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☆ Hundreds more Rohingya refugees arrive in Indonesia's Aceh
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Rohingya Muslim women and children rest, following their arrival in Kulee village, Pidie regency, Aceh province, Indonesia, November 19, 2023. REUTERS/Riska Munawarah Acquire Licensing RightsACEH, Nov 19 (Reuters) - More than 500 Rohingya refugees originally from Myanmar landed on the shores of Indonesia's Aceh province on Sunday, the fourth wave of arrivals this week, a local UNHCR official said. The refugees, who arrived at various parts of the province including Bireuen, Pidie and East Aceh, have overwhelmed local facilities, Munawaratul Makhya, a UNHCR official, told Reuters. Almost 1 million Rohingya are living in camps in Bangladesh in what U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi described as "the biggest humanitarian refugee camp in the world". Indonesia's Foreign Ministry said the Southeast Asian country "has no obligation nor capacity to accommodate refugees, let alone to provide a permanent solution".

Persons: Riska, Rohingya, Rohingyas, Filippo Grandi, Hidayatullah Tahjuddin, Dewi Kurniawati, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, UNHCR, Reuters, Ministry, UN, Thomson Locations: Kulee, Aceh province, Indonesia, Rights ACEH, Myanmar, Indonesia's Aceh, Bireuen, Pidie, East Aceh, Muslim, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, Jakarta

☆ Vale Canada, Sumitomo Metal sign initial agreement to sell 14% stake in Indonesia nickel miner
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Ritsuko Shimizu/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Vale Base Metals said its Vale Canada unit and Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining signed an initial agreement on Friday to sell a 14% stake in their Indonesian nickel mining unit to Indonesia's state miner. Share divestment is a condition required by Indonesia to extend Vale Indonesia's mining permit, which will otherwise end in 2025. Upon completion, MIND ID will become the largest shareholder of Vale Indonesia with its stake rising to 34% from 20%. Vale Canada will hold 33.9%, down from 43.79%, and Sumitomo 11.5%, down from 15.03%, according to the statement. "The divestment will make MIND ID as the biggest shareholder of Vale (Indonesia), so MIND ID and Vale Canada can exercise a joint control over Vale (Indonesia)," he said in a statement on Friday.

Persons: Ritsuko Shimizu, Wirjoatmodjo, Deshnee Naidoo, Joko Widodo, Widodo, Fransiska Nangoy, Stefanno Sulaiman, Kirsten Donovan, William Mallard Organizations: Sumitomo Metal Mining, REUTERS, Rights, Base Metals, Vale Canada, Vale, Sumitomo, Mineral Industri, Vale Base Metals, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Rights JAKARTA, Vale Canada, Mineral Industri Indonesia, Indonesia, Vale Indonesia, Indonesian, Vale

☆ Vale Canada, Sumitomo Metal sign initial deal to sell 14% stake in Indonesian nickel miner
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ritsuko Shimizu/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Mining company Vale Base Metals said its unit Vale Canada Ltd and Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd signed an initial agreement on Friday to sell a 14% stake in their Indonesian nickel mining unit to Indonesia's state miner. Share divestment is a condition required by Indonesia to extend Vale Indonesia's mining permit, which is currently due to end in 2025. Upon completion, MIND ID will become the largest shareholder of Vale Indonesia with 34% of shares, up from 20%. Around 20% of Vale Indonesia's shares are publicly traded. Vale Base Metals is committing around $10 billion of investment in Indonesia over the next decade.

Persons: Ritsuko Shimizu, Deshnee Naidoo, Fransiska Nangoy, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Sumitomo Metal Mining, REUTERS, Rights, Base Metals, Vale Canada, Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining Co . Ltd, Vale, Sumitomo, Mineral Industri, Vale Base Metals, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Rights JAKARTA, Vale Canada, Mineral Industri Indonesia, Indonesia, Vale Indonesia, Indonesian

"Coal in North Macedonia represents 40% of the energy source, so it's very big, it's very important," EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso told Reuters. Both of its coal-fired plants are ageing, outdated and run on lignite, the most polluting type of coal. An IFC spokesperson said the green transition, including in North Macedonia, was one of its key priorities, but that it was not in a position to confirm any plan details. "The world's richest countries need to work with the multilateral development banks to find effective, structural ways to channel significantly scaled up energy transition finance," he said. North Macedonia joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance, a group of countries committed to phasing out coal-fired power, in 2021.

