Japan Emperor Expected To Attend Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral
TUE, SEPTEMBER 13, 2022
The Government Is Making Arrangements For Emperor Naruhito To Visit Britain To Attend The State Funeral Of Queen Elizabeth II. According To Government Sources, Empress Masako May Also Attend The Funeral If Her Health Permits.
If the visit is realized, it would be the Emperor’s first trip abroad since his accession to the Imperial throne.
It is extremely unusual for an Emperor to attend a funeral in a foreign country. The only other occasion was in 1993 when the then Emperor, now the Emperor Emeritus, visited Belgium to attend the state funeral of King Baudouin, with whom he had a long-standing friendship.
In light of the Queen and the Imperial family interacting for nearly 70 years over three generations — the Emperor Showa, the Emperor Emeritus and the current Emperor — the government is also hurrying to coordinate other attendees.
The Emperor’s visit to Britain was originally planned as his first trip abroad since his accession to the throne after he was invited by the Queen. But it was postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus.
The Imperial Household Agency said Saturday that the Emperor and Empress, as well as the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita, were observing a period of mourning from Friday the 9th through Sunday the 11th following the death of the Queen. The imperial couples are said to have been deeply saddened by the news of her passing.
Ukraine Has Retaken 6,000 Sq Km Of Land – Zelenskiy
TUE, SEPTEMBER 13, 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy Said On Monday That Ukrainian Forces Had Retaken 6,000 Square Km. Of Russian-Held Territory Since The Beginning Of The Month.
“Since the beginning of September and up to today, our fighters have liberated more than 6,000 square km of the territory of Ukraine in the south and in the east,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video. “The advances of our forces continue.”
Ukrainian chief commander General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said on Sunday his troops had retaken more than 3,000 square km (1,160 square miles) this month.
As thousands of Russian troops pulled back following Ukraine’s gains, leaving behind ammunition and equipment, Russia fired missiles at power stations on Sunday causing blackouts in the Kharkiv and adjacent Poltava and Sumy regions.
Ukraine denounced the strikes as retaliation against civilian targets for Russia’s military setbacks.
“Buildings, hospitals, schools, communal infrastructure. Russian missiles hit precisely those objects that have absolutely nothing to do with the infrastructure of the armed forces of our country,” Zelenskiy said on Monday.
On Monday, Russian strikes again disrupted power and water supply in Kharkiv itself, killing at least one person, its mayor said.
Throughout the day, shelling of residential areas and infrastructure sparked fires in the city, regional emergency services said on Facebook.
Zelenskiy also repeated a call for Russian citizens to be denied tourist visas in European and other countries in his video address on Monday.
“Citizens of the terrorist state can still go to Europe to rest and go shopping, they can still get European visas, and no one knows whether there are executioners or murderers among them,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that it was still early days in Ukraine’s counteroffensive against the Russian military, but Ukrainian forces have made “significant progress.”
Blinken, in Mexico for economic talks, was asked for his assessment of recent developments in Ukraine.
“What they have done is very methodically planned out and of course, it’s benefited from significant support from the United States and many other countries in terms of making sure that Ukraine has, in its hands, the equipment it needs to prosecute this counteroffensive,” Blinken said.
Blinken said the conflict in Ukraine was likely to continue for some time as Russia still has very significant forces and arms in the country, which it is still using “indiscriminately” against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
A Ukrainian demining unit said it started clearing a village of explosives left by Russian forces near the border with Russia north of Kharkiv on Monday
Videos obtained by Reuters showed the unit finding and clearing fragments of explosives that were said to be anti-personnel mines using an improvised wooden stick carrying a cut-out plastic bottle on its tip.
Reuters has not independently verified the date and location of the video.
The head of the police unit, Yaroslav Kostin, said his crew had cleared anti-personnel mines in the village of Udy, some seven kilometres from the Russian border, a claim Reuters could not verify.
The demining unit displayed mines, projectiles, and weapons they said they had found near Russian positions in Udy in the nearby town of Zolochiv.
