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India, US cement planetary defence ties

Cooperation with the US on manned space flight would be a departure for India, which has so far relied on the Soviet Union and, after its dissolution, with Russia…writes Arul Louis

The US will provide advanced training for an Indian astronaut and the two countries will cooperate on planetary defence against dangerous asteroids and comets, according to the White House.

Strengthening cooperation in human space flight through an exchange that includes advanced training for an Indian astronaut at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, was among the initiatives launched at the inaugural meeting of the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in Washington on Tuesday, the White House said.

National Security Advisers (NSA) Ajit Doval of India and Jake Sullivan of the US led the iCET meeting at which space, scientific, defence and commerce officials participated.

Another initiative at the iCET meeting was to include planetary defence in the agenda of the US-India Civil Space Joint Working Group (CSJWG), according to the White House.

The US planetary defence programme monitors asteroids and comets to identify those that can potentially cause harm to the earth and issue warnings and develop actions to mitigate their effect.

Cooperation with the US on manned space flight would be a departure for India, which has so far relied on the Soviet Union and, after its dissolution, with Russia.

India, which plans to send astronauts as early as next year on board the Gaganyaan spacecraft, has been training four astronauts in Russia under an agreement with that country’s Glavkosmos organisation.

While astronauts from several countries, including Saudi Arabia, have flown on NASA space missions, none from India have.

The only Indian citizen to have been in outer space is Rakesh Sharma, a former Air Force pilot who flew on a Soviet Soyuz mission in 1984.

Other initiatives from the iCET meeting, according to the White House, include strengthening bilateral commercial space partnerships through the US Commerce Department and the Indian Department of Space.

Earlier, Indian and US space officials held two days of discussions on several areas of cooperation at a two-day meeting of the CSJWG on Monday and Tuesday covered collaboration in human space flights, Earth and space science as well as global navigation satellite systems, spaceflight safety and space situational awareness, and policies for commercial space activities, according to the State Department.

The meeting was co-chaired by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jennifer Littlejohn and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Associate Administrator Karen Feldstein on the US side and by Shantanu Bhatawdekar, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Scientific Secretary on the Indian side.

A highlight of the NASA-ISRO cooperation is the Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission, planned for next year.

It is expected to systematically map Earth, using two different radar frequencies to monitor resources such as water, forests and agriculture.

It will provide information about ecosystems, the Earth’s surface, natural hazards, sea level rise and the cryosphere, the frozen parts of the earth, with applications in forestry, agriculture and ecology.

According to NASA, it will also help with providing prompt responses to natural and human-created disasters.

NASA head Bill Nelson and Executive Secretary of the National Space Council Chirag Parikh gave the welcoming remarks for the meeting and ISRO Chairman S Somanath and Taranjit Singh Sandhu spoke.

While no Indian citizen has been on US space missions, four Indian-Americans have.

Those who flew on NASA missions are Kalpana Chawla, who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003, Sunita Williams and Raja Chari.

Sirisha Bandla flew on a very brief private-sector Virgin Galactic test flight in 2021.

ALSO READ: Blinken’s West Bank visit sparks protests in Palestine

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Blinken concludes Jerusalem visit amid tensions

Since the start of 2023, Israeli forces have killed at least 35 Palestinians, making January one of the most deadly months in the West Bank in recent years….reports Asian Lite News

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has concluded his visit to Jerusalem and the West Bank, with little progress made in de-escalating the Israeli-Palestinian tensions, experts said.

Blinken’s trip, during which he met with leaders of the Jewish state’s new right-wing government and the Palestinian Authority (PA), came amid escalating violence between the two sides, reports Xinhua news agency.

Since the start of 2023, Israeli forces have killed at least 35 Palestinians, making January one of the most deadly months in the West Bank in recent years.

Most casualties occurred during Israeli military raids, which Israel says aimed to detain Palestinian militants.

In retaliation, a shooting attack launched by a Palestinian gunman outside a synagogue in an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem claimed the lives of seven people on January 27.

On Monday, Blinken held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and other senior officials before travelling on Tuesday to the West Bank city of Ramallah to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

In both places, Blinken urged de-escalating the tensions and renewed the call for a two-state solution to the conflict.

“The rising tide of violence has resulted in the loss of many innocent lives on both sides,” he told reporters in Jerusalem on Tuesday before he left for the US.

