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January
At Least 10 Children Killed in Pakistan as Boat Capsizes
Written by Nur Yasmin
At least 10 children were killed on Sunday when a boat carrying religious school students capsized in northwest Pakistan, officials said.
Around eight students were still missing while seven injured had been taken to hospital, according to local officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where the accident took place.
Kohat's district commissioner Mahmood Aslam said around 50 students from a local religious school, had gathered near Tanda lake for a picnic. Twenty-five had ventured out on the water - which was closed by authorities for recreational trips - on a boat that capsized, he said.
The pupils who had died were aged between seven and 12 years old, according to a list shared with Reuters by the commissioner.
He said Pakistani military divers were helping with the rescue and recovery efforts. Video footage by local broadcasters and on social media showed rescuers in the water.
The accident came the same day as a bus accident in southern Pakistan that killed more than 40 people. (Reuters)
January
China Says It Resumes Issuing Ordinary Visas for Japanese Citizens
Written by Nur Yasmin
China has resumed the issuance of ordinary visas for Japanese citizens travelling to the country, the Chinese embassy in Japan said on Sunday, in a move that could ease a diplomatic row.
Effective on Sunday, the embassy and Chinese consulates in Japan will resume the examination and issuance of ordinary visas for Japanese citizens to China, the embassy said in a statement.
China this month stopped issuing visas for Japanese nationals after Japan toughened COVID-19 border control rules for travellers coming directly from China.
Japan lodged a protest to China over the suspension of visas for Japanese citizens, asking Beijing to reverse the action. (Reuters)
January
Maldives President Solih Wins Presidential Primary, Party Says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party's (MDP) presidential primary election, the first time an incumbent has faced a primary challenge, according to preliminary results on Sunday.
But his challenger, former President Mohamed Nasheed has not accepted the results reported by the party. An official from his campaign said on Saturday the results were questionable, as voter tallies in some ballot stations did not match total eligible voters.
Nasheed's supporters and representatives have alleged voter fraud and vote rigging in the contentious election in the archipelago off India and Sri Lanka.
Solih secured 61% of the vote with 24,566 ballots, beating Nasheed with 15,641, the party said. Both had made whirlwind campaign tours across the country over the past month.
More than 40,000 MDP members, or 71%, voted, the party said.
Solih supporters gathered in the capital Male to celebrate after local media projected his victory on Saturday. Meeting them at the main MDP rally centre, Solih called on the members to unite for the upcoming presidential election.
"Now our competitive nature should be put behind us. That is over. Now we have to unite to ensure MDP wins the presidential election," he said.
A few scuffles broke out during the voting in some islands, with police arresting three men for disrupting ballot activities. They were arrested for vandalising ballot boxes, a police spokesperson said.
Another contentious issue was the removal of several thousand members from MDP's registry, rendering them ineligible to vote in the primary. Nasheed's campaign has said the move affected mostly the ex-president's supporters.
MDP has countered that the removals reflected attempts to bring the party's membership registry in line with the official registry maintained by the Elections Commission. MDP said members who were removed had the opportunity to rejoin the party and were given time to do so. (Reuters)
January
NATO's Stoltenberg in South Korea to Deepen Ties in Asia
Written by Nur Yasmin
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrived in South Korea on Sunday, the first stop on a trip that will include Japan and is aimed at strengthening ties with the U.S. allies in the face of the war in Ukraine and rising competition with China.
In the South Korean capital, Seoul, Stoltenberg met Foreign Minister Park Jin, and was expected to meet President Yoon Suk-yeol and Minister of National Defence Lee Jong-Sup.
NATO is concerned about North Korea's "reckless" missile tests and nuclear weapon programme, while the war in Ukraine had ramifications for Asia, Stoltenberg told Park in remarks at the beginning of their meeting, citing suspicion that North Korea is providing military support to the Russian war effort.
"This just highlights how we are interconnected," he said.
Both officials cited "shared values" between NATO countries and South Korea.
"Given today’s unprecedented global challenges, we believe that solidarity among countries that share values of freedom, democracy, and rule of law is more important than ever," Park said.
Flying to Tokyo on Monday, the secretary general has meetings scheduled with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other Japanese officials.
While NATO will remain focussed on Europe and North America, its members are affected by issues around the world, Stoltenberg told South Korea's Yonhap News agency in an interview.
"We need to address these global threats and challenges, including the challenges coming from China, and one way of doing that is, of course, to work more closely with partners in the region," he said.
Yoon and Kishida became the first leaders from their countries to attend a NATO summit, joining alliance leaders as observers last year.
Following the summit, South Korea opened its first diplomatic mission to NATO, vowing to deepen cooperation on non-proliferation, cyber defence, counter-terrorism, disaster response and other security areas.
Chinese state media had warned against South Korea and Japan attending the NATO summit and criticised the alliance's broadening partnerships in Asia.
