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International News (6893)
16
April
April
Singapore needs a strong, united team to overcome challenges, says Lawrence Wong
Written by nuke Published in International News
Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who has been picked as the leader of PAP's 4G team, at a press conference at the Istana on Apr 16, 2022. (Photo: MCI) -
At his first press appearance after being chosen as the People's Action Party's (PAP) fourth-generation leader – paving the way for him to become the next Prime Minister –Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said that political leadership is “never about one person”.
Highlighting that Singapore has many challenges ahead, Mr Wong said at the press conference on Saturday morning (Apr 16) at the Istana: “We can overcome all of these challenges only as a strong and united team with a single-minded focus to serve Singapore and Singaporeans.
“And that is why I value the contributions from everyone on the team, including our broader team of hardworking and dedicated party activists.”
The conference came two days after it was made known that Mr Wong will be the leader of the fourth-generation or 4G politicians, a development which means that Mr Wong, 49, will take over when Prime Minister and PAP secretary-general Lee Hsien Loong steps down.
During the press conference, Mr Wong said that as the political leaders worked together to fight COVID-19 in the past two years, they have “gelled and grown closer together as a team”.
“I believe we have strengthened our bonds with Singaporeans too, through this crisis of a generation, and the bonds among Singaporeans have also been strengthened by the crisis,” he said.
“In some societies the crisis depleted social capital and weakened political trust. In Singapore, I think we have dealt with the crisis in such a way as to add to our social capital and strengthen political trust, and I am very grateful for that.”
When asked for his thoughts and views on the current 4G team, Mr Wong said that he values the diversity in the team, with some MPs coming from the public service and some from the private sector.
“We have come to know one another’s strengths better, grow our confidence and trust in each other and understand better how we can complement each other. As leader of the team, I will do my best to ensure that the contribution from the entire team will be greater than the sum of the individual parts,” he said.
And he looks forward to bringing in more people to contribute in different ways and help strengthen the team, he added.
Mr Wong also said that the team intends to “engage the public” later on and comprehensively review the Government’s policies “to see what needs to be adjusted and improved”. This will be a “major agenda” for the 4G team, he said.
“I would like every Singaporean to know and feel that they will always have a stake in our society, even as we chart our new way forward together. As leader of the team, that will be the approach, the attitude and the spirit I adopt,” said Mr Wong.
Mr Wong, along with Mr Lee and former minister Khaw Boon Wan, was answering questions from the media to shed more light on the process that selected Mr Wong as the country’s next PM.
Mr Khaw had been roped in to sound out the Cabinet ministers, as well as Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng, to facilitate a consensus on a 4G leader. The views of the Prime Minister and the two Senior Ministers were not sought.
Giving more details on Saturday, Mr Khaw said that an "overwhelming majority" of those asked – 15 of the 19 "stakeholders" – chose Mr Wong to be the next leader.
The decision was endorsed by all Government MPs in a party caucus on Thursday evening.
Despite the approval of his peers, Mr Wong said that he is “under no illusions about the demands of the job”.
“It will get more challenging with greater political contestation and a growing desire for diversity in Parliament,” he said.
Calling the job “possibly the biggest responsibility” of his life, Mr Wong said that he will continue with the same principles that have guided him all these years, which is to "give my best, to engage and listen and to learn and improve continually”.
He said: “Throughout my life, I've never hankered for post, position or power. I've always been realistic about my own abilities and strengths.
“My philosophy in life, instilled by my parents from young - is that whatever task I'm assigned, I will give of my best. If my best falls short - as it surely will from time to time - I try to learn and I strive to improve and do better.”
He said that he had never “gone out looking” for additional work, but his duties and responsibilities have kept on growing over the past 25 years he has been in public service.
The most recent and prominent of these have been leading Singapore’s efforts against the pandemic as co-chair of the COVID-19 multi-ministry task force.
Mr Wong was first elected as a Member of Parliament in May 2011 as part of a West Coast GRC team. He contested in the new Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC in the 2015 General Election and was elected again in 2020.
He has held positions in the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Communications and Information, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, the Ministry of National Development and the Ministry of Education.
The candidate to succeed Mr Lee, 70, had been up in the air since Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat stepped aside as the leader of the PAP 4G team last April.
Mr Heng, 60, cited his age as the reason and said he would have "too short a runway" should he become Prime Minister after the pandemic//CNA
16
April
April
Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison gestures as he makes a statement at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, Nov 1, 2021. (File photo: Alastair Grant/Pool via Reuters) -
Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday (Apr 16) he would seek to establish an anti-corruption watchdog if re-elected next month, hitting out at the opposition Labor's plan.
