China has cast the election as a choice between war and peace and has refused multiple offers of talks by Tsai, believing she is a separatist.
Tsai has made bolstering and modernising Taiwan's defences a priority, including pushing an indigenous submarine programme.
"Everyone's home has locks on them, which is not to provoke the neighbours next door but to make yourself safer. This is the same for the doors to the country. Taiwan's people want peace, but we want peace with dignity," she said.
Taiwan's government has repeatedly warned China is trying to interfere in the election, whether by using fake news or military or trade pressure, and Tsai said she hoped people could be on alert for this.
After China accused Taiwan of erecting trade barriers and ended some tariff cuts for the island, China last week threatened further economic measures.
Tsai said Taiwan's companies must look globally and diversify.
"This is the correct path, rather than going back to the path of relying on China, especially as in China's unstable market there is unpredictable risk," she said.
"We have always welcomed healthy, orderly interactions across the strait, but trade and economic exchanges cannot become a political tool."
China has taken particular exception to current Vice President Lai Ching-te, the presidential candidate for Taiwan's ruling Democratic Party (DPP) and who is leading in opinion polls by varying margins, saying he is also a dangerous separatist.
Both the DPP and Taiwan's largest opposition party the Kuomintang say only the island's people can decide their future.
Tsai cannot stand again after two terms in office. She will step down in May when the next president is sworn in.
During the meetings to set the policy agenda for 2024, the North Korean leader accused the United States of posing "various forms of military threat".
He also called on armed forces to "suppress the whole territory of South Korea mobilising all physical means ... including nuclear forces" in case of a "great event", referring to an armed conflict.
Kim told the meeting he would no longer seek reconciliation and reunification with South Korea, noting the "uncontrollable crisis" that he said was triggered by Seoul and Washington.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Monday to keep Pyongyang's military provocations at bay with a joint extended deterrence system with Washington, scheduled for the first half of 2024.
The deterrence system will "fundamentally deter any North Korean nuclear and missile threat", Yoon said in his New Year's Day address.
In 2023, Pyongyang successfully launched a reconnaissance satellite, enshrined its status as a nuclear power in its constitution and test-fired the most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile in its arsenal.
Pyongyang declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power in 2022 and has repeatedly said it will never give up its nuclear weapons programme, which the regime views as essential for its survival.
The United Nations Security Council has adopted many resolutions calling on North Korea to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes since Pyongyang first conducted a nuclear test in 2006.
The world has for months watched on in horror as the long-running Israel-Palestinian conflict exploded into the bloodiest Gaza war after Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Oct 7.
The Palestinian gunmen overwhelmed Gaza's high-tech border fence and burst into southern Israel in an attack that left about 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The surprise attack - in which Hamas militants committed atrocities and dragged off some 250 hostages - blindsided and infuriated Israel and sparked a devastating military response.
Heavy bombardment and a ground invasion launched three weeks into the war, have reduced vast areas of Gaza to a ruined wasteland and killed at least 21,822 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry.
More than 55,000 people have been injured, it said, at a time when most Gaza hospitals are either out of service or damaged and overwhelmed.
The Israeli army says 172 of its soldiers have been killed inside Gaza, and Netanyahu said Israeli forces had killed about 8,000 "terrorists" so far.
Days ago, Israel said soldiers had destroyed the Gaza City hideout, connected to a vast tunnel system, of Hamas's Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, whom they have labelled a "dead man walking".
"EPIC HUMAN SUFFERING"
As the war has raged, UN chief Antonio Guterres has condemned the "epic human suffering" and "collective punishment" of Palestinian civilians.
He and other world leaders have repeatedly called for a ceasefire while Israel has vowed to push on until Hamas is defeated, a position backed by its powerful ally the United States.
Netanyahu stressed again that "the war will continue for many months until Hamas is eliminated and the hostages are returned".
"We will guarantee that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel," he told a news conference on Saturday.
On Sunday, he vowed: "We will continue our defensive war, the justice and morality of which is without peer".
DUBAI: Iranian-backed Houthi militants attacked a Maersk container vessel with missiles and small boats, prompting the company to pause all sailing through the Red Sea for 48 hours, Maersk said on Sunday (Dec 31).
The crew of the Maersk Hangzhou crew was safe and there was no indication of fire onboard the vessel, which was fully manoeuvrable and continued its journey north to Port Suez, Maersk said.
The attacks have disrupted world trade, with major shipping companies taking the longer and costlier route around the Africa's Cape of Good Hope rather than through the Suez Canal.
The Red Sea is the entry point for ships using the Suez Canal, which handles about 12 per cent of global trade and vital for the movement of goods between Asia and Europe.
In response, Maersk said on Dec 24 it would resume sailings through the Red Sea. However, attacks have continued and US allies have proven reluctant to commit to the coalition, with nearly half not declaring their presence publicly.
Maersk, one of the world's major cargo shippers, said on Sunday it would delay all transits through the area for 48 hours, after the Maersk Hangzhou was struck by a missile at around 1730 GMT on Saturday 55 nautical miles southwest of Al Hodeidah, Yemen.
A US warship shot down another two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, according to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
Later at around 0330 GMT on Sunday, the same ship was attacked by Houthi militants in four small boats. An attempt by the attackers to board the vessel was averted after its security team and helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely, responding to distress calls, returned fire, according to statements by Maersk and CENTCOM.
The helicopters sank three of the militant boats, with no survivors, while the fourth boat fled the area, CENTCOM said in the statement.
The Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou with capacity to carry 14,000 containers was en route from Singapore.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Sunday that he had told Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a call that Iran should help stop the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
"I made clear that Iran shares responsibility for preventing these attacks, given their long-standing support to the Houthis," Cameron said in a post on social media site X, adding that the attacks "threaten innocent lives and the global economy".
