PHILIPPINES
China incident prompts note
The government has issued a diplomatic note to China seeking explanation on a South China Sea incident over suspected rocket debris, in a move that could further strain the nations’ ties. The Department of Foreign Affairs wants China to clarify what happened between the navy and the Chinese coast guard off Thitu Island (Jhongye Island, 中業島) on Sunday, department spokesperson Teresita Daza said in a statement. A Chinese vessel “forcefully retrieved” suspected rocket debris being towed by the navy, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported, citing the military. China has denied any interception or seizure. The latest incident presents another challenge to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who has been fostering the long-standing alliance with the US, while seeking compromise with China in the disputed sea.
NORTH KOREA
Kim’s sister insults S Korea
The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has described the South Korean president and government as “idiots” and a “faithful dog” of the US, state media reported yesterday. Kim Yo-jong’s vitriol follows Seoul saying that it was considering fresh unilateral sanctions on the North over recent missile tests, including an intercontinental ballistic missile launch last week. “This disgusting act shows more clearly that the south Korean group is a ‘faithful dog’ and stooge of the US,” Kim said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency. “I wonder what ‘sanctions’ the south Korean group, no more than a running wild dog on a bone given by the US, impudently impose on the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea],” she said, using the acronym of the North’s official name. Pyongyang always refers to South Korea with a lowercase “s,” an apparent sign of disrespect.
SOUTH KOREA
BTS’ Jin to enter military
The oldest member of K-pop phenomenon BTS is to begin his military service on Dec. 13, becoming the first in the band to enlist, local media reported yesterday. All able-bodied men under the age of 30 must perform about two years of military service, mainly because the country remains technically at war with nuclear-armed North Korea. That means the age cut-off is approaching for 29-year-old Jin, senior member of the hugely popular septet. He will begin his mandatory five-week training before being deployed to a “frontline unit,” Yonhap news agency reported. The news left fans overwhelmed and emotional, with some expressing concern about Jin’s safety. “My heart literally dropped when I read that he will be deployed to the front line,” one fan wrote on Twitter, adding: “This military thing that surround BTS for years NEVER really concerns me until now. Why front line?? Why??”
UNITED STATES
Biden taps Palestine envoy
President Joe Biden has appointed a new special representative for Palestinian affairs, a significant upgrade in relations with Ramallah, despite the diplomatic mission in Jerusalem, closed by former president Donald Trump in 2019, being yet to reopen. The White House on Tuesday informed Congress that it had promoted Hady Amr, previously the deputy assistant secretary of state for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, to the newly created, Washington-based role. Amr would work closely with the assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs and with diplomats at the Jerusalem-based office of Palestinian affairs. The move came amid deteriorating conditions in the occupied West Bank.
REBUILDING: A researcher said that it might seem counterintuitive to start talking about reconstruction amid the war with Russia, but it is ‘actually an urgent priority’ Italy is hosting the fourth annual conference on rebuilding Ukraine even as Russia escalates its war, inviting political and business leaders to Rome to promote public-private partnerships on defense, mining, energy and other projects as uncertainty grows about the US’ commitment to Kyiv’s defense. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy were opening the meeting yesterday, which gets under way as Russia accelerated its aerial and ground attacks against Ukraine with another night of pounding missile and drone attacks on Kyiv. Italian organizers said that 100 official delegations were attending, as were 40 international organizations and development banks. There are
The tale of a middle-aged Chinese man, or “uncle,” who disguised himself as a woman to secretly film and share videos of his hookups with more than 1,000 men shook China’s social media, spurring fears for public health, privacy and marital fidelity. The hashtag “red uncle” was the top trending item on China’s popular microblog Sina Weibo yesterday, drawing at least 200 million views as users expressed incredulity and shock. The online posts told of how the man in the eastern city of Nanjing had lured 1,691 heterosexual men into sexual encounters at his home that he then recorded and distributed online. The
TARIFF ACTION: The US embassy said that the ‘political persecution’ against former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro disrespects the democratic traditions of the nation The US and Brazil on Wednesday escalated their row over US President Donald Trump’s support for former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, with Washington slapping a 50 percent tariff on one of its main steel suppliers. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva threatened to reciprocate. Trump has criticized the prosecution of Bolsonaro, who is on trial for allegedly plotting to cling on to power after losing 2022 elections to Lula. Brasilia on Wednesday summoned Washington’s top envoy to the country to explain an embassy statement describing Bolsonaro as a victim of “political persecution” — echoing Trump’s description of the treatment of Bolsonaro as
CEREMONY EXPECTED: Abdullah Ocalan said he believes in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons, and called on the group to put that into practice The jailed leader of a Kurdish militant group yesterday renewed a call for his fighters to lay down their arms, days before a symbolic disarmament ceremony is expected to take place as a first concrete step in a peace process with the Turkish state. In a seven-minute video message broadcast on pro-Kurdish Medya Haber’s YouTube channel, Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), said that the peace initiative had reached a stage that required practical steps. “It should be considered natural for you to publicly ensure the disarmament of the relevant groups in a way that addresses the expectations
RSS