China urges ASEAN to oppose Japan's release of water from Fukushima plant: Report

56th ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting will be held from July 11-14 in Jakarta

11/07/2023 Tuesday
AA



China has urged member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to oppose Japan's planned release of treated radioactive water from the disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear plant.

Beijing has called for the chair statement of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting which begins Tuesday in the Indonesian capital Jakarta to express opposition to Japan's planned release, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported Monday, citing an unnamed diplomatic source.

At working-level consultations, Beijing has also asked Indonesia, the current chair of the grouping, to avoid using the term “treated water” in the joint statement to be issued on Friday following the annual security huddle.

Dismissing China's stance, Japan said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concluded in a report released last Tuesday that Tokyo's plan "aligns with global safety standards and would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment."

Neighboring South Korea has said it respects the outcome of the IAEA's review, while China has criticized the UN nuclear watchdog, urging Tokyo not to carry out the planned release.

Japan's government and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., the operator of the Fukushima plant, aim to begin releasing the water into the sea around the summer after it undergoes processing to remove most of the radionuclides except tritium.


Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Friday hinted at expanding Beijing's import controls on Japanese food, contending that Tokyo has used the pseudo-scientific term "treated water to downplay the risks of the "nuclear-contaminated water."

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi is visiting Japan's neighbors to defend the nuclear watchdog's report on Tokyo's plans to release nuclear waste into the sea.

The report was submitted to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last week. It said, however, that the IAEA neither recommends nor endorses the national decision of Japan to release the treated water.

Japan’s water discharge plan, announced in April 2021, has faced significant criticism from China, South Korea, North Korea and Taiwan, along with international organizations, including the UN.

The US supported the proposal following years of discussions on dealing with over 1 million tons of water stored at the Fukushima nuclear complex since the 2011 disaster.

On March 11, 2011, a nuclear accident occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Okuma, Fukushima, Japan. The proximate cause of the disaster was the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

HK planning wide sea products ban over Fukushima: CE

2023-07-11 

Chief Executive John Lee says the government will ban aquatic products from "a large number of prefectures" of Japan if Tokyo goes ahead with a plan to release wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant that was crippled by a tsunami in 2011.

Speaking to reporters before the weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee said he takes food safety and public health concerns seriously, adding that the action Japan is planning would be unprecedented and could lead to unknown risks.

The chief executive said he has instructed Environment and Ecology Secretary Tse Chin-wan to work out plans with various government departments, under the supervision of Chief Secretary Eric Chan, for a response to a discharge of wastewater.

Lee said he believes that Hong Kong's catering industry would understand the reason behind any restrictions imposed.

"I'm sure they will know food safety is important, and they will know public confidence in food safety is so important that it will affect the whole catering sector if we don't handle it in a way that the citizens will feel safe."

The chief executive added that Tse would make an announcement as soon as possible once an action plan has been formulated.

 

Chile’s science minister: Lithium development can’t come at any cost

Online News EditorJuly 10, 2023

By Javier Martin

Santiago, Jul 10 (EFE).- Chile’s science and technology minister warned of the challenges that lithium development entails in an interview with Efe, saying it cannot be done “at any cost.”

Aisen Etcheverry said that industry must take into account the needs of future generations, as well as its impact on the land, nature, climate and nearby communities.

Chile also must be aware that the massive current demand for that ultra-light metal used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric cars and other consumer electronic products “won’t last forever.”

The government is looking to make progress with a “new model of sustainable productive development,” said Etcheverry, who this week will be accompanying Chilean President Gabriel Boric on a visit to Europe.

“And doing so without understanding the desert, its minerals and its microorganisms, or how our communities have evolved. Without understanding in-depth the forests in Valdivia and Patagonia is missing the opportunity to advance in a much more complete way,” she said.

LITHIUM AND THE END OF EXTRACTIVISM

Those concerns and the goal of abandoning the Chilean mining sector’s traditional focus on extractivism and creating an industry with value-added are the guiding principles of the Boric administration’s national lithium strategy.

“Lithium makes up a very small percentage of the content of a salt flat,” she said.

Although lithium mining is an industry that is essential in the battle against climate change globally, its development “can’t come at any cost. It has to allow us as a country to provide opportunity to the future generations.”