“All sides must take steps to prevent further escalation of violence.”

The top US diplomat’s trip failed to offer any new initiative to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Michael Milshtein, an expert from the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at the Tel Aviv University, told Xinhua.

Milshtein said the Israeli government was hopeful that Blinken will exert pressure on Abbas to renew the security coordination between the PA and Israel.

The PA decided on January 26 to end security coordination with Israel in response to an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin, in which Israeli forces killed 10 Palestinians.

The security coordination has led to the arrests of some Palestinians who were allegedly planning attacks against Israelis.

In a statement issued after meeting with Blinken, Abbas made no indication he was going to resume the coordination.

He accused Israel of violating Palestinians’ rights, promoting annexation of the West Bank, and demolishing Palestinian homes — moves that pose further hurdles to achieving a peace deal.

“We have found that the Israeli government is responsible for what’s happening these days,” the President said.

Assaf Meydani, a professor at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy of the Reichman University in Herzliya, told Xinhua that “negotiations between Israel and the PA in the current situation is impossible, even the US knows it”.

On the other hand, Blinken’s visit also had limited impact on the Israeli side, which has a new hawkish government that is unlikely to dial down its position against the Palestinians.

“The situation inside Israel makes the current government go to more ‘extreme’ to ensure its survival for the longest possible period, and therefore it will continue to escalate, and in return, there will be a Palestinian reaction,” said Ghassan al-Khatib, a political science professor at the Birzeit University in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

The visit, which marked the first meeting between Blinken and Netanyahu since the latter returned to office in December as the leader of a new right-wing government, was seen as part of Washington’s efforts to navigate through the differences between the Biden administration and the new Israeli government.

His trip followed the visits to Jerusalem by Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and CIA Director William Burns earlier in January.

Al-Khatib also noted that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not a priority for the US as its attention is occupied by “other internal and external issues.”

The Palestinians have repeatedly called on Washington, as Blinken promised in 2021, to reopen the US consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem and the PLO office in Washington.

They also urged the US to pressure Israel to preserve the status quo in Jerusalem and stop Israeli unilateral measures or withholding Palestinian tax revenue dues.

The last round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks ended without progress due to deep differences on several key issues in March 2014, since which Washington has made no real push to renew the stalled peace process despite the recurrent violence and conflicts.

ALSO READ: Blinken’s West Bank visit sparks protests in Palestine

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Yemen,EU officials hold talks on truce extension

EU reiterated their strong support for al-Alimi’s commitment to peace, reforms and improving the economy..reports Asian Lite News

Rashad al-Alimi, Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, on Tuesday discussed with a European diplomatic delegation the ongoing regional and international efforts to renew the expired truce in the war-torn country.

Al-Alimi met in the southern port city Aden with Gabriel Vinales, the Chief of the European Union Mission to Yemen, and ambassadors of a number of EU countries, the state-run Saba news agency reported.

It said that “the meeting touched upon the latest developments in Yemen and regional and international efforts” to achieve peace in the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

Al-Alimi briefed the EU delegation on his government’s efforts regarding “re-building state institutions and improving livelihoods with the participation of all active Yemeni components”.

The EU Mission to Yemen said in a statement that the EU reiterated their strong support for al-Alimi’s commitment to peace, reforms and improving the economy during the meeting with the Yemeni leader.

Various regions in Yemen have witnessed sporadic armed confrontations between the local warring factions after a cease-fire brokered by the United Nations expired in October last year.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia stormed several northern cities and forced the Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.

ALSO READ: Saudi clears 1,045 mines in Yemen

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Blinken’s West Bank visit sparks protests in Palestine

The protesters, both in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, raised the Palestinian flags and chanted anti-US slogans…reports Asian Lite News

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the West Bank prompted outrage among many Palestinians, who demonstrated on Tuesday to express their opposition to the US top diplomat’s presence in the Palestinian territory.

The protesters, both in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, raised the Palestinian flags and chanted anti-US slogans, accusing it of being biased toward Israel and all its violations of Palestinian rights, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The matter is very simple. Blinken came here to pressure the Palestinian leadership to not adopt any decision against the security cooperation with Israel,” said Nael Salama, who took part in a protest in the West Bank city of Ramallah carrying a banner of “The US is criminal as long as it supports Israel”.

