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Oct 24, 2024 - World

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday against "illusory" attempts to defeat Russia on the battlefield ahead of his first meeting with United Nations chief Antonio Guterres in more than two years for talks set to focus on the conflict in Ukraine.Putin was speaking in the Russian city of Kazan on the final day of the BRICS summit, a forum Moscow hopes will help forge a united front of emerging economies against the West.Russia's opponents "do not conceal their aim to deal our country a strategic defeat", Putin said."I will say directly that these are illusory calculations, that can be made only by those who do not know Russia's history".Shortly before he spoke, Russia's lower house of parliament voted to ratify a defense pact with North Korea amid reports that Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to Russia for training and possible deployment in Ukraine.At the meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping also warned about "serious challenges" in the world and said he hoped BRICS countries could be a "stabilizing force for peace"."We need to continue to push for a ceasefire in Gaza, relaunch the two-state solution and stop the spread of war in Lebanon. There should be no more suffering and destruction in Palestine and Lebanon," Xi said.Putin said the Middle East was "on the verge of full-scale war".Putin has faced calls from his BRICS allies to end the Ukraine conflict, which began when Moscow launched a full-scale military campaign in February 2022.Guterres has repeatedly criticized Moscow's military offensive against Ukraine, saying it sets a "dangerous precedent" for the world.The two men last saw each other in the first weeks of the offensive, when Guterres travelled to Moscow during Russia's siege of Mariupol in south Ukraine.Guterres has since been involved in peace efforts between the two sides, helping to broker a deal that allowed Kyiv to safely export grain from its ports in 2022.There has been little direct diplomatic contact between the two countries since.- 'No place in modern world' -Ukraine has strongly criticized the UN chief's decision to meet Putin.Putin has demanded Ukraine surrender territory in its south and east as a precondition for a ceasefire, a position Kyiv has called "absurd".The Putin-Guterres talks come as Moscow's troops advance in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, edging closer to the key supply hub of Pokrovsk.UN spokesman Farhan Haq said Guterres would use the meeting with Putin to "reaffirm his well-known positions on the war in Ukraine".Haq said the UN leader was on standby to offer mediation but was waiting for when "the conditions are right"."Obviously he stands ready, when the parties are willing, to offer his services. He will continue to monitor and see when the situation is right."Ukraine has condemned Guterres's Russia visit, with Kyiv's foreign ministry blasting him for planning to meet the "criminal Putin".Guterres has criticized Moscow's annexation of Ukrainian territory, saying it has "no place in the modern world".He has visited areas where the Russian army has been accused of atrocities in Ukraine and repeatedly called for a "just peace".The meeting comes a day after the United States said it believed "thousands" of North Korean soldiers were being trained in Russia."We don't know what their mission will be or if they'll go on to fight in Ukraine," a senior US official said.Putin has not yet commented on the reports.Russia on Wednesday said people should "ask Pyongyang" about troop movements, refusing to confirm or deny the allegations.- 'Mutual assistance' -Russian lawmakers on Thursday voted unanimously to ratify a defense treaty with North Korea that provides for "mutual assistance" if either party faces aggression.The document has now been sent for approval by the upper Federation Council.Pyongyang and Moscow have drawn closer since Russia launched its 2022 offensive on Ukraine, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praising Putin as his country's "dearest friend".The West believes North Korea is already giving Moscow weapons to use in its Ukraine offensive.Several world leaders called for an end to the Ukraine conflict at the BRICS summit.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- who has also tried to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv -- said on Tuesday he wanted the conflict to be resolved "peacefully"."We totally support efforts to quickly restore peace and stability," he said.New Delhi has walked a delicate tightrope since Moscow launched its offensive, pledging humanitarian support for Kyiv while avoiding explicit condemnation of Moscow's actions.South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has also urged an end to the conflict.Starting in 2009 with four members -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- BRICS has expanded to include other emerging nations, including South Africa, Egypt and Iran.

