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March
Suspected trafficker held in Austria after Italy shipwreck disaster
Written by Nur Yasmin
A fourth suspected human trafficker has been arrested in connection with a shipwreck off southern Italy last month in which at least 72 people died, an Italian police official said on Wednesday.
The suspect, a 27-year-old Turkish national, was caught in Austria on Tuesday evening after managing to escape the scene of the disaster in the early hours of Feb. 26, the official said, giving no further information.
Three alleged traffickers, one Turk and two Pakistanis, were detained in the immediate aftermath of the sinking after survivors identified them to police.
The wooden boat, crammed with an estimated 180 migrants, set sail from Turkey on Feb. 22 and broke apart on rocks five days later within sight of the village of Steccato di Cutro.
So far, 72 bodies have been retrieved, including those of 28 minors and 30 women. Seventy-nine people survived and around 30 are still missing.
Relatives of the dead staged a protest in front of a sports hall in the nearby town of Crotone, where the bodies are being kept, after local officials said the coffins were being sent for burial to a Muslim cemetery in the northern city of Bologna.
Most of the dead came from Afghanistan and their families are calling for the bodies to be sent back home.
The Italian government promised on Wednesday to respect their wishes but said it was proving difficult to organise a flight to Afghanistan and added that the planned burial in Bologna was only an interim solution.
"This is a temporary and not a definitive measure," the interior ministry said in a statement. "We will follow the requests of each family... If repatriation of the body is requested, the Italian State will bear all the costs."
Prosecutors have launched two investigations into the disaster - one into the traffickers and another into whether enough was done by Italian authorities to avoid the tragedy.
The Italian government has denied accusations it delayed a rescue operation after receiving a report from a plane operated by the European Union Frontex border force that the boat was approaching southern Italy in rough seas.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that Frontex did not say the boat had any problem navigating, adding that Italy's coastal services had "operated in a correct fashion".
Meloni is due to hold a cabinet meeting in Cutro on Thursday and is expected to approve a bill that will increase penalties on human traffickers. (Reuters)
March
Abraaj founder loses challenge to U.S. extradition on fraud charges
Written by Nur Yasmin
The founder of collapsed private equity company Abraaj Group on Wednesday lost a bid to challenge his extradition from London to the United States to face fraud charges.
U.S. prosecutors allege Pakistani businessman Arif Naqvi is the architect of a plot to defraud investors including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Naqvi has previously denied the allegations through a public relations firm.
Judge Jonathan Swift on Wednesday refused Naqvi permission to bring a judicial review against the 2021 approval of his extradition to the United States.
Naqvi’s lawyer Edward Fitzgerald told London’s High Court on Tuesday that Naqvi was likely to be held in a New Jersey prison where he may have to share a dormitory with violent criminals.
Naqvi also suffers from severe depression and there is a “real risk” of suicide if he is extradited, Fitzgerald argued.
However, lawyers representing the U.S. government said Naqvi has been given assurances that prosecutors will not oppose bail before he stands trial.
The U.S. government’s lawyer Mark Summers said in court filings that the judge in Naqvi’s case is U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who granted bail to FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, which is a “strong indication” Naqvi will be granted bail.
Swift ruled on Wednesday that there had been no “material change” in prison conditions since the 2021 ruling approving Naqvi’s extradition.
The judge also said that Naqvi’s suicide risk could be adequately managed if he was held in prison.
Naqvi’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Naqvi was the founder of Dubai-based Abraaj, which was the largest buyout fund in the Middle East and North Africa until it collapsed in 2018 after investors raised concerns about the management of its $1 billion healthcare fund.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleges Naqvi and his firm raised money for the Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund, collecting more than $100 million over three years from U.S.-based charitable organisations and other U.S. investors. (Reuters)
March
Resorts in a Philippine province known for world-class beaches and dive spots are reeling from the impact of an oil spill just off the coastline, as tourists cancel reservations during what is supposed to be peak season.
Authorities are racing to recover a tanker that sank off Oriental Mindoro province carrying 800,000 litres (211,338 gallons) of industrial fuel oil when it suffered engine trouble on Feb. 28 in rough seas.
"We are saddened because all the tourists that booked us for the summer season and the upcoming Holy Week have already cancelled," said Marino Enriquez, a resort manager in the town of Pola.
