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December
Qatar expresses "extreme concern" over Taliban bar on female staff - statement
Written by Nur Yasmin
Qatar expressed "extreme concern" over the order by Afghanistan's Taliban-run administration to stop female employees from working, calling on the administration to review its decision, a foreign ministry statement said on Sunday.
The ministry "stresses the need to respect women's right to work, given that the freedom to choose and accept work is a human right", it said. Qatar hosted a representative office for the Taliban during the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, and served as a venue for peace talks before the group took power in 2021. (Reuters)
December
Taiwan reports China's largest incursion yet to air defence zone
Written by Nur Yasmin
Seventy-one Chinese air force aircraft including fighter jets and drones entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone in the past 24 hours, the island's government said on Monday, the largest reported incursion to date.
Of the aircraft, 43 also crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line, an unofficial buffer between the two sides that lies within the defence zone, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said in a report, as Beijing continues military activities close to the Chinese-claimed island.
Taiwan's official Central News Agency said it was the largest Chinese air force incursion to date, although there was no sense of alarm on the island, which has witnessed a steady increase in Chinese pressure in recent years.
China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, said it had conducted "strike drills" in the sea and airspace around Taiwan on Sunday in response to what it said was provocation from the democratically governed island and the United States.
Taiwan, which strongly rejects China's sovereignty claims, said the drills showed Beijing was destroying regional peace and trying to intimidate Taiwan's people.
A senior Taiwan official familiar with security planning in the region told Reuters that Taiwan assessed China had staged the military "provocation" to express anger at a new U.S. defence authorisation law that boosts military assistance for Taiwan.
The person, who declined to be identified as the information was not made public, said during the drills China's air force dispatched warplanes from several locations across the country to carry out simulated attacks on Taiwanese and U.S. warships.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The office of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said Tsai will call a high-level national security meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss reinforcing the island's civil defence system, followed by a press conference on new civil defence measures.
The statement gave no details, but the defence ministry has said it was considering extending compulsory military service beyond four months, as the war in Ukraine and rising tensions with Beijing renewed discussion about how to respond to Chinese military pressure.
"The more preparations we make, the less likely there will be rash attempts of aggression. The more united we are, the stronger and safer Taiwan would become," Tsai told a military ceremony on Monday.
During the latest incursion, several Chinese planes, mostly fighter jets, briefly crossed the median line in the sensitive Taiwan Strait before returning to China, according to a map provided by Taiwan's defence ministry. Seven Chinese navy ships were also detected near Taiwan, the ministry said.
China's military also sent early warning, electronic-warfare and antisubmarine aircraft, as well as drones, into Taiwan's southern air defence identification zone, or ADIZ, according to the report, which detailed Chinese activities near Taiwan over the 24 hours to 6 a.m. (2200 GMT on Sunday).
Taipei has complained of repeated missions by the Chinese air force over the last two years, often in southern areas of its ADIZ.
Taiwan sent unspecified combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese planes, while missile systems monitored their flight, the ministry said, using standard wording for its response.
Taiwan's benchmark stock index (.TWII) brushed off the latest tensions, ending Monday up 0.1%. However, China's CSI Defence Index (.CSI399973) marked its best day in two months on Monday, rising 3.7%.
China has stepped up its diplomatic, military and economic pressure in recent years on the self-governed island to accept Beijing's rule. Taiwan's government says it wants peace but will defend itself if attacked. (Reuters)
December
U.N. official meets Taliban, urges reverse of NGO female worker ban
Written by Nur Yasmin
The acting head of the United Nations' mission to Afghanistan told the Taliban administration's acting economy minister to reverse a decision to ban female NGO workers during a meeting, according to a statement on Monday.
"Millions of Afghans need humanitarian assistance and removing barriers is vital," UNAMA said in the statement, adding that UNAMA's acting head and humanitarian coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov had met with economy minister Mohammad Hanif.
Hanif's ministry on Saturday ordered all local and foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) not to let female staff work until further notice. The orders do not apply directly to the United Nations, but many of its programmes are carried out by NGOs subject to the order. (Reuters)
December
Japan PM Kishida to replace embattled reconstruction minister Akiba - NHK
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is battling low approval ratings, will replace a government minister for the fourth time since he created his current cabinet in August, public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday.
