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July
Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and U.N. meeting on grain set for Weds -minister
Written by Nur Yasmin
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday that military delegations from Turkey, Russia and Ukraine will meet with a United Nations delegation to discuss the safe export of Ukrainian grain.
The meeting will take place on July 13, Akar said.
“Military delegations from Turkey, Russia and Ukraine and a United Nations delegation will be conducting talks in Istanbul tomorrow regarding safe transfer of grain waiting in Ukrainian ports to international markets via sea route,” he said.
The talks comes at a time of record high food prices globally, as conflict in Ukraine, the world's largest grain supplier, has fuelled concerns about food security.
Turkey has played a key role in talks between the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine on a potential Black Sea corridor to export grain from Ukraine.
Ukraine has struggled to export goods, with many of its ports blocked as war rages along its southern coast. Grain constitutes nearly a fifth of all its exports, official data shows.
Kyiv has accused Moscow of stealing grain from territories seized by Russian forces since their invasion began in late February. The Kremlin, which calls the action a "special military operation", has denied such accusations. (Reuters)
July
China's Wang Yi tells Australia to act as partner, not opponent
Written by Nur Yasmin
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged his Australian counterpart Penny Wong to treat China as a partner, not an opponent, and to accumulate "postive energy" to improve ties between the two countries.
On the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Bali on Friday, Wang expressed hope that Australia could "seize the opportunity, take concrete actions and come to a correct understanding of China", according to a summary published late on Saturday by China's foreign ministry.
"The root cause of the difficulties in Chinese and Australian relations in recent years lies in the insistence of previous Australian governments to treat China as an 'opponent' and even a 'threat'," Wang said, adding that Australia's words and actions had been "irresponsible".
China has been restricting imports of Australian coal and other products since 2020. Among Beijing's grievances were Canberra's call for a full probe into the origins of COVID-19, an investigation into Chinese interference in Australian politics, and a ban on China's Huawei from participating in Australia's 5G rollout.
Australian Foreign Minister Wong said on Friday that the meeting with her Chinese counterpart was a first step towards stabilising the relationship but that it would take time for Beijing to remove trade blockages on Australia.
Australia has also expressed concern about China's growing presence in the Pacific region, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warning on Friday that Beijing had become "more aggressive".
Wang told Wong at the Friday meeting that China was conducting "equal exchange and cooperation" with sovereign island nations based on their requests and needs, the Chinese foreign ministry said. (Reuters)
July
South Korea detects shots apparently launched by North Korea
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea's military said on Sunday it had detected the trajectories of what appeared to be shots fired by North Korea, possibly from multiple rocket launchers (MLRs).
South Korea's Joint Chief of Staff announced that the shots were detected after 6 p.m. and that the military had strengthened surveillance and alert levels, without mentioning any further response.
North Korea often test-fires MLRs during military drills, and in recent years has also developed larger versions of such rockets. Smaller rockets and missiles are seen as central to North Korea's plans for striking targets in South Korea in the event of a conflict.
This year North Korea has test-fired a range of missiles, including from its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to its small MLRs. All are banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions that have imposed sanctions on North Korea's missile development.
South Korea is pursuing a $2.6-billion artillery interception system, similar to Israel's "Iron Dome", designed to protect against North Korea's arsenal of long-range guns and rockets.
A large part of the area surrounding Seoul, the capital, is home to about half the population of 52 million, and is within range of North Korea’s long-range guns and multiple rocket launchers.
The United States stations around 28,500 troops in South Korea, where they train alongside South Korean troops to counter the North. The allies have conducted missile drills of their own in response to some of North Korea's previous launches. (Reuters)
July
U.S.-China tensions, Kiribati's shock withdrawal overshadow Pacific leaders meeting
Written by Nur Yasmin
Tensions between China and the United States, and the withdrawal of the remote Pacific island nation of Kiribati, have overshadowed the Pacific Islands Forum as leaders arrived in Fiji on Monday for the first in-person summit in three years.
During the four-day meeting, Pacific island leaders will discuss how to gather more international support and funding to fight the impact of rising sea levels and climate change, as well as China's ambitions for greater security ties across the region.
A bid by Beijing to sign a broader regional trade and security deal with 10 nations that recognise China, but is opposed by some forum members, was also to be discussed.
Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simon Kofe said in an interview he was saddened by news of Kiribati's withdrawal and Pacific leaders would need to "look at the concerns raised by Kiribati" when they meet this week.