Ahead of the May 21 general election, Morrison has come under pressure from Labour to set up a federal integrity commission, which he first promised in 2018.
Labour leader Anthony Albanese said Morrison has failed to establish a commission because of integrity problems in his conservative coalition.
"The reason why Scott Morrison doesn't have a national anti-corruption commission is sitting on his front bench," Albanese said, campaigning in far north Queensland.
In the campaign's first week, Morrison has been accused of abandoning his promise to establish an anti-corruption agency, and failing to commit to set one up if he wins another term in parliament.
Labour claims an anti-corruption watchdog, similar to the Independent Commission Against Corruption in New South Wales, is needed nationally to restore faith in Australia's political system by probing misuse of federal funds in grants programmes.
In a campaign that has focused on wages and inflation, polls this week showed Albanese's centre-left Labour ahead of Morrison's conservative Liberal-National Party coalition, even as they showed the prime minister extending his lead as the country's preferred leader.
Speaking in Melbourne, Morrison said that if re-elected he would "seek to implement" a watchdog but he would not be drawn on timing or whether it would be a priority.
He said the government's had a "very serious policy" of over 300 pages, while labelling Labour's proposal a "two-page fluff sheet".
Albanese said a Labour government would have an anti-corruption body "with teeth" in place by the end of the year. It would be independent of government and be able to hold public hearings, he said.
"It is one that will be real as opposed to their model that has been rejected by everyone," he told reporters in Cairns//CNA
16
April
April
Chinese astronauts land on Earth after China's longest crewed space mission
Written by nuke Published in International News
FILE PHOTO: A child stands near a giant screen showing the image of the Tianhe space station on the country's Space Day at China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing, China April 24, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo -
Three Chinese astronauts returned to earth on Saturday (Apr 16) after 183 days in space, state television reported, completing the country's longest crewed space mission to date.
The astronauts landed nine hours after they left a key module of China's first space station.
While in orbit, the Shenzhou-13 mission astronauts took manual control in the Tianhe living quarters module for what state media called a "docking experiment" with the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft.
Following their launch in October, the astronauts - Zhai Zhigang, Ye Guangfu and a female crew member Wang Yaping - spent 183 days in space, completing the fifth of 11 missions needed to finish the space station by the end of the year.
Shenzhou-13 was the second of four planned crewed missions to complete construction of the space station, which began last April. Shenzhou-12 returned to Earth in September.
China's next two missions will be Tianzhou-4, a cargo spacecraft, and the three-person Shenzhou-14 mission, Shao Limin, deputy technology manager of Manned Spaceship System was quoted by state media as saying.
Barred by the United States from participating in the International Space Station (ISS) in orbit, China has spent the past decade developing technologies to build its own space station, the only one in the world other than the ISS.
China, which aims to become a space power by 2030, has successfully launched probes to explore Mars and became the first country to land a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon//CNA
16
April
April
Belgium trial for alleged accomplices of 2015 Paris attacks
Written by nuke Published in International News
The trial is being held in the former NATO headquarters which has been converted into a Belgian court (Photo: AFP/File/JOHN THYS) -
Fourteen people charged as accomplices to militants who carried out deadly bomb and gun attacks in Paris in 2015 will go on trial in Belgium from Tuesday (Apr 19).
Proceedings will take place under high security in NATO's former headquarters and are expected to last until May 20, with a verdict likely to take several more weeks.
They are happening in parallel with a trial in Paris of 20 suspects charged in France, which opened in September and is expected to run until the end of June.
The November 2015 Paris attacks saw 130 people killed, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility.
Assailants set off suicide belts outside the Stade de France stadium, as a group of gunmen in a car cut down people outside restaurants and bars. Three militants then killed 90 people attending a performance at the popular Bataclan music venue.
Part of the attack was planned in Belgium, according to prosecutors.
The 14 accused in the Belgian trial - 13 men and one woman - are suspected of transporting, housing or financially helping some of the perpetrators of the attacks.
Charges include driving an alleged attacker to the airport for a trip to Syria.
Some of the suspects are close to Salah Abdeslam, a 32-year-old French national who is the only surviving suspected assailant after failing to set off his bomb belt. Abdeslam is on trial in Paris.
Prosecutors allege they had knowledge of the militant group's intentions, or helped Abdeslam - who was living in the Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek - go to ground in the four months following the attacks that he was a fugitive.