Discussions on a replacement for Kenya Akiba, minister responsible for overseeing the reconstruction of areas hit by Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011, are still underway, the broadcaster said.
NHK initially reported that Akiba will be replaced by former financial services agency minister Tatsuya Ito, but later corrected that report to say a successor has not been picked.
Akiba has battled accusations of being involved in violating election laws as well as having ties with the Unification Church. His office said it had nothing to say on the matter when contacted for comment on the allegations.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's close links with the religious group, which critics say is a cult, were revealed after the killing of former premier Shinzo Abe and have been cited by survey respondents as one reason for Kishida's low approval ratings.
The Kyodo news agency reported on Friday that Kishida has been considering swapping some of his ministers in a bid to boost his approval ratings.
"All I can say is that we must make the necessary preparations for next year's diet (parliament) session. That's all I can say," Kishida said on Monday when asked whether he planned to replace Akiba.
Kishida also plans to replace Mio Sugita, his Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Internal Affairs, Kyodo reported on Monday citing multiple unidentified government sources.
In early December, Sugita retracted and apologised for a number of past comments she had made previously, including calling sexual minorities "unproductive". (Reuters)
December
Nepal's new govt seeks to balance its ties with India, China in growth pursuit
Written by Nur Yasmin
Nepal's new government, led by a former Maoist rebel commander, will try to balance ties with its immediate neighbours China and India for the economic growth of one of the world's poorest countries, officials of the ruling coalition told Reuters.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who still goes by his nom de guerre Prachanda, surprisingly became prime minister on Sunday after leaving his previous coalition and with the support of the opposition Communist Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) party and five other smaller groups. Last month’s elections returned a hung parliament.
UML's leader and Nepal's former prime minister, Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, is believed to be pro-China.
Nepal is one of several South Asian countries where India and China seek influence. India has long considered Hindu-majority Nepal, a Himalayan country of 30 million, as a natural ally based on their close historical ties and long open border.
"We'll maintain relationships of equi-proximity with both our neighbours," Narayan Kaji Shrestha, a senior member of Prachanda's Maoist Centre party and who is expected to be a cabinet minister, told Reuters.
"We must immediately focus on containing inflation, maintain reserves, raise capital expenses, narrow the trade deficit and lower interest rates."
Other party leaders, speaking on the condition of anonymity before a swearing-in of new ministers, echoed Shrestha's view.
Beijing and New Delhi have poured billions of dollars in aid and investment in Nepal, which is rich in potential to generate hydroelectric power.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, which is Nepal’s biggest trade and economic partner, was one of the first foreign leaders to wish Prachanda, who has been prime minister twice before.
"The unique relationship between India & Nepal is based on deep cultural connect & warm people-to-people ties," Modi said on Twitter. "I look forward to working together with you to further strengthen this friendship."
A Chinese embassy spokesperson in Kathmandu, in a Twitter post, also congratulated Prachanda on his appointment.
Analysts said Nepal's $40 billion economy, emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, needed immediate attention of the new government which must regain the trust of investors and businesses as well as boost production.
Inflation is at more than 8%, the highest in six years. Nepal also faces dwindling foreign exchange reserves, with an increasing dependence on imports of basic goods.
Former Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada, who worked under Oli, said Prachanda must focus on boosting manufacturing products like cement for export, and agriculture to substitute imports. (Reuters)
December
The war on Ukraine did not pause for Christmas despite Russian President Vladimir Putin saying he was open to negotiations, with his forces launching more than 40 rocket attacks on Christmas Day, Ukraine's military said on Monday.
Three Russian military personnel were killed early on Monday by falling wreckage of a Ukrainian drone that was shot down as it was attacking a base in Russia's Saratov region, Russian news agencies reported, citing the defence ministry.
It was the second attack on the base this month. The base, near the city of Saratov, about 730 km (450 miles) southeast of Moscow and hundreds of kilometres from the front lines in Ukraine, was hit on Dec. 5 in what Russia said was Ukrainian drone attacks on two Russian air bases that day.
