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April
U.S. officials engaged with Israelis, Palestinians, Arab countries over tensions in Jerusalem
Written by Nur Yasmin
A number of U.S. officials engaged in phone calls with Israelis, Palestinians and Arab representatives in the region over the weekend to see to it that tensions in Jerusalem do not escalate, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Monday.
On Friday, at least 152 Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Israeli riot police inside the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the latest outbreak in an upsurge of violence that has raised fears of a slide back to wider conflict. The Israeli military on Monday said it shot down a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip at Israel. (Reuters)
April
Pakistan's new cabinet took their oaths in a ceremony on Tuesday, state television reported.
The new cabinet, made up of allied political parties, was sworn in a over a week after Pakistan's parliament elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to replace ousted premier Imran Khan.
The portfolios for the cabinet members have not yet been announced. (Reuters)
April
Taiwan seeks Indo-Pacific Economic Framework membership with U.S.
Written by Nur Yasmin
A senior Taiwanese minister has pressed U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to include the island in the United States' forthcoming Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, his office said on Tuesday.
Tai last month declined to say if Taiwan would be invited to join the Biden administration's Indo-Pacific economic plan, spurring Senate criticism that excluding the island would be a missed opportunity. read more
Taiwan has voiced its desire to be a "full member" in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), one part of the administration's effort to counter what it says is Beijing's increasing economic and military coercion in the region. read more
During one hour-long virtual talks on Monday, Taiwan's chief trade negotiator John Deng reiterated to Tai that the island supports the framework and wishes to join it, Hsiao Chen-jung, an official from Deng's office, told Reuters.
"Regional trade issues are of concern to both sides," Hsiao said, adding the two sides agreed to keep in touch on issues of mutual concern.
A brief statement from Tai's office made no mention of the framework, saying the two sides talked about progress on bilateral trade matters and "their mutual interest in working together on issues of common concern, including regionally and in multilateral organizations like the World Trade Organization".
China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has condemned the U.S. Indo-Pacific push, saying Washington is creating "exclusive clubs".
Any Taiwanese participation in the economic section would likely further strain Sino-U.S. ties with Beijing angered by any show of support from Washington for the island. (Reuters)
April
Sri Lanka says IMF to consider request for rapid aid
Written by Nur Yasmin
The International Monetary Fund will consider providing quick financial assistance to debt-burdened Sri Lanka following representations by India, Sri Lanka's finance ministry said on Tuesday.
A delegation headed by Sri Lanka's Finance Minister Ali Sabry kicked off formal talks with the IMF in Washington on Monday for a programme the government hopes will help top up its reserves and attract bridge financing to pay for essential imports of fuel, food and medicines.
Shamir Zavahir, an aide to Sabry, said on Twitter that Sri Lanka asked for a loan under the rapid financial instrument (RFI) window, meant for countries needing urgent balance-of-payment support. But the global lender was initially not inclined to grant the request, he said.
"The IMF has subsequently informed Minister Sabry that India had also made representations on behalf of Sri Lanka for an RFI," Sri Lanka's finance ministry said in a statement.
"It had been communicated that IMF will consider the special request made despite it being outside of the standard circumstances for the issuance of an RFI."
Sri Lanka's sovereign dollar-denominated bonds came under pressure again on Tuesday, with longer-dated issues falling as much as 1.4 cents in the dollar to trade at deeply distressed levels of just over 40 cents, Tradeweb data showed.
The country's devastating financial crisis has come as the effects of COVID-19 exacerbated mismanaged government finances and as rising prices of fuel sapped foreign reserves. Fuel, power, food and medicines have been running low for weeks. read more
Street protests have erupted against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, in the island nation of 22 million people.
INDIA WEIGHS IN
Sri Lanka is seeking $3 billion in the coming months from multiple sources including the IMF, the World Bank and India to stave off the crisis, Sabry told Reuters earlier this month. read more
Both India and China have already extended billions of dollars in financial support to Sri Lanka. Sabry met his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman on the sidelines of the IMF deliberations, and both sides said they agreed to deepen their cooperation.
"India will fully support the deliberations of Sri Lanka with the IMF, especially on the special request made for expediting an extended fund facility," Sabry's office said, citing his meeting with Sitharaman.
Sources have told Reuters India would keep helping out its neighbour as it tries to regain influence lost to China in recent years. Beijing is one of Sri Lanka's biggest lenders and has also built ports and roads there. read more
Last week, Sri Lanka's central bank said it was suspending repayment on some of its foreign debt pending a restructure.
