Health check for Japan’s ailing economy, sickly yen
TOKYO – Shigeyuki Goto isn’t getting much of a honeymoon as Japan’s newly minted economic revitalization minister. Tokyo rolled out its latest stimulus package the same week he’s moving into his new office.
Goto’s first task is implementing the 29.1 trillion yen (US$199 billion) stimulus plan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Friday (October 28). It’s aimed at boosting growth and easing the impact of rising prices on consumers and companies as Kishida’s year-old government loses more and more support. It also increases incentives for companies to boost wages.
“I will do my best to deliver various measures in this comprehensive economic package to the people so that they can feel that we are supporting their lives,” Kishida told reporters Friday. Then – in what may be an inauspicious sign – hours after his press briefing, he tested positive for Covid-19.
Winter’s here, to be colder than last year
Winter officially starts on Saturday, will last until late February and be slightly colder than last year, according to the Meteorological Department.Continue Reading
Myanmar’s junta warns ASEAN against peace plan ‘pressure’
YANGON: Myanmar’s junta has warned a regional bloc working to defuse its political crisis that setting a timeframe for a peace plan could lead to “negative implications”. Myanmar has been in chaos since a coup in February last year, with more than 2,300 killed in the military’s brutal crackdown onContinue Reading
Forgotten Uyghurs locked up in Thailand face ‘hell on earth’
DIPLOMATIC BALANCE “What’s a life, in this kind of prison cell for almost 10 years?” asked Thai senator Zakee Phithakkumpol, one of the leaders of the Islamic Central Council, which represents the kingdom’s eight million Muslims. Support for the detainees has stepped up in recent months, with eight Thai humanContinue Reading
Indonesia to extend gas supply contract with Singapore by 5 years: Energy Minister
JAKARTA: Indonesia will extend its gas supply contract with Singapore by five years, Energy Minister Arifin Tasrif told reporters on Friday (Oct 28). The current contract for piped natural gas via the Grissik-Batam-Singapore Pipeline is due to expire next year. He told Reuters last week that the new contract mightContinue Reading
The ties that bind North Korea and Russia
Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has ushered in a new geopolitical reality. The Kremlin and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) may become increasingly close, perhaps even to the point of resurrecting the quasi-alliance that existed during the Cold War. From the start of the Ukraine crisis, Pyongyang has unequivocally supported Moscow. The […]Continue Reading
B21m house seized from fugitive after huge crystal meth bust
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board has seized a 21-million-baht house in Bangkok from a suspected international drug trafficker, following the discovery of nearly a tonne of crystal methamphetamine destined for Taiwan in August.Continue Reading
Man jailed for assaulting cabby who refused flag-down job as he was waiting for taxi booking
SINGAPORE: After drinking alcohol at Zouk, two men approached a taxi hoping to flag it down for a ride home. However, the cabby rejected the request as he was waiting for a phone booking for a better fare. As a result, he was assaulted by the two men. One ofContinue Reading
Taiwan urges China to stop sabre-rattling and start talking
TAIPEI: China should stop its sabre-rattling against Taiwan and maintain peace and stability, the head of Taiwan’s China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council said on Friday (Oct 28), as Beijing ramped up political and military pressure on the island it claimed as its own. China has stepped up military activities nearContinue Reading
Imagining a post-Putin Russia
Speculation regarding how secure Vladimir Putin’s position is surfaces every few years, but has intensified since the invasion of Ukraine, particularly in light of Russia’s military failures in recent months. Many of these speculative debates discuss either who will take the leadership position or what sort of regime – and led by who – will […]Continue Reading