Live Streaming
Program Highlight
Company Profile
International News (6887)
August
New Zealand defence review calls for more money to meet great power rivalry
Written by Nur Yasmin
New Zealand is facing the most challenging strategic environment in decades amid a great power rivalry and with a military not fit for future challenges, according to a government review that lacked concrete plans to reverse the situation.
The government on Friday presented its first national security strategy, along with the first stage of a defence review. The review outlined how New Zealand needs to spend more on its military and strengthen ties with countries in the Indo-Pacific to help meet the challenges of climate change and strategic competition between the West, and China and Russia.
"The threats that New Zealand faces are becoming more complex and more challenging," New Zealand Defence Secretary Andrew Bridgman said in a speech at the launch.
"We will continue to meet the demand of today with the force we have, however in the near term, we need to orientate ourselves to the emerging future and the evolving context."
Any decisions, however, on increasing budget for defence - currently at around 1% of GDP - or upgrading equipment will not be made until after the release of further documents in 2024.
Reuben Steff, a foreign policy and global security senior lecturer at the University of Waikato said the documents provided a sense of the conceptual framework but kicked the can down the road on actual decisions.
The government may be trying to give the public time to understand the severity of the situation and emerging trends so when or if they announce increased spending they will have the social licence to do so, he said.
CHINA
The inaugural security strategy underscored how China's rise is upending old norms and behaviours even 9,000km (5,600 miles) away in Wellington.
"An increasingly powerful China is using all its instruments of national power in ways that can pose challenges to existing international rules and norms," read one policy document.
New Zealand Defence Minister Andrew Little said this was particularly a concern in the Pacific where China was building relationships in the region and was trying to demand a level of exclusivity.
"We know China offers extraordinary opportunity to us and many other countries but the nature of its conduct and its engagement with the rest of the world also poses a threat," he said.
Chinese state-sponsored actors had exploited cyber vulnerabilities in ways that undermined New Zealand's security, said another document that did not provide further details.
NEEDED DOLLARS
New Zealand's military needed more investment, equipment and training to be ready for armed conflict and disaster relief operations, according to a policy document published alongside the strategy.
Underspending on the country's defence force and the challenge the force faces are well documented.
Three of the Navy’s nine ships remain idle because of staff shortages, plans to build a ship suitable for patrolling in the harsh conditions of the Southern Ocean are suspended and the country's frigates are aging and are expected to need be replaced.
Little said defence spending was likely to have to increase above 1% of GDP but was unlikely to get as high as 2% of GDP.
The wide-ranging review also prioritised deeper defence ties with New Zealand's only ally, Australia, and closer links to other partners in the region, including the U.S., whose presence in the Indo-Pacific was "critical" for New Zealand's security.
Long protective of its independence, New Zealand banned nuclear-armed and nuclear powered ships from its waters in 1984. (Reuters)
August
North Korea criticises US human rights envoy as 'wicked, mudslinging'
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korea denounced the new U.S. special envoy on the country's human rights issues, Julie Turner, as a "wicked" person who has resorted to "mudslinging" while interfering in other countries' internal affairs.
Turner, former director of the State Department's Office of East Asia and the Pacific in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, was nominated by President Joe Biden to the position in January and confirmed last week by the Senate.
An unnamed spokesperson of what North Korea's state media called the Association for Human Rights Studies said Turner had earned "notoriety" for "mudslinging" over human rights issues and "spitting out coarse invective" against the country.
"Her absurd remarks are nothing but grumbles of either a person ignorant of even the concept of human rights or a human rights abuser embodying the inveterate bad habit of the U.S. which revels in meddling in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and slandering it," the spokesperson said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.
The appointment of "such a wicked woman" highlights Washington's hostile policy toward Pyongyang, it said, warning of "retaliatory action of justice."
In a separate dispatch, KCNA accused France of escalating tension by sending fighter jets for joint air drills with South Korea.
The air forces of South Korea and France held their first bilateral exercises last week, marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. French troops fought in the battle as part of U.N. forces.