“We came here to deliver our message to Blinken that he is not welcome in our country as his administration’s full bias towards Israel and its practices against the Palestinian people,” Issam Baker, the coordinator of the national and Islamic forces in Ramallah, told Xinhua.

He emphasised that the US administration used “double standards” in dealing with the Palestinian issue, adding that it will “only lead to further continuation of the cycle of violence”.

Since the start of 2023, Israeli forces have killed at least 35 Palestinians, making January one of the most deadly months in the West Bank in recent years. Most casualties occurred during Israeli military raids, which Israel says aimed to detain Palestinian militants.

In retaliation, a shooting attack launched by a Palestinian gunman outside a synagogue in an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem claimed the lives of seven people on Friday night.

Ahmed Abu Dalfa, a protester in the Gaza Strip, told Xinhua that Blinken’s visit will not bring benefits to the Palestinian people because Washington is “abandoning” its promises to Palestine.

Earlier on Tuesday, Blinken held a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Palestinian presidential headquarters in Ramallah after his meetings with Israeli leaders on Monday.

Blinken urged both the Palestinians and Israelis to calm tensions while reiterating Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security.

Following his meeting with Blinken, Abbas said that the Israeli government “is fully responsible for the current tension and violence in the Palestinian territories” because it has undermined the two-state solution and violated the signed agreements.

Abbas also accused the international community of failing to end Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian territories and its settlement policy in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

ALSO READ: UN chief condemns mosque blast in Pakistan

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Asia News Culture UK News

Tibetans Seek Global Help To Stem Chinese Attack on Culture

Free Tibet, a London-based Tibetan organisation, appealed to the global community to support their initiative to preserve their culture from the onslaught of Chinese

At a webinar organised by the Open Forum, Tibetan activists in exile and campaign groups described how “systematically,” and brazenly China is crushing Tibetan identity and culture as the world is busy making deals with them.

“Imagine demolishing the home you built with your own hand. This is the predicament of Tibetans living in the Drago county of the Tibetan province of Kham, known for their strong cultural and religious heritage,” according to a report released by Free Tibet and their research arm Tibet Watch.

Speaking at the Open Forum webinar about the first-time-ever findings of the report, John Jones, the policy and research manager of Free Tibet said: “Senior monks were summoned to convince people to demolish their own school.”

Tibetans Seek Global Help To Stem Chinese Attack on Culture

“They are threatened with reprisals if they don’t comply,” the forum heard. “This is not all, those who showed remorse at such destruction were imprisoned.”

“What happened to the residents of Drago county is emblematic of the CCP’s (Chinese Republic Party) attempts to systematically eradicate Tibet’s distinct way of life, its culture, religion, language, and history,” added John.

The event was moderated by Choekyi Lhamo, an independent journalist from– Dharamsala in India. Despite being a Tibetan born in exile, Choekyi said she could “relate to the systematic oppression of Tibetan culture.” 

“At least 78 per cent of all Tibetan students between the ages of 6-18 now live in boarding schools. They are being raised by the Chinese government in boarding schools separated from their families, traditions, culture, and religion. Not speaking the Tibetan language for the vast majority of their lives. They may have a Tibetan language class but Mandarin and Chinese are the languages of instruction,” said Lhadong Tethong, director of Tibet Action Institute.

Tibetans Seek Global Help To Stem Chinese Attack on Culture

Under the pretext of education, the Chinese government is taking children as young as four away from their Tibetan parents.

“They are attempting to wipe out Tibetan identity and replace it with a Chinese identity so that there is no resistance to the Chinese occupation of Tibet in future,” said Lhadon.

Breaking down what changing value system looks like Chemi Lhamo, a Canadian – Tibetan activist told the forum, a young Tibetan growing up in a traditional nomadic had a goat and if Tibetan if someone handed them Tibetan bread then, “ their instinct is to share with the goat and now the change and shift the value system is that these children are being taught not only do you eat the bread on your own but if you are hungry then you eat the goat too.”

“Tibetans never have true safety and protection in being Tibetan in Tibet but now under Xi-Jinping, it’s like even the gloves are off. They don’t even really pay lip service to the idea of regional ethnic autonomy or they have just overturned any existing ideas that Tibetans even an ethnic minority of China, which we are not,” said Lhadon.