WASHINGTON: An American destroyer shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Yemen on Saturday (Dec 30) as it responded to a call for help from a container ship that was hit in a separate strike, the United States military said.
The missiles were launched from territory controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a social media post, describing it as the "23rd illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping" since Nov 19.
CENTCOM said that the USS Gravely and USS Laboon - both destroyers - responded to a request for assistance from the Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and operated container ship that reported being struck by a missile while transiting the Red Sea.
While responding, the Gravely shot down the missiles, which were fired "toward the ships", it said.
The attacks by the Yemeni rebels - who have said they are targeting Israel and Israeli-linked vessels - are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade, prompting the United States to set up a multinational naval task force earlier this month to protect Red Sea shipping.
The latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict began when the Palestinian militant group carried out a shock cross-border attack from Gaza on Oct 7 that killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Following the attack, the United States rushed military aid to Israel, which has carried out a relentless campaign in Gaza that has killed at least 21,672 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.
Those deaths have sparked widespread anger in the Middle East and provided an impetus for attacks by armed groups across the region that are opposed to Israel.
US forces in Iraq and Syria have also repeatedly come under fire from drone and rocket attacks that Washington says are being carried out by Iran-backed armed groups.
Images from Kharkiv showed badly damaged buildings, including a hotel with many windows blown out.
Ukraine's air force said the military had shot down 21 out of 49 drones launched overnight by Russia. Most were aimed at the front line and parts of the Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions, it said.
In a separate attack, three people were killed when Russian forces shelled a village in the Kharkiv region near the front line, Syniehubov said.
The attacks came within hours after what Moscow called an "indiscriminate" Ukrainian air attack on the city of Belgorod, near Kharkiv and just north of Ukraine's border, that killed at least 22 people.
Russian newspaper Kommersant cited a source close to the Russian Investigative Committee as saying that Ukraine launched its attack on Belgorod from a multiple rocket launcher in the Kharkiv region.
Both sides have increased attacks in the last week of 2023, with Russia killing at least 31 civilians in its biggest air assault of the 22-month war on Ukraine on Friday.
US President Joe Biden, asked if he'll speak to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Russia's latest attacks in Ukraine, said: "I speak to him regularly."
Russia's army said it had "carried out 50 group strikes and one massive strike" on military facilities in Ukraine over the past week, adding that "all targets were hit".
The United Nations condemned the attacks and said they must stop "immediately".
Missile 'entered' and 'left' Polish airspace
Poland reported that a Russian missile briefly passed through its airspace during Friday's attacks.
"Everything indicates that a Russian missile entered Polish airspace... It also left," said General Wieslaw Kukula, chief of the general staff of the Polish armed forces.
After speaking to Polish President Andrzej Duda, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance "stands in solidarity" with Poland, adding: "NATO remains vigilant."
In the face of sustained Russian assaults, Ukraine is urging Western allies to maintain military support.
Ukraine presidential aide Andriy Yermak said Kyiv needed "more support and strength to stop this terror".
US President Joe Biden called on Congress to overcome its division to approve new aid for Ukraine, after Washington released its final package of weaponry under existing agreements still to be renewed.
"Unless Congress takes urgent action in the new year, we will not be able to continue sending the weapons and vital air defence systems Ukraine needs to protect its people," Biden said.
"Congress must step up and act without any further delay."
Britain announced it would send hundreds more air defence missiles to Kyiv, after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared that "We must continue to stand with Ukraine, for as long as it takes."
The strikes targeted at least six Ukrainian regions including Kharkiv in the northeast, Lviv in the west, Dnipro in the east and Odesa in the south.
In Dnipro, a maternity hospital was "severely damaged" but staff and patients managed to shelter in time, the health ministry said.
There were 12 women in labour and four newborns inside when it was struck, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Sergiy Lysak, said on Friday.
Lysak also reported six killed and 28 wounded in strikes on a shopping mall, private houses and administrative buildings.
Kharkiv faced around 20 strikes, which killed three employees at a civilian enterprise and wounded 11, governor Oleg Synegubov said on Friday.
In Zaporizhzhia, on the shores of the Dnipro river, governor Yuriy Malashko reported seven dead and 13 wounded according to a Friday toll.
In the Odesa region, which has seen renewed attacks since the summer, four people were killed.
Strikes over Lviv in western Ukraine are much more rare, but the region was not spared on Friday.
One person was killed and 15 wounded as blocks of flats and two schools were damaged, the interior ministry said.
Separately, local Russian officials said Saturday at least four people including three children were killed by Ukrainian strikes in the border regions of Belgorod and Bryansk over the past 24 hours.
Belgorod is about 30km from the border with Ukraine and has been repeatedly targeted by what Russia says is indiscriminate shelling by Kyiv's forces.
KUALA LUMPUR: The corruption investigation against Malaysia's former finance minister Daim Zainuddin was based on information obtained from the Pandora Papers, the country's anti-graft agency said on Saturday (Dec 30).
He also criticised MACC chief Azam Baki for unprofessional conduct, such as making “various prejudicial comments" against him in public while investigations are still ongoing.
In a statement on Saturday, the anti-graft agency said Mr Daim's comments have "caused confusion and misunderstanding to the general public".
"First of all, the MACC has never at any point raised or issued any official statement accusing Daim of committing any offences," the agency said, as quoted by the Star.
"In the case of Daim, the MACC opened an investigation paper in February 2023 based on information from the Pandora Papers."
The Pandora Papers are a trove of documents, leaked in 2021, that revealed the hidden wealth of world leaders, billionaires and celebrities who used offshore companies to acquire mansions, private jets and stakes in companies.
BEIJING: China will simplify visa applications for tourists from the United States from Jan 1, cutting the documents required, according to a notice on Friday (Dec 29) on the website of the Chinese embassy in Washington.
The move is the latest by China to revive tourism and boost the world's second-largest economy following a slump during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tourist visa applicants in the US will no longer need to submit air ticket bookings, hotel reservations or an invitation letter, the embassy's notice said.