"This is an irresponsible act that fuels tension in the already sensitive Korean peninsula and an outright military provocation that threatens our security interests by taking advantage of the U.S. hostile policy towards us," KCNA said, citing a researcher named Ryu Gyong Chol. (Reuters)
August
Singapore ruling party 'takes a hit' over recent scandals, prime minister says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Singapore's prime minister on Wednesday said his ruling party had "taken a hit" over a spate of scandals including a graft probe and senior lawmakers' resignations, which shocked the city-state otherwise known as a haven of political stability.
In his first remarks to parliament on the issue, Lee Hsien Loong told lawmakers that Transport Minister S. Iswaran, who is under investigation by the country's anti-graft agency, has been barred from duty and given reduced pay of S$8,500 a month until further notice.
He said such incidents involving ministers are rare, and that the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) has "zero tolerance" for corruption.
"...The PAP has taken a hit but we will show Singaporeans that we will uphold standards and do the right thing, so that trust is maintained," he said.
"When the investigation is completed, CPIB (Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau) will submit its findings to the Attorney-General's Chambers, which will decide what to do with them," said Lee, declining to provide further details as the investigation is ongoing.
Singapore is due to hold elections by 2025. While the PAP has maintained a grip on power since 1959, voters, already bruised by high living costs, have raised eyebrows at the graft probe and resignations of two senior PAP lawmakers on account of an "inappropriate relationship".
The lawmakers, including the house speaker, resigned last month.
When asked why their relationship was kept under wraps since late 2020, Lee said, "I should have forced the issue earlier". (Reuters)
August
Taiwan boosts counter-espionage effort after suspected China infiltration
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan's military vowed on Wednesday to step up counter-espionage efforts as authorities investigated several serving and former military officers suspected of spying for China.
China, which is pressing the island to accept its sovereignty, has in recent years mounted a sustained espionage campaign to undermine democratically governed Taiwan's military and civilian leadership, a Reuters investigation has found.
A lieutenant colonel surnamed Hsiao, based in the army's Aviation and Special Forces Command, had been detained on suspicion of leaking defence secrets to "foreign forces including China" and "developing organisations" in Taiwan, the official Central News Agency (CNA) reported.
Investigators searched the Command headquarters in the northern city of Taoyuan this week, the CNA reported, adding that four retired military officers as well as a "middleman" surnamed Hsiao were also being investigated.
The defence ministry said in a statement authorities had gathered "concrete evidence" of illegal activities.
"Facing infiltration by the Chinese Communist Party, the national forces will continue to boost counter-espionage education and raise awareness," the ministry said, adding it was saddened by the crime of "selling out the country and people".
Responding to a question about the reports at a press conference, Deputy Secretary-General to the Presidential Office Alex Huang said the incident was "shameless" and called for thorough investigations.
"Betraying your own fellow soldiers and country should be punished by law strictly," he said, adding that authorities had been working hard to prevent such incidents happening again.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up military and political pressure over recent years to try to force the island to accept its sovereignty, which the government in Taipei rejects.
In the past decade or so, at least 21 serving or retired Taiwanese officers with the rank of captain or above have been convicted of spying for China, according to a Reuters review of court records and reports from Taiwan's official news agencies. (Reuters)
August
Thailand's Pheu Thai aims to form government after poll winner sidelined
Written by Nur Yasmin
Thailand's Pheu Thai party will nominate a real estate tycoon to become prime minister as it takes the lead in efforts to form a government after the progressive party that won a May election was sidelined, Pheu Thai said on Wednesday.
Southeast Asia's second largest economy has been in political limbo since the May 14 election, which the Move Forward party won with the backing of young voters tired of rule by military-linked governments, closely followed by the populist Pheu Thai.
Pheu Thai, the latest incarnation of a party founded by former telecoms tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, said it would nominate Srettha Thavisin in a parliamentary vote for prime minister due on Friday.