Reuters could not immediately verify the reports.
Putin on Sunday again said he was open to negotiations and blamed Ukraine and its Western allies failing to engage in talks, a stance the United States has previously dismissed as posturing given the relentless Russian attacks.
"We are ready to negotiate with everyone involved about acceptable solutions, but that is up to them - we are not the ones refusing to negotiate, they are," Putin said in an interview on Rossiya 1 state television.
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Putin needed to return to reality and acknowledge it was Russia that did not want talks.
"Russia single-handedly attacked Ukraine and is killing citizens," the adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said on Twitter. "Russia doesn't want negotiations, but tries to avoid responsibility."
Putin's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine - which Russia calls a "special military operation" - has triggered the biggest European conflict since World War Two and the most serious confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Russian attacks on Ukraine's power stations have left millions without electricity, and Zelenskiy said Moscow would aim to make the last days of 2022 dark and difficult.
"Russia has lost everything it could this year. ... I know darkness will not prevent us from leading the occupiers to new defeats. But we have to be ready for any scenario," he said in a Christmas Day address.
Ukraine traditionally celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7, as does Russia.
However, this year some Orthodox Ukrainians decided to celebrate on Dec. 25 and Ukrainian officials, including Zelenskiy and Ukraine's prime minister, issued Christmas wishes on Sunday.
FIGHTING
Ukraine's military said early on Monday Russian forces had in the previous 24 hours shelled dozens of towns in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Zaporizhzia regions.
"In the Kherson direction, the enemy continues artillery shelling of populated areas along the right bank of the Dnipro River," it said.
Ukrainian forces launched attacks on almost 20 Russian targets, it said.
Russia's defence ministry said on Sunday its forces had killed about 60 Ukrainian servicemen the previous day along the Kupiansk-Lyman line of contact and destroyed numerous pieces of Ukrainian military equipment.
Reuters could not immediately verify the reports.
The Kremlin says it will fight until all its territorial aims are achieved, while Kyiv says it will not rest until every Russian soldier is ejected from the country.
Asked if the geopolitical conflict with the West was approaching a dangerous level, Putin on Sunday said: "I don't think it's so dangerous."
Ukraine and the West say Putin has no justification for what they cast as an imperial-style war of occupation.
BELARUS MISSILES
Russian-supplied Iskander tactical missile systems, which can carry nuclear warheads, and S-400 air defence systems have been deployed to Belarus and are operational, a senior Belarusian defence ministry official said on Sunday.
"These types of weapons are on combat duty today and they are fully prepared to perform tasks for their intended purpose," the ministry official, Leonid Kasinsky, said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app.
It was not clear how many of the Iskander systems had been deployed to Belarus after Putin said in June that Moscow would supply Minsk with them and the air defence systems.
Putin visited Minsk on Dec. 19 raising speculation in Kyiv he would pressure Belarus to join a new offensive in his faltering invasion.
Russian forces used Belarus as a launch pad for their abortive attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in February, and there has been a growing flurry of Russian and Belarusian military activity in recent months.
The Iskander-M, a mobile guided missile system code named "SS-26 Stone" by NATO, replaced the Soviet-era "Scud". The guided missiles have a range of up to 500 km (300 miles) and can carry conventional or nuclear warheads.
The S-400 system is a Russian mobile, surface-to-air missile interception system capable of engaging aircraft, UAVs, cruise missiles, and has a terminal ballistic missile defence capability. (Reuters)
December
Japan unveils record budget in boost to military spending
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan unveiled on Friday a record 114.4 trillion yen ($863 billion) budget for the next fiscal year from April, pushed up by increased military spending and higher social security costs of catering to a fast-ageing population, piling on more debt.
The budget - endorsed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet on Friday - features record military and welfare spending as it confronts regional security challenges from an ever-assertive China and an unpredictable North Korea.
Kishida's controversial plan to double Japan's defence spending to 2% of gross domestic product by 2027 contributed to a record 6.8 trillion yen increase in spending, adding to the nation's public debt already exceeding 2.5 times the size of its economy.
