The Group of 20 economies yesterday condemned North Korea for its nuclear test, upheld a vow to fight terrorist financing and expressed concern about surging global demand for energy resources.
"All of the countries represented at the G20 deplore that test and the instability that it threatens on the Korean Peninsula," Australian Treasurer Peter Costello told reporters at a news conference at the end of two days of closed-door meetings of finance ministers and central bankers from 20 of the world's top economies.
In a final communique, the officials reaffirmed their commitment "to take action against money laundering and terrorist and illicit financing."
Though the statement didn't elaborate, it was certainly directed at North Korea and Iran, countries G20 member the US has accused of carrying out such activities.
Officials from 19 countries and the EU, the World Bank and IMF attended the talks in Melbourne, which were marred by large-scale anti-globalization protests on Saturday. There was tight security, but no protests, yesterday.
On Saturday police clashed with rock- and bottle-throwing demonstrators outside the meeting venue.
The skirmishes were orchestrated by a hardcore group of activists using "guerrilla" tactics, a top police official said yesterday.
Ten officers were injured, including one who was bitten by a protester and is now waiting on the results of an HIV-AIDS test, said Christine Nixon, the police commissioner of Victoria state.
"What we saw yesterday was guerrilla tactics," Nixon told a news conference. "These people don't have morals or standards."
Seven people had been arrested and more would soon be detained, Nixon said.
The finance ministers also discussed the global thirst for energy and resources, especially among fast-growing economies.
"Global demand for energy and minerals commodities is set to increase significantly over coming decades driven by a strong world economy, rising incomes and ongoing industrialization in many economies," the statement said.
"We have achieved a consensus that lasting resource security will be best facilitated by open trade and investment," Costello said.
The International Industrial Talents Education Special (INTENSE) Program to attract foreigners to study and work in Taiwan will provide scholarships and a living allowance of up to NT$440,000 per person for two years beginning in August, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) told a meeting of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee yesterday. Pan was giving an update on the program’s implementation, a review of universities’ efforts to recruit international students and promotion of the Taiwan Huayu Bilingual Exchanges of Selected Talent (BEST) program. Each INTENSE Program student would be awarded a scholarship of up to NT$100,000 per year for up to
BASIC OPERATIONS: About half a dozen navy ships from both countries took part in the days-long exercise based on the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea An unpublicized joint military exercise between Taiwan and the US in the Pacific Ocean last month was carried out in accordance with an international code, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday. According to a Reuters report citing four unnamed sources, the two nations’ navies last month conducted joint drills in the Western Pacific. The drills were not made public at the time, but “about half-a-dozen navy ships from both sides, including frigates and supply and support vessels, participated in the days-long exercises,” Reuters reported, citing the sources. The drills were designed to practice “basic” operations such as communications, refueling and resupplies,
‘MONEY PIT’: The KMT’s more than NT$2 trillion infrastructure project proposals for eastern Taiwan lack professional input and financial transparency, the DPP said The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday said it would ask the Executive Yuan to raise a motion to oppose the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus’ infrastructure proposals and prepare to file for a constitutional interpretation if the KMT-dominated legislature forces their passage. The DPP caucus described the three infrastructure plans for transportation links to eastern Taiwan proposed by the KMT as “three money pit projects” that would cost more than NT$2 trillion (US$61.72 billion). It would ask the Executive Yuan to oppose public projects that would drain state financial resources, DPP caucus secretary-general Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said. It would also file for
Singapore yesterday swore in Lawrence Wong (黃循財) as the city-state’s new prime minister in a ceremony broadcast live on television after Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) stepped down following two decades in office. Wong, formerly deputy prime minister, was inaugurated at the Istana government office shortly after 8pm to become the second person outside the Lee family to lead the nation. “I ... do solemnly swear that I will at all times faithfully discharge my duties as prime minister according to law, and to the best of my knowledge and ability, without fear or favor, affection or ill-will. So help me God,” the