Soldiers returning from Udy said it was still unsafe, littered with land mines, grenades and weapons left behind by fleeing Russian troops, with abandoned farm animals wandering about.
The swift Ukrainian gains in the Kharkiv region have left Moscow facing its most serious defeat since being driven back from the outskirts of the capital Kyiv in the spring. The advance has deprived Russia of vital logistics hubs it had used to supply its forces in eastern Ukraine.
Russia, however, still occupies about a fifth of the country.
New Zealand May Become A Republic But Not Anytime Soon, Ardern Says
TUE, SEPTEMBER 13, 2022
New Zealand Will Not Actively Take Any Measures To Become A Republic In The Short-Term After The Death Of Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Said On Monday, Though She Expects The Pacific Nation Will Eventually Become One.
“I’ve never sensed the urgency. There’s so many challenges we face. This is a large, significant debate. Don’t think it’s one that would or should occur quickly,” Ardern told reporters when asked whether the change in the British monarch will spark talks of republicanism in the country.
New Zealand is one of 15 realms to count the British Monarch as head of state including Australia and Canada, although the role is largely ceremonial. But there has been a debate for some time on whether the Pacific nation should become a republic, with a citizen as the head of state.
“I do believe that is where New Zealand will head in time. I believe it’s likely to occur in my lifetime but I don’t see it as a short-term measure or anything that is on the agenda anytime soon,” Ardern said.
New Zealand will mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth with a state memorial service and a one-off public holiday on Sept. 26, Ardern said. Ardern will represent New Zealand, alongside the Governor General, at the Queen’s funeral, and will leave for London on Wednesday.
The Queen’s passing has also reignited debates over the future of the monarchy across the Tasman Sea in Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has previously voiced support for a republic, has said his Labor government would not seek a referendum in its first term.
Scots Pay Tribute To Late Queen And Welcome New King
TUE, SEPTEMBER 13, 2022
The Late Queen Elizabeth’s Coffin Was Taken Along The Royal Mile In The Scottish Capital Edinburgh On Monday In A Silent And Solemn Procession Watched By Thousands Of People Paying Their Respects To Britain’s Longest-Serving Monarch.
The oak coffin, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland and with a wreath of white flowers placed on top, was then carried into St. Giles Cathedral and the crown of Scotland laid on it.
While a grieving crowd – with many people in tears – stood outside, King Charles and other members of the royal family, as well as political leaders and dignitaries, attended a service of thanksgiving for the queen.
The coffin will lie in St Giles’ Cathedral for an overnight vigil before being flown to London on Tuesday.
Queen Elizabeth died on Thursday in her holiday home at Balmoral, in the Scottish Highlands, at the age of 96 after a 70-year reign, plunging the nation into mourning even as it faces an economic crisis and a change of government.
The queen’s coffin arrived from Balmoral on Sunday and stood overnight at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the monarch’s official residence in Scotland.
A bagpipe lament was the only sound as kilted soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland bore the casket from the palace and placed it in the hearse for the short journey to the cathedral.
A gun salute boomed out from a battery on Edinburgh Castle when the hearse moved off and a single round was fired each minute of the procession up the historic street. Other than that there was just silence – except a brief shout from a heckler aimed at Prince Andrew.
Under a sunny sky, King Charles and his siblings – Anne, Andrew and Edward – walked slowly behind the hearse, while the Royal Company of Archers provided the guard of honour.
At the service, folk singer Karen Matheson sang a psalm in Gaelic, while other speakers paid tribute the late queen.
King Charles and his siblings held a silent vigil at the side of their mother Queen Elizabeth’s coffin as it lay at rest in Edinburgh’s historic cathedral with thousands queuing for hours to pay their respects to Britain’s longest-serving monarch.
With their heads bowed, Charles, wearing a kilt, alongside sister Princess Anne and brothers Princes Andrew and Edward, stood solemnly for 10 minutes next to the coffin.
They left the city’s St. Giles Cathedral to applause from onlookers.
Mourners, some weeping, and others with heads bowed or curtsying walked slowly past the coffin after having waited patiently for hours to be allowed into the cathedral.