To fund spending for military facilities, warships and other vessels, the government decided to issue in fiscal 2023 just over 434 billion yen of construction bonds, which are usually used to finance infrastructure spending, but not military equipment.
"I believe those ships can be considered assets worth asking for the people to share costs," Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki told reporters when asked about the decision, while adding the move should not be seen as abandoning fiscal restraints.
RECORD MILITARY, WELFARE SPENDING
The need for more military spending comes at a time of intensifying economic challenges as the Ukraine war, soaring inflation and rising rates worldwide push the global economy to the brink of recession.
For fiscal 2023, the defence spending will rise to 6.8 trillion yen, up 1.4 trillion yen from this year. The government also set aside 3.4 trillion yen to help finance its five-year defence build-up plan.
All of this means a longer road to reducing Japan's debt, as Tokyo aims to achieve a primary budget surplus, excluding new bond sales and debt servicing costs, by the fiscal year ending March 2026.
On the brighter side, tax revenue is estimated at a record 69.4 trillion yen thanks in part to recovery in corporate profits, allowing the government to reduce new bond sales by 1.3 trillion yen to 35.6 trillion yen.
Still, the budget's debt dependency ratio stood at 31.1%, underscoring the fiscal constraints faced by the government.
The budget assumed next fiscal year's exchange rate at 137 yen to the dollar, the weakest since 2010, in calculating fiscal 2023 spending for defence and diplomacy, the officials said. (Antaranews)
December
China sanctions two Americans over Tibet rights controversy
Written by Nur Yasmin
China has sanctioned two Americans in retaliation for U.S. sanctions against two Chinese officials over human rights in Tibet earlier this month, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday.
Anti-sanctions measures against historian Miles Yu and Todd Stein, deputy staff director with the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, will take effect from Friday, according to an order signed by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and announced on a ministry social media account on Friday.
According to this order, the Chinese measures are in retaliation for the sanctions imposed on two Chinese officials by the United States on Dec. 9 over human rights issues in the Chinese western frontier region of Tibet.
China will freeze all Chinese assets of Yu and Stein, and ban any organisation or individual within China from engaging with them. Both men and their family members are also banned from entering China. (Reuters)
December
Sweden faces recession lasting into 2024, finance minister says
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Swedish economy will enter a deeper, more long-lasting recession next year than previously forecast as soaring energy prices drive up inflation, hitting households and businesses, the country's finance ministry said on Thursday.
Sweden's gross domestic product is now expected to contract by 0.7% in 2023, compared to a November forecast for a 0.4% decline, while headline inflation is predicted at 6% next year, up from 5.2% seen earlier.
"I said in October that Sweden was heading towards an economic winter and what we see now is that the winter looks to be more protracted than we thought," Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson told a news conference.
"The weak development ... looks like it won't bottom out until 2024," she said.
The economy is now seen growing by just 1% in 2024, down from 2% seen previously, before recovering to growth of 2.7% in 2025, the ministry predicted.
Swedish households have become increasingly gloomy in recent months, hit by rampant inflation, rising mortgage costs and record-high electricity prices. Consumer confidence levels were close to record-lows in November.
"It is important to say that right now, we are not looking at an economic crisis, we are looking at an energy crisis. Many individuals are really struggling ... but the economy as a whole isn't," Svantesson said.
The country's central bank has hiked interest rates four times this year to 2.50% to combat the spiralling inflation. November CPIF, the inflation target measure for the Riksbank, was 9.5% in November, way above the 2% target. (Reuters)
December
U.S., partners condemn Taliban decision to ban women from universities -statement
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States, the European Union and 11 foreign ministers condemned the Taliban's decision to ban women from universities in Afghanistan, according to a joint statement issued on Wednesday.
Foreign ministers for Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom joined Washington and the EU in condemning the Taliban's decision, announced on Tuesday evening in a letter to universities from the higher education ministry.
"The Taliban’s oppressive measures against Afghan girls and women have been relentless and systemic," according to the statement, issued by the U.S. State Department. (Reuters)