North Korea has said NATO involvement in the Asia-Pacific region would import the conflict raging in Europe.
Both North Korea and Russia have denied U.S. accusations that North Korea is supplying weapons for the war in Ukraine.
North Korea on Sunday criticised for a second day a U.S. decision to send tanks to Ukraine, calling it an "unethical crime" aimed at perpetuating an unstable international situation. (Reuters)
January
Sri Lanka Economy Could Shrink by -3.5% to -4%, President Says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Sri Lanka's economy could contract by -3.5 or -4.0% in 2023 after shrinking -11% last year, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday.
"From 2024, we will take this economy to positive growth. We are creating a strong country that does not bow down to anyone and is debt-free," he said.
Speaking at a religious event, he said: "The growth rate of the economy in 2022 was -11% and could be -3.5 or -4.0% this year."
If economic programs which includes difficult changes in policy such as higher taxes, cuts in public expenditure and debt restructuring were not implemented then Sri Lanka could witness further political unrest, he said.
"No one can prevent the country from falling into crisis again similar to May and June last year," Wickremesinghe said.
The island nation of 22 million people has struggled with challenges during the past year ranging from a shortage of foreign currency to runaway inflation and a steep recession - the worst such crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.
The government signed a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in September for a $2.9 billion program but has to put its debt on a sustainable path before disbursements can begin. (reuters)
January
New Zealand's Auckland Starts Clean-up After Deadly Flash Floods
Written by Nur Yasmin
Authorities in New Zealand's biggest city, Auckland, began mopping up on Saturday after torrential rains brought flash flooding and evacuations, with at least two people confirmed dead and two missing in the widespread inundation.
A state of emergency remained in place in the city of 1.6 million people on New Zealand's north island as the rains eased after Friday's flooding in the north, northwest and west.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, less than a week in office, flew by helicopter over the city before touring flood-hit homes.
"The level of devastation in some areas is considerable," Hipkins told reporters, describing the event as "unprecedented" in recent memory.
Daylight revealed the impact of the storm, caused by warm air descending from the tropics, sparking heavy rain and thunderstorms, said Auckland Emergency Management, part of the city's council.
"Auckland was clobbered on Friday – Auckland's wettest day on record – and today we start the clean-up," the agency's duty controller, Andrew Clark, said in a statement, urging caution for residents returning home to survey flood damage.
Two men were found dead, New Zealand Police said. A search was under way for a man believed swept away, while another person was unaccounted for after a landslide hit a house in an inner Auckland suburb, police said.
More than 2,000 calls for assistance and 70 evacuations had been made around the city, the New Zealand Herald reported.
City rainfall records were broken, with Auckland Airport logging 249 mm (9.8 inches) in the 24 hours to 9 a.m. on Saturday, beating the 1985 high of 161.8 mm.
Some local flights resumed at Auckland Airport, which had closed domestic and international operations on Friday.
Air New Zealand said its domestic flights in and out of Auckland resumed from noon (2300 GMT on Friday), and international flights out of Auckland would resume from noon on Sunday (2300 GMT on Saturday).
The airport's website said its international terminal was to open for departures from 5 p.m. (0400 GMT), while international arrivals would restart at 4:30 a.m on Sunday (1530 GMT on Saturday).
Air New Zealand said 12 of its international flights due into Auckland had been diverted overnight.
While heavy rain had eased, another period of downpours was possible on Sunday, the national weather forecaster said, adding the impact was "expected to be severe and wide reaching because of the saturated ground".
"More flooding will occur through many northern regions in the coming days," it warned.
On Friday, social media showed firefighters, police and defence force staff rescuing stranded people from flooded homes using ropes and rescue boats.
The flooding forced cancellations of British pop star Elton John's concerts in the city, which had been scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights. (reuters)
January
North Korea Slams United States for Pledging Tanks to Ukraine
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korea on Saturday denounced U.S. pledges of battle tanks to Ukraine, claiming Washington was "further crossing the red line" to win hegemony by proxy war, state media KCNA reported.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, made the remarks in a statement carried by KCNA, saying that North Korea will "stand in the same trench" as Russia against the United States.
The United States said this week it would supply Ukraine with 31 of its most advanced battle tanks after Germany made a similar announcement. This scrapped a taboo in Western support for Ukraine's battle against Russia's invasion by pledging arms that have a mainly offensive purpose.
"I express serious concern over the U.S. escalating the war situation by providing Ukraine with military hardware for ground offensive," Kim Yo Jong said in the statement.
The United States and Western countries "have neither right nor justification to slander sovereign states' exercise of the right to self-defence."
Nuclear-armed North Korea launched an unprecedented number of missiles last year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. U.S. and South Korean officials have also warned the North could be preparing for its first test of a nuclear device since 2017. (reuters)
January
Thousands in Afghanistan Protest Koran-Burning Incident in Sweden
Written by Nur Yasmin
Thousands of Afghans held protests on Friday to express anger after a far-right politician publicly set fire to the Koran in Sweden last week.
