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Every weekend, Asia Pacific Daily will provide you with a run-down of the latest hot news.
This week, the following hot news you should know:
Top 1 | Yemen's warring parties extend truce by two months: UN
Yemen's warring parties on Tuesday agreed to extend a four-month long truce by a further two months, just hours before the current deal lapsed.
"I am pleased to announce that the parties have agreed to extend the truce, under the same terms, for an additional two months, from 2 August 2022 until 2 October 2022. This truce extension includes a commitment from the parties to intensify negotiations to reach an expanded truce agreement as soon as possible," said a statement by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg.
Grundberg also announced that he had shared a proposal with the parties for an expanded truce agreement, and had already received "substantive comments."
Top 2 | Chinese FM makes remarks on U.S. violation of China's sovereignty
In disregard of China's solemn representations, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi brazenly went ahead with her visit to China's Taiwan region, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday.
This move seriously violates the one-China principle, maliciously infringes on China's sovereignty and blatantly engages in political provocations, and has aroused strong indignation among the Chinese people and widespread opposition from the international community.
It proves once again that some U.S. politicians have become "troublemakers" of China-U.S. relations, and that the United States has become the "biggest destroyer" of peace across the Taiwan Strait and for regional stability.
Top 3 | 'Reckless, unwise, dangerous': media on Pelosi's visit to Taiwan
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan region on Tuesday has drawn widespread disapproval and some particularly sharp criticism from major international media outlets for going ahead with the trip despite President Joe Biden's disagreement and repeated warnings from Beijing.
Immediately following Pelosi's arrival in Taiwan, Beijing issued a raft of statements condemning the 82-year-old Democrat, who became the most senior U.S. official to visit the Chinese region in 25 years, for "breaching China's sovereignty and territorial integrity." But the Chinese government was not alone in its denunciation of the U.S. lawmaker; many editorial teams for international news outlets have joined in for different reasons.
Pelosi's visit does not exhibit the "smart and timely execution" needed to shape successful foreign policy, the Washington Post said in an editorial.
Top 4 | First Ukraine grain ship arrives in Türkiye waters
The first ship carrying grain from Ukraine reached Türkiye territorial waters on Tuesday near the entrance to the Bosphorus Strait.
The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni is expected to deliver more than 26,000 tonnes of maize to Tripoli, Lebanon, according to AFP
A team that includes Russian and Ukrainian officials is expected to inspect the shipment on Wednesday before it is greenlighted to proceed to Lebanon.
The shipment was made possible after Türkiye and the United Nations brokered a grain and fertilizer export agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
Top 5 | 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting kicks off in Cambodia
The 55th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings kicked off in Cambodia on Wednesday, with focus on post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery and key regional and global challenges.
Cambodia is the ASEAN chair for 2022, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said the post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery, regional security, Myanmar issue, the war in Ukraine and climate change, among others, would be high on the agenda during the meetings.
Top 6 | Biden announces death of Al-Qaeda chief al-Zawahiri
U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Monday that the United States had killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike in Afghanistan.
The U.S. president approved the operation last week and it was carried out on Sunday.
U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said al-Zawahiri died after a strike in Kabul at 6:18 a.m. (0148 GMT) on Sunday.
Top 7 | Kenyan president commissions Nairobi's Chinese-built expressway
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday officially commissioned the Chinese-built Nairobi Expressway, describing it as an "iconic motorway" that will serve Kenyans beyond just easing traffic in the capital city.
The 27.1-kilometer mostly elevated road links Kenya's main airport, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, in the eastern side of the capital to the Nairobi-Nakuru highway in the west.
The Nairobi Expressway has been financed and constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation under a public-private partnership model.
Top 8 | Biden tests positive for COVID-19 again, White House doctor says
President Joe Biden has tested positive again for COVID-19, according to a letter from White House physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor. Biden currently has no symptoms, he said.
O'Connor said Biden's antigen test came back positive late Saturday morning after he tested negative Tuesday evening, Wednesday morning, Thursday morning and Friday morning.
While uncommon, some patients can test positive again after finishing a course of Paxlovid. But doctors say this doesn't mean the drug isn't working. Overall, high-risk patients who take Paxlovid still have a dramatically lower risk of being hospitalized.
Top 9 | Actions best answer to 'Taiwan independence': spokesperson
Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will never tolerate "Taiwan independence" separatist acts and external interference, and will take resolute countermeasures, a Chinese defense spokesperson said Thursday.
Wu made the remarks while answering a question on Taiwan-related military actions.
He noted that the Taiwan question is entirely China's internal affairs which brooks no external interference.
Top 10 | Kishida to attend NPT review conference in New York
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will visit New York from July 31 through August 1 to attend the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), where he will deliver a speech at the general debate, Japan's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
It will be the first time a Japanese prime minister has attended an NPT Review Conference.
"In his speech, Prime Minister Kishida will demonstrate Japan's position attaching importance to the NPT, while calling for constructive contribution by the States Parties to maintain and strengthen the NPT regime," the ministry said in a statement.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