“We can’t not ask ourselves what happens with the other minerals of the salt flat, what happens with the microorganisms that live there, what potential they have for other areas of global interest, from health to economic development,” Etcheverry said.

“And those questions that don’t have an answer today are the ones science is asking, the ones that allow us to devise a national lithium strategy that considers the future generations and not just extraction.”

Chile today has a “more mature” industry than when copper extraction began and these concerns have also permeated the private sector, the minister said, adding that this makes her more hopeful about the public-private partnership the government is proposing.

EDUCATION: A KEY STRATEGY

Etcheverry said science in Chile is at a crossroads, with the “same problems as in other parts of the world.”

She said the focus now should be on education and bridging the digital divide so that as a country it can tackle global challenges like the impact of the new technologies and the development of artificial intelligence.

In that regard, she said the Constitutional Council tasked with drafting a new national charter must not squander the opportunity to address matters such as “digital rights” and AI regulation.

“I wouldn’t say that it has to be there or doesn’t, but it’s hard to think that with everything that’s happened this year with artificial intelligence, all the discussions there have been, that some concern wouldn’t be generated among our Constitutional Council members,” Etcheverry said.

In that regard, she said Chile is seeking to implement its own regulation but will also look at what is being done elsewhere by entities such as the European Union and UNESCO, according to the minister. EFE

jm/mc

 

Vietnam Frees Australian pro-democracy activist

Online News EditorJuly 11, 2023

 

Sydney, Australia, Jul 11 (EFE).- Vietnam released Vietnamese-Australian activist Chau Van Kham, sentenced in 2019 to 12 years in prison for extremism, over his ties to the Viet Tan pro-democratic party, official sources said Tuesday.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he “very much welcomes the release of Chau,” in remarks Monday from Berlin, through Australian public broadcaster ABC.

Chau’s lawyer Dan Nguyen said in a statement through Amnesty International Australia that the activist, who returned Monday night to Australia, is with his wife and two sons.

He also thanked the government’s, organizations and individuals’ efforts that fought for his release.

Chau was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City in January 2019 after being accused of entering the country with a false document and sentenced in an express trial to 12 years in prison for extremism charges 10 months later.

This was due to Chau, 73, being linked to pro-democratic group Viet Tan, considered an extremist entity in the country but a human rights organization in Australia.

Deputy Australian Prime Minister Richard Marles said Chau was released on “humanitarian” reasons and “in the spirit of friendship which exists between Australia and Vietnam,” according to ABC.

Chau is one of “more than 150 political activists in Vietnam who have been detained for peaceful acts in favor of freedom of expression,” Human Rights Watch Asia Human Rights Director Elaine Pearson said in a statement.

Pearson spoke of journalist Dang Dihn Bach and activists Mai Phan Loi, Dang Dinh Bach, and Hoang Thi Minh Hong among them and urged Australia to continue advocating for their release.

The exact number of political prisoners in Vietnam is unknown, as numbers provided by different human rights organizations have discrepancies.

While Human Rights Watch says the total exceeds 150, Amnesty International said there were 128 political prisoners in the country last year. Dissident organization Defend the Defenders raised the number to more than 250. EFE

wat/lds

Crocodiles in Australia face cull threat after attack at popular swimming spot

A man was  attacked by a crocodile at Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park on July 10. 

ST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: LIM YAOHUI

SYDNEY - The top politician in Australia’s Northern Territory said on Tuesday it was “time to consider” a return to crocodile culling after an attack at a popular swimming spot.

A 67-year-old man is recovering in hospital after encountering a crocodile at Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park on Monday.

Northern Territory chief minister Natasha Fyles told reporters there had been a “significant increase” in the crocodile population since culling was suspended in the 1970s, with numbers going from around 3,000 to an estimate of more than 100,000.

“I think it’s time for us to consider: Do we need to go back to culling, considering the significant increase in the crocodile population and the impact it’s having not only on tourism and visitors, but locals,” she said.

Rangers and a crocodile management team euthanised a 2.4m male saltwater crocodile at Wangi Falls on Monday night, according to the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security.

Litchfield National Park is in a so-called barrier and removal zone, meaning that there is a “zero tolerance” approach to crocodiles and they can be trapped.