On Saturday, the anti-immigrant politician from the far-right fringe burned a copy of the holy Muslim book during a protest near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.
"Today, Kabul residents in different parts of the city held protests," Kabul's police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said on Friday afternoon.
In the northern province of Badakshan, a spokesperson for the provincial government said thousands had gathered after Friday prayers to protest.
"They were saying 'Death to Sweden, U.S.A and U.N'.," said Mahzudden Ahmadi. "They said such actions shouldn't be repeated, also they asked Islamic Emirate to have a strong position against such actions," he added, referring to the Taliban administration.
Earlier in the week, the Taliban-run Afghan foreign ministry had called on the Swedish government to punish the individual and to prevent any similar incidents taking place.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom has said that Islamophobic provocations were appalling. The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations has also condemned the incident and a U.S. State Department spokesperson said it was a "deeply disrespectful act."
The Koran burning was carried out by Rasmus Paludan, leader of Danish far-right political party Hard Line, during protests in Stockholm against Turkey and Sweden's bid to join NATO. Paludan, who also has Swedish citizenship, has held a number of demonstrations in the past where he has burned the Koran.
In 2011, violent protests took place in Afghanistan over the burning of a Koran by a radical fundamentalist Christian in the United States. Protesters over-ran a U.N. mission in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and killed seven foreign staff. Demonstrations gripped the country for days, and dozens of protesters and police were killed and wounded. (reuters)
January
Hungary Will Veto EU Sanctions on Russian Nuclear Energy, PM Orban Says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Hungary will veto any European Union sanctions against Russia affecting nuclear energy, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday.
Ukraine has called on the 27-nation EU to include Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom in sanctions but Hungary, which has a Russian-built nuclear plant it plans to expand with Rosatom, has blocked that. read more
Orban reiterated in an interview that sanctions on nuclear energy "must obviously be vetoed".
"We will not allow the plan to include nuclear energy into the sanctions be implemented," the Hungarian premier said. "This is out of the question."
EU-member Hungary has repeatedly criticised EU sanctions on Russia over its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, saying they failed to weaken Russia meaningfully, while they risk destroying the European economy.
The West has not imposed sanctions on Rosatom since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant has four small Russian-built VVER 440 reactors with a combined capacity of about 2,000 megawatts, which started operating between 1982 and 1987.
It generates about half its power and the plant gets its nuclear fuel from Russia.
Under a deal signed in 2014 with Russia, Hungary aims to expand the Paks plant with two Russian-made VVER reactors with a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts each. (Reuters)
January
In Beijing's Backyard, U.S. Demonstrates its Military Might
Written by Nur Yasmin
Over a few hours under grey skies, dozens of combat planes and helicopters roar on and off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Nimitz, in a demonstration of U.S. military power in some of the world's most hotly contested waters.
MH-60 Seahawk helicopters and F/A-18 Hornet jets bearing pilot call signs like "Fozzie Bear", "Pig Sweat" and "Bongoo" emit deafening screams as they land in the drizzle on the Nimitz, which is leading a carrier strike group that entered the South China Sea two weeks ago.
The group's commander, Rear Admiral Christopher Sweeney, said the tour was part of a U.S. commitment to uphold freedom of passage in the waters and airspace of a region vital to global trade.
"We are going to sail, fly and operate wherever international norms and rules allow. We're going to do that safely and we're going to be resolute about that," Sweeney told Reuters on Friday.
"It's really just about sailing and operating obviously with our allies and partners in the area and assuring them of free and open commerce and trade in the Indo-Pacific."
A U.S. presence in the South China Sea, a conduit for about $3.4 trillion of annual trade, has been welcomed by allies like Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Australia, but it continues to rile rival China, which sees the exercises as provocations in its backyard.
China claims historic jurisdiction over almost the entire South China Sea, which includes the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines.
Beijing has been conducting regular exercises too and maintains a large presence of coast guard and fishing vessels far off its mainland - a source of frequent tension with its neighbours.
The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group 11 includes the guided-missile cruiser Bunker Hill and the guided-missile destroyers Decatur, Wayne E. Meyer and Chung-Hoon. The Chung-Hoon on Jan. 5 sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, irking China.
That came two weeks after a Chinese navy J-11 fighter jet caused alarm when it came within 10 feet (3 metres) of a U.S. Air Force plane over the South China Sea.
Sweeney said it was crucial for international rules to be followed and said the U.S. presence in the South China Sea demonstrated its commitment to its regional allies.
"We've operated in the same body of water as the Chinese or the Singaporean navy or the Filipino navy since we've arrived and it's all been safe and professional," he said.
"We're going to sail, fly and operate wherever international waters allow us to, so we're not going anywhere." (Reuters)