Oct 24, 2024 - World

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba likes crafting model ships but his short tenure could come unstuck if the gamble of calling snap elections goes as badly on Sunday as some polls suggest.The self-confessed defense "geek" is a fan of trains, 1970s pop idols and making military models, including once of a Soviet aircraft carrier for a visiting Russian defense minister.Last month the 67-year-old saw off eight other candidates to become head of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for seven decades.He took office on October 1, replacing Fumio Kishida, who suffered from discontent over rising prices, a slush fund scandal and LDP ties to a Christian movement in the wake of the 2022 assassination of ex-premier Shinzo Abe.Although relatively popular with the public -- at least before becoming PM -- Ishiba had four previous failed bids to lead the party including in 2012 against his arch-rival Abe.Ishiba long alienated party heavyweights with his "outspoken criticism of LDP policies under Abe", said Yu Uchiyama, a politics professor at the University of Tokyo.But he became "vocal about the need for the LDP to turn over a new leaf," which may have worked in his favor, Uchiyama told AFP.- 'New Japan' -Despite hiccups, including over a doctored photo of the cabinet, Ishiba got off to a good start and called snap elections after barely a week in office."This is an attempt to create a new Japan that will drastically change the nature of Japanese society. In order to boldly carry out this major change, we need the confidence of the people," he declared.He pledged to revitalize depressed rural regions and to address the "quiet emergency" of Japan's falling population with measures to support families like flexible working hours.This decade, he said he wants to hike the average national minimum wage by nearly 43 percent to 1,500 yen ($9.80) per hour, although experts worry this will hurt small firms.In a reference to China, Ishiba said that "today's Ukraine could be tomorrow's East Asia", with the regional environment "the most severe since the end of World War II".He has also backed the creation of a regional military alliance along the lines of NATO to counter China, although he has since cautioned it would "not happen overnight".But Ishiba's support before becoming premier for the Bank of Japan's exit from its ultra-loose policies sent the yen surging and stocks tumbling after he won the LDP leadership.He steadied markets by stating the time was not right for more interest rate hikes.- Rowing back -Early polls gave Ishiba's cabinet approval ratings of 45-50 percent, compared with 20-30 percent for the hapless Kishida administration's final month.But Ishiba's ratings have since fallen, not helped by him rowing back his position on issues including allowing married couples to take separate surnames.He also walked back on a commitment to increase the tax rate on capital gains, saying he was "not currently considering a specific tax increase".The father-of-two also missed a chance to appear more modern by appointing only two women to his cabinet, down from five under Kishida.Popularity among voters is a different beast to the LDP leadership contest, where Ishiba "appeared popular because he occupied a unique position, standing in opposition to PM Abe and his successors within the party", said Yosuke Sunahara, professor of public administration at Kobe University."Now the focus has shifted from an internal party race to competition between parties. Unlike Abe, who was known for his hawkish stance and reform-driven agenda, it has become harder for Ishiba to distinguish himself," Sunahara told AFP.A Kyodo News survey last weekend put the approval rating for Ishiba's cabinet at 41.4 percent, down from 42.0 percent a week earlier.Other polls warn the LDP could fail to win a majority on its own for the first time since 2009.Some paint an even sorrier picture, suggesting that even seats from the LDP's junior coalition party will not be enough for Ishiba to form a government without other partners."Regardless of what the election results are, Ishiba's longevity as prime minister is in question," said Rintaro Nishimura at think-tank The Asia Group."There is a group of people (in the LDP) that could form a critical mass... and try and usher in a change. Not a change in government, but a change in leadership within the LDP," Nishimura said.© Agence France-Presse