One of the suspects is Abid Aberkane, Abdeslam's cousin who lived nearby him in Molenbeek. He is charged with hiding Abdeslam at his mother's house in the days before his March 2016 arrest.
Others are friends of the attacks' mastermind, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, or of two brothers who were suicide bombers during later attacks in Brussels on Mar 22, 2016 that killed 32 people.
Another is Ibrahim Abrini, brother of Mohamed Abrini, an alleged assailant who decided not blow himself up during the part of the 2016 attack in Brussels' airport.
Ibrahim Abrini is suspected of helping his brother get to Syria in June 2015, by buying him a phone.
Two of the 14 suspects charged will be tried in absentia. The two, both Belgians, are thought to have died in Syria.
They are Sammy Djedou, whose death was announced by the Pentagon in December 2016, and Youssef Bazarouj, linked to the Islamic State group's external operations cell and who is believed to have been killed in combat.
Djedou, born to an Ivorian father, went to fight in Syria in October 2012. He is the only one in the trial to be described by prosecutors as a leader of a "terrorist group".
Most of the suspects are charged with "participating in the activities of a terrorist group", which carries punishment of up to five years in prison.
Two are to be tried on linked charges: one for allegedly violating laws on guns and explosives, and the other - the only woman on trial - for allegedly providing false identity documents to the assailants in Paris and Brussels//CNA
16
April
April
Ukraine's prime minister, finance officials to visit Washington next week
Written by nuke Published in International News
FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian Prime Minister and head of the country's delegation Denys Shmyhal attends a joint news conference after an EU-Ukraine Association Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium February 11, 2021. Francois Walschaerts/Pool via REUTERS -
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and top Ukrainian finance officials will visit Washington next week during the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, sources familiar with the plans said on Friday (Apr 15).
Shmyhal, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko and central bank governor Kyrylo Shevchenko are slated to meet bilaterally with finance officials from the Group of Seven countries and others, and take part in a roundtable on Ukraine to be hosted by the World Bank on Thursday, the sources said.
Thursday's event will be the first chance for key Ukrainian officials to meet in person with a host of financial officials from advanced economies since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24.
Spillovers from Russia's war in Ukraine are expected to dominate next week's meetings of senior economic officials from World Bank and IMF member countries, as well as the G7 and G20, with the IMF poised to downgrade its forecast for global growth as a result of the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his troops into Ukraine on what he calls a "special military operation" to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine.
Kyiv and its Western allies say those are bogus justifications for an unprovoked war of aggression that has driven a quarter of Ukraine's 44 million people from their homes and led to the deaths of thousands.
Thursday's meeting will be more of a roundtable than a donors conference, although both the IMF and World Bank have set up separate accounts to be able to process and relay donations, and additional pledges are expected to be announced next week.
It will give officials a chance to discuss the physical devastation and economic consequences of the war, as well as the continued functioning of Ukraine's banking and financial sector.
"Without support now, there will be no reconstruction in the future," one of the sources said.
The World Bank had no immediate comment on the event.
World Bank President David Malpass told an event in Warsaw this week that the bank was preparing a US$1.5 billion support package for Ukraine.
The IMF's executive board last week approved creation of a new account giving bilateral donors and international groups a secure way to send financial resources to Ukraine.
Canada, one of Ukraine's main supporters, has proposed disbursing up to C$1 billion dollars through the new account, which will be administered by the IMF.
The account will allow donors to provide grants and loans to help the Ukrainian government meet its balance of payments and budgetary needs and help stabilize its economy as it continues to defend against Russia's deadly invasion.
Marchenko last week said his government was seeking about €4 billion (US$4.37 billion) in foreign financing in addition to the about €3 billion it has already received to deal with a budget shortfall//CNA
16
April
April
US$100,000 to go towards Singapore Red Cross’ humanitarian efforts in Sri Lanka: MFA
Written by nuke Published in International News
Sri Lankan government doctors shout slogans against the political system during a protest near the national hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Apr 6, 2022. (Photo: AP/Eranga Jayawardena) -
The Singapore Government will contribute US$100,000 as seed money to support the Singapore Red Cross' (SRC) public fundraising efforts for Sri Lanka's vulnerable communities.
In a statement on Friday (Apr 15), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said that the move would supplement SRC's earlier commitment pledge.
On Wednesday, the SRC committed S$100,000 for urgently-needed medical supplies and other basic necessities in aid of vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka.
This was in response to Sri Lanka’s economic and humanitarian crisis, which has led to widespread resource shortages across the country, said the SRC in a press release on its website.