Beijing earlier cleared the way for passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia to visit the country without visas from Dec 1.
Visa-free treatment will run for 12 months, during which tourists from those six countries can visit China for up to 15 days.
China also expanded its visa-free transit policy to 54 countries in November.
The number of inbound tourists to the country plummeted during the pandemic due to the country's strict COVID-19 control policies.
International flights to China have picked up since Beijing dropped COVID-19 restrictions a year ago but are still only at 60 per cent of 2019 levels.
KUALA LUMPUR: McDonald's Malaysia has sued a movement promoting boycotts against Israel for "false and defamatory statements" that it says hurt its business.
It is seeking damages amounting to 6 million ringgit (US$1.3 million).
Gerbang Alaf Restaurants (GAR), which is the licensee of McDonald's in Malaysia, is suing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Malaysia movement for a series of social media postings allegedly linking the fast food franchise, among other companies, to Israel's "genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza".
According to a writ of summons dated Dec 19 sighted by Reuters, Gerbang Alaf Restaurants alleged that BDS Malaysia incited the public to boycott McDonald's Malaysia, which led to a loss of profit and job cuts, among other damages, due to closures and shortened operating hours of its outlets.
McDonald's Malaysia confirmed it filed the suit against BDS Malaysia to protect its "rights and interests", it said in a statement on Friday (Dec 29).
In response, BDS Malaysia said it "categorically denies" defaming the fast food company and would leave the matter to the court.
The BDS movement aims to end international support for Israel's "oppression of Palestinians" and pressure Israel to comply with international law.
The strikes targeted at least six Ukrainian regions including Kharkiv in the northeast, Lviv in the west, Dnipro in the east and Odesa in the south.
In the capital Kyiv seven people were killed, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, with damage to the building of Lukyanivska metro station located near the Artyom arms factory that Russia said it targeted early in the war.
Work was still ongoing to rescue people stuck under the rubble of the warehouse in the Shevchenko district in the afternoon, according to the city administration.
AFP journalists in Kyiv earlier saw firefighters wearing oxygen masks tackling a fire a 3,000 square metres (32,300 square feet) warehouse in the northern Podil district.
Damage to civilian facilities was also reported in other parts of the country.
The northeastern city of Kharkiv faced around 20 strikes, killing three employees at a civilian enterprise and wounding 11, governor said Oleg Synegubov.
In Dnipro in southern Ukraine, the health ministry said a maternity hospital had been "severely damaged" but the staff and patients had managed to shelter in time.
Six were killed and 28 wounded said Sergiy Lysak, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region where a shopping mall, private houses and administrative buildings were hit.
Lysak said there were 12 women in labour at the maternity hospital and four newborns when it was struck.
In Zaporizhzhia, on the shores on the Dnipro river, governor Yuriy Malashko reported seven dead and 13 wounded.
In the Odesa region, which has seen renewed attacks since the summer, four people were killed.
Earlier in the day, an AFP photographer saw firefighters extinguishing a blaze in a high-rise building, smoke pouring out of a hole blown in the facade, and the air thick with dust.
Strikes over Lviv in the West of Ukraine are much more rare, but the region was not spared on Friday.
One person was killed and 15 wounded as high-rise blocks of flats and two schools were damaged, the interior ministry said.
Zelenskyy said he had visited the town of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, which has become a key battle site since Ukraine's counteroffensive failed to pierce through Russia's defensive lines.
"This is one of the most difficult areas of the front line," he wrote on Telegram, along with a video of him in front of a sign with the name of the town, giving medals to soldiers.
"I thank all those who are at the first line (of fire) for their service, for this year during which the entire country survived thanks to its soldiers," he said.
BEIJING: A former vice-chairman of China's banking regulator has been sentenced to life imprisonment, state media reported on Friday (Dec 29), the latest target in a crackdown on corruption in the second-largest economy's finance sector.
Beijing launched a sprawling campaign to counter graft in 2012, following the ascension of leader Xi Jinping to the top of the governing Communist Party.
Since then, some 4.8 million party officials have been investigated, according to the latest official figures from June 2022.
Such investigations generally result in convictions and are suspected of serving as a tool for sidelining political figures seen as opposing Xi.
Cai Esheng was found guilty of accepting 407 million yuan (US$57.5 million) in bribes while in office, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing a decision by a court in Zhenjiang.
He was also said to have taken an additional 110 million yuan in bribes after retiring.
CCTV reported he was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, which will be commuted to life in prison.
Born in 1951, Cai spent most of his career in finance and served for eight years as a vice-chairman of the country's banking regulator.
Now retired, he came under scrutiny in 2021 with the launch of an investigation into "serious violations of discipline and the law" - wording that typically designates acts of corruption or embezzlement.
The former executive also served as a senior Communist Party representative to the banking regulator.
The conviction comes during a particularly active period for the crackdown on China's finance sector.
On Thursday, a former head of China's central bank was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for corruption.
A legislative gathering on Friday saw the adoption of an amendment that provides tougher penalties for corruption, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Ukraine has been warning for weeks that Russia could be stockpiling missiles to launch a major air attack on the energy system. Last year millions of people were plunged into darkness when Russian strikes pounded the power grid.
Five people were killed in the central region of Dnipropetrovsk where missiles hit a shopping centre, a privately-held home and a six-storey residential building.
One person was confirmed dead at a warehouse in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, revising down an earlier toll of two. Residential buildings and an uninhabited building were also hit, a senior military official said.
Three people were killed in the Black Sea port city of Odesa and at least 15 were wounded, including two children, as missiles hit residential buildings, the regional governor said.
In Lviv region, which borders NATO member Poland, missile impacts were confirmed at an unnamed critical infrastructure facility, the president's office said.