Oct 24, 2024 - World

At least 1.1 million people on India's eastern coast are fleeing to storm shelters inland, hours before a powerful cyclone is expected to hammer the low-lying region, ministers said Thursday.Cyclone Dana is likely to hit the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha states -- home to around 150 million people -- as a "severe cyclonic storm" late on Thursday, India's weather bureau said.It predicts winds will be gusting up to 120 kilometers an hour (74 miles per hour).Major airports will shut overnight, including key travel hub Kolkata, where heavy rain was already lashing the sprawling megacity.The eye of the storm is predicted to make landfall early Friday, near the coal-exporting port of Dhamra, about 230 kilometers (140 miles) southwest of the megacity Kolkata.It is also expected to impact neighboring low-lying Bangladesh, where the leader of the interim government Muhammad Yunus said that "extensive preparations" are being made.Crashing waves are expected to inundate swathes of coastal areas, with water predicted to surge up to two metres (6.5 feet) above usual tide levels.Odisha state health minister Mukesh Mahaling told AFP that "nearly a million people from the coastal areas are being evacuated to cyclone centres".In neighbouring West Bengal state, government minister Bankim Chandra Hazra said: "More than 100,000 people have so far been shifted to safer places."- 'Save lives' -Businesses in Puri, a popular beach resort, have been ordered to close, and tourists told to leave."All efforts are being made to face the cyclone and save lives," said Puri district magistrate Siddharth Swain.Kolkata airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria said flights will be suspended overnight Thursday due to "predicted heavy winds and heavy to very heavy rainfall".The airport in the city of Bhubaneshwar will do the same, while scores of trains have been cancelled and ferries from Kolkata ordered to stay in port.Bangladesh disaster minister Faruk-e-Azam told AFP that authorities were on "high alert" but evacuation orders had not been issued as it was predicted the worst of the storm would hit India."We are closely monitoring the cyclone's progress," he said.Cyclones -- the equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the northwestern Pacific -- are a regular and deadly menace in the northern Indian Ocean.Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world heats up due to climate change driven by burning fossil fuels.Warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapor, which provides additional energy for storms, strengthening winds.A warming atmosphere also allows them to hold more water, boosting heavy rainfall.However, better forecasting and more effective evacuation planning have dramatically reduced death tolls.In May, Cyclone Remal killed at least 48 people in India, and at least 17 people in Bangladesh, according to government figures.

Oct 24, 2024 - World

An award-winning Cambodian journalist arrested over social media posts was freed on bail Thursday after pro-government media released a prison video showing him apologizing to the country's leaders.Police arrested Mech Dara on September 30 after stopping a car carrying him and his family from Sihanoukville, a coastal city where many suspected cyber scam operations take place.Dara is renowned for his reporting on human trafficking in Cambodia's notorious cyber scam industry and his arrest on charges of inciting social disorder drew international condemnation.He was freed on bail from a prison near Phnom Penh on Thursday and said he would take a break from journalism while he fights the charges against him."I thank everyone who helped get me out of jail on bail," he told reporters.He said he needed to take time to recover mentally and physically from his detention."My health is weak. My brain is not working yet," he said."I hope that I can continue my career to serve the public."His successful bail application came less than a day after government-friendly media outlet Fresh News released a video of him apologizing.The footage, released late Wednesday, showed Dara dressed in an orange prison uniform, hands pressed together in supplication and apparently kneeling.In the minute-long video, Dara apologizes to Cambodia's former leader Hun Sen and his son Hun Manet, the current prime minister, saying his posts contained "false information that is harmful to the leaders and the country".Dara also said he would stop posting material that is "harmful" to them and Cambodia.In a separate statement, released along with the video, Dara asked the court to release him and for the charges against him to be dropped.Dara's lawyer Duch Piseth told AFP he had submitted a bail request to Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday morning.- Crackdown on dissent -The apology video came hours after a meeting between Hun Manet and visiting USAID Administrator Samantha Power, who told reporters that she raised Dara's arrest with him.Earlier this month, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court accused Dara of posting "many incitement messages... to ignite anger to make people misunderstand about the leadership of the Cambodian government" on his social media platforms including Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp, X, and Signal.Mech Dara was presented last year with a Hero Award, which recognises efforts against human trafficking, by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for investigations into exploitation at online scam compounds in Cambodia.Dara worked for the independent media outlet Voice of Democracy before Cambodian authorities shut it down in February 2023.He has since used his social media platforms to share news content, particularly around the proliferation of "scam farms" -- criminal operations that defraud victims online for vast sums of money and fuel human trafficking across the region.Cambodia places near the bottom of international press freedom rankings and rights groups have long accused the government of using legal cases as a tool to silence dissenting voices.© Agence France-Presse

Oct 24, 2024 - World

Just designating key areas will not meet 30x30 target on nature loss, study says, pointing to oil drilling in parksBiodiversity is declining more quickly within key protected areas than outside them, according to research that scientists say is a “wake-up call” to global leaders discussing how to stop nature loss at the UN’s Cop16 talks in Colombia.Protecting 30% of land and water for nature by 2030 was one of the key targets settled on by world leaders in a landmark 2022 agreement to save nature – and this month leaders are gathering again at a summit in the Colombian city of Cali to measure progress and negotiate new agreements to stop biodiversity loss. Continue reading...