"The effect is very extensive because there are no visitors arriving for vacation or to unwind, nobody is renting our cottages because of restrictions on swimming, there is nobody checking in since there is a stench, and the sand is filled with oil," said resort caretaker Rocela Lasac.
Volunteers have had to endure noxious fumes and use buckets to clean up beaches blackened by the spill, which experts have said threatens 36,000 hectares (88,958 acres) of coral reef, mangroves and sea-grass. Restrictions have been imposed on swimming and fishing in the affected area.
Restoring the beaches to their original pristine beauty will take several months while the clean-up is underway, authorities said.
Environmentalists were also worried about the oil spill's potential impact on marine life and on the livelihood of fishermen.
"The marine protected areas where the fish lay eggs, if those are destroyed we will lose the fish reserve in our ocean," Earth Island campaign manager and analyst Robert Medrano said. (reuters)
March
India, Australia aim to boost economic, defence ties at first summit of PMs
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives in India on Wednesday seeking to strengthen the new momentum in ties between the two countries through deeper trade, investment and defence relations.
The three-day visit by Albanese, the first by an Australian prime minister since 2017, comes days ahead of a visit by Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, another member of the so-called Quad grouping that seeks to counter China’s growing domination in the Indo-Pacific region.
Quad includes the United States and India besides Australia and Japan. Australia is due to host a Quad leaders summit in Sydney later this year.
“India and Australia share warm and friendly relations based on common values and democratic principles. The Strategic Partnership between the two countries was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in June 2020,” the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement ahead of the visit.
“Prime Minister Albanese’s visit is expected to provide further momentum to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”
Speaking in Sydney on Tuesday, Albanese said Australia wanted “greater diversity in who we trade with - and greater variety in what we trade, meaning our economy is more resilient and more secure”.
The two countries signed last year a free trade agreement called the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), the first signed by India with a developed country in a decade.
It has resulted in the immediate reduction of duty to zero on 96% of Indian exports to Australia in value and zero duty on 85% of Australia’s exports to India.
However, a much larger Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement has been stuck in negotiations for over a decade. Discussions began in 2011 but were suspended in 2016 as the talks were gridlocked.
The negotiations resumed in 2021 but a deal has yet proved to be elusive. Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell is a part of Albanese’s delegation and the visit is expected to provide an opportunity to hasten the ambitious deal.
Bilateral trade was $27.5 billion in 2021 and India says it has the potential to nearly double to $50 billion in five years under the ECTA.
CRICKET, DEFENCE
Albanese begins his visit in the western city of Ahmedabad in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, where the two leaders will do some cricket diplomacy by watching the opening of the fourth and final cricket test match between the two countries at a stadium named after Modi.
He then flies to Mumbai where he will become the first foreign leader to be taken on board India’s indigenously produced aircraft carrier INS Vikrant on Thursday. The aircraft carrier was commissioned into the Indian Navy in September.
The Albanese-Modi talks in New Delhi on Friday will be the first meeting of the annual summit announced by the two countries last year.
Trade, investment, defence, education and supply chains of critical minerals are important aspects of the relationship between the two countries, former Indian high commissioner to Australia, Navdeep Suri, said.
The business delegation traveling with Albanese will participate in an Australia-India CEO Forum, which Suri said was encouraging.
“It is not just about a free-trade agreement, but also about investment. Australian companies have been, I believe, shy of investing in India. The same holds true for Australian superannuation funds,” he said.
Suri said the relationship was also critical in the context of Quad.
Last week, Quad foreign ministers met in Delhi and, without naming China, denounced the increased tensions in the South and East China seas, and the militarisation of the disputed territories in the area.
The four Quad navies are scheduled to come together in August for the annual Malabar naval wargaming exercise, to be hosted by Australia for the first time.
“The Quad is now emerging as a pretty significant voice to counter the threat that we perceive,” Suri said. “If we are to reduce our dependence and the world’s dependence on China...then working together becomes important.” (Reuters)
March
China 'seriously concerned' by Taiwan president 'transit' plans amid reported US trip
Written by Nur Yasmin
China said on Wednesday it was "seriously concerned" by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's "transit" plans and had asked Washington for clarification, amid reports she will meet U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the United States.
McCarthy plans to meet Tsai in the United States in coming weeks, two sources told Reuters on Monday. That could be instead of the Republican Speaker's anticipated but sensitive trip to the democratically governed island claimed by China.