Persons: Odile Renaud, Basso, COP27, REK, Renaud, Leo Roberts, E3G, Kate Abnett, Kirsten Donovan, Louise Heavens Organizations: European Bank for Reconstruction, World Bank, Reuters, Investment, United Nations, Climate Investment Funds, International Finance Corporation, IFC, Bank, Past Coal Alliance, Union, Thomson Locations: Dubai, wean, Macedonia, North Macedonia, South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam, Senegal, North, Skopje, Europe, Macedonian, Pakistan, Colombia, Ukraine

The deal, which is expected to be announced at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai beginning on Nov. 30, will lay out a plan to close the country's two coal power plants and replace them with 1.7 gigawatts of renewable energy. "Coal in North Macedonia represents 40% of the energy source, so it's very big, it's very important," EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso told Reuters. Both of its coal-fired plants are ageing, outdated and run on lignite, the most polluting type of coal. An IFC spokesperson said the green transition, including in North Macedonia, was one of its key priorities, but that it was not in a position to confirm any plan details. North Macedonia joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance, a group of countries committed to phasing out coal-fired power, in 2021.

Persons: Odile Renaud, Basso, REK, Renaud, Kate Abnett, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: European Bank for Reconstruction, World Bank, Reuters, Investment, United Nations, Investment Funds, International Finance Corporation, IFC, Bank, Past Coal Alliance, Union, Thomson Locations: Dubai, wean, Macedonia, North Macedonia, South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam, Senegal, North, Skopje, Europe, Macedonian, Ukraine

☆ UN shares its world’s ‘best tourism villages’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

For travelers who want to visit a smaller, more authentic local destination, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has released this year’s list of the best tourism villages. For 2023, 55 villages were recognized by the international organization, which focuses on sustainable tourism, up from 32 last year. The list includes small towns and villages from places as diverse as Mexico, China, Ethiopia, and Italy. There’s no ranking of the villages, and they are all listed in alphabetical order in English. Highlights in EuropeEurope’s selections to the UNWTO list represent a mix of cultural and environmental differences.

Persons: Dhordo, Les Falles, Sant, Al Sela, Jordan • Barrancas, Spain •, Peru •, Egypt •, India •, Korea •, Portugal •, Colombia •, Japan •, Italy • Manteigas, Ecuador •, Pisco, Austria •, Uzbekistan •, • Siwa, Portugal • Anton, Arlberg, Tân, Viet Nam, Hungary •, Moldova • Vila, China • Organizations: CNN, United Nations World Tourism Organization, Asia Dongbaek, UNWTO, UNESCO, Reserve, Spain • Ordino, Andorra • Oyacachi, Schladming, Moldova • Locations: Tokyo, London, Mexico, China, Ethiopia, Italy, Asia, South, Jeju, Shirakawa, Japan, Gifu prefecture, Nagoya, Zhejiang, Dhordo, Rann, Kutch, India, Europe, Spain, Sigüenza, Madrid, Slunj, Croatia, Andorra, Ordino, Sant Pere, Peru, Machu Picchu, Lima, Peruvian, Chacas, Chile, La Carolina, Argentina, Biei, Tortel, Cantavieja, Spain • Chacas, Huantar, Peru • Dahshour, Egypt, Egypt • Dhordo, Republic, Korea, Korea • Douma, Lebanon, Ericeira, Portugal, Portugal • Filandia, Colombia, Huangling, Cánovas, Kandovan, Iran, Lerici, Switzerland, Mosan, Juárez, Oñati, Ecuador, Ecuador • Paucartambo, Peru • Penglipuran, Indonesia, Pisco Elqui, Pozuzo, Saint, Saty, Kazakhstan, Austria, Austria • Sehwa, Korea • Sentob, Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan • Shirakawa, Egypt • Slunj, Sortelha, Viet, Peru • Tokaj, Hungary, Hungary • Văleni, Moldova, Madalena, Portugal • Xiajiang, China • Zapatoca, Colombia • Zhagana