One person was killed in a damaged multi-storey residential building in the city of Lviv, the regional governor said. Three schools and a kindergarten were also damaged, the mayor said.
In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, a missile strike damaged a warehouse, industrial facility, a medical facility and a transport depot, the regional governor said. One person was killed and 11 other were injured, he said.
Missiles hit several infrastructure facilities in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia and one person was killed, the interior minister said.
Suan Lum Night Bazaar Ratchadaphisek Co, operating the Bazaar Hotel Bangkok, has been slapped with a fine of 1.3 million baht (US$38,033). The penalty comes after the company allowed for the installation of a gargoyle-like sculpture, known as Khru Kai Kaew, on its rented premises. The half-god, half-demon figure sparked controversy due to its frightening appearance leading to numerous complaints from the public.
The contentious 4-metre by 3.5m sculpture was initially positioned at the hotel’s front, on land leased from the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). Following the backlash, the sculpture was moved to the rear of the hotel, covered with a sheet, and is awaiting collection by its owner, according to the company’s CEO, Pairot Thungthong.
Under an SRT directive, the sculpture’s removal was mandated within 30 days, set to end tomorrow. The company complied with the order and also settled the 1.3 million baht fine (US$38,033) on December 22. The fine was issued for a violation of the Building Control Act, which bars any construction on the specific SRT land without prior permission., reports Bangkok Post.
In an interesting twist, before the removal began, a ritual was conducted by five monks to free any spirits believed to be trapped within the sculpture. Just as the work was about to commence, Theppharit Paensuk, the managing director of Khrukaikaew Co, which owns the sculpture, made an unexpected appearance.
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Theppharit contested the removal, citing a contract with the hotel that permitted the sculpture’s installation. A lawyer representing the hotel clarified that the contract was void, as the hotel’s prior management, which had signed the agreement with Khrukaikaew Co, lacked the legal authority to sub-lease the space. Despite his protest, Theppharit had no option but to allow the removal, warning of legal action if the sculpture, allegedly worth millions of baht, sustained any damage during the process.
WASHINGTON: The former leader of a Hong Kong pro-independence group, who was sentenced under a national security law imposed by China, fled to Britain and will seek asylum over there, he told the Washington Post.
In November 2021, Tony Chung, who was then 20, was sentenced to 43 months in prison for trying to separate the city from China, and for money laundering. Chung was charged with secession under the sweeping national security law in 2020 and denied bail.
Beijing imposed the national security law on the Asian financial hub in 2020 after months of anti-government protests. The law punishes acts including subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces, and extremism with up to life in prison.
The trauma of detention and continued surveillance left Chung with a feeling of "immense pressure and fear", compelling him to leave, he told the newspaper.
Chung also said he was made to take part in a compulsory "deradicalisation" program in detention.
Guards "kept telling us (him and others in prison) that the United States government is really bad and that we had been manipulated by the United States," Chung was quoted as saying. "We felt like we had to agree with them, that we couldn't disagree or argue back."
Chung was eventually released in June 2023 after his time was reduced for good behaviour, according to the Washington Post. He plans to continue his studies and told the Post he will contribute everything he can in exile, "just as before".
Chung is the former leader of Hong Kong pro-independence group Studentlocalism that dissolved in 2020 before the security law came into effect.
Prosecutors had said at the time he was charged that he acted as an administrator for the Facebook pages of the US branch of Studentlocalism and an organisation called the Initiative Independence Party. They also said pro-independence T-shirts, flags and books were seized from his home.
The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the promise of a high degree of autonomy. Democracy activists and some Western governments say China broke that promise, an allegation that Beijing denies.
In a statement on Dec 28, Tun Daim Zainuddin broke his silence and said that, to date, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki had not informed him of the offence he had allegedly committed.
“As a former senior government member, and out of respect for the investigative process, I have kept silent until now.
“However, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki have not shown the same respect for the process with their continuing uncalled-for comments and statements, leaving me with no choice but to respond, in order to protect my reputation and good name.”
He added that he was referring to statements issued by Mr Anwar on the investigation.
“I deny categorically any corrupt act or wrongdoing of whatsoever nature by myself or my family. This investigation is nothing short of a political witch hunt against us.
“Till today, I have not been informed as to what offence I am alleged to have committed despite my repeated written queries to the MACC.”
Said Mr Daim: “I can reveal that we received a letter signed by Azam himself declining point-blank to tell me what the offence is. Yet, there has been an organised effort to discredit me by releasing misinformation and baseless insinuations against me.
“It is public knowledge that Anwar – for reasons best known to him – regards me as a political threat and foe who must be discredited. It would be futile and dishonest for him to deny this.”
Mr Daim then said that it was an “irrefutable fact” that, under the MACC Act 2009, the chief commissioner is dependent on the prime minister for his appointment or extension of tenure.
He said: “Anwar’s latest tirade against me in December, which stated, ‘It is an open secret. Someone had reaped so much wealth’, is a reckless and unsubstantiated insinuation that I am guilty of some unspecified offences.
“This amply shows his animus against me. It is also highly inappropriate and an abuse of power for a prime minister to interfere or influence an ongoing investigation by making blatant public insinuations of guilt. I have consulted my lawyers on this and will take the appropriate action in due course.
“As regards to the MACC chief Azam, it is unacceptable, unprofessional and suspicious that he has resorted to making various prejudicial comments against me in public whilst the investigation is still ongoing.”
Mr Daim added: “As head of the organisation, Azam must also be held responsible for a slew of ‘source’ news leaks on the purported investigation. These so-called ‘sources’ can only be coming from within the MACC as it purports to reveal details of the said investigation.
“The purpose of the leaks is clearly to justify their high-handed actions against me and to paint myself as a corrupt person and offender. Not being told of the offences against me, I am in no position to answer them or defend myself.”