Northern Territory figures show that there were no saltwater crocodiles caught in Litchfield in 2022, but four were caught in each of the previous two years.

The swimming area where the man was attacked remains closed and will not reopen until surveys show it is safe.

Ms Fyles described Monday’s attack as “extremely scary”, adding: “We do need to consider the measures that we have to keep our community safe.”

Latest government statistics show that tourism was worth A$1.7 billion (S$1.52 billion) to the Northern Territory economy, although this figure was from 2021-22 when international travel was still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Asked about the impact of crocodile attacks on tourism, Ms Fyles said: “I think everyone in the territory has stories where crocodiles have been more aggressive, have interacted, and when you have a bigger crocodile population, there is more chance that they will interact with humans.

“I think we had a very thankful outcome yesterday, but it could be more tragic into the future.” AFP

 Tata Group set to become first Indian iPhone maker

Written byAthik Saleh
July 11, 2023 | 

Tata and Wistron could reach an agreement by August

Tata Group has been in talks to acquire Taiwanese electronics giant Wistron's iPhone assembly plant for a while.According to Bloomberg, the Indian conglomerate is close to sealing the deal, with the two parties expected to reach an agreement as soon as August.The acquisition would be the first step toward Tata's ambitions to become the first Indian company to manufacture iPhones.

Tata will honor Wistron's commitment after the acquisition

Wistron's iPhone factory is located on the outskirts of Bengaluru, Karnataka. The factory is valued at over $600 million.Tata and Wistron have been involved in negotiations for about a year. The plant employs over 10,000 workers.After the acquisition, Tata will honor Wistron's commitment to ship at least $1.8 billion worth of iPhones in the fiscal year.

Foxconn pulls out of $19.5-billion chip plan with Vedanta, Govt asks it to set up independent unit

Foxconn and Vedanta signed a pact last year to invest $19.5 billion to set up semiconductor and display production plants in the western state of Gujarat, seeking to tap into the country's plans to become an electronics major.

Written by Soumyarendra Barik
New Delhi | Updated: July 11, 2023 

"Foxconn is working to remove the Foxconn name from what now is a fully-owned entity of Vedanta," the electronics manufacturer said in a statement. (File Photo)

THE CENTRE has reached out to Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn to set up a semiconductor fabrication facility independently in India after the company announced that it was pulling out of its joint venture with Vedanta to set up a $19.5 billion chip manufacturing plant in the country, The Indian Express has learnt.

In what is being seen as a setback to India’s chip-making ambitions, Foxconn on Monday said that it will not move forward on the joint venture with Vedanta, marking a clear fall-out between the two partners. India has identified chip-making as a key priority for future economic growth, hoping to capitalise on companies looking to diversify their operations from China.

“Foxconn is working to remove the Foxconn name from what now is a fully-owned entity of Vedanta. Foxconn has no connection to the entity and efforts to keep its original name will cause confusion for future stakeholders,” it said.

Last September, Vedanta and Foxconn had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Gujarat government to set up separate chip and display manufacturing plants in the state for an estimated $19.5 billion. The plant had triggered a political firestorm as Gujarat was picked over Maharashtra.

“We were aware that the joint venture between Vedanta and Foxconn was not going well, there were some differences and it became clear to us a few months ago that Foxconn wasgoing to pull out of it,” said a senior government official in Delhi, adding, “the government is in touch with Foxconn and is encouraging it to set up a fab independently.”

In Gujarat, a senior government official said: “The pull-out of Foxconn was being discussed for some time and it is on expected lines. There were disagreements with regard to technology, policy, priorities and leadership. However, they have not dropped their plan to set up a semiconductor unit in Gujarat. Only the joint venture with Vedanta has been called off”.

It is learnt that Vedanta’s heavy debt load had raised doubts about its ability to pay for manufacturing grade technology.

Foxconn, it is learnt, has hinted to the government that it could apply for India’s $10 billion dollar chip incentive scheme on its own, with technology from either STMicroelectronics or GlobalFoundries.

The government has maintained that Foxconn’s break-up with the joint venture will have no impact on India’s semiconductor fab plans. “It is not for the government to get into why or how two private companies choose to partner or choose not to, but in simple terms, it means both companies can and will now pursue their strategies in India independently,” Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and IT, said.