☆ They fell in love with Bali after visiting 3 years in a row. Step inside the sleek, modern home they built in the jungle.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Anna-Carina Tetzner and Sean Peel moved to Bali, Indonesia, from Australia right before the pandemic. AdvertisementAfter a few vacations in Bali, Anna-Carina Tetzner and Sean Peel decided it was where they wanted to live full time. Anna-Carina Tetzner and Sean Peel standing in front of their modular home in Bali. AdvertisementA modular design for DIYInstead of brick and mortar, the couple designed their own modular house that comprises steel frames and wood panels. Anna-Carina TetznerThis building method isn't all that common in Bali, Tetzner said: "In fact, we don't know of anyone who has built like us, pre-fabricated."

Persons: Anna, Carina Tetzner, Sean Peel, —, Tetzner, Peel, He'd, Carina Tetzner Peel, I've, Sean, Wells, it's, Carina, It's, They've, Amanda Goh Organizations: Service, Peel, Google, YouTube Locations: Bali, Indonesia, Australia, Ubud, Anna, Brisbane, Asia, Bali . Anna, Sunshine, Bali — Indonesian, it's Bali, agoh@businessinsider.com

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Sometimes it can be easy to forget that President Joe Biden's original foreign policy priority was reasserting American influence in Asia. "The United States remains vital to the future of the region, and the region is more vital than ever to the United States of America," he told a gathering of business executives during one of the summit's many receptions. “From here in San Francisco, America reaches out all across the Pacific, building bridges mightier than the Golden Gate,” he said. Protesters calling for a cease-fire in Gaza shut down all vehicular traffic heading into San Francisco over the Bay Bridge. “We will be glad to see a confident, open, ever-growing and prosperous United States,” he said.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden, “ That’s, He's, Donald Trump, ”, Yoon Suk Yeol, Kishida Fumio, Xi Jinping, Xi, “, ” Biden, Yun Sun, Aisha Nizar, San Francisco ”, ___, Colleen Long Organizations: FRANCISCO, Ukraine, Republican, Economic Cooperation, South Korean, Chinese Communist Party, U.S, Xinhua, China Program, Stimson, Palestinian Youth Movement, Biden wasn't, China, Associated Press Locations: American, Asia, Russian, Israel, San Francisco, United States, United States of America, Europe, America, China, Beijing, Bali , Indonesia, Iran, San Francisco ., Washington, Ukraine, Gaza, Bahrain, Fiji, Japan, Mexico, Peru

☆ Analysis-Indo-Pacific Trade Deal Prospects Dim as 2024 US Election Year Politics Loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By David LawderSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The Biden administration has vowed to continue negotiating an ambitious Asia trade deal, but election-year pressures and resistance to tough commitments from some countries make a deal unlikely, trade experts and business groups say. Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi told Reuters that IPEF partners will "recalibrate" the trade talks in 2024. But it gets harder from here, said Wendy Cutler, the former chief USTR negotiator on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal with many of the same countries. "Until they do that, the trade pillar will be a tough nut to crack." The Biden administration launched negotiations in September 2022, leaving an impossibly tight deadline ahead of the APEC summit, according to some trade experts.