He said he had extended his fullest cooperation to the MACC since the start of the investigation, and regularly communicated with them via his lawyers. “As such, it is patently false for the MACC ‘sources’ to claim that I have not made a proper disclosure of the financial details demanded by MACC.”
HANOI: Communist Party-ruled Vietnam has upgraded ties with the world's top powers, including former foes, China and the United States, as part of its "bamboo diplomacy", which it has pro-actively pursued since 2021 to navigate rising global tensions.
After a string of deals this year and last, the Southeast Asian country's top partners include the United States, China, India, South Korea and Russia, which for decades has supplied most of Vietnam's military equipment.
Below are details of Vietnam's increasingly dynamic foreign policy approach and its most important diplomatic agreements over the last 12 months.
WHAT IS "BAMBOO DIPLOMACY"?
A regional manufacturing powerhouse, Vietnam is an increasingly strategic player in global supply chains.
To bolster this position, the country's most powerful figure, Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, used in 2021 the imagery of "strong roots, stout trunk, and flexible branches" of the bamboo plant to describe Vietnam's foreign policy approach of having "more friends, fewer foes".
CHINA
Vietnam and China earlier this month agreed to build a community with a "shared future" during a visit to Hanoi by Chinese President Xi Jinping, his first to an Asian country this year.
The two nations signed 36 cooperation documents in areas such as transport infrastructure, trade, security and digital economy, and published a joint declaration with wide-ranging commitments.
China is Vietnam's largest trading partner and a vital source of imports for its manufacturing sector, but the two communist countries have been for years embroiled in disputes in the South China Sea - the latest in May. Tensions have subsided somewhat more recently as Beijing's attention has focused on another claimant in the waterway, the Philippines.
UNITED STATES
Vietnam and the United States elevated in September their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the highest level in Vietnam's ranking, and announced closer cooperation on semiconductors and critical minerals during a visit to Hanoi by US President Joe Biden.
The United States, which is the top importer of Vietnam's goods, pushed for the upgrade as part of its strategy to secure uninterrupted access to global supply chains and to contain China in the South China Sea.
A case in point is the 2022 US Commerce Department investigation into eight solar panel companies in Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia) accused of skirting US tariffs on Chinese-sourced materials.
That the US is heavily reliant on these four countries for photovoltaic panels – accounting for about 75 per cent on imports in 2021 – was not enough to defend against bipartisan determination to crack down on “unfair” Chinese trade practices.
Not only did the Commerce Department find the exporters guilty of skirting tariffs, but the US Congress voted to reinstate tariffs of up to 254 per cent on solar panels from Southeast Asia. President Joe Biden vetoed this legislative bid, but his waiver on retroactive tariffs only extends until June 2024.
In effect, Southeast Asian firms are caught between a rock and a hard place. They might be forced to choose between Chinese expertise and the lucrative US market, limiting their ability to grow and support their home country’s green transition.
NAVIGATING ROUGH WATERS, WITH HELP
The costs of a failed green transition are especially stark for Southeast Asia. One model by Deloitte predicted that the region could lose US$28 trillion over the next 50 years in losses from tourism, services and manufacturing if its carbon emissions are not addressed.
While these challenges are steep, they are not insurmountable. There is still room to leverage the competition between the two superpowers to support the region’s green transition.
SEOUL (Reuters) -Lee Sun-kyun, a South Korean actor who drew global attention with his performance as the wealthy patriarch in the Oscar-winning film "Parasite", was found dead on Wednesday in an apparent suicide in a Seoul park, officials in the capital said.
Lee, 48, who met a gory end in the 2019 film, South Korea's first to win any Oscar, had faced police questioning three times over accusations of illegal drug use amid a government crackdown, with one session running 19 hours over the weekend.
The actor had said he was tricked into taking drugs by a bar hostess trying to blackmail him, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Authorities found Lee in a search triggered by a missing person report, a fire official told Reuters on condition of anonymity, as the matter is a sensitive one.
Lee was found in a car at a park in Seoul, after his manager told police the actor had left home, leaving behind an apparent suicide note, a police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Lee's agency, HODU&U Entertainment, did not respond to calls.
However, domestic media cited a statement by the agency that expressed sadness at the death, while urging restraint regarding false information, speculation, or malicious reports.
Infringements of South Korea's tough drug laws can lead to six months in jail, or up to 14 years for repeat offenders and dealers.
A dark-comedy thriller directed by Bong Joon-ho, “Parasite” won the Academy Award in 2020 in the four categories of best picture, best director, best original screenplay and best international feature film, off six Oscar nominations.
The film became the first non-English language movie to win the best picture award. Bong hailed its popularity as a sign that the "one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles" was no longer a stumbling block to global success.
In the film, Lee played the character of Mr Park, whose affluent home is infiltrated by members of a lower-class family posing as highly qualified domestic workers in a tangled scheme that ends in violence.
Lee, born in 1975, had leading roles in South Korean films such as the 2012 thriller "Helpless" and 2014's "All About My Wife", as well as the acclaimed 2018 TV series "My Mister".
He played the lead in Apple TV+'s first Korean-language original series, rolled out in 2021.
A six-episode sci-fi thriller, "Dr. Brain" featured a cold-hearted neurologist hunting for clues to a mysterious family accident through brain experiments.
Lee's wife is award-winning actress Jeon Hye-jin, and the couple had two children.
(Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi, Josh Smith, and Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting by Minwoo Park and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Writing by Josh Smith; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Authorities found Lee in a search triggered by the report that he was missing, the fire official told Reuters on condition of anonymity, as the matter is a sensitive one.
Earlier, citing police, Yonhap said Lee was found in a car at a park in Seoul, after his manager told police the actor had left home, leaving an apparent suicide note. The news agency had also earlier reported that he was found unconscious next to charcoal briquettes inside the vehicle.
Officials at Seoul's Jongno and Seongbuk police stations did not immediately respond to telephone calls from Reuters to seek comment.
