简体中文
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 | U.S. Capitol riot panel votes to hold Steve Bannon in criminal contempt
A U.S. House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol insurrection voted unanimously on Tuesday to hold former White House aide Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress after the longtime ally of former President Donald Trump defied a subpoena for documents and testimony.
The seven Democratic and two Republican members of the House of Representatives Select Committee approved a report recommending the criminal charge by a unanimous 9-0 vote, calling it "shocking" that Bannon refused to comply with subpoenas seeking documents and testimony.
The Tuesday evening vote sends the contempt resolution to the full House, which is expected to vote on the measure Thursday. House approval would send the matter to the Justice Department, which would then decide whether to pursue criminal charges against Bannon.
Top 2 | DPRK test-fires submarine-launched ballistic missile
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) "successfully" conducted the test-firing of a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on Tuesday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, the test-launch was conducted by the DPRK's Academy of Defence Science on Tuesday morning.
"The new SLBM will greatly contribute to our country's defense technology advancement and the Navy's underwater operational capabilities," the report said.
The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s military said Tuesday that Pyongyang fired a short-range missile believed to be an SLBM from the vicinity of Sinpo, where its main submarine shipyard is located, adding it flew about 590 kilometers at a top altitude of around 60 kilometers, according to a report of the Seoul-based Yonhap news agency.
Top 3 | Heads of Japan's major parties to hold debate ahead of key election
Two weeks ahead of the national election, the heads of major political parties in Japan will hold a public debate on Monday to likely discuss who can best respond to an expected next wave of COVID-19 infections and fix the pandemic-hit economy.
Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the Komeito Party – the junior partner in Japan's ruling coalition, on Friday raised doubts over the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)'s policy of doubling defense spending, saying the people would not support such an increase when so many areas of social welfare need resources.
The debate among nine party leaders is scheduled to start 1 p.m. .
Of the 465 seats in the lower house, Kishida said the ruling coalition is seeking to win at least 233 seats.
The LDP and its coalition partner Komeito won 310 seats in the last election in October 2017.
Top 4 | New Zealand and United Kingdom seal free trade deal
The United Kingdom and New Zealand announced a free trade agreement Wednesday as Britain continues to strike economic relationships after its departure from the European Union.
The deal will cut red tape for businesses, end tariffs on UK exports, and create new opportunities for tech and services companies, according to a Downing Street statement.
Prime ministers Boris Johnson and Jacinda Ardern sealed the deal in a joint Zoom call, following 16 months of negotiations.
Top 5 | US and EU ambassadors: Enforce U.N. sanctions on North Korea
The United States and several European countries on Wednesday condemned North Korea’s recent missile tests and said Pyongyang’s technical advances demonstrate the urgent need to ramp up implementation of U.N. sanctions on its nuclear and missile programs and its economic activities.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged North Korea to stop its “reckless provocations” that violate Security Council sanctions resolutions. She said it should start talks with the Biden administration without preconditions toward the goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
She urged all countries to fully implement U.N. sanctions “so that we can prevent the DPRK from accessing the funds, the technology, the know-how it needs to further develop unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.”
Top 6 | UK sets out plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions
In a statement on Tuesday, the UK government unveiled a new strategy to boost electric cars as part of its drive to move to a virtually zero-carbon economy.
The government plans to invest £620 million in grants for electric vehicles and street charging points, and carmakers will be mandated to sell a proportion of clean vehicles each year.
The government's new plan is supposed to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions to reach a net-zero target by 2050.
Top 7 | IS group claims mosque explosions in Afghanistan as death toll soars to 47
The death toll from Friday's suicide explosions inside a mosque in Kandahar city, capital of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, has risen to 47, while 90 others were wounded, a local official confirmed on Saturday.
Haifz Sayyed from the Cultural and Information Directorate of local government told Xinhua that the explosions occurred inside a Shiite Muslim mosque building at midday when hundreds of worshippers were offering Friday prayers.
He confirmed that the death toll has risen to 47 while 90 others wounded in the attacks. Earlier reports said 32 people died and 68 injured.
Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to a statement from the group cited in multiple reports.
The IS statement said two assailants were involved in the deadly attacks.
Top 8 | Top U.S. envoy to Afghanistan stepping down
Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad is stepping down, the U.S. State Department said on Monday. The move comes less than two months after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal and the subsequent Taliban takeover.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that Khalilzad will be replaced by his deputy, Tom West, who will work closely with the U.S. Embassy in Doha, Qatar, on U.S. interests in Afghanistan.
Top 9 | France ambassador left Belarus on Oct 17
France confirmed its ambassador to Belarus Nicolas de Lacoste left the country on Sunday because Belarus said he has not presented his credentials to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
"France will keep on standing by the Belarus people and will look for a solution to the crisis in the country," said the spokeswoman for the French Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Like other EU countries, France has not recognized Lukashenko's presidency following last August's election. Instead, the French ambassador, who arrived in Belarus last November, presented his credentials to the Belarusian foreign minister.
But the Belarusian Foreign Ministry on Monday said the move was a violation of standard diplomatic protocol and said it's recalling its ambassador in Paris for consultations.
Top 10 | Biden delivers remarks on 10th anniversary of MLK memorial dedication
U.S. President Biden, Vice President Harris and House Speaker Pelosi delivered remarks at the the 10th anniversary of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial dedication in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
Biden said the U.S. is still struggling with racism and hatred more than 50 years after the assassination of Black civil rights leader Martin Luther King. Biden referenced a sermon of King that called on all Americans to live up to the full meaning and promise of the Declaration of Independence.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