It said Move Forward was no longer part of the effort. Despite winning the most seats in the election, it faced relentless opposition from pro-military parties and members of the military-appointed upper house Senate, alarmed by its reform agenda.
"Pheu Thai has supported Move Forward to our fullest ability," Pheu Thai leader Chonlanan Srikaew told reporters, explaining his party's decision to dump its ally and take the lead in forming a government.
Under the constitution drafted during military rule, a joint sitting of the two houses of parliament has to vote for a prime minister, who then forms a government.
Twice Move Forward's attempt to get its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, voted in as prime minister were blocked by conservatives.
Rangsiman Rome, a Move Forward lawmaker, told reporters he was shocked by Pheu Thai's decision to abandon their alliance.
"I thought we were married. Today ... it's like a divorce," Rangsiman said near Pheu Thai's headquarters, where more than 100 people gathered to protest against the sidelining of Move Forward.
"You betrayed the people," some protesters shouted, referring to Pheu Thai.
Pheu Thai's nominee for prime minister, Srettha, has little political experience. He co-founded Bangkok-listed Sansiri (SIRI.BK), one of Thailand's largest real estate developers.
Members of a new alliance that will seek to form the next government would be announced on Thursday, Chonlanan said.
The attempt by Pheu Thai to form a government comes as Thaksin plans to return to Thailand after almost 15 years in self-exile.
Thaksin, 74, who was ousted as prime minister in a 2006 coup, is expected back next week, his daughter, who is also a Pheu Thai leader, said recently. He faces up to a decade in jail on convictions for graft and abuse of power, charges that he denied and described as politically motivated.
'SO DISAPPOINTED'
Move Forward rose to prominence with the backing younger voters, many of whom protested for months against a military-backed government in 2020.
Conservative opposition to Move Forward stemmed from a progressive agenda seen by the royalist-military establishment as a threat, in particular a promise to amend a law, known as article 112, that punishes insulting the monarchy with prison of up to 15 years.
Critics say the law has long been used by conservatives to stifle dissent.
Move Forward's secretary general, Chaithawat Tulathon, said opposition to his party's proposal to amend the law was an excuse to block it from power.
"The old powers don't want to see a Move Forward government," he said.
Pheu Thai deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai said a government led by his party would not support amending article 112 but would focus on solving economic and political problems.
Several hundred protesters assembled in cars and on motorbikes for a noisy show of frustration near the Pheu Thai headquarters in Bangkok.
Some protesters revived a rallying cry from the 2020 agitation, shouting "abolish 112".
Jiraporn Butsapakit, a 75-year-old protester, said she had hoped Pheu Thai and Move Forward could have worked together for democracy.
"I am so disappointed," she said. (Reuters)
August
India finds 'violations' at cough syrup maker linked to Cameroon deaths
Written by Nur Yasmin
India has found violations related to manufacturing and laboratory practices at drugmaker Riemann Labs, whose cough syrup was linked to the deaths of children in Cameroon, a government health official told Reuters on Wednesday.
Authorities have stepped up scrutiny of drugmakers after some cough syrups made in India were linked to deaths of dozens of children overseas.
Riemann Labs did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters. It is the fourth Indian cough syrup maker to stop production after regulators found lapses.
Rajesh Bhatia, one of the three directors at Riemann Labs, had told Reuters previously he was not aware of the matter.
Regulators inspected the company's production unit in Madhya Pradesh state and issued a notice after finding lapses, said Sudam Khade, the state's drugs controller.
"Some violations in good manufacturing practices and good lab practices were found," Khade said, without specifying what the violations were.
Samples of all of the company's products had been sent for testing and further action would be decided based on the results, Khade said.
The government told parliament on Tuesday that Riemann was directed to stop manufacturing after inspections by federal and state regulators.
Riemann has been identified as the maker of Naturcold cough syrup, Khade said.
A batch of it was linked to the death of at least six children in Cameroon by authorities there. Some media, however, reported the deaths of 12 children. (Reuters)
August
Pakistan's petroleum prices hike to fuel sky-high inflation
Written by Nur Yasmin
Pakistan announced an increase in petrol and diesel prices on Tuesday to meet fiscal objectives laid down in a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), adding further fuel to its sky-high inflation.