Kiribati President Taneti Maamau said in a letter his country would withdraw from the forum because it did not agree with terms of a deal brokered weeks ago to solve a rift between Micronesian states and other members, and wanted the meeting delayed.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Kiribati's withdrawal was "disappointing", while Australia pledged A$2 million ($1.36 million) to assist Kiribati with drinking water amid a severe drought - an impact of climate change.
Also being discussed by Pacific leaders is fisheries - tuna is a major source of revenue in the region - but the issue also risks being caught up in geopolitical tensions, Kofe said.
China operates a large fishing fleet in the Pacific and is seeking greater access to one of the world's richest fishing grounds.
The Quad group of the United States, Japan, Australia and India have offered Pacific islands increased surveillance to stop illegal fishing in exclusive economic zones.
"This geopolitical competition will continue and it is important the Pacific focuses on the issues that are critical to the Pacific - climate change and the conservation of our resources," Kofe said.
The United States wants to expand a fisheries treaty in the Pacific to cover “other security issues”, he said, and this would be discussed at the forum.
Tuvalu is among four Pacific nations that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan and not Beijing.
Kofe withdrew from a recent U.N. Ocean conference in Lisbon after China barred the presence of Taiwanese members included in the Tuvalu delegation. He said this was "bully tactics" by China.
Nonetheless, Kofe said Tuvalu doesn't want differences between China and Taiwan to distract Pacific islands from what unifies all nations in the region this week.
"Maintaining the unity and solidarity of the Pacific family is critical for us to be able to navigate many of these issues that we are facing," he said. (Reuters)
July
China warns Asian nations to avoid being used as 'chess pieces' by powers
Written by Nur Yasmin
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said on Monday that countries should avoid being used as "chess pieces" by global powers in a region that he said was at risk of being reshaped by geopolitical factors.
Addressing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat in a speech in the Indonesian capital
Jakarta, Wang said many countries in the region were under pressure to take sides.
"We should insulate this region from geopolitical calculations… from being used as chess pieces from major power rivalry and from coercion," said Wang, who was speaking through a translator.
"The future of our region should be in our own hands," he said.
Southeast Asia has long been an area of friction between powers given its strategic importance, with countries in the region now wary of being caught in the middle of U.S-China rivalry.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory based on what it says are historical maps, putting it at odds with some ASEAN countries which say the claims are inconsistent with international law.
Wang's speech comes just days after he attended a G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Bali and amid intense Chinese diplomacy that has seen him make string of stops across the region in recent weeks.
On the sidelines of the G20, Wang held a five-hour meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken with both describing their first in-person talks since October as "candid".
Wang said on Monday he had told Blinken both sides should discuss the establishment of rules for positive interactions and to jointly uphold regionalism in the Asia-Pacific.
Wang said on Monday he had told Blinken both sides should discuss the establishment of rules for positive interactions and to jointly uphold regionalism in the Asia-Pacific. (Reuters)
July
South Korea's president suspends informal media briefings, citing COVID
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea's president will suspend informal media briefings that he has held nearly every day since taking office in May, his office said on Monday, citing rising numbers of COVID-19 infections as a survey showed a fall in his approval ratings.
The end of the free-wheeling briefings, which broke with years of tradition as President Yoon Suk-yeol sought to step up transparency, also comes amid growing questions over scandal and party turmoil.
Yoon's approval ratings stood at 37%, pollster Realmeter's survey showed on Monday, down from more than 52% in the first week of June, while 57% now disapproved of his performance.
In its statement, Yoon's office said other coverage of the president would also be limited, with spokespersons switching to mainly written comments, along with photographs and videos of his events, rather than holding in-person briefings.
"In view of the vulnerability to the spread of infectious diseases, we ask for your understanding," it added.
Health authorities have warned the country is facing a new wave of infections, with some experts predicting hundreds of thousands of new cases in coming weeks.
Monday's 12,693 new COVID-19 infections took South Korea's tally to 18,524,583, with 18 deaths for a toll of 24,661 since the pandemic began.
After holding down infections and deaths for much of the pandemic with strict tracing, tracking and quarantine measures, the country dropped most curbs this year despite a huge wave of Omicron-variant infections.
Scandal has cost Yoon two nominees for a single ministerial position, a first in South Korea's history, and ethics questions have plagued several other picks for top office.
On Friday, his conservative People Power Party (PPP) was forced to suspend its leader Lee Jun-seok, 37, over accusations of sexual misconduct in 2013.
Lee has denied the allegations, vowed to appeal the suspension, and accused the party of using him for political gains, saying it waited until after the March election to look into punishing him.
His election last year as the youngest head of a major party in the country's history was seen as a bid to woo young people concerned over rising home prices, graft and the risk of being disadvantaged by government policies to benefit women.
