan in recent months, with the group consisting mainly of families with children.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), about 324,000 citizens of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador arrived at the southern border of the United States in 2023. Migration in Mexico has increased significantly since 2018, when thousands of people, mainly from Central America, began arriving in border cities, trying to cross into the United States. (AP)

*Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu visits the US: On July 22, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the US, in the context of him being under pressure to end the war in Gaza from Israelis who want to bring hostages home and from the US administration which is increasingly focused on the presidential election.

Netanyahu's first visit to his most important international ally since returning to a sixth term as prime minister in late 2022 was overshadowed by President Joe Biden's decision not to seek re-election.

Netanyahu is expected to meet Biden on July 23 if the US President recovers from Covid-19 and addresses the US Congress on July 24. (Al Jazeera)