The country's Consumer Price Index rose to 28.3% in July, year-on-year, the statistics bureau said in a statement on Tuesday, with prices up 3.5% in July from the previous month.
In June, the CPI rise was 29.4% year-on-year, coming off a record 38% in May.
In a recorded video statement, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said gasoline, or petrol, prices would be raised by 19.95 Pakistani rupees to 272.95 Pakistani rupees ($0.952) per litre and diesel by 19.90 rupees to 273.40 rupees per litre, an increase of 7.8% for both fuels.
Fuel prices have increased sharply in global markets in the last 15 days, Dar said, adding his government had tried to minimise the hike. Benchmark Brent crude oil prices climbed 16% during July.
He said the country was not in a position to deviate from the IMF's standby agreement, finalised on June 30 after eight months of negotiations over tough fiscal discipline measures.
"You all know the international commitments we have with the IMF regarding the petroleum levy," he said, adding the increase could have been smaller without the pledges.
Islamabad has committed to a petroleum levy of up to 50 rupees a litre, alongside a string of painful measures, including raising extra revenues, increasing energy prices and a market-based exchange rate, which has already fuelled inflation.
Dar did not say what the levy was in his statement on Tuesday, but last month he said the government would try to keep it at about 45 rupees a litre.
The IMF has also called on Pakistan to maintain a tight monetary policy. The central bank on Monday, however, kept the policy rate steady at 22%, with its governor saying the lender's requirement for tight policy didn't necessarily mean raising the rate.
"We doubt this marks the end of the tightening cycle," said Captial Economics, a global analysis group, in a statement issued Monday.
"With inflation likely to remain above target for some considerable time and the upside risks to prices building, we expect further rate hikes later this year," it added.
The petroleum price increases and the sky-rocketing inflation will have political implications for Dar's coalition government just months before a general election where it will see former prime minister Imran Khan's party as the main opponent. (reuters)
August
China's Xi calls for combat readiness as PLA marks founding anniversary
Written by Nur Yasmin
After months of intensified and increasingly ambitious drills to project power, Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking ahead of Tuesday's 96th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), told China's armed forces to speed up modernisation.
In his address, Xi said the military must broaden its combat capability and readiness, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
"We need to push for new equipment and new forces to accelerate forming combat capabilities and integrate into the combat system," Xi told the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force's western theatre command during a visit last Wednesday, Xinhua reported on Sunday.
Marking the anniversary on Tuesday, an editorial in the official PLA Daily newspaper said the military had "enhanced its ability to carry out diversified military tasks in a wider space".
China has flaunted its military might this year, ramping up military manoeuvres and drills, signalling that its third and most advanced aircraft carrier will soon start sea trials, and tightening its military relationship with Russia.
Some analysts say that the moves reflect China's perception of increased external threats from the United States and its allies, and that Beijing is flexing its military muscle to send political messages.
"The reason is simple: the world is not peaceful and the external environment that China faces continues to deteriorate," said Chinese military analyst Song Zhongping, noting the increasing intensity and frequency of Chinese drills.
The U.S. is also expanding regional deployments and tightening ties with longstanding allies and newer friends - sparking calls from Chinese officials that Washington should steer clear of China's coasts if dialogue between the two militaries is to resume.
Drew Thompson, visiting senior research fellow at National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, told Reuters that China's drills represent more of a political message than a military one.
"Everything the PLA (People's Liberation of Army) does is inherently political," Thompson said. "When the Chinese military conducts an exercise, it is showing force - it is bestowing or sending a message to other countries," he said.
LONG-RANGE CAPABILITIES
Starting with the military drill in the Taiwan strait after Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in April, China has conducted at least a dozen exercises and patrols from the Sea of Japan to the Western Pacific.
At sea, China is readying its aircraft carriers to extend and assert its power beyond its home waters. Although they remain in training mode, Beijing has deployed the Shandong farther into the Pacific than previous sailings.