She further added, “We are an independent nation under an illegal occupation but the idea that Tibetans even as an ethnic minority of China should have some semblance rights and freedoms to protect or promote Tibetan language or culture or Buddhism and whatnot–that’s all gone out of the window under Xi-Jinping. Every year gets worse, but the world does not know and cannot see clearly.”

Tibetans Seek Global Help To Stem Chinese Attack on Culture

Tibet has become a black hole of information observed Lhadon. Those who live inside cannot come out and the ones outside cannot go in. Isolating Tibet is now engrained in Chinese policy, especially after 2008. A milestone moment in the Tibetan struggle was when China was hosting the Olympics. Millions of Tibetans soon after the 10th of March rose against Chinese rule. It’s almost akin to North Korea as far as information and communication are concerned, the forum was told by the panellists.

Extending the argument further Chemi Lhamo, told the forum, “with China’s long-arm tactics, they exist in not just inside Tibet but overseas even in places like Canada. We know from recent reports of safeguard offenders that existence of Chinese police stations in almost 50 countries.”

One would wonder how information can come out of Tibet for a report to be written if this is the level of surveillance.

“What we relied in this report – interviewing former residents, satellite imagery, local news reports, local news reports and local government statements which are often one hand propaganda but on the other half give useful details on what the authorities are thinking, also there were some photos and details made way from Drago country anonymously to groups like Free Tibet,” said John talking about the hard one year of putting the report together.

All is not lost. There is hope.  Chemi spoke about how in Toronto every Wednesday Tibetans turn up outside the Chinese Embassy at 8.30 am to register their presence and remind the authorities of their atrocities. From opening schools with Buddhist ethos to raising voices at various platforms and locals inside Tibet doing their bit, “Tibetans despite all that is happening continue to thrive…our existence becomes resistance,” said Chemi with pride.

All engagement and resistance are non-violent resistance.

She added, “There is a saying in Tibetan – every Tibetan born after 1959 is born an activist”

Free Tibet report: here https://freetibet.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Drago-County.pdf

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Asia News Dubai UAE News

Sheikh Nahyan Unveils Bust of Gandhi in Dubai

HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH NAHYAN BIN MUBARAK AL NAHYAN: Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy is his teachings and his messages. They are deeply imprinted in the moral consciousness of the humankind. This is the time to meditate on the messages of Mahatma and dedicate ourselves to emulate them. He taught us to live peacefully, support each other and take care of the environment. Let us all dedicate ourselves to follow the footsteps of Mahatma

His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the Consulate General of India in Dubai on Tuesday.

Mr Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to the UAE and Dr Aman Puri,  Consul General of India in Dubai and the Northern Emirates joined His Highness Sheikh Nahyan in offering floral tribute at the bust of Mahatma Gandhi.

Sheikh Nahyan with Mr Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to the UAE, Dr Aman Puri, Consul General

“Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most influential leaders of the last century,” said Sheikh Nahyan. “His legacy is his teachings and his messages. They are deeply imprinted in the moral consciousness of humankind. This is the time to meditate on the messages of Mahatma and dedicate ourselves to emulating them. He taught us to live peacefully, support each other and take care of the environment. Let us all dedicate ourselves to following the footsteps of Mahatma.

Gandhi’s message of non-violence, peace and harmony are more relevant now,” said the Ambassador. “India and the UAE are working together on many fronts  to maintain global peace.”

The ambassador urged the Indian community to follow the messages of Gandhi on peace, non-violence and sustainability.

Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajans ‘Vaishnav Jan To’, ‘Raghupati Raghava’ were recited at the event by Ms. Somdutta Basu.

The bust of Mahatma Gandhi measuring 42 inch and sculpted by Mr. Naresh Kumawat was presented by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi.

 The event was also attended by members of the Diplomatic Community, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awardees like Ram Buxani and representatives of Indian Community Organisations in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

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Bangladesh hikes power tariffs

The retail price of electricity will be raised by 5 per cent for the second time in less than a month while the wholesale prices are seeing an increase of 8.06 per cent…reports Asian Lite News

In an apparent bid to ease the subsidy burden, the Bangladesh government has again raised the prices of power at both the wholesale and retail levels.

The new rates will come into effect from Wednesday (February 1), according to a notice from the ministry of power, energy and mineral resources, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The retail price of electricity will be raised by 5 per cent for the second time in less than a month while the wholesale prices are seeing an increase of 8.06 per cent, according to the notice.