Yoon's popularity has taken a particular hit among young people, with approval from just 30.9% of those in their 20s, the survey showed. (Reuters)
July
Sri Lanka's president, cabinet set to resign, central bank governor to stay
Written by Nur Yasmin
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the entire cabinet will resign to make way for a unity government, the prime minister's office said on Monday, after tens of thousands of protesters stormed the official residences of both men.
After Saturday's sweeping protests in the wake of a debilitating economic crisis, the speaker of parliament said Rajapaksa would resign on Wednesday. However, there has been no direct word from Rajapaksa on his plans.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said he would also step down to allow an all-party interim government to take over. Wickremesinghe's office said Rajapaksa had confirmed his resignation plans to the prime minister, adding that the entire cabinet would resign once a deal was reached to form an all-party government.
The political instability could hurt the country's negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package, the central bank governor told Reuters in an interview.
Governor P. Nandalal Weerasinghe signalled he would stay on in the job although he had said in May he could resign if there was no political stability in the island nation of 22 million.
Asked if he would continue to steer the central bank, Weerasinghe said: "I have the responsibility once I have been appointed to serve for (a) six-year term."
Leaders of the protest movement have said crowds would keep occupying the residences of the president and prime minister in Colombo until they finally quit office. Over the weekend at the president's house, protesters jumped into the swimming pool, lounged on a four-poster bed, jostled for turns on a treadmill and tried out the sofas.
Colombo was calm on Monday as hundreds of people strolled into the president's secretariat and residence and toured the colonial-era buildings. Police made no attempt to stop anyone.
"We are not going anywhere till this president leaves and we have a government that is acceptable to the people," said Jude Hansana, 31, who has been at a protest site outside the residence since early April.
Another protester, Dushantha Gunasinghe, said he had travelled to Colombo from a town 130 km (80 miles) away, walking part of the way because of the fuel crunch. He said he finally reached on Monday morning.
"I'm so exhausted I can barely speak," said the 28-year-old as he sat on a plastic chair outside the president's office. "I came alone all this way because I believe we need to see this through. This government needs to go home and we need better leaders."
'TOTAL CHAOS'
Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe were not in their residences when the protesters surged into the buildings and have not been seen in public since Friday. Rajapaksa's whereabouts were not known but Wickremesinghe's media team said in a statement he held a meeting with cabinet ministers at the prime minister's office on Monday morning.
Wickremesinghe's private home in an affluent Colombo suburb was set on fire on Saturday, and three suspects have been arrested, police have said.
Constitutional experts say once the president and prime minister formally resign, the next step would be for the speaker to be appointed as acting president and for parliament to vote for a new president within 30 days to complete Rajapaksa's term that was to end in 2024.
Ordinary Sri Lankans have mainly blamed Rajapaksa for the collapse of the tourism-dependent economy, which was hammered badly by the COVID-19 pandemic and a ban on chemical fertilisers that damaged farm output. The ban was later reversed.
Government finances were crippled by mounting debt and lavish tax breaks given by the Rajapaksa regime. Foreign exchange reserves were quickly depleted as oil prices rose.
The country barely has any dollars left to import fuel, which has been severely rationed, and long lines have formed in front of shops selling cooking gas. Headline inflation in the country of 22 million hit 54.6% last month, and the central bank has warned that it could rise to 70% in the coming months.
The political crisis sent Sri Lanka's government bonds, which are already in default, to new lows. The country's 2025 bond fell as much as 2.25 cents on the dollar while most were now under 30 cents, or 70% below their face value.
Lutz Roehmeyer of Capitulum Asset Management, which holds Sri Lanka dollar bonds, said an IMF deal could happen this year or next, but for bondholders, a restructuring was likely only in 2024 or 2025, not next year.
"It's total chaos," Roehmeyer said. "Expectations are that the transition of power will be more chaotic and it will take longer to strike a deal." (Reuters)
July
Taiwan vice president makes rare Japan visit to pay respects to Abe
Written by Nur Yasmin
Vice President William Lai became Taiwan's most senior official to visit Japan in five decades as he made a private trip to Tokyo to pay his respects on Monday following the recent killing of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by a gunman.
A Japanese Foreign Ministry official said ministry officials were aware that Lai was in Japan on a private visit to pay his respects after Abe was killed on Friday.
The official declined to give further details, including how long Lai would be in Japan.
"We know this person is probably still in Japan but on a private visit to pay respects as Abe's friend."
Taiwan's Presidential Office said it had no comment, but noted Lai was "a close friend for many years" of Abe and his family.
