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September
New Zealand election shapes up as a race of many parties
Written by Nur Yasmin
New Zealanders head to the polls next month in an election that looks likely to bring back the kind of coalition government the country has known in recent decades, as neither of two main parties is on track to win a majority.
Here are the key parties and potential combinations that may emerge from the Oct. 14 general election.
LIKELY BEDFELLOWS: LABOUR AND GREENS
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has headed the Labour Party since Jacinda Ardern abruptly resigned in January. She led the centre-left party to a landslide victory in 2020, forming the only single-party government since proportional representation was introduced in 1996.
But even before Hipkins took over, Labour's fortunes had started to shift, as swing voters complained the party had taken on too many minority causes at the expense of middle-class New Zealanders struggling with rising costs of living.
Hipkins, 44, has steered the party toward the centre, saying its focus is on "bread and butter issues". But with Labour trailing the centre-right National Party 28%-39% in the latest opinion poll, it looks unlikely Hipkins can hold onto power alone.
Labour has previously governed with the support of the minority Green Party. While not formally in coalition now, the Greens agreed to cooperate with Labour after the 2020 election, with one of their members becoming minister for climate change.
LEADING CONTENDERS: NATIONAL + ACT NEW ZEALAND
National, on track to be the largest party, according to polling, might be able to form a government with ACT New Zealand. The right-wing party, however, has said it would not necessarily join National in a coalition but instead provide support case by case.
Christopher Luxon, 53, the former Air New Zealand (AIR.NZ) chief who leads National, has built voter support for the party even as he personally trails Hipkins in popularity.
POTENTIAL KINGMAKERS
Winston Peters and his populist New Zealand First party are campaigning with slogans such as "Let’s take the country back." The 78-year-old, who joined the 2017 coalition that brought Ardern to power, has vowed not to put Labour in government again, while Labour has ruled out working with New Zealand First.
Te Pati Maori focuses on Indigenous solutions for the country's Indigenous people. In the past it supported a National government, but Luxon has said he would not work with the Maori party. (Reuters)
September
Malaysia says it penalised 400 companies this year for labour offences
Written by Nur Yasmin
Malaysia has taken action against 400 companies so far this year for violating labour laws, state news agency Bernama reported, citing Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar.
The ministry's labour department issued fines totalling 2.17 million ringgit ($463,000) against 272 employers, while the courts fined 128 employers a combined 242,000 ringgit, Bernama cited Sivakumar as saying on Thursday.
The labour violations included illegal wage deductions, Sivakumar said.
The minister did not name the companies, nor did he give details of the labour offences.
Malaysia is a key link in the global supply chain, manufacturing everything from palm oil to medical gloves and semiconductor chips.
Malaysian companies have faced U.S. bans in recent years over allegations of abuses against migrant workers, who are employed widely in the country's manufacturing and plantation industries.
The allegations of forced labour include debt bondage, excessive working hours, retention of passports and unhygienic dormitories.
Malaysia has set a target to eliminate forced labour practices by 2030. (Reuters)
September
China to maintain communication, deepen exchanges on governance with Cambodia, state media report
Written by Nur Yasmin
China said it is willing to maintain regular strategic communication and deepen exchanges on governance with Cambodia, state media said on Friday after leaders of the two countries met.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. Xi said China was willing to work with Cambodia on law enforcement and security cooperation and continue to crack down on cross-border crimes such as internet gambling and telecommunication fraud. (Reuters)
September
Russia and North Korea did not sign any military or other agreements during summit, Kremlin says
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia and North Korea had not sign any agreements on military matters or on any other areas during Kim Jong Un's visit to Russia this week.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that there had not been a plan to sign any formal agreements during the visit, which saw Kim hold one-on-one talks with President Vladimir Putin.
Kim, who is still in Russia, inspected a Russian fighter jet factory that is under Western sanctions on Friday.
