Donald Trump proposed making Canada the 51st state, claiming it would reduce costs for Canadians, including taxes and military protection. MAKING Canada the 51st state of the United States would significantly reduce costs for Canadians, who would save on taxes and military protection, US President elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday.
“No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense! Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State. They would save massively on taxes and military protection.
I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!” Trump said on Truth Social. On 10 December, Trump jokingly referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the “governor” of the “Great State of Canada” amid tensions over the incoming US president’s threat to slap tariffs on goods from the neighbouring nation.
In late November, Trump announced that upon taking office, he would impose 25 per cent tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico due to unresolved issues related to illegal immigration and drug trafficking in the US. He also promised to add a 10 per cent export tariff on Chinese goods.
Last week, Trudeau vowed a response if Trump imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods. — SPUTNIK

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

ERMAN Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost in a vote of confidence in the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, on Monday. The move would dissolve Scholz’s minority coalition government and trigger a process that would lead to early federal elections.
The confidence vote saw 207 parliament members expressing confidence in Scholz, with 394 voting against him and 116 abstaining.
Such a vote has not taken place in Germany for almost two decades. Scholz had requested the confidence vote last week, invoking Article 68 of the Basic Law, as the currently only viable way to trigger early elections. Major opposition parties have long been calling for this.
Although theoretically, Scholz could have continued in office without a majority, it would have been politically untenable as the Bundestag
would have been unable to pass legislation. Concerns had arisen that Scholz could unexpectedly win the vote. This scenario could have materialized if members of Scholz’s SPD and the Greens voted in favour, while the AfD voted to support him to create chaos. To prevent this possibility of unintended support from the AfD’s 76 members potentially pushing Scholz over the required 367 votes, the Green party leadership advised its members to abstain. — Xinhua

Source- The Global New Light of Myanmar

SOUTH Korea’s National Assembly Tuesday passed a bill to appoint a permanent special counsel to investigate insurrection charges against President Yoon Suk-yeol, as well as a resolution calling for Yoon’s immediate arrest over his botched martial law declaration.
The bill, which was finally approved in a 210-63 vote with 14 abstentions, calls for an investigation into the embattled president, former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Army Chief of Staff Park An-su, who had been named to lead the martial law command, and other officials involved in imposing martial law on 3 December.
Lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party also cast their vote. Earlier, the party decided not to choose whether to vote for or reject the bill. The list of those subject to the independent counsel investigation also includes Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In-hyung and Choo Kyung-ho, former floor leader of the ruling People Power Party.
Unlike a regular special counsel probe, the president cannot exercise the right to veto a bill over a permanent special counsel. The president, however, can delay the appointment of the counsel. The National Assembly also passed a resolution Tuesday calling for the immediate arrest of President Yoon Suk-yeol and seven other officials over last week’s botched martial law declaration. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea stated in the explanation of the resolution that President Yoon had the intention to subvert the
National Assembly or make it unable to perform its duties, and could be listed as the ringleader of the insurrection, and it is necessary to arrest him promptly.
Meanwhile, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) Tuesday sought a preliminary arrest warrant for the former defence minister over his role in the short-lived martial law declaration by Yoon. — Xinhua

Source- The Global New Light of Myanmar

DEPUTY Foreign Minister of the DPRK, Kim Jong Gyu, and Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Andrey Rudenko, signed the protocol on the exchange of ratification instruments.
The treaty takes effect from 4 December 2024, when the ratification instruments were exchanged according to Article 22 of the treaty, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
“The strong DPRK-Russia relations, based on the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership, will be a powerful security mechanism that promotes the well-being of the peoples of the two countries, eases the regional situation, guarantees international strategic stability, and will serve as a strong driving force accelerating the establishment of an independent and just multipolar world order without domination, subjugation, and hegemony,” KCNA said.
During the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang on 18-19 June, Russia and the DPRK signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, the fourth article of which states: “If one of the Parties is subjected to an armed attack by any state or several states and thus finds itself in a state of war, the other Party will immediately provide military and other assistance by all means at its disposal.” — SPUTNIK

Source- The Global New Light of Myanmar

CHINESE President Xi Jinping held talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Beijing on Saturday, expressing the readiness to work with the new Indonesian government to continue promoting self-improvement, solidarity and win-win cooperation among major developing countries. Prabowo is in China for a state visit at the invitation of Xi. Xi noted that Prabowo visited China in his first overseas trip right after he was elected in March and chose China as the first country to visit after taking office, which speaks volumes about the great importance he attaches to developing relations with China and demonstrates the high level and strategic nature of China-Indonesia relations. “China is willing to work with the new Indonesian government to build on past achievements, promote building a community with a shared future with regional and global influence, and continue to write a new chapter of seeking self-improvement via solidarity, and boosting coordination and mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation among major developing countries,” said Xi. — Xinhua

Source: Global New Light of Myanmar

Putin ratified a treaty with North Korea promising mutual military assistance in case of attack.