Citing the Sri Lanka Medical Association, SRC said that all hospitals in Sri Lanka lack access to imported emergency drugs and medical equipment, leading to the cessation of surgeries at several hospitals.
"The situation has compelled health authorities to curtail the operations in hospitals and also limit the issuance of medications to patients, which could result in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the country," said SRC.
It also launched a public fundraising appeal to rally donations to support these communities with medical drugs and equipment.
Sri Lanka is in the grip of its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, with severe shortages of essential goods and regular blackouts causing widespread hardship.
Demonstrations have raged across Sri Lanka for weeks as people angered by prolonged power cuts and shortages of fuel and medicine demand President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation.
An internal memo from a major state-run hospital in Colombo seen by Reuters said that only emergency, casualty and malignancy surgeries would be conducted from Apr 7 onwards because of a lack of surgical supplies.
Sri Lankans are also struggling with rocketing inflation that has hit middle-class families, with citizens overseas urged to send home money to help pay for desperately needed food and fuel after the country announced a default on its US$51 billion foreign debt//CNA
16
April
April
Sri Lankans have been protesting over sharp price rises and crippling power cuts as the country faces severe shortages of food and other essentials. (Photo: AFP/Ishara S Kodikara) -
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka imposed fuel rationing on Friday (Apr 15) in another worsening of the economic crisis that has sparked widespread demonstrations calling for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation.
The state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), which accounts for two-thirds of the retail fuel market, said it would limit the quantities drivers can buy, and banned pumping into cans altogether to prevent motorists stocking up on petrol or diesel in fear of further rationing.
The maximum for motorcycles was set at four litres of petrol, with three-wheelers allowed five litres, the CPC said. Private cars, vans and SUVs were allowed up to 19.5 litres of either petrol or diesel.
Most pumping stations were already out of petrol, while the few that remained open saw long queues. At least eight people have died while waiting in fuel lines since last month.
Energy ministry officials said they expected the country's other fuel retailer, Lanka IOC - the local unit of Indian Oil Corporation - to follow suit.
There was no immediate comment from the Lanka IOC, which accounts for the remaining one third of the market.
The island nation is in the grip of its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, with severe shortages of essential goods and regular blackouts causing widespread misery.
The country's main cooking gas retailer Litro Gas said it was completely out of stock, but hoped to get new supplies by Monday to resume distribution.
The state-owned firm said its chairman, Theshara Jayasinghe, a strong ally of Rajapaksa, had resigned on Thursday over the "prevailing situation" in the country.
Tens of thousands of people kept up a protest outside Rajapaksa's office for a seventh straight day Friday demanding he quit over the economic hardships suffered by the country's 22 million residents.
Sri Lanka's economic meltdown began after the coronavirus pandemic torpedoed vital revenue from tourism and remittances.
The government has urged citizens abroad to donate foreign exchange to help pay for desperately needed essentials after announcing a default on its entire external debt.
It has announced it will open negotiations with the International Monetary Fund to seek a bailout//CNA
16
April
April
Philippines' Duterte blocks Bill to register social media users
Written by nuke Published in International News
One major battleground is Facebook, the most popular platform in the Philippines and used by most of its 76 million Internet users (Photo: AFP/Jam Sta Rosa) -
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has rejected a proposed law requiring social media users to register their real names and phone numbers, citing threats to free speech and privacy, his spokesman said Friday (Apr 15).
The legislation, designed to combat fake news, online abuse, text scams and militant bombings, also required mobile phone users to provide their personal details when buying SIM cards.
It was approved by both houses of Congress in February, but critics said it was a form of state surveillance.
While supporting efforts to tackle cybercrime and other online offences, Duterte said he opposed the inclusion of social media user registration in the Bill.
He called for "a more thorough study" of the provision, citing concerns it could lead to "dangerous state intrusion and surveillance threatening many constitutionally protected rights" such as individual privacy and free speech, presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said in a statement.
Filipinos rank among the world's heaviest users of social media, and the country has become a key battleground for misleading or fake news.
Renato Reyes, secretary-general of leftist alliance Bayan, welcomed the veto, saying SIM card and social media registration created a "chilling effect" for users and would "not deter crime".
"A big part of the problem is government itself, as it benefits directly and indirectly from nefarious online activities," Reyes said in a statement.
"We should start with demanding the government stop weaponizing social media and attacking people online."
Duterte's election victory in 2016 was underpinned by social media campaigning at a time when online misinformation was on the rise.
Critics accused the Duterte camp of employing online trolls to praise him while attacking dissenters - even issuing death threats. Duterte has denied the allegations.