Washington and its allies fear his visit could strengthen Russia's military in Ukraine and bolster Pyongyang's missile program. (Reuters)
September
Senior South Korea, US officials agree North Korea-Russia arms cooperation violates UN sanctions
Written by Nur Yasmin
Senior diplomats and defence officials of South Korea and the United States agreed on Friday that military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is a serious violation of U.N. sanctions and that the allies would ensure there is a price to pay.
The officials, meeting in Seoul to discuss "extended deterrence" against growing threats from North Korea, called on Moscow to show responsibility as a permanent member of the Security Council.
"We agreed to work together to ensure there is a price to pay for the grave violation of Security Council resolutions," South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin told a news conference.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is visiting Russia this week and met President Vladimir Putin to discuss military cooperation, the war in Ukraine and Russian help for North Korea's satellite program.
U.S. Under Secretary of Defence Sasha Baker said the allies will identify, expose and counter Russian attempts to acquire military equipment for the war in Ukraine.
U.S. and South Korean officials have expressed concern that the summit between the increasingly isolated Moscow and Pyongyang was aimed at allowing Russia to acquire ammunition from the North to supplement its dwindling stocks.
Chang and U.S. Under Secretary of State Bonnie Jenkins also said any use of nuclear arms by the North against the South would be met with a swift and overwhelming response. (Reuters)
September
UN rights expert urges US to go further with sanctions against Myanmar junta
Written by Nur Yasmin
The U.N. human rights expert for Myanmar on Wednesday called on the United States to further tighten sanctions on the country's military rulers to include their main revenue source, the state oil and gas enterprise.
U.N. Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews, a former member of the U.S. Congress, also said it was vital for Washington to at least maintain levels of humanitarian support for victims of the junta inside and outside Myanmar.
Andrews told a hearing of the U.S. Congress's Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission he was "alarmed" by reports that some donors, including the U.S., might reduce support for Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar and said a Joint Response Plan that includes food rations for Rohingya children in Bangladesh was only 32% funded so far this year.
Andrews praised Washington for imposing sanctions on the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank in June, but said more needed to be done.
"We need to have more sanctions imposed... I urge the U.S. to join the European Union and immediately impose sanctions on the junta's single largest source of revenue, the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise," Andrews said.
"If you can stop the money, you can cut their ability to continue these atrocities," he said referring to civilian deaths at the hands of the military.
Andrews also urged Washington to work with other countries to block the junta's access to weapons.
Last month, Washington expanded its sanctions against Myanmar to include foreign companies or individuals helping the junta to procure jet fuel it uses to launch air strikes, while estimating that the military had killed more than 3,900 civilians since taking power in a 2021 coup.
In January, the United States targeted the managing director and deputy managing director of the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise with sanctions, but has yet to go further against the firm, despite the urgings of rights groups and dissidents.
Myanmar military officials have played down the impact of sanctions and say their air strikes target insurgents.
Andrews said in a May report that Myanmar's military had imported at least $1 billion in arms and other material since the coup and called out Russia and China for aiding its campaign to crush its opposition. (Reuters)
September
South Korea's Yoon heading to New York next week for UN General Assembly
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will visit New York next week to attend the United Nations General Assembly, Yoon's office said on Thursday.
Yoon is scheduled to depart on Sept. 18 for the five-day trip during which he is expected to give a keynote speech on Sept. 20, Yoon's deputy national security advisor, Kim Tae-hyo, said.
The visit will include dozens of meetings, including talks with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss global issues such as the war in Ukraine and North Korea's nuclear threats, Kim said.
The trip would follow North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's rare summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week where they discussed military matters and possible Russian help for the North's satellite programme.
Yoon will deliver a message on possible military exchanges between Pyongyang and Moscow at the General Assembly, South Korean news agency Newsis said, citing the presidential office. (Reuters)
September
Taiwan reports 40 Chinese military aircraft in its air defence zone
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan's defence ministry said on Thursday that in the past 24 hours it had detected 40 Chinese air force aircraft entering the island's air defence zone, mostly flying to the south of Taiwan and into the Bashi Channel.