Lee's agency, HODU&U Entertainment, also did not respond to calls.
Infringements of South Korea's tough drug laws can lead to six months in jail, or up to 14 years for repeat offenders and dealers.
CAIRO/GAZA/JERUSALEM - Israel’s war on Hamas will last for months, Israel’s military chief said, as a string of incidents outside the Gaza Strip highlighted the risk of the conflict spreading.
Israel’s Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi told reporters in a televised statement on Dec 26 the Gaza border that the war would go on “for many months”.
“There are no magic solutions, there are no shortcuts in dismantling a terrorist organization, only determined and persistent fighting,” Mr Halevi said. “We will reach Hamas’ leadership too, whether it takes a week or if it takes months.”
Israeli actions intensified around Christmas, particularly in a central area just south of the seasonal waterway that bisects the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army told civilians to leave the area, though many said there was no safe place left to go.
“We are gravely concerned about the continued bombardment of Middle Gaza by Israeli forces, which has claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve,” said UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango.
“Israeli forces must take all measures available to protect civilians. Warnings and evacuation orders do not absolve them of the full range of their international humanitarian law obligations.”
Israel is determined to destroy Hamas despite global calls for a ceasefire in the 11-week-old war.
Palestinian health authorities said nearly 21,000 people had been killed in Israeli strikes, with thousands more feared buried under rubble. Nearly all of the enclave’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes, many several times.
Gaza authorities buried 80 unidentified Palestinians on Dec 26 whose bodies were handed over by Israel through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, the health ministry said.
According to the Islamic Waqf, or religious affairs ministry, the bodies were collected from the northern part of the Gaza Strip. They were buried in a long ditch at a Rafah cemetery in the south.
“Pictures are being taken to identify them later,” a representative of the Gaza Islamic Waqf said during the burials.
Israel says it is doing what it can to protect civilians, and blames Hamas for putting them in harm’s way by operating among them, which Hamas denies.
But even Israel’s closest ally the United States has said it should do more to reduce civilian deaths from what President Joe Biden has called “indiscriminate bombing”.
Spread threat
There are growing signs the conflict is starting to spread.
JAKARTA: Indonesian defence minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto cemented his lead in the polls after candidates took part in televised debates ahead of the looming Feb 14 election.
A Dec 23 to Dec 24 poll released by Indikator Politik Indonesia on Tuesday showed that Prabowo, who is running with President Joko Widodo's 36-year-old son Gibran Rakabuming Raka, would secure 46.7 per cent of the vote.
Indikator placed former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo as his closest opponent, with 24.5 per cent of the vote, while former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan had the support of 21 per cent of those polled.
A poll by Kompas this month gave Prabowo 39.3 per cent of the vote and placed Anies as his closest opponent with 16.7 per cent, followed by Ganjar at 15.3 per cent.
Indikator's survey was conducted after televised debates between the presidential candidates on Dec 12 and candidates for vice president on Dec 22.
A decision by the country's constitutional court this October paved the way for Gibran to run in the elections, raising widespread concern about the deepening of dynastic politics in the world's third-largest democracy.
MANILA: The Philippines is not provoking conflict in the South China Sea, its military spokesperson said on Tuesday (Dec 26), responding to China's accusation that Manila was encroaching on Beijing's territory.
It was the latest salvo amid rising tension as the two have traded accusations in recent months over a series of maritime run-ins, including China allegedly ramming a ship this month carrying the Philippines' military chief.
"The Philippines is not provoking conflict," Medel Aguilar told state broadcaster PTV.
"We follow international law and we are only implementing our domestic law, meaning the limits of our territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, where we have sovereign rights."
This "extremely dangerous" behaviour seriously harmed regional peace and stability, it added.
Aguilar said Philippine activities would not put vessels and seafarers in danger, instead accusing China of carrying out dangerous manoeuvres that sometimes result in collisions at sea.
"They are the ones committing all the violations," he added.
In Gaza, Hamas and smaller militant ally Islamic Jihad, both sworn to Israel’s destruction, are believed to be holding more than 100 hostages from among 240 they captured during their Oct 7 rampage through Israeli towns, when they killed 1,200 people.
Since then, Israel has laid much of the narrow strip to waste. Nearly 20,700 Gazans have been killed, including 250 in the last 24 hours, according to the authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
The vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million population have been driven from their homes, and the United Nations says humanitarian conditions are catastrophic.
The Israeli military said on Monday two of its soldiers had died in the last day, bringing to 158 the number killed since ground operations began on Oct 20.
Separately, three security sources said an Israeli air strike outside the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday killed a senior adviser in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
The sources said the adviser, known as Mr Sayyed Razi Mousavi, was responsible for coordinating the military alliance between Syria and Iran, which supports Hamas in Gaza.
The Revolutionary Guards, in a statement read on Iranian state television, said Israel “will pay for this crime”.
PETALING JAYA - A Singaporean’s Christmas celebration turned awry when he got injured from a hanging decorative Christmas tree that fell on his head from the ceiling of a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur.
Mr Julius Lee, 44, was taking pictures of his wife Aileen Tan and their child in Pavilion KL when the incident happened.
“My husband was standing outside the merry-go-round to take our picture when suddenly, a Christmas tree fell on him.
“It happened so fast. Thankfully, my child was with me. The Christmas tree would’ve hit my child if she was in the stroller,” she said, according to Sinar Harian.
Ms Tan, 39, said her husband, who suffered a bruise on his head, was rushed to the clinic by the mall’s management.
She said they arrived in Malaysia on Dec 20 with their three-year-old daughter to celebrate Christmas.
The fallen Christmas tree was promptly removed, and the area was secured by mall security and management.
In a statement, Pavilion KL expressed regret over the incident.
“Our medical and safety team promptly responded, accompanying the shopper to the nearest clinic for immediate medical attention. The shopper had a minor graze and appreciated the prompt action from the management,” it said.
