UNITED STATES
Wendy Sherman to retire
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Friday said she would retire at the end of next month, after three decades in Washington’s foreign policy establishment. Sherman is the first woman to serve in her current role, in which she has headed up Washington’s diplomacy with China and led unsuccessful talks with Russia to avert Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken credited Sherman with breaking barriers for women and working on “some of the toughest foreign policy challenges of our time.” Blinken said in a statement that the US “is safer and more secure, and our partnerships more robust, due to her leadership.”
EUROPEAN UNION
New China stance sought
The bloc’s foreign ministers on Friday agreed on the need to “recalibrate” their position on China, reducing dependencies and coaxing Beijing to take a tougher stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine. Brussels has urged the bloc’s 27 nations to get on the same page on how they deal with China, as a more assertive Beijing asserts its influence on the world stage. At a meeting hosted by Sweden, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell unveiled a paper outlining the need to “define” and “recalibrate our position towards China.” Borrell said the bloc was sticking to its existing vision of China as simultaneously a partner, competitor and rival. He said it remained important to “engage” with Beijing at the same time as looking to cut the bloc’s reliance in the face of fundamentally different values and economic systems.
PAKISTAN
Former PM returns home
Former prime minister Imran Khan arrived at his Lahore residence yesterday, after being freed on bail following days of legal drama and nationwide riots over his arrest on corruption charges. Khan was arrested during a routine court appearance on Tuesday, triggering violent clashes in several cities. His detention came just hours after he was rebuked by the military, whom he accused of being involved in an assassination attempt against him last year. His arrest was on Thursday declared unlawful by the Supreme Court, which kept Khan in custody until Friday — when he was granted two weeks’ bail in the corruption case. The Islamabad High Court ordered Khan could not be arrested before Monday in any case. “The head of the country’s largest party was abducted, kidnapped from the high court, and in front of the entire nation,” Khan said. “They treated me like a terrorist.”
AUSTRALIA
Man feared killed by shark
Rescuers were scouring the waters off a remote beach in South Australia yesterday for traces of a surfer believed to have been killed in a shark attack. Emergency services were called to the beach near the town of Elliston, about 650km south of the state capital, Adelaide, following reports of the attack. “A man is believed to have died following a shark attack at Walkers Rocks Beach,” police said in a statement, adding that the 46-year-old was the only person thought to have been attacked. A team was searching the area by boat, a state emergency services spokesperson said. The attack followed the death in February of a girl mauled by a shark in a river in Western Australia.
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
‘HEART IS ACHING’: Lee appeared to baffle many when he said he had never heard of six South Koreans being held in North Korea, drawing criticism from the families South Korean President Lee Jae-myung yesterday said he was weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December last year. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of imprisoned former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated power grab, Lee — a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon’s removal from office in April — stressed his desire to repair ties with Pyongyang. A special prosecutor last month indicted Yoon and two of his top
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
The Philippines deferred the awarding of a project that is part of a plan to build one of the world’s longest marine bridges after local opposition over the potential involvement of a Chinese company due to national security fears. The proposals are “undergoing thorough review” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which acts as a lender and an overseer of the project to ensure it meets international environmental and governance standards, the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways said in a statement on Monday in response to queries from Bloomberg. The agency said it would announce the winning bidder once ADB
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