The Bangladeshi government on January 12 raised the electricity price at the retail level by 5 per cent to 7.48 taka per unit on a weighted average, ignoring opposition from businesses and consumers.

The move to raise the retail price of electricity on January 12 came after the price was hiked by 19.92 per cent at the producers’ level in December last year.

Bangladesh,flag.

Bangladeshi State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid had earlier said that backlog made due to financial losses in gas import would be likely overcome to some extent if the power price adjustment is made on a monthly basis.

Experts claimed the markup in power prices would likely push up the nation’s inflation rate again.

Inflation in Bangladesh accelerated to 9.52 percent in August last year, the highest in 10 years, mainly driven by higher food prices, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics reported. (1 U.S. dollar equals about 100 takas.

ALSO READ: New natural gas reserve discovered in Bangladesh

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Economic Survey reveals India’s economic resilience

Despite the downward revision, the growth estimate for FY23 is higher than for almost all major economies..reports Asian Lite News

Despite strong global headwinds and tighter domestic monetary policy, if India is still expected to grow between 6.5 and 7.0 per cent, and that too without the advantage of a base effect, it is a reflection of India’s underlying economic resilience; of its ability to recoup, renew and re-energise the growth drivers of the economy, Economic Survey 2022-23 has noted.

Monetary tightening by the RBI, the widening of the Current Account Deficit (CAD), and the plateauing growth of exports have essentially been the outcome of geopolitical strife in Europe.

As these developments posed downside risks to the growth of the Indian economy in FY23, many agencies worldwide have been revising their growth forecast of the Indian economy downwards.

These forecasts, including the advance estimates released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), now broadly lie in the range of 6.5-7.0 per cent. Despite the downward revision, the growth estimate for FY23 is higher than for almost all major economies and even slightly above the average growth of the Indian economy in the decade leading up to the pandemic, the Survey said.

IMF estimates India to be one of the top two fast-growing significant economies in 2022. India’s economic resilience can be seen in the domestic stimulus to growth seamlessly replacing the external stimuli.

The growth of exports may have moderated in the second half of FY23. However, their surge in FY22 and the first half of FY23 induced a shift in the gears of the production processes from mild acceleration to cruise mode.

Manufacturing and investment activities consequently gained traction. By the time the growth of exports moderated, the rebound in domestic consumption had sufficiently matured to take forward the growth of India’s economy.

Private Consumption as a percentage of GDP stood at 58.4 per cent in Q2 of FY23, the highest among the second quarters of all the years since 2013-14, supported by a rebound in contact-intensive services such as trade, hotel and transport, which registered sequential growth of 16 per cent in real terms in Q2 of FY23 compared to the previous quarter.

Although domestic consumption rebounded in many economies, the rebound in India was impressive for its scale, the Survey said.

It contributed to a rise in domestic capacity utilisation. Domestic private consumption remains buoyant in November 2022, as indicated by Motilal Oswal’s Economic Activity Index. The index estimates that private consumption grew at a five-month high pace of 5.6 per cent YoY, driven by auto sales and broad-based expansion of services.

ALSO READ: Economic Survey: India’s growth inclusive with focus on job creation

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US lawmakers seek to promote Taiwan’s IMF membership

The Bill also seeks to involve Taiwan’s participation in the IMF’s regular surveillance activities relating to the nation’s economic and financial policies…reports Asian Lite News

The United States House of Representatives introduced a Bill calling on Washington to support Taiwan’s participation in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a member, Focus Taiwan reported.

US House of Representatives Young Kim and Al Green, on Thursday, introduced the Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act seeks to ensure that the US Governor of the international fund advocates for Taipei and the provision of IMF technical assistance and training to the country. The Bill also seeks to involve Taiwan’s participation in the IMF’s regular surveillance activities relating to the nation’s economic and financial policies, job opportunities at the IMF for the nationals, and the provision of IMF technical assistance and training to Taipei, as per the report in Focus Taiwan.

The IMF is a global organization of approximately 180 member countries set up to promote the health of the world economy.

“As the 21st largest economy in the world and the 10th largest goods trading partner of the United States, Taiwan deserves a seat at the IMF,” Kim, who serves on the House Financial Services Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement released on January 26.