It added that all decorations will be thoroughly checked. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Hamas and smaller militant ally Islamic Jihad, both sworn to Israel's destruction, are believed to be holding more than 100 hostages from among 240 they captured during their Oct 7 rampage through Israeli towns, when they killed 1,200 people.
Since then, Israel has besieged the narrow Gaza Strip and laid much of it to waste, with more than 20,400 people confirmed killed, according to authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza, and thousands more believed dead under the rubble.
The vast majority of the 2.3 million Gazans have been driven from their homes, and the United Nations says conditions are catastrophic.
Since a week-long truce collapsed at the start of the month, fighting has only intensified on the ground, with war spreading from the north of the Gaza Strip to the full length of the densely populated enclave.
The Israeli military said on Monday that two of its soldiers had died in the past day, bringing to 158 the number killed since ground operations began on Oct 20.
A day earlier Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had acknowledged the "heavy cost" but said there was "no choice" but to continue to fight deeper into Gaza until "total victory" over Hamas.
He said in a video message that troops would fight deeper into Gaza until "total victory" over Hamas.
Israel has been under pressure from its closest ally, the United States, to shift operations to a lower-intensity phase and reduce civilian deaths.
On Saturday, Israel's military chief of staff said his forces had largely achieved operational control in the north of Gaza and would expand operations further in the south.
But residents say fighting has only intensified in northern districts.
Diplomatic efforts, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, on a new truce to free the remaining hostages held in Gaza have yielded little public progress, although Washington described the talks last week as "very serious".
Netanyahu was due to attend a parliamentary discussion of the issue on Monday afternoon and then to convene a session of his war cabinet, Israeli officials told Reuters.
Islamic Jihad said a delegation led by its exiled leader Ziad al-Nakhlala was in Cairo on Sunday. His arrival followed talks attended by Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in recent days.
The militant groups have said they would not discuss any release of hostages unless Israel ends its war in Gaza, while the Israelis say they are willing to discuss only a pause in fighting.
He spoke of "the all-too-human thread that runs through history: the quest for worldly power and might, fame and glory, which measures everything in terms of success, results, numbers and figures, a world obsessed with achievement".
Francis said that while many might find it hard to celebrate Christmas in "this world that is so judgmental and unforgiving", they should try to remember what happened on the first Christmas.
"Tonight, love changes history," he said.
Francis has made numerous appeals for a ceasefire in the conflict raging in Gaza and has called for the release of all hostages held by Palestinian militant groups.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both sworn to Israel's destruction, are still believed to be holding more than 100 hostages from among 240 they captured during their Oct 7 rampage through Israeli towns, when they killed 1,200 people.
Since then, Israel has besieged the Gaza Strip and laid much of it to waste, with more than 20,400 people confirmed killed, according to Gaza's Hamas-run authorities, and thousands more believed dead under the rubble. The vast majority of the 2.3 million Gazans have been driven from their homes and the United Nations says conditions are catastrophic.
At noon (1100 GMT) on Monday, Francis will deliver his Christmas Day "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message and blessing.
Manchester United have confirmed they have agreed to sell a minority stake to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, with the INEOS chairman also committed to investing another $300 million into the club.
Ratcliffe has acquired a 25% stake in the club in a deal worth around £1.3 billion ($1.6bn) and will also take responsibility for football operations at United.
A statement issued on Sunday said his further $300m commitment is "intended to enable future investment into Old Trafford."
"As a local boy and a lifelong supporter of the club, I am very pleased that we have been able to agree a deal with the Manchester United board that delegates us management responsibility of the football operations of the club," Ratcliffe said in the statement. "Whilst the commercial success of the club has ensured there have always been available funds to win trophies at the highest level, this potential has not been fully unlocked in recent times.
"We will bring the global knowledge, expertise and talent from the wider INEOS Sport group to help drive further improvement at the club, while also providing funds intended to enable future investment into Old Trafford.
"We are here for the long term and recognise that a lot of challenges and hard work lie ahead, which we will approach with rigour, professionalism and passion. We are committed to working with everyone at the club -- the board, staff, players and fans -- to help drive the club forward.
"Our shared ambition is clear: we all want to see Manchester United back where we belong, at the very top of English, European and world football."
Ratcliffe will acquire 25% of the club's Class B shares, previously exclusively held by the Glazer family, and up to 25% Class A shares, which are traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
A source told ESPN that two seats on the football board will go to Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc.
There's no formal agreement for Ratcliffe to become full owner of United, but he would get first refusal should the Glazers decide to sell more shares.
"We are delighted to have agreed this deal with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS," executive co-chairmen and directors Avram Glazer and Joel Glazer said in the statement. "As part of the strategic review we announced in November 2022, we committed to look at a variety of alternatives to help enhance Manchester United, with a focus on delivering success for our men's, women's and Academy teams.
"Sir Jim and INEOS bring a wealth of commercial experience as well as significant financial commitment into the Club. And, through INEOS Sport, Manchester United will have access to seasoned high-performance professionals, experienced in creating and leading elite teams from both inside and outside the game. Manchester United has talented people right across the club and our desire is to always improve at every level to help bring our great fans more success in the future."
The news comes more than a year after the Glazers announced they were "exploring strategic alternatives for the club" including accepting investment or sanctioning a full sale.
Despite interest from Ratcliffe and Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani in a full takeover at Old Trafford, the Glazers opted to accept Ratcliffe's offer to buy a minority stake. Under the terms of the agreement, the Glazers will remain at the club as majority shareholders.
The Glazers have been deeply unpopular with fans since their heavily leveraged buyout of the club in 2005.
A statement from Manchester United Supporters Trust reacting to the announcement said: "Today might -- just might -- be a step forward for Manchester United after some very difficult years. But with the Glazers still in charge, people should understand that United fans will remain sceptical and wait for the proof in the pudding."