In the commercial capital Colombo, protests demanding the ouster of the Rajapaksas have dragged on for more than a week. read more
In parliament on Tuesday, the prime minister reiterated a call for a unity government that the opposition has rejected.
In a bid to quell the protests and demands for their resignation, the Rajapaksa brothers have also offered to reduce the executive powers of the president by amending the constitution.
"Together with the support of the president, we will move towards broad constitutional reforms," said Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president himself. "We request for support from the public, the opposition and all other stakeholders." (Reuters)
April
UK minister overruled official's concerns about plan to send migrants to Rwanda
Written by Nur Yasmin
British interior minister Priti Patel overruled reservations from officials about her plan to send thousands of asylum seekers to the East African country of Rwanda, documents published by the government on Tuesday showed. read more
The plan, unveiled by Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week, seeks to act as a deterrent to migrants who make illegal boat crossings to Britain from France. It has drawn heavy criticism from political opponents and campaigners.
In an exchange of letters with Patel, the top official in the Home Office highlighted uncertainty over the scheme's value to the taxpayer.
The government has said it would contribute an initial 120 million pounds ($156 million) to the scheme.
"I do not believe sufficient evidence can be obtained to demonstrate that the policy will have a deterrent effect significant enough to make the policy value for money," Home Office Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft said.
Patel ]acknowledged the concerns, but stated her belief that without taking action to stop the crossings, both the monetary costs and the loss of life among those who attempt to navigate the busy shipping channel would rise.
"It would therefore be imprudent in my view, as Home Secretary, to allow the absence of quantifiable and dynamic modelling ... to delay delivery of a policy that we believe will reduce illegal migration, save lives, and ultimately break the business model of the smuggling gangs," she wrote.
Last year, more than 28,000 migrants and refugees made the crossing from mainland Europe to Britain, a fraction of the number arriving in other European countries, but enough to keep immigration a politically sensitive topic among some voters.
Concerns over immigration were a big factor in the 2016 Brexit vote, and Johnson has been under pressure to deliver on his promise to "take back control" of Britain's borders. (Reuters)
April
UK PM Johnson to speak with U.S. and other world leaders about Ukraine
Written by Nur Yasmin
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will speak to U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders later on Tuesday to discuss toughening sanctions against Russia and further support for Ukraine, Johnson's spokesman said.
Leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Romania, Japan, NATO and the European Commission are also due to join the call.
Earlier, a senior national security official gave Johnson and his ministers an update on Britain's assessment of the situation in Ukraine, the spokesman said.
"The next phase of the war was likely to be an attritional conflict which could last several months. Russia would aim to exploit its troop number advantage but Ukraine had already shown that this was unlikely to be decisive on its own," the spokesman said, relaying the unnamed official's assessment to reporters.
"There were some signs that Russia had not learned lessons from previous setbacks in northern Ukraine, and there was evidence of troops being committed to the fight in a piecemeal fashion." (Reuters)
April
Russian forces seize city of Kreminna in eastern Ukraine - regional governor
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russian forces have seized the city of Kreminna in eastern Ukraine and Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the city, the regional governor said on Tuesday.
Kreminna, a city of more than 18,000 people about 574 km (356 miles) southeast of the capital Kyiv, appears to be the first city captured in a new Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine.
"Kreminna is under the control of the 'Orcs' (Russians). They have entered the city," Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of the Luhansk region, told a briefing.
"Our defenders had to withdraw. They have entrenched themselves in new positions and continue to fight the Russian army."
He said Russian forces had attacked "from all sides".
"It is impossible to calculate the number of dead among the civilian population. We have official statistics - about 200 dead - but in reality there are many more, " he said, without making clear what period the estimated death toll covered.
Russia, which launched what it calls a "special military operation" on Feb. 24, denies targeting civilians. Ukraine said on Monday the Russian forces, after regrouping, had launched a new offensive focused on eastern Ukraine. (Reuters)
April
South Korea lifts most COVID precautions as new cases dip to two-month low
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea lifted almost all of its COVID-19 precautions on Monday in a major step towards a return to normal life as the Omicron variant recedes and daily infections retreated to a more than two-month low of fewer than 50,000.
A midnight curfew on restaurants and other businesses was scrapped, along with a cap of 10 people allowed to gather. From next week, people will be allowed to eat snacks in cinemas and other indoor public facilities such as stadiums.
People are still required to wear masks, however, with the government planning to review whether to lift a rule for masks outdoors in two weeks.