At least four of the aircraft also crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait to the northwest of the island, according to a map the ministry provided. (Reuters)
September
Australia toughens ban on training 'certain foreign militaries' after pilot case
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australia will toughen laws stopping former defence staff from training "certain foreign militaries", introducing a penalty of 20 years prison and widening the ban to stop any Australians offering military training to countries seen as a national security risk.
A series of cases where former military pilots living in Australia had worked for a South African flight school training Chinese pilots, which the United States alleges are Chinese military pilots, has prompted the crackdown.
Australia's "Five Eyes" intelligence partners of Britain, United States, New Zealand and Canada will be exempt from the new law, officials said.
Exemptions will also be provided if the defence minister authorises the training, or it relates to humanitarian relief or United Nations duties.
Penalties of up to 20 years prison will apply for providing military training or tactics to a foreign military or government body, including hybrid civilian and military organisations, or state-owned companies, without authorisation from the defence minister.
Defence Minister Richard Marles introduced the amendment to Australia's parliament on Thursday, saying the bill was partly modelled on U.S. laws, and will strengthen criminal laws in Australia that already ban the provision of military training to a foreign government by former Australian defence staff.
The new law goes further, stopping any Australian citizen or permanent resident from providing such training without the minister's authorisation.
The intention was to "prevent individuals with knowledge of sensitive defence information from training or working for certain foreign militaries or governments where that activity would put Australia's national security at risk", he said.
A former U.S. Marines Corp pilot who had recenty returned from working in China was arrested in Australia last year and faces extradition to the United States on charges of training Chinese military pilots at a South African flying school. The pilot, Daniel Duggan, an Australian citizen, remains in custody and denies any wrongdoing.
The Test Flying Academy of South Africa was placed on a U.S. trade blacklist on national security grounds in June for "providing training to Chinese military pilots using Western and NATO sources".
The flight training division of AVIC, a Chinese state-owned aviation and defence company that was in partnership with TFASA, is also on the blacklist.
The Australian home of TFASA chief operating officer Keith Hartley was raided by Australian Federal Police in November. A court was told Hartley, a former British military pilot, was suspected of organising the training of Chinese military pilots delivered by the flight school. Hartley has not been charged, and denies any wrongdoing.
Under the new law, working for companies where a foreign government holds 50% of shares or the directors are expected to act in accordance with the wishes of the foreign government is also banned. (Reuters)
September
US considering seeking access to more Philippine bases, admiral says
Written by Nur Yasmin
The U.S. military could be granted access to more bases in the Philippines under a joint defence agreement between the two countries, the chief of the U.S. Indo-Pacific command said on Thursday after meeting the head of the Philippines armed forces.
China is likely to react negatively, having earlier this year accused Washington of "stoking the fire" when the Philippines increased the number of bases the U.S. military could use to nine.
The four additional sites approved were located close to potential flashpoints for China, as three faced north towards Taiwan and one was near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing recently sparred over a disputed atoll.
U.S. Admiral John Aquilino said he and the Philippines' military chief, Lieutenant General Romeo Brawner, discussed further expanding the number of bases U.S. forces could access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and had made "recommendations to our senior leaders".
The closer U.S. defence ties with the Philippines after a period of decline has caused concern in China.
The United States says it intends to bolster an already strong alliance and improve the defence capability of the Philippines.
Brawner said the purpose of EDCA was training exercises and humanitarian and disaster response, key planks of a decades-old alliance between the two countries, and was unrelated to regional security threats.
Aquilino, who was in Manila for an annual meeting on bilateral defence cooperation, also said the allies were seeking to complete an agreement to boost intelligence sharing.
The meeting comes as the Philippines' western command flagged concerns on Thursday over a "resurgence" of Chinese fishing vessels "swarming" in waters around the Spratly islands, inside the Philippines exclusive economic zone.
The Chinese embassy in Manila said China has "indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratlys, which it calls Nansha Islands. (Reuters)