Persons: David Lawder, Biden, Sarah Bianchi, Wendy Cutler, TPP, Donald Trump's, Cutler, They're, Sherrod Brown, Jake Colvin, Colvin, Lori Wallach, Xi Jinping, Don Durfee, Josie Kao Organizations: FRANCISCO, Reuters, Economic, Economic Cooperation, U.S . Trade, Pacific Partnership, Asia Society Policy Center, APEC, Democratic, National Foreign Trade Council, Trans, Pacific Locations: Asia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Donald Trump's U.S, San Francisco, China

☆ US, Indo-Pacific partners need to 'recalibrate' trade talks -USTR's Bianchi
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We’ve got to recalibrate in the new year with our partners," Bianchi said in an interview on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. USTR said later in a statement that it was seeing progress in the trade negotiations on trade facilitation, agriculture, technical assistance and economic cooperation. Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat facing a tough re-election fight in the industrial state of Ohio, last week demanded that Biden drop the trade pillar from the Indo-Pacific initiative. Brown on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the stalling IPEF trade pillar by insisting on enforceable labor provisions. Bianchi said some of the other 12 IPEF countries in the trade talks "prefer a different approach" on labor and environment chapters, but they support continued negotiations on trade.

Persons: Carlos Barria, Sarah Bianchi, We’ve, Bianchi, USTR, Joe Biden, Sherrod Brown, Biden, Brown, David Lawder, David Gregorio, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: APEC, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Economic, U.S . Trade, Reuters, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, Pacific Partnership, Democrat, U.S ., Partners, Thomson Locations: Asia, Pacific, San Francisco , California, U.S, San Francisco, Ohio, Vietnam, Indonesia, Canada, Mexico

☆ OpenAI's Sam Altman exits as CEO because 'board no longer has confidence' in his ability to lead
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

OpenAI's board of directors said Friday that Sam Altman will step down as CEO and will be replaced on an interim basis by technology chief Mira Murati. "The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI," the statement said. The board also said that Greg Brockman, OpenAI's president, "will be stepping down as chairman of the board and will remain in his role at the company, reporting to the CEO." Before taking over as CEO, Altman, 38, was president of startup accelerator Y Combinator and gained prominence in Silicon Valley as an early-stage investor. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made a surprise guest appearance during the event, joining Altman on stage to discuss the startup's AI technologies and its partnership with Microsoft.

Persons: Sam Altman, Mira Murati, Ilya Sutskever, Adam D'Angelo, Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner, OpenAI, Greg Brockman, what's, Murati, Mira, ChatGPT, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Elon Musk, Altman, rapt, Ted Lieu, Mike Johnson, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Altman didn't, — CNBC's Lora Kolodny Organizations: Tech, Conference, Georgetown Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Microsoft, OpenAI, U.S . Senate, House Democratic Caucus, Economic Cooperation, U.S Locations: Laguna Beach , California, Mira, Silicon Valley, Indonesia, Asia, Pacific, Singapore, India, China, South Korea, Japan, San Francisco

☆ Coal use needs to be slashed seven times faster to meet emissions target, analysis finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Published Tuesday, the "State of Climate Action 2023" paints a sobering picture of the challenges that policymakers face as they gear up for the COP28 climate change summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at the end of November. Tuesday's report takes that 1.5 degrees goal and develops targets for 2030 and 2050 that align with it. The U.N. has previously noted that 1.5 degrees Celsius is viewed as being "the upper limit" when it comes to avoiding the worst consequences of climate change. "Despite decades of dire warnings and wake-up calls, our leaders have largely failed to mobilize climate action anywhere near the pace and scale needed," Boehm added. Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs, refer to individual countries' targets for cutting emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change.

Persons: Aditya Aji, Sophie Boehm, Boehm, tinker, Ani Dasgupta Organizations: AFP, Getty, United Arab Emirates, CNBC, World Resources Institute, UN, ClimateWorks, United Nations Locations: Indonesia, Dubai, United Arab, Paris

☆ Philippines' Marcos, China's Xi to discuss tensions, way forward in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. President of the Philippines attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S., November 15, 2023. Manila refers to the part of the South China Sea that it claims as the West Philippine Sea. Marcos said he also discussed South China Sea issues with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. China claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, pointing to a line on its maps that cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. The Philippines' foreign ministry on Thursday committed to continue resupply missions and an "upkeep" of a grounded navy ship in a disputed South China Sea atoll, saying it does not have to give prior notice to China.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Carlos Barria, Xi Jinping, Marcos, Xi, Kamala Harris, Neil Jerome Morales, Shri Navaratnam, Michael Perry Organizations: Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, Rights, APEC, South China, West, U.S, The, of Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, Rights MANILA, San Francisco, South China, West Philippine, Manila, South, China, China's, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Taiwan, Beijing