Ratcliffe, 71, was born in Failsworth, Manchester, and grew up a United fan. He already owns French club Nice and Swiss outfit FC Lausanne-Sport and failed with a late bid to buy Chelsea in 2022.
Ahead of confirmation of Ratcliffe's involvement at United, CEO Richard Arnold announced he would be stepping down. Patrick Stewart was named interim CEO with Arnold providing "transitional support" until the end of December.
United's statement also said Ratcliffe's management responsibilities "will include all aspects of the men's and women's football operations and Academies, alongside two seats on the Manchester United PLC board and the Manchester United Football Club boards.
"The joint ambition is to create a world-class football operation building on the Club's many existing strengths, including the successful off-pitch performance that it continues to enjoy."
Several cities in the central Chinese province of Henan are facing a winter heating supply crunch, with thermal power suppliers in the city of Jiaozuo under pressure to ensure supplies.
Heating boilers at JiaoZuo WanFang Aluminum Manufacturing , one of the major suppliers in the city, have broken down, leaving some areas in urgent need of more heat supply, state media reported on Sunday.
The supplier is scrambling to fix the malfunction and expects to resume supply on Dec 26, state media reported, without specifying the number of boilers that have broken down.
JiaoZuo WanFang Aluminum did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment from Reuters.
The city will suspend heat supply for most businesses except essential service providers such as hospitals and senior centres to prioritise residential heat usage. However, some residential compounds will still be affected during the device maintenance period, the media reports added.
Two other cities in Henan - Puyang and Pingdingshan - have already suspended heat supply to government departments and administrative institutions to prioritise residential usage, the local governments said, citing extremely cold weather.
The weather forecast shows temperatures in the three cities hitting sub-zero on Sunday. Temperatures in several other areas in Henan would plunge to a low of minus 15 degrees Celsius over the weekend, the central province's weather authority said on Saturday.
Warm air is expected to flow from the country's north to south lifting temperatures from the weekend.
As of 2pm local time on Sunday, temperatures in many areas in central and eastern China had rebounded somewhat, with temperatures in some areas rising by more than 10 degrees Celsius, China's weather authority said.
Also on Saturday, Russian state media said that Yabloko party founder and leader Grigory Yavlinsky would not run for the presidency, citing the party’s press service. Speaking in a live interview on YouTube, once Duntsova’s appeal to Yabloko became known, Yavlinsky said that he “didn’t know” whether the party would consider her application.
Duntsova took her first steps toward candidate status on Sunday, when her run was endorsed by 500 supporters as required by Russian election law, and presented documents on Wednesday to Russia’s Central Election Commission to register her nomination.
A number of Russian parties also announced which candidates they would be backing in the presidential election next March, which incumbent President Vladimir Putin is all but certain to win.
The Russian Communist Party, the second largest party in the lower house of Parliament, the State Duma, announced after a secret ballot that it would support the nomination of Duma deputy Nikolai Kharitonov. As party leader Sergei Mironov previously said it would do, the Just Russia – For Truth party formally announced that it was supporting Putin’s nomination for the presidency.
Parties represented in the Duma do put forward candidates to run against Putin, but they represent only token opposition and are generally sympathetic to his agenda.
The Civic Initiative party, which is not represented in the Duma, is expected to back the nomination of independent candidate Boris Nadezhdin, who is known for campaigning against Russia’s actions in Ukraine. He has the support of a contingent of soldiers' wives, unhappy with their husbands’ long deployments.
NAGI (Okayama) / NAGAREYAMA (Chiba)– Mrs Ayano Hata is pregnant with her second child but is already thinking about having a third.
“We look at the large families around us and, somehow, ours still feels incomplete,” the 25-year-old tells The Straits Times as she watches her firstborn, 21-month-old Koharu, toddle across the lawn of a daycare centre.
Immediately after the UN vote, Israel vowed to continue its air and ground assault on the Gaza Strip until Hamas is "eliminated" and hostages still being held in the territory are freed.
"Israel will continue the war in Gaza," said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, insisting the war was legal and just.
But pressure is growing on Israeli authorities to recalibrate the Gaza offensive.
The war began on Oct 7 when Hamas gunmen broke through Gaza's militarised border and killed about 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Palestinian militants also abducted about 250 people, 129 of whom remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched a relentless bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, where 20,057 people have been killed, mostly women and children, according to the territory's Hamas government.
With swathes of Gaza reduced to rubble, many Gazans have been forced into crowded shelters or tents, and are struggling to find food, fuel, water and medical supplies.
The United Nations estimates the fighting has displaced almost 80 per cent of Gaza's 2.4 million population.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned a majority of those uprooted from their homes were now going "entire days and nights without eating".
"Hunger is present, and famine is looming," he said.
The body of a 51-year-old man was found topless with his hands and feet tied up in a hotel room in Genting Highlands on Dec 22.
A suspect has been arrested for the alleged murder.
Malaysian Chinese-language news outlet China Press reported that hotel staff had contacted the police after finding the man’s body in a hotel room.
The deceased is believed to be a security guard who was reportedly working for a loan shark.
China Press said the 45-year-old suspect, a Chinese national, had arrived in Malaysia on Dec 6 and lost RM50,000 (S$14,300) gambling at the casino. He then borrowed a similar amount from a loan shark and lost it gambling.
Unable to repay the money, he was detained in a hotel room by the loan shark and put under the watch of a security guard for three days.
China Press reported that on the morning of the incident, the guard had kicked the suspect, who was sleeping at the time, and demanded that he repay the money.
A fight broke out, and the suspect allegedly strangled the guard, using cloth strips, towels and belts to restrain him.
When he realised the guard was unconscious, the suspect performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him. He then informed medical staff, who confirmed the guard had died, China Press said.
The suspect was arrested on the spot and escorted to the police station for investigation.
China Press said the police are looking for two other suspects involved in the incident.