“I am proud to be a co-lead of the Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act led by Congresswoman Kim. This bill requires the U.S. Governor of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to use the voice and vote of the U.S. to urge Taiwan’s participation and membership in the IMF,” Rep. Green said.

“As a leading world economy, Taiwan’s experience in promoting sound economic policies can be instrumental in helping the IMF achieve its mission. Thus, it deserves a seat at the table. My hope is that this bill will help steer it toward that direction,” he added, according to the statement.

As per the Bill, “Taiwan is the 21st largest economy in the world and the 10th largest goods trading partner of the United States. Although Taiwan is not an IMF member, it is a member of the World Trade Organization, the Asian Development Bank, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.”

According to the January 2020 Report on 15 Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of 16 Major Trading Partners of the United States, published by the Department of the Treasury, Taiwan 18 held USD 471,900,000,000 in foreign exchange reserves, 19 more than major economies such as India, South 20 Korea, and Brazil.

According to the section of the Taiwan Relations Act (Public Law 96-8), enacted on April 10, 23 1979, ”Nothing in this Act may be construed as a 24 basis for supporting the exclusion or expulsion of 25 Taiwan from continued membership in any international organization.”.

A Bill to promote Taiwan’s membership of the IMF was first introduced in May 2020 by then-Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who did not run for re-election last year.

In November 2021, Gonzalez and Green again presented a bill with the same purpose, which, however, failed to pass the House by the end of its term. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Biden’s claims ‘false and misleading’, say fact-checkers

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US stepping up weapons deployment to counter N.Korea

Austin, who is on a visit to Seoul, and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-Sup agreed to further expand their combined military exercises…reports Asian Lie News

The United States will increase its deployment of advanced weapons such as fighter jets and bombers to the Korean Peninsula, said Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

The statement from Austin comes as Washington is strengthening joint training and operational planning with South Korea in response to a growing North Korean nuclear threat.

Austin, who is on a visit to Seoul, and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jong-Sup agreed to further expand their combined military exercises, including a resumption of live-fire demonstrations, and continue a “timely and coordinated” deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the region, according to their offices, according to Associated Press report.

During the meeting, the two leaders strongly condemned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) continued provocations and violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions, including its missile launches and recent drone incursions, Pentagon said in a statement.

They also affirmed that the ROK-U.S. Alliance, along with the international community, will continue to take a strong stance against any further provocations by the DPRK, it added.

They have also reaffirmed measures to enhance the implementation of U.S. extended deterrence to underscore its security commitment to the ROK.

The South Korean Ministry of National Defence and the U.S. Department of Defence will hold the Deterrence Strategy Committee Table-top Exercise (DSC TTX) in February, in order to facilitate discussions on deterrence and response options to deal with the DPRK nuclear threat.

Lee and Austin also discussed measures to strengthen regional security cooperation including ROK-U.S.-Japan trilateral security cooperation.

The two leaders committed to following up on developing specific courses of action to facilitate trilateral sharing of missile warning data, as agreed by the three countries’ leaders at the November 2022 Phnom Penh Summit.

Meanwhile, North Korea on Monday denounced a visit to Seoul by Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, as a “prelude” to war, saying the move could bring a “new Cold War” to the Asia-Pacific region.

In an article carried by the Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Tong-myong, a researcher of the North’s organization on international political study, said Stoltenberg’s current trip appears to be aimed at “instigating” the creation of the Asian version of NATO, reports Yonhap News Agency.

“The trip of the NATO secretary general to South Korea and Japan is a prelude to confrontation and war as it brings the dark clouds of a ‘new Cold War’ to the Asia-Pacific region,” Kim said.

Stoltenberg arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a two-day stay, and in a meeting with Foreign Minister Park Jin, he said the North’s support of Russia’s war with Ukraine reinforces the need for the rest of the world to stay “interconnected” in their security efforts.

The NATO chief plans to visit Japan later in the day for a two-day visit.

The North’s researcher condemned Stoltenberg as the head of the military organization that turned Ukraine into a “theatre of proxy war”.

Kim said Stoltenberg will raise the need to build the Asian version of NATO, and put pressure on Seoul and Tokyo for their passive military support to Ukraine at a time when the US has decided to supply tanks to Ukraine.

ALSO READ: Biden says ‘no’ to sending F-16 jets to Ukraine