Adani has denied wrongdoing, saying that Indian authorities assessed its coal shipments before releasing them from ports. India's Supreme Court is also overseeing the market regulator's probe of Hindenburg's allegations. If India's Supreme Court allows the agency's latest request, it would then need to seek an order from Singapore's Court of Appeal to release the material. The Singapore court declined requests from Reuters last month to inspect related case documents, saying in written responses that the files were sealed. The stance adopted by Adani's companies in Singapore "created impediments" and the investigation "remains stalled", the revenue agency told India's Supreme Court in 2021 filings.

Persons: Adani, Hindenburg, Gautam Adani, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Lucien Wong, Adani's, Arpan Chaturvedi, Aditya Kalra, Sudarshan Varadhan, David Crawshaw Organizations: Adani Group, Revenue Intelligence, Adani, Adani Enterprises, Reuters, India's, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Home Affairs, Hindenburg Research, Investigators, Singapore Attorney, Thomson Locations: India, DELHI, Singapore, Adani, Gujarat, Indonesia, SINGAPORE, Singapore's, Mumbai, New Delhi

The upheaval at Documenta is just one example of how Europe’s art world is being torn by debates about Israel and Gaza, as some institutions have moved to postpone the shows of artists who have criticized Israel. Documenta was initially staged in 1955 as the first large-scale exhibition in West Germany of the art of the European avant-garde. It was a direct response to the Degenerate Art Show, the denunciatory exhibition of modern art staged by the Nazis in Munich in 1937. Although the mural was taken down, it set off a monthslong debate in Germany’s art world about antisemitism, Palestinian activism and Germany’s relationship to formerly colonized countries. Hoskote said Documenta was one of the art world’s greatest events, partly because it had always been a forum for new ideas.

Persons: Documenta’s, — Simon Njami, Gong Yan, Kathrin, Inés Rodríguez, —, ”, Bracha Lichtenberg Ettinger, Ranjit Hoskote, Anaïs Duplan, Ai Weiwei, ” Ai, Ai, Galerie Max Hetzler, Lisson’s, Claudia Roth, Documenta, Hoskote Organizations: Venice Biennale, Folkwang, Israel, Art Newspaper, Galerie Max, Berlin, Die Locations: Israel, Kassel, Germany, Gaza, Venice, India, Essen, Haitian, United States, B.D.S, London, Lisson, New York, Paris, West Germany, Munich, Nazi, Indonesia

☆ Opinion: Osama bin Laden was a mass murderer, not a TikTok influencer
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

He is the author of “The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden.” The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Bin Laden’s al Qaeda affiliate in Iraq helped to trigger the Iraqi civil war in 2006, during which tens of thousands of Iraqis died. And this is only a partial list of the mayhem carried out by bin Laden and his followers. The “Letter to America” also decries the United States’ role in global warming, American tolerance for homosexuality and the drug culture that exists in the United States. It might behoove those posting on TikTok to understand some of this history before praising bin Laden’s purported brilliance.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Osama bin Laden, CNN —, bin Laden, ”, bin, Bin Laden’s, I’ve, “, Nelly Lahoud, ” Lahoud, Facebook Lahoud, “ Bin Laden Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Guardian, Israel, Hamas, Saudi, Palestine, US Navy, Team, ISIS, US Army War College, Twitter, Facebook Locations: New America, America, al Qaeda, Africa, Qaeda, Iraq, Indonesia, Bali, London, United States, Palestine, Israel, Islam, Al Aqsa, Jerusalem, Al, Quds, Pakistan, Syria, Abbottabad, Vietnam