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has signed legislation to ratify a bilateral treaty with North Korea, which includes a promise of mutual military assistance if either country is attacked, state media reported.

Tass on Saturday reported Putin’s signing of the law on ratification of the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Putin signed the deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to North Korea in June this year and Putin submitted it to the Russian State Duma for ratification on 15 October. The lower and upper houses of the Russian parliament had earlier approved the bill for ratification.

The preamble to the treaty states that the document meets the fundamental interests of the peoples of Russia and North Korea “and contributes to ensuring peace, regional and global security and stability,” Tass reported.

The treaty stipulates that if one of the parties is subjected to an armed attack the other will deploy all means in its possession to provide military and other assistance, without delay, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. — ANI

Source- The Global New Light Of Myanmar

CHINESE President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called on BRICS countries to work for high quality development of greater BRICS cooperation.

In a speech addressing the 16th BRICS Summit, Xi said the ongoing BRICS summit has decided to invite a number of nations to become partner countries. He hailed the decision as another important development in the course of BRICS development.

Xi called on BRICS members to build the multilateral mechanism into a major venue of solidarity and cooperation for the Global South and a vanguard force for global governance reform.

He called on the BRICS members to build BRICS for peace and act as guardians of common security, urging the BRICS countries to uphold the three principles of no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no provocation by any party, to work for de-escalation of the Ukraine crisis as soon as possible.

Xi called on the BRICS members to build BRICS for innovation and act as pioneers for high-quality development.

— Xinhua

Source- The Global New Light Of Myanmar

IRAN warned Israel on Tues day against attacking any of its infrastructure amid fears of a possible Israeli assault on oil or nuclear sites following Iran’s missile barrage last week.

“Any attack against infrastructure in Iran will provoke an even stronger response,” state television quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying.

He spoke after Israel said it was preparing a response to Iran’s 1 October missile attack on its arch-enemy, its second on the country in six months.

On Monday, an official statement quoted Araghchi as saying Iran did not seek war in the region.

On Friday US President Joe Biden cautioned Israel against attacking oil installations in Iran, one of the world’s top 10 producers of crude.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Rassul Sanairad warned Israel on Sunday any attack on nuclear or energy sites would cross a “red line”.

The Fars news agency quoted him as saying following the Israeli threat: “Some political leaders have spoken of a possible change in Iran’s nuclear policy.” — AFP

Source- The Global New Light Of Myanmar

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that their positions are often closely aligned or identical.

THE CIS leaders constantly coordinate positions on key global and regional issues, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.

“We are constantly coordinating positions on key global and regional issues.

Moreover, our approaches regarding them are traditionally close or completely coincide,” Putin said at a meeting of the expanded Council of CIS Heads of State.

All CIS countries advocate the formation of a just world order with the central role of the UN, he added.

“In the current difficult situation in the world, it is extremely important that all CIS states advocate the formation of a just world order based on universally recognized principles of international law with the central role of the United Nations,” the president noted.

On CIS Cooperation CIS leaders, led by President Putin, discussed enhancing cooperation within the Commonwealth and addressing international issues at their summit.

Important decisions were made to shape the CIS’s future, emphasizing development and collaboration with BRICS.

The leaders expressed a commitment to strengthening their collective position in global affairs through deeper partnerships. — SPUTNIK

Source- The Global New Light Of Myanmar

NORTH Korea’s Kim Jong Un would face the end of his regime if he used his nuclear weapons against the South, its president said Tuesday, as Seoul staged a parade showcasing its military prowess.

Fighter jets flew over downtown Seoul and tanks rolled through the streets, as South Korea displayed weaponry including its largest ballistic missile, the Hyunmoo-5, which is capable of destroying underground bunkers, for the first time.

The event, which marks Armed Forces Day in the South, comes as relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in decades, with Pyongyang declaring the South its “principal enemy” and moving nuclear-capable weapons to the border.

“If North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons, it will face the resolute and overwhelming response of our military and the US and Republic of Korea alliance,” Seoul’s President Yoon Suk Yeol said.

“That day will be the end of the North Korean regime,” Yoon said, addressing thousands of service members gathered at Seoul Air Base for the event.

Washington stations tens of thousands of troops in South Korea to help defend it against the North, and Seoul — which has no nukes of its own — is covered by the US nuclear umbrella. — AFP

Source- The Global New Light Of Myanmar