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said it would not comment on Lai's "personal schedule". It did not elaborate.
Taiwan's official Central News Agency said Lai was the most senior official to visit Japan since Tokyo broke official ties with Taipei in 1972 and forged relations with Beijing.
It cited a senior lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party as saying Lai visited Abe's residence in Tokyo to offer condolences and would attend his funeral on Tuesday.
Like most nations, Japan has no formal diplomatic ties with the Chinese-claimed island, but some senior Japanese officials have become increasingly outspoken about their support for Taiwan in recent years.
China says the democratic island does not have the right to state-to-state relations and has stepped up efforts to isolate it diplomatically.
Lai was seen earlier on Monday visiting Abe's residence with Taiwan's de facto ambassador to Japan, Frank Hsieh, according to Japanese media reports.
Earlier on Monday, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen offered her condolences during a visit to Japan's de facto embassy in Taipei, saying she would continue Abe's legacy of closer Taiwan-Japan relationships and deepen ties between the two sides.
She had ordered that Taiwan's flags be flown at half-staff through Monday to honour Abe, who was widely considered in Taiwan as being key in contributing towards warming Taipei-Tokyo ties in recent years. (Reuters)
July
Amid Ukraine war, Russian parliament to hold extraordinary session
Written by Nur Yasmin
The lower house of the Russian parliament will gather on July 15 for an extraordinary session, its council decided on Monday, just days after President Vladimir Putin warned that he had not even started to get serious in the war in Ukraine.
Putin used a meeting with parliamentary leaders on Thursday to dare the United States and its allies to try to defeat Russia in Ukraine, which Russia invaded on Feb. 24. Parliamentary leaders all thanked Putin for his decisions.
The Russian parliament, dominated by a party which always supports Putin, listed some amendments on competition and information policy that would be discussed at the extraordinary session.
Vladimir Vasilyev, the head of the United Russia party, which has 325 seats in the 450-seat parliament, said that lawmakers would discuss more than 60 issues at the session.
"It is necessary that the processes going on now receive a legal response," Vasilyev said on the pro-Putin party's Telegram channel.
"So the council discussed the agenda for the 15th: we plan to consider a little than 60 issues," Vasilyev said. He did not disclose what the issues were. The Communist Party said more than 80 draft laws would be discussed.
At the meeting with Putin on Thursday, Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin told Putin that the Russian parliament would help two Russian-backed self-declared breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine to develop their legal system.
Putin says the "special military operation" in Ukraine is necessary because Moscow had to defend Russian-speaking people against persecution which he says the West has ignored.
Ukraine and its Western backers say that Putin has no justification for what they say is an imperial-style land grab against a country whose borders Moscow recognised as the Soviet Union collapsed.
Putin has increasingly cast the war as a battle between Russia and the United States, which he says humiliated Russia since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union by enlarging NATO eastwards and was using Ukraine to threaten Russia.
The United States has repeatedly said it does not want to fight Russia. President Joe Biden said in March that Putin could not remain in power, remarks the White House later said did not mean Washington was seeking regime change in Moscow. (Reuters)
July
India to surpass China as most populous country in 2023 -UN report
Written by Nur Yasmin
India is set to surpass China as the world's most populous country in 2023, with each counting more than 1.4 billion residents this year, a United Nations report said on Monday, warning that high fertility would challenge economic growth.
The world's population, estimated to reach 8 billion by Nov. 15 this year, could grow to 8.5 billion in 2030, and 10.4 billion in 2100, as the pace of mortality slows, said the report released on World Population Day.
India's population was 1.21 billion in 2011, according to the domestic census, which is conducted once a decade. The government had deferred the 2021 census due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The world's population was growing at its slowest pace since 1950, having fallen below 1% in 2020, UN estimates showed.
In 2021, the average fertility of the world’s population stood at 2.3 births per woman over a lifetime, having fallen from about 5 births in 1950. Global fertility is projected to decline further to 2.1 births per woman by 2050.
"This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates," UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement.
Still, a growing population was a reminder of a shared responsibility of care for the planet and to "reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another," he said.
Referring to an earlier World Health Organisation report- estimating about 14.9 million deaths relating to the COVID-19 pandemic between January 2020 and December 2021, the UN report said global life expectancy at birth fell to 71 years in 2021 from 72.8 years in 2019, mostly due to the pandemic.
The United Nations said more than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries - Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Countries of sub-Saharan Africa are expected to contribute more than half of the increase anticipated through 2050.
However, the population of 61 countries is projected to decrease by 1% or more between 2022 and 2050, driven by a fall in fertility. (Reuters)