Since taking power, the authoritarian firebrand has been accused of harassing or even jailing opponents and shutting down media outlets critical of his policies.
Duterte's decision to block the Bill comes as a torrent of misinformation floods Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Twitter ahead of the May 9 national elections.
Ferdinand Marcos Junior is leading the race for the presidency, while his running mate and first daughter Sara Duterte is the top contender for vice president.
Senate president and vice presidential candidate Vicente Sotto, who had supported the legislation, responded sarcastically to the veto.
"Great! Bombings and blackmail and scams will continue using prepaid sims," Sotto tweeted.
Many mobile phone users in the Philippines use pre-paid SIM cards that they buy over the counter without giving their names and addresses to providers.
Militant groups fighting the government in the country's south are known to favour the use of mobile phones to remotely detonate improvised explosive devices, leaving police with one less way to track the perpetrators.
The proposed measure can still become law if legislators can muster a two-thirds vote in each chamber to override the presidential veto, but that is unlikely to happen before the polls//CNA
16
April
April
US special representative for North Korea to visit Seoul to discuss missile launches
Written by nuke Published in International News
A general view during the test firing of what state media report is a North Korean "new type" of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in this undated photo released on Mar 24, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). (Photo: KCNA via REUTERS) -
The US envoy for North Korea will visit Seoul next week for meetings with South Korean counterparts to discuss the international response to the North's recent intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) launches, the State Department said.
US Special Representative Sung Kim has said he is open to talks with North Korea at any time and without preconditions, but Pyongyang has so far rebuffed those overtures, accusing Washington of maintaining hostile policies such as sanctions and military drills.
The US envoy for North Korea will visit Seoul next week for meetings with South Korean counterparts to discuss the international response to the North's recent intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) launches, the State Department said.
US Special Representative Sung Kim has said he is open to talks with North Korea at any time and without preconditions, but Pyongyang has so far rebuffed those overtures, accusing Washington of maintaining hostile policies such as sanctions and military drills.
Kim, and his deputy, Jung Pak, will meet with South Korean officials, including nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk, during a five-day visit starting Monday, the State Department said in a statement.
The visit underscores the US and South Korean commitment to ongoing close collaboration on North Korean issues as they "seek to advance complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula," the statement said.
The United States is pushing the UN Security Council to further sanction North Korea over its renewed ballistic missile launches by banning tobacco, halving oil exports to the country and blacklisting the Lazarus hacking group, according to a draft resolution reviewed by Reuters.
South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative who is set to take office on May 10, has called for stronger ties with the United States to deter the North.
His nominee for unification minister, who handles relations with the North, said on Thursday a Yoon administration might look "hardline" and "hawkish" as it sought to build up its military capability to better deter North Korean threats but he would work to create momentum for dialogue to defuse tensions//CNA
14
April
April
U.S. congratulates Sharif on becoming new Pakistani prime minister
Written by Nur Yasmin Published in International News
The United States on Wednesday congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on becoming Pakistan's new prime minister following the ouster of his predecessor in a parliamentary no-confidence vote, with the top U.S. diplomat reaffirming the "value" of the relationship between the two nations.
The warm tone of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's statement appeared to signal a desire to repair ties damaged by former Prime Minister Imran Khan's harsh anti-U.S. rhetoric and his unproven charges that Washington engineered his dismissal.
"Pakistan has been an important partner on wide-ranging mutual interests for nearly 75 years and we value our relationship," Blinken said. "The United States congratulates newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and we look forward to continuing our long-standing cooperation."
"The United States views a strong, prosperous, and democratic Pakistan as essential for the interests of both our countries," he added.
Blinken's statement came two days after the Western-friendly Sharif, 70, took the oath of office following days of political turmoil leading to Khan's dismissal in Pakistan's first no-confidence vote since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.
Khan, a former cricket star-turned politician, sought to derail the vote by dissolving Parliament and calling early elections after claiming that Washington was colluding with his opponents to oust him.
Khan, 69, provided no proof of his allegations, which the United States denied.
Pakistan's highest court declared Khan's actions unconstitutional and ordered the vote to proceed. A majority of Parliament's lower house supported his ouster on Sunday.
Despite Blinken's warm tone, analysts said they do not expect Washington to seek a significant broadening of ties, but to remain mostly focused on security cooperation, especially on counterterrorism and Afghanistan.
Analysts said they expected Sharif, the brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, to be preoccupied with pressing domestic issues, especially trying to contain a serious economic crisis. (Reuters)