☆ Global watchdog FSB to tackle funds' liquidity mismatch - Knot
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Financial Stability Board (FSB) Chair Klaas Knot arrives for the G20 Leaders' Summit in Bali, Indonesia, November 15, 2022. Mast Irham/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The Financial Stability Board, a global risk watchdog, plans to issue new liquidity recommendations for some investments funds after bouts of stress in recent years risked spreading over to the broader financial sector, the head of the FSB said on Thursday. "Looking ahead, we will soon issue policy recommendations to address liquidity mismatches in open ended funds," Klaas Knot, the head of the FSB and the governor of the Dutch central bank said in a speech on Thursday. Open-ended investment funds tend to sit on long term assets but their investors often have the option for short-term redemptions, creating a liquidity mismatch in periods of high stress. FSB recommendations are not binding but serve as vital guidelines for local regulators and supervisors setting ground rules.

Persons: Klaas Knot, Mast, Klaas, Balazs Koranyi, Francesco Canepa Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Thomson Locations: Bali , Indonesia, Dutch

☆ HelloFresh becomes buyout amuse-bouche
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Vegetable and chillies are seen at the vegetable market in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 2, 2017. REUTERS/Beawiharta Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - HelloFresh (HFGG.DE) could be a guinea pig for food delivery buyouts. That’s mainly because one of its meal-prep sites faced water supply problems, and a slowdown in new customers in the United States. Assume a buyout group were to pay a 30% premium to the company’s market value, implying an enterprise value of 3.6 billion euros. For a buyout group, that’s food for thought.

Persons: Dominik Richter, Karen Kwok, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, X, Alstom, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, United States, China

☆ US, China, Southeast Asia defence officials meet amid crises
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Ministers and members of the delegates attend the opening session of the 10th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting - Plus in Jakarta, Indonesia, November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/Pool Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Defence ministers and officials from the United States, China, Russia and Southeast Asia gathered in Indonesia on Thursday for a meeting where they are expected to discuss geopolitical crises in and outside the region. Defence ministers in Southeast Asia's regional bloc ASEAN called on Wednesday for a ceasefire in Gaza and a durable solution in Myanmar, as conflicts are deepening there. "Indonesia is of the view that the region's multiple security issues, ranging from traditional and non-traditional threats, can only be solved by extensive open and inclusive global collaboration," Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia's defence minister said in an opening speech on Thursday. Visiting Washington this week, Indonesian President Joko Widodo pressed Biden to do more to end Israel's war with Hamas.

Persons: Willy Kurniawan, Prabowo, Lloyd Austin, Alexander Fomin, Jing Jianfeng, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Joko Widodo, Biden, Stanley Widianto, Lincoln Organizations: 10th Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Defense, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, U.S . Defense, Joint Staff Department of, Central Military Commission, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Rights JAKARTA, United States, China, Russia, Southeast Asia, Southeast Asia's, Gaza, Myanmar, Korean, Australia, New Zealand, San Francisco, Malaysia, Washington

Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty ImagesBEIJING — U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to resume high-level military communication, according to both countries. China's Defense Ministry declined a call with its U.S. counterpart in early February after the discovery of an alleged Chinese spy balloon over U.S. airspace. The balloon incident delayed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's highly anticipated trip to China by more than four months. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will meet with his Chinese counterpart when the Chinese defense chief is selected, a senior Biden administration official told reporters after the Biden-Xi summit. A readout published by Chinese state media added the resumption of such military talks was "on the basis of equality and respect," according to a CNBC translation.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Brendan Smialowski, Biden, Antony Blinken's, Blinken, Li Shangfu, Defense Lloyd Austin, presser, China's, I'm, that's, Xi Organizations: Economic Cooperation, Afp, Getty, American, China's Defense, U.S, Defense, Biden, CNBC, Trade Locations: San Francisco, Asia, BEIJING, U.S, China, Taiwan, South, Philippines, Singapore, Pacific, Hawaii, Indonesia, Beijing

The groups said in a press release that “measles continues to pose a relentlessly increasing threat to children.”Estimated measles cases increased 18% last year while deaths increased 43%, according to the report. About 9 million cases of measles and 136,000 deaths – mostly among children – were reported globally in 2022. “Measles cases anywhere pose a risk to all countries and communities where people are under-vaccinated. Low-income countries reported the lowest vaccination rates and showed no signs of recovery from the vaccination coverage decline during the pandemic. “The lack of recovery in measles vaccine coverage in low-income countries following the pandemic is an alarm bell for action.

