GERMANY
Zelenskiy to meet leaders
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Berlin early yesterday for talks with leaders about further arms deliveries to help his country fend off the Russian invasion and rebuild what has been destroyed by more than a year of devastating conflict. A Luftwaffe jet flew Zelenskiy to the German capital from Rome. On the eve of his arrival — which was taking place amid tight security — Berlin announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine worth more than 2.7 billion euros (US$3 billion), including tanks, anti-aircraft systems and ammunition. “Already in Berlin. Weapons. Powerful package. Air defense. Reconstruction. EU. NATO. Security,” Zelenskiy wrote on Twitter yesterday, in an apparent reference to the key priorities of his trip. Announcing the new arms package, Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius said Berlin would help Ukraine for “as long as it takes.”
PAKISTAN
Imran Khan calls for protests
Former prime minister Imran Khan yesterday called for nationwide “freedom” protests, after his brief arrest and detention this week triggered deadly unrest. The one-time cricket superstar — who has been tied up in dozens of legal cases since being ousted from power in April last year — was on Friday freed on bail after his detention was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court. Enraged by the arrest, supporters set fire to government buildings, blocked roads and damaged property belonging to the military, which they blame for Khan’s downfall. “Freedom does not come easily. You have to snatch it. You have to sacrifice for it,” he said in an address broadcast on YouTube on Saturday night. He called for supporters to hold protests “at the end of your streets and villages” across the country yesterday evening for one hour starting at 5:30pm. Yesterday morning was quiet, but Khan has pledged to return to campaigning on Wednesday for immediate elections.
BURKINA FASO
Shooters kill 33 civilians
At least 33 people were killed when assailants on motorcycles opened fire on vegetable farmers, Boucle du Mouhoun Governor Babo Pierre Bassinga said on Saturday, as the country struggles to stem an Islamist insurgency. A state of emergency has been in force in eight of the country’s 13 regions since March, including in western Boucle du Mouhoun. The attack on the farmers happened on Thursday at about 5pm, Bassinga said in a statement. “The village of Youlou in the department of Cheriba, Mouhoun province suffered a cowardly and barbaric terrorist attack,” he said. “The gunmen targeted peaceful civilians” who were farming along the river, he said.
SOMALIA
Flooding displaces 200,000
About 200,000 people have been displaced due to flash flooding in the country’s central region, a regional official said on Saturday, as the Shabelle River burst its banks and submerged roads. Inhabitants of Beledweyne town in the Hiran region were forced out of their homes as heavy rainfall caused water levels to rise sharply, with residents carrying their belongings on top of their heads as they waded through flooded streets in search of refuge. “Some 200,000 people are now displaced due to the Shabelle River flash floods in Beledweyne town and the number may increase any time. It is a preliminary figure now,” Hiran Deputy Governor for Social Affairs Ali Osman Hussein said. Hiran Deputy Governor Hassan Ibrahim Abdulle said on Friday that “three people were killed by the floods.”
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
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
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
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