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 | FBI searches University of Delaware for Biden's documents: CNN
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has conducted two searches at the University of Delaware in connection with President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing a source familiar with the investigation.
Investigators have retrieved materials which did not appear to have classified markings, but they are now being reviewed by the FBI.
The library of the university, Biden's alma mater, houses a large collection of papers from the president's time in the Senate, its website shows.
Top 2 | NATO says Russian offensive has begun as Putin shows no sign of peace
NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said there is no indication that Russia was ready for peace in Ukraine, as he expressed concern that Moscow had already launched its major offensive in the country's east.
Russia has been widely expected to launch a new spring offensive to take as much territory as possible ahead of the war's one year anniversary, and in anticipation of imminent Western arms deliveries to Ukraine.
In an apparent prelude to a major new offensive, heavy Russian artillery fire hit the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, one of the most intense points of fighting in the Donetsk region.
Top 3 |** Sturgeon to resign as Scotland's leader**
Nicola Sturgeon, who has dominated Scottish politics for almost a decade as first minister, is expected to quit on Wednesday, standing down with no obvious successor in place and dealing a blow to the fight for independence.
Sturgeon, 52, became the leader of the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) in the wake of the 2014 independence referendum, when the country voted 55 percent to 45 percent to remain as part of the United Kingdom. She led her party to resounding success at the 2015 UK election and has retained control since, but has recently seen decisions overruled by the London government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, while a row over a gender recognition bill has disaffected many voters.
At a hastily-arranged media conference, Sturgeon called being first minister "a privilege beyond measure" but said she knew "when the time was right" to leave the position. "In my head and in my heart, I know the time is now."
Top 4 | Shock BOJ governor pick may heighten chance of yield control policy ending
Japan's government named academic Kazuo Ueda as its pick to become the next central bank governor, a surprise choice that could heighten the chance of an end to its unpopular yield control policy.
Ueda, a 71-year-old former Bank of Japan (BOJ) policy board member, will succeed incumbent Haruhiko Kuroda, whose second five-year term ends on April 8, according to documents presented to parliament on Tuesday.
The nominees will testify at confirmation hearings later this month, though the dates have not been formally decided. Upon parliament's approval, Ueda will chair his first BOJ policy meeting on April 27-28.
Top 5 | China says U.S. has illegally flown balloons over its airspace over 10 times since 2022
The United States has illegally flown its high-altitude balloons over Chinese airspace more than 10 times without Chinese authorities' approval since the beginning of last year, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday.
It is not rare for U.S. balloons to enter the airspace of another country illegally, Wang told a regular press briefing in Beijing.
The U.S. has also frequently sent warships and aircraft to conduct close-in reconnaissance on China, which undermines China's sovereignty, he said.
Top 6 | Japan Q4 GDP returned to growth at 0.6% annualized
Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.6 percent in an annualized base in the fourth quarter of 2022, government data showed on Tuesday, bouncing back from the previous quarter's contraction as the return of inbound tourists offset a slowdown in capital expenditure and exports.
But the figure, rebounding from a revised 1 percent contraction in July-September, has fallen short of forecasts from Reuters and Bloomberg.
And according to preliminary data released by the Cabinet Office, growth of Japan's economy, the world's third largest, slowed to 1.1 percent in 2022 over 2.1 percent in 2021.
Top 7 | People-centered, high-quality: Chinese modernization charts course for development
Chinese modernization shares similarities to the modernization processes of all countries, but it is more characterized by features that are unique to the Chinese context.
President Xi Jinping described Chinese modernization as "a new model for human advancement" while addressing the opening of a study session at the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Tuesday.
It dispels the myth that "modernization is equal to Westernization," presents another picture of modernization, expands the channels for developing countries to achieve modernization, and provides a Chinese solution to aid the exploration of a better social system for humanity, Xi said.
Top 8 | Biden Super Bowl interview appears off after back-and-forth between Fox, White House
It appears President Joe Biden will not sit down for an interview to air on Super Bowl Sunday after all.
The White House first said Friday that Biden wanted to do this year's interview with Fox Soul, a Fox network aimed at a Black audience, but that Fox Corp "asked for the interview to be cancelled."
A Fox Corp spokesperson hours later told ABC News there was some "initial confusion" after the White House reached out to FOX Soul Thursday evening, and that they were looking forward to interviewing the president.
Top 9 |** US shoots down unknown 'high-altitude object' over Alaska, White House says**
Recovery operations continued Saturday to retrieve a "high-altitude object" shot down over the waters off Alaska.
U.S. Northern Command said in a statement that arctic weather conditions, including wind chill and limited daylight, were a factor in the search occurring on sea ice and that personnel were "adjusting recovery operations to maintain safety."
President Joe Biden ordered the shootdown of the object on Friday, spokesman John Kirby said, adding that the origin of the object had yet to be determined.
Top 10 | Western tank aid to Ukraine pushes end of conflict further away: Russia
The Russia-Ukraine conflict will soon enter its second year, with Moscow trying to regain the initiative and Kyiv relying on Western tanks to mount a counteroffensive later in 2023.
Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands on Tuesday promised Ukraine that they will provide at least 100 tanks in the "coming months" and the defense ministries of the three European countries also said training and support would be provided for the Leopard 1 tanks.
The increasing tank aid to Ukraine has led to questions about how the move will affect the conflict.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