Regional military attaches and analysts will be scrutinising the expected sea trial of the more advanced Fujian carrier for signs of technological and operational progress.
State broadcaster CCTV said in June that the sea trial would start "soon" but no date has been fixed.
In the sky, China is fortifying its long-range abilities.
Videos posted online showed China's J-20 stealth jet fighter taking off with domestically produced WS-15 engines, the South China Morning Post reported in early July, while another report said the new engine will put U.S. military bases in South Korea, Japan, and Guam within the range of J-20.
China has worked for decades to build its high-performance jet engines that can compete with Western and Russian models, but the capabilities of the WS-15 are not publicly known.
The refuelling variant of its long-range Y-20 cargo aircraft was also displayed in a formation with jet fighters at a recent air show.
"It delivered a positive signal that Chinese air forces can conduct distant sea training and its systematic and long-distance combat capabilities are getting stronger and stronger," state media cited Shi Yunjia, a J-20 pilot, as saying last week. (Reuters)
August
China complains to US about 'dangerous' weapons aid to Taiwan
Written by Nur Yasmin
China said on Tuesday it has complained to the United States about a weapons aid package to Taiwan, urging Washington to refrain from going further down a "wrong and dangerous" path.
The U.S. unveiled an aid package for Taiwan worth up to $345 million on Friday as Congress authorised up to $1 billion worth of weapons aid for the island as a part of the 2023 budget.
A spokesperson for China's defence ministry, Tan Kefei, said the U.S. must stop all forms of "military collusion" with Taiwan.
"The Taiwan issue concerns China's core interests and is a red line that cannot be crossed in China-U.S. relations," Tan said in a statement.
Beijing claims the democratically governed island as its own territory, and repeatedly warns against any forms of "official exchanges" between Washington and Taipei. Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only Taiwan's people can decide their future.
The United States, Taiwan's most important arms supplier, is bound by law to provide it with the means to defend itself, despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties and the anger such weapons sales generate in Beijing.
The top U.S. general said in July it and allies should speed up weapons delivery to Taiwan in coming years to help the island defend itself.
China's military has also been flexing its muscles around the island, recently sending dozens of fighters, bombers and other aircraft including drones into the skies to Taiwan's south, according to Taiwan's defence ministry.
China's People's Liberation Army is paying close attention to the situation in the Taiwan Strait and is always on high alert, Tan said. (Reuters)
August
Pakistan suicide bombing death toll rises to 56
Written by Nur Yasmin
The death toll from a suicide bombing in Pakistan that targeted a hard-line religious group's political rally and raised security concern for a general election due by November has risen to 56, a government official said on Tuesday.
The attack was the deadliest on a political party since campaigning for the last election, in 2018, in the nuclear-armed South Asian nation of the 220 million people.
Militant violence also marred preparations of a 2013 general election.
The toll from Sunday's attack in the northwestern district of Bajaur, on the border with Afghanistan, could rise, said Anwar-ul-Haq, the region's deputy commissioner.
The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the blast at a gathering of the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, which is known for its links to hardline Islamists but which condemns militants seeking to overthrow the government.
The JUI-F believes in a democratic, parliamentary system while also being a strong supporter of the Afghan Taliban who are ideological opponents of the Islamic State group.
The firebrand cleric leader of the JUI-F, which is allied with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's ruling coalition, condemned the attack. "The JUI is a proven force on the political front," the party leader, Fazl-ur-Rehman, said in a video statement.
"Such violence can't stop us," he said, adding that leaders had to come together to find a way to end the violence.
Prime Minister Sharif denounced the blast, which came after months of political tension and an economic crisis, as an attack on the democratic process.
Islamic State's Amaq news agency said in a claim for the attack on its Telegram channel that democracy was hostile to Islam.
"The attack comes in the natural context of the ongoing war waged by the Islamic State against 'democracy' as a regime hostile to true Islam and in conflict with its divine law," the news agency said. (Reuters)