On Tuesday, the coffin will be flown to London, where on Wednesday it will begin a period of lying in state until Sept. 19 – the day of Elizabeth’s state funeral – on a catafalque at Westminster Hall.
The Queen’s Corgis To Live With Prince Andrew And Ex Wife
MON, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
According To British Media Reports On Monday Prince Andrew And His Ex Wife Sarah, Duchess Of York, Will Look After The Late Queen Elizabeth’s Corgis, Following Her Passing.
Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, who died peacefully at her home in Scotland on Thursday, was well known for her lifelong interest in animals and sports.
She was accompanied for most of her reign by her corgi dogs, which earned a reputation for snapping at the heels of royal retainers, and were descended from the dog called Susan she received as an 18th birthday gift from her parents.
King Charles Promises To Follow Example Set By His Mother
MON, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
King Charles Told Parliament On Monday He Was “Resolved Faithfully To Follow” The Example Set By His Mother, Queen Elizabeth, Addressing Lawmakers And Peers In What He Described As The “The Living And Breathing Instrument Of Our Democracy.”
New Britain’s King Charles III arrived at the Palace of Westminster with and Queen Consort Camilla for his first visit to parliament as monarch.
At a ceremony in Westminster Hall, the oldest building on the parliamentary estate, Charles used his address to the upper and lower houses of parliament to pay tribute to his mother and to pledge to uphold the principle of constitutional government.
“While very young, Her late Majesty pledged herself to serve her country and her people and to maintain the precious principles of constitutional government which lie at the heart of our nation. This vow she kept with unsurpassed devotion,” he told the assembled lawmakers and peers.
“She set an example of selfless duty which, with God’s help and your counsels, I am resolved faithfully to follow.”
The queen died at home on Thursday, triggering a period of national mourning when tens of thousands of Britons are expected to pay tribute to her.
The ceremony at Westminster Hall, when the speakers of the House of Lords and House of Commons offered their sympathies to the new king, Charles also paid tribute to parliament as “the living and breathing instrument of our democracy.”
“As I stand before you today, I cannot help but feel the weight of history which surrounds us, and which reminds us of the vital parliamentary traditions, to which members of both Houses dedicate yourselves with a such personal commitment for the betterment of us all.”
The members of parliament sang “God Save the King” to Charles in Westminster Hall before the King departed for Edinburgh for the arrival of his mother’s coffin to the St Giles cathedral.
Charles left Westminster to fly to Edinburgh to join his siblings in a solemn procession as the coffin is taken to St Giles cathedral.
Charles, 73, automatically became king of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, following the death of Queen Elizabeth.
Some Malaysian Students Avoid Eating, Drinking In School To Avoid Dirty Toilets
MON, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
Some Students Skip Breakfast In The Morning Just To Resist The Urge To Use The Toilets In School. Education Minister Radzi Jidin Said The Ministry Will Implement Better Toilet Designs To Ensure They Are Conducive To Students And Teachers.
“There are students who only eat after they have returned home. They refused to use the school toilets because they are dirty.
“Our toilets are always wet and students fear that they might dirty their clothes.
“Due to poor ventilation, the toilets remain wet throughout the day,” he said in a press conference after the Fuelling Education Transformation: Safe And Conducive Infrastructure event at Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah here on Monday.
Radzi said the ministry will implement better toilet designs in new schools and future maintenance projects.
“We want the focus to be on the design with better ventilation so that toilets are cleaner and don’t smell.
“We will take this approach seriously so that the whole school environment is very conducive for our students,” he said.
The Star
Asia News Network
The Fuelling Education Transformation: Safe And Conducive Infrastructure event brought together Public Works Departments (JKR), contractors and consultants to share knowledge on the planning and building process.
Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives Among 97 Countries Under China’s Debt
MON, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
Sri Lanka, Pakistan And Maldives In South Asia Stand Neck-Deep In Debt To China. Pakistan Owes US$77.3 Billion, While Of External Debt To China While The Amount Owed By The Maldives Amounts To 31 Per Cent Of Its Gross National Income.