McCarthy on Tuesday confirmed plans to meet Tsai in the United States this year and stressed this did not preclude a later visit to Taiwan, Bloomberg news agency reported.
Taiwanese presidents, including Tsai, have a record of travelling through the U.S. en route to other countries, usually for a day or two, though the U.S. government has generally avoided meeting senior Taiwanese officials in Washington.
Taiwan's presidential office, in a brief statement responding to what it said were media enquiries about Tsai's overseas visits, said "transit arrangements" had been in place for many years, though it did not directly mention the United States.
"At present, various departments are communicating and preparing for relevant plans, and the planning of the related itinerary will be explained in a timely manner after the plan is finalised," it added, without elaborating.
Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said they were "seriously concerned about the news".
"We have lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side and asked them to clarify," she added.
China is firmly opposed to any form of official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, she said, adding: "No one should underestimate the strong determination of the Chinese government and people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"The real threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is the separatist forces of Taiwan independence," Mao said.
China has rebuffed calls for talks from Tsai since she took office in 2016, believing her to be a separatist.
China has never ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control. Taiwan's government says the People's Republic of China has never ruled the island and so has no right to claim it, and that only its 23 million people can decide their future.
Taiwan is a constant source of friction between Beijing and Washington. China's foreign minister said on Tuesday Taiwan was the "first red line" that must not be crossed in Sino-U.S. relations.
China staged military exercises around Taiwan in August following a visit to Taipei by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. (Reuters)
March
Malaysia's ex-PM Muhyiddin summoned to anti-graft agency
Written by Nur Yasmin
Former Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin was summoned to appear at the country's anti-graft agency on Thursday, following allegations of abuse in stimulus programmes launched under his premiership.
In a Facebook post, Muhyiddin, who was prime minister for 17 months between 2020 and 2021, said he has been called into the headquarters of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at 11am on Thursday. He did not say why.
He also denied a news report that he was arrested on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last year ordered a review of government projects worth billions of dollars approved by Muhyiddin, including COVID-19 relief programmes, alleging they did not follow proper procedures.
Muhyiddin, who is now in the opposition, has denied the accusations, describing them as political vendetta.
Anwar's office and the MACC did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Anwar and Muhyiddin went head-to-head in a tightly contested election in November that resulted in a hung parliament as neither candidate won a parliamentary majority.
Malaysia's constitutional monarch, King Al-Sultan Abdullah, then appointed Anwar as prime minister after he formed a coalition with other political parties.
Since the election, Muhyiddin and his party have been subject to graft investigations.
Two leaders belonging to Muhyiddin's party have been charged by the MACC with bribery over an economic recovery project launched by his government.
Muhyiddin was questioned by the MACC last month regarding the same project.
The MACC has also frozen bank accounts belonging to Muhyiddin's party. (Reuters)
March
Pakistan police and ex-PM Khan's supporters clash, injuring several
Written by Nur Yasmin
Pakistani police lobbed tear gas shells and baton-charged supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan in clashes which injured several on both sides on Wednesday, a government minister and his party said.
The clashes erupted in the eastern city of Lahore ahead of a Khan's planned rally to kick-start his election campaign, but which the government then banned.
The former premier has been demanding snap polls since he was ousted in a parliament vote of confidence last year. His successor has rejected the demand and stated elections would be held as scheduled later this year.
Khan was shot and wounded at one of his own political rallies last year.
Wednesday's rally was banned owing to a threat to the law and order situation as there were International Women's Day gatherings in the area, provincial information minister Amir Mir said, adding supporters attacked the police when they were ordered to disperse.
"In retaliation, police used water cannons, tear gas and batons to disperse them," Mir told Reuters. He said at least seven police officials were injured. Twelve workers of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were arrested, he added.
Khan's aide Shafqat Mahmood said several of the workers were injured in the clashes, which, he termed, "fascist tactics."
Live TV footage showed the police using extensive teargas shelling on several spots around Khan's Lahore home, with a couple of the workers seen bleeding.
Khan, who has been embroiled in several court cases since his ouster, is wanted in court on March 13 to defend charges that he unlawfully sold state gifts misusing his office from 2018 to 2022.
His party called off the rally after the clashes. (Reuters)
March
Japan PM wants summit with South Korea next week, says junior coalition party head
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is hoping to hold a summit meeting with South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol next week, the head of Japan's ruling coalition party Komeito said on Tuesday.