The relaxation of the rules come as the number of coronavirus cases in South Korea fell to 47,743 on Monday, the lowest since Feb. 9, after hovering at more than 620,000 a day in mid-March.
Some rules, however, remain including mandatory quarantine for unvaccinated inbound travellers and negative PCR tests for the fully vaccinated.
South Korea has largely managed to limit deaths and critical cases through widespread vaccination, and it has scaled back the aggressive tracing and containment efforts that made it a mitigation success story from most of the first two years of the pandemic.
Nearly 87% of the 52 million population are fully vaccinated, with 64% having also had a booster, according to Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency data.
In line with the easing of the rules, companies are gradually returning to their offices.
Most staff at giant steelmaker POSCO (005490.KS) have returned to their offices this month, becoming one of the first major firms to bring people back.
LG Electronics (066570.KS) said it had reduced the proportion of employees working from home to 30% from 50% from Monday, while scrapping a limit on the number of people allowed in meetings.
Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) said it had yet to implement its back-to-office plan and the public sector is also awaiting new government guidelines.
The Bank of Korea, which has 30% of its head office staff working from home, is considering easing its guidelines, officials said.
The government had recommended workplaces with 300 or more employees adopt flexible working hours and have 10% of staff work from home. (Reuters)
April
China says it signs security pact with Solomon Islands
Written by Nur Yasmin
China said on Tuesday it had signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, a move set to heighten the concerns of the United States and allies Australia and New Zealand about growing Chinese influence in a region traditionally under their sway.
The framework pact was recently signed by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Manele, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters at a regular briefing in Beijing.
He did not give details of where, or precisely when, the signing took place.
Canberra is concerned that the pact, details of which have not been made public, could be a step towards a Chinese military presence less than 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Australia.
Earlier on Tuesday the Pacific islands nation was told that China would send officials to the Solomons next month to sign cooperation pacts.
Although the Chinese embassy and Solomon Islands officials had previously initialled a security pact that would allow Chinese police to protect infrastructure and social order, ministers had not yet signed it.
Last week, Zed Seselja, Australia's minister for international development and the Pacific, visited Honiara to ask Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare not to sign the framework pact. read more
On Monday, the White House said a high-level U.S. delegation including Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell would also travel to Honiara this week to discuss concerns about China, as well as the reopening of a U.S. embassy. read more
"Deliberate attempts to inflate tensions and mobilise rival camps are also doomed to fail," Wang, the Chinese spokesman, said on Tuesday, when asked about the U.S. officials' scheduled visit.
Honiara's parliament was told by Douglas Ete, chairman of the public accounts committee and lawmaker for East Honiara, that Chinese foreign ministry officials would arrive next month.
"The PRC foreign affairs is heading to Honiara in the middle of May to sign multilateral agreements and cooperations with the Solomon Islands government," he said, referring to China.
Ete said the visit meant the two nations would increase cooperation on trade, education and fisheries, but added that he rejected the idea of the Solomons signing a security pact with China to set up a military base.
Sogavare told parliament the proposed security agreement would not include a Chinese military base. His office said it could not confirm which Chinese officials would visit Honiara. (Reuters)
April
In rare comments, Myanmar's Suu Kyi urges people to 'be united' - source
Written by Nur Yasmin
Myanmar's former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called for unity among her people, according to a source familiar with her legal proceedings, in rare remarks since her overthrow in a military coup last year.
Suu Kyi, the daughter of Myanmar's late independence hero Aung San, is on trial accused of a litany of offences including violating a state secrets law and multiple counts of corruption, which carry combined maximum jail terms of more than 150 years.
"Aung San Suu Kyi tells the people 'be united', to have open dialogue among each other. 'Everyone has a different view - discuss and talk patiently,'" said the source, who asked not to be identified because the military is restricting information about Suu Kyi and her trial.
The source did not elaborate on why the Nobel laureate had urged unity but added that it was not a call for dialogue with the junta.
A military spokesman did not respond to a call seeking comment.
The source said a verdict is due next week on a corruption charge centred on allegations that she accepted bribes of cash and gold. Suu Kyi has denied wrongdoing.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the coup 14 months ago derailed a decade of democratic reforms and economic gains. The military has been accused by the United Nations and rights groups of atrocities, which it denies.
Suu Kyi was found guilty of several offences late last year, in a trial conducted behind closed doors and derided by the international community as a sham. She is currently being held at an unknown location.
Official statements about the trial have been rare and Suu Kyi's defence lawyers are the subjects of a gag order.
The junta says she is receiving due process by an independent judiciary. (Reuters)