As of the end of 2020, Maldives’ total debt came in at $5.55 billion, $2.84 billion of which is external debt, a Forbes report said.
Citing data collected from the World Bank, Forbes said that 97 countries across the globe are under Chinese debt. Countries heavily in debt to China are mostly located in Africa, but can also be found in Central Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
China is reaching most of the countries under the One Belt and Road scheme. The world’s low-income countries owe 37 per cent of their debt to China in 2022, compared to just 24 per cent in bilateral debt to the rest of the world. The Chinese global project to finance the construction of the port, rail and land infrastructure across the globe, has been a major source of debt to China for participating countries.
Those with the highest external debt to China are Pakistan $77.3 billion, Angola $36.3 billion, Ethiopia $7.9 billion, Kenya $7.4 billion and Sri Lanka $6.8 billion.
A newspaper in the Maldives reported that according to statistics released by the Finance Ministry, the country’s debt rose to $6.39 billion by end of Q1 2022. It made up 113 per cent of GDP. The projects in the Maldives funded with loans from China include the construction of the Sinamale Bridge and the airport development project.
Bangladesh too is a part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Dhaka owes 6 per cent of its total foreign debt to Beijing, which is around $4 billion. According to a report from FT, Bangladesh is seeking a first instalment from the IMF of $1.5 billion, as part of a total package worth $4.5billion. “This amount would include a financial line to help it fund climate change resilience projects and buttress its budget,” reads the report. According to the IMF, Bangladesh had a total foreign debt of $62 billion in 2021. The majority of the debt is owed to multilateral lenders such as the World Bank.
The countries with the biggest debt burdens in relative terms were Djibouti and Angola, where debt to China exceeded 40 per cent of gross national income, an indicator similar to GDP but also including income from overseas sources. The equivalent of 30 per cent of GNI or more in Chinese debt affects the Maldives and Laos, with the latter just having opened a railway line to China which is already causing debt issues for the country.
Sri Lanka in May 2022 was the first country in two decades to default on its sovereign debt. Chinese debt to Sri Lanka was the fifth-highest overall in late 2020 and amounted to 9 per cent of the country’s GNI.
According to the Financial Times, which called the development in Sri Lanka and elsewhere China’s first overseas debt crisis, the country had to renegotiate loans worth $52 billion in 2020 and 2021 – more than three times the amount that met this fate in the two previous years.
China has provided record amounts of financing to developing countries over the past two decades, supporting both public and private sector projects. The Belt and Road Initiative is President Xi Jinping’s flagship foreign policy initiative; launched in 2013 to invest in almost 70 countries and international organisations, it has propelled China to global dominance in international development finance.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative has caused dozens of lower- and middle-income countries to accumulate $385 billion in “hidden debts” to Beijing, a new study has claimed.
AidData, an international development research lab based at Virginia’s College of William & Mary, says 13,427 Chinese development projects worth a combined $843 billion across 165 countries, over 18 years to the end of 2017.
China has faced criticism for its lending practices to poorer countries, accused of leaving them struggling to repay debts and therefore vulnerable to pressure from Beijing. China rejects this criticism and calls it as “propaganda of the vested interested countries” to tarnish its image.
Malaysia’s Former Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi Has Dementia
MON, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
Malaysia’s Former Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi Is Suffering From Dementia And No Longer Recognises Nor Remembers His Family Members, Said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Khairy, who is the 82-year-old former Umno leader’s son-in-law, said Abdullah started showing signs of cognitive impairment shortly after retiring as Malaysia’s fifth prime minister in 2009 and his condition has progressively worsened since then.
“It has been challenging for us to see the deterioration in his cognitive function. Some people are aware but many are not. The family has decided to openly share this, partly to shine a light on dementia and cognitive impairment,” said Khairy on Twitter on Sunday.
Popularly known as Pak Lah, Abdullah resigned as prime minister in 2009 and was replaced by Najib Razak. Since then, he has kept a relatively low profile and been out of the public eye.