"Prime minister Kishida has indicated that he would like to hold a summit meeting with South Korea's Yoon Suk Yeol as early as late next week," Komeito chief Natsuo Yamaguchi told a news conference, adding that he hoped to see further progress in the thawing of relations between Tokyo and Seoul.
South Korea announced on Monday that it would compensate former forced labourers through an existing public foundation funded by private companies, as it sought to end a dispute with Japan which has led to fraught relations between the countries.
Japan welcomed the move while some forced labour victims and South Korea's main opposition party condemned the plan.
Kyodo reported on Monday that Tokyo was floating March 16 and 17 as potential dates for Yoon's visit to Japan. (Reuters)
March
Women's employment drops by 25% in Afghanistan since mid-2021 - ILO
Written by Nur Yasmin
Female employment in Afghanistan has dropped by a quarter after the Taliban took over the country, according to estimates from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which said the fall was exacerbated by restrictions on women working and studying.
The ILO said the 25% drop in female employment took place by the final quarter of 2022 from the second quarter of 2021, compared with a 7% drop for men. The Taliban took over the country in August 2021 as foreign forces withdrew.
"Restrictions on girls and women have severe implications for their education and labour market prospects," said Ramin Behzad, the Senior Coordinator for Afghanistan at the ILO, in a statement accompanying its assessment for 2022 of Afghanistan.
Taliban authorities have barred most girls from high school, stopped women from attending universities and most female NGO workers from working.
Afghanistan's economy has also been plunged into a crisis that has wiped out jobs. Following the Taliban takeover, foreign governments withdrew development aid and froze the country's central bank assets.
The ILO estimated GDP had contracted by 30-35 per cent across 2021 and 2022.
Taliban officials have called on the international community to unfreeze its assets to ease the country's liquidity crisis and have said they are focused on encouraging trade and investment to create economic self-sufficiency.
Youth unemployment had also shrunk by an estimated 25% for those aged between 15 and 24. The ILO noted that total employment had shown some signs of recovery in the first half of 2022, but that it had decreased for young men and all women over the year.
March
Taiwan warns of China's 'repeated provocations'
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan will not allow "repeated provocations" from China, the island's defence minister said on Tuesday, as China's foreign minister said Taiwan was the "first red line" that must not be crossed in Sino-U.S. relations.
Tensions over democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, have spiked over the past three years as Beijing ramps up diplomatic and military pressure to get Taipei to accept Chinese sovereignty.
China staged war games near Taiwan in August to protest the Taipei visit of then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen plans to meet current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the United States in coming weeks, two sources told Reuters.
Speaking to reporters at parliament, Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said he was not aware of a planned meeting between Tsai and McCarthy.
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"The Chinese communists use any reason to send troops," Chiu said. "But we won't just say 'bring it on'. We will take a peaceful and rational approach."
Although it hopes this does not happen, Taiwan's military is prepared to fight, he added.
"If the Chinese communists move again, the armed forces' job is to fight," Chiu said. "We won't allow repeated provocations against us. We can't accept that."
Taiwan's government has not announced a Tsai visit to the United States, which previously she has made as stop-overs on the way to countries which maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Taking lawmakers' questions, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said it was "inappropriate" to talk about foreign travel arrangements for the president "before there are definite plans".
McCarthy has also not confirmed a meeting with Tsai.
'INTERNAL AFFAIR'
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said it was "absurd" for U.S. officials to say that Taiwan is not an internal affair of China's.
"The Taiwan question is the core of the core interests of China, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-U.S. relations and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations," he said on the sidelines of China's annual meeting of parliament.
"The United States has unshakable responsibility for causing the Taiwan question."
China will keep working for "peaceful reunification", but reserves the right to take all necessary measures, Qin said.
"No one should ever underestimate the firm resolve strong will and great capability of the Chinese government and people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Taiwan's government strongly disputes China's territorial claims though has repeatedly offered talks with Beijing, and says only Taiwan's people can decide their future.
One of the sources told Reuters that should the U.S. meeting go forward - likely in April - it did not necessarily rule out McCarthy visiting Taiwan in the future.
Four other sources - including U.S. officials and people with knowledge of the U.S. and Taiwan administrations' thinking - said both sides were deeply uneasy that a future visit by McCarthy would severely increase tensions across the Taiwan Strait at a time when the island is preparing for its own presidential election early next year. (Reuters)