Persons: –, ” John Vertefeuille, Kate O’Brien Organizations: Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization, Democratic, Pan American Health Organization Locations: Angola, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, U.S, Ohio, Americas

All three candidates vying to win the Feb. 14 election in Southeast Asia's largest economy have said they will prioritise cleaning up the power sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To do that, Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto and former provincial governor Ganjar Pranowo, running neck-and-neck in recent surveys, would consider ending state-run Perusahaan Listrik Negara's (PLN) monopoly in order to allow renewable power producers to sell directly to customers. Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, trailing in opinion polls, has called for improved leadership for the power sector but has not proposed breaking up PLN's monopoly. Proponents argue that opening the sector would accelerate adoption of renewables, as independent power producers will be incentivised to offer green power to companies pledging carbon neutrality. Agam, from the climate consultancy, said delaying renewable power to companies could mean lost investment.

Persons: Prabowo Subianto, Dita Alangkara, Ganjar Pranowo, Anies Baswedan, Agam Subarkah, Alexander Sonny Keraf, PLN, Prabowo, Eddy Soeparno, Soeparno, Gayatri Suroyo, Ananda Teresia, Stefanno Sulaiman, Stanley Widianto, Tony Munroe, Miral Organizations: Indonesia's Defense, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, Defence, Former Jakarta, Cendekia, POWER WHEELING Ganjar, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Rights JAKARTA, Southeast Asia's

☆ Philippines rejects China's call for prior notice on resupply missions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We are being asked to give prior notification each time we conduct a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal. China claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, pointing to a line on its maps that cuts into the EEZs of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said the line on China's maps had no legal basis, which Beijing rejects. "The Philippines has not entered into any agreement abandoning its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its EEZ and continental shelf, including in the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal," Daza said. The Second Thomas Shoal lies 190 km (118 miles) off the Philippine island of Palawan, or well within the Manila's EEZ.

Persons: Thomas, Teresita Daza, Lloyd Austin, harassments, Daza, Thomas Shoal, Mikhail Flores, Neil Jerome Morales, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Rights, of Foreign Affairs, US, Manila, Thomson Locations: BRP Sierra, South China, Rights MANILA, Philippines, China, Manila, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Taiwan, Beijing, Jakarta, Sierra, Ayungin, Philippine, Palawan

☆ New Delhi air pollution: Why can’t India’s capital clean up its toxic air like Beijing?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“It’s an invisible killer,” said Jyoti Pande Lavakare, author of “Breathing Here is Injurious to Your Health: The Human Cost of Air Pollution” and co-founder of clean air non-profit Care for Air. China’s capital has since cleaned up its act, which begs the question: if Beijing can clean up its toxic air, why can’t India too? A key moment in China’s fightback came in 2013, when the government started to invest billions of dollars into a national air pollution action plan. Hundreds of thousands of lives savedChina’s raft of clean air policies have been so successful, they have saved hundreds of thousands of lives, research has shown. They say Kejriwal’s team has done little in terms of implementing effective policies to clean New Delhi’s air.

Persons: “, ”, Jyoti Pande Lavakare, Arun Sankar, China’s, –, Wang Zhao, China’s fightback, Frank Christian Hammes, IQAir, Sunil Dahiya, Dahiya, Stringer, Arvind Kejriwal, Kejriwal, Virendra Sachdeva, Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sudhanshu Dhulia, Raj K Raj, “ You’re Organizations: CNN, Health, Pollution, Air, Getty, United, Global, Energy, Institute, University of Chicago, Centre for Research, Clean, Bloomberg, Beijing, Care for Air, Aam Aadmi Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, AAP, Ministry of Environment, Hindustan Times Locations: Delhi, Beijing, India, ”, AFP, United States, China, Swiss, New Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, New, Indonesia, Malaysia, Care, CREA, IQAir

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