Earlier on Sunday, Khairy spoke about Abdullah’s “cruel” condition at the launch of the Malaysian Conference of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Practice Guidelines on Management of Dementia and Schizophrenia.
He said Abdullah is now wheelchair-bound and “cannot function normally anymore”.
“The body is there but the mind is not… He does not remember my name, my wife’s name,” said Khairy, who is married to Nori Abdullah. “The only reason I know he recognises me is the flicker in his eye when I visit him.”
“There are more bad days than good. So keep him in your prayers and we hope for better days ahead,” he said, as quoted by the local daily New Straits Times.
Tweeting after the event, Khairy elaborated: “This is also why he is no longer seen in public. Fortunately, we are able to provide professional care. Many others are not able to do so. It’s important for us to invest in social care to support families who have loved ones that require constant care.”
He added that the Health Ministry will push strongly for more investment in publicly funded social care for those who cannot afford it, in a bid to strengthen community-based care under the Health White Paper that is expected to be tabled in Parliament in November.
Dementia, an umbrella term for several diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, is one of the major causes of disability among the elderly, said Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation Malaysia.
The disease leads to deterioration in memory, impairs thinking and comprehension, changes behaviour, and affects a person’s ability to perform everyday activities.
A 2018 survey by the Health Ministry’s Institute for Public Health estimated the prevalence of probable dementia in people aged 60 years and over in Malaysia to be 8.5 per cent.
Following the news, social media was abuzz, with users expressing their get-well wishes for the former premier.
“Whether it’s dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or any other ailment associated with the aged, elderly and frail, the issue isn’t how they cope but how those around them, their loved ones, family and caregivers manage (for want of a better word) them. That’s the challenge. The person can’t ‘change’ or adapt, we have to understand how to deal with them,” said Twitter user @zazulazman in a reply to Khairy’s post.
“My family worked with Pak Lah as civil servants and diplomats, a kind, generous and humble man. It must be challenging for Khairy and Nori. Our prayers are with you all,” he added.
Xi, Putin To Flex Their Muscles Against US, Europe In Meeting This Week
BY LINE : THE NATION
MON, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
The World Will Closely Watch Russia’s Next Move After President Vladimir Putin Meets His Chinese Counterpart This Week, Especially In The Wake Of Moscow’s Worst War Defeat Last Week.
The Russian army was forced to abandon its main bastion in northeast Ukraine.
President Xi Jinping will leave China for the first time in more than two years for a trip this week to Central Asia, where he will meet Putin, Reuters reported on Sunday.
Against a backdrop of Russia’s confrontation with the West over Ukraine, the crisis over Taiwan and a stuttering global economy, Xi is due on a state visit to Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Reuters added.
Xi will then meet Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s summit in the ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, the Kremlin said.
Both Chinese and Russian authorities have declined to say what is on the agenda for the talks, though analysts believe Xi will use the meeting to underscore his clout, while Putin can demonstrate Russia’s tilt towards Asia. Both leaders will probably use the meeting to show their opposition to the United States, just as the West seeks to punish Russia over the Ukraine war.
Xi has met Putin in person 38 times since becoming China’s president in 2013. Their last meeting was in February this year, just weeks before Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
At that meeting during the opening of the Winter Olympics, Xi and Putin declared a “no limits” partnership, backing each other over standoffs on Ukraine and Taiwan with a promise to collaborate more against the West.
China has adhered to this partnership since and refrained from condemning Russia’s operation against Ukraine or calling it an “invasion”. Instead, China claimed that it is the West and the US who “provoked” Russia first.
As for Putin, he has made clear that Russia is turning towards Asia after the West imposed the most severe sanctions in modern history, especially a boycott on Russian oil and natural gas, their mainstream export products.
Putin said last week that Russia’s major gas exporter Gazprom has reached a deal to export natural gas to China via the new gas pipeline – the Power of Siberia 2.
The pipeline is capable of transporting gas to China at 50 billion cubic metres per year, around a third of what Russia usually sells to Europe.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which includes Russia, China, India, Pakistan and four Central Asian states namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, is due to admit Iran, one of Moscow’s key allies in the Middle East.
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