Last month, the Vedanta-Foxconn joint venture had reapplied for the chip incentive scheme, this time for a 40 nanometre (nm) process after its initial proposal to set up a 28 nm chip production plant failed to sign up a technology partner. Neither Foxconn nor Vedanta have the in-house technology to design and manufacture chips, and India’s scheme requires such entities to have a technology partner to plug that gap.

In a statement, Vedanta said that it has “lined up other partners to set up India’s first foundry”. “We will continue to grow our semiconductor team, and we have the licence for production-grade technology for 40 nm from a prominent Integrated Device Manufacturer (IDM). We will shortly acquire a licence for production-grade 28 nm as well,” the company said.

The government will evaluate Vedanta’s proposal. However, without Foxconn, the application is unlikely to move ahead, it is learnt.

Aside from Vedanta-Foxconn’s proposal, the Centre had received two other applications to set up a fab in India. However, both have faced difficulties, despite announcing manufacturing plants in the country.

ISMC, backed by Abu Dhabi-based Next Orbit and Israel’s Tower Semiconductor, has asked the Centre not to consider its proposal owing to a pending merger between Intel and Tower Semiconductor. The merger continues to be delayed more than a year after its first announcement.

The consortium had initially said that it would set up a $3 billion semiconductor fab in Karnataka. Their proposal, however, is not expected to move further until Intel’s merger with Tower is complete.

Singapore-based IGSS Venture’s proposal was not found to be up to the mark by the government’s advisory committee and, as a result, is on the backburner, it is learnt.

With inputs from Avinash Nair in Ahmedabad

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

New Zealand prosecutor alleges tourists were not warned before volcano eruption

Plumes of steam rise above White Island off the coast of Whakatane, New Zealand after the eruption (Mark Baker/PA)
TUE, 11 JUL, 2023 - 06:29


Tourists received no health and safety warnings before they landed on New Zealand’s most active volcano ahead of a 2019 eruption that killed 22 people, a prosecutor said.

There were 47 people on White Island, the tip of an undersea volcano also known by its indigenous Maori name Whakaari, when superheated steam erupted on December 9. Most of the 25 people who survived were severely burned.

The island’s owners, brothers Andrew, James and Peter Buttle, their company Whakaari Management Ltd, and tour operators ID Tours NZ Ltd and Tauranga Tourism Services Ltd, went on trial on Tuesday in Auckland District Court for allegedly failing to adequately protect tourists and staff.They were not given the opportunity to make any informed decision about whether they wanted to take the risk of walking into the crater of an active and unpredictable volcano that had erupted as recently as 2016

Prosecutor Kristy McDonald said in opening the prosecution case that the eruption at the popular tourist destination was not predictable but was foreseeable.

The 20 tourists and two tour guides who died were given no warning of the risks, she said.

Ms McDonald said: “They were not given the opportunity to make any informed decision about whether they wanted to take the risk of walking into the crater of an active and unpredictable volcano that had erupted as recently as 2016.

“The business of tourism on Whakaari was a risky business.

“It involved tours to an active volcano, taking people to the heart of the crater in circumstances where no one could predict when an erupting might occur, and if an eruption did occur, those on Whakaari were likely to die or suffer very serious injury. And tragically, that risk was realised.”

Prosecutor Kristy McDonald addresses a court in Auckland 

(Lawrence Smith/AP)

Of those killed, 14 were Australians, five were Americans, two were New Zealanders and one was a German.

Ms McDonald said the company that owned the volcano failed to understand the risk, failed to consult with tour operators on the hazards, failed to ensure appropriate personal protective equipment was provided to tourists and staff and failed to provide an adequate means of evacuation.

The company left tour operators to monitor the changing risk.

An eruption on April 27, 2016, occurred at night without warning when no one was on the island. That should have prompted the owner to review the risk assessment, Ms McDonald said.

The volcanic eruption at the popular tourist island destination killed 22 people in December 2019 (Lawrence Smith/AP)

A honeymooning US couple who survived the eruption with severe burns, Matt Urey and Lauren Barham of Richmond, Virginia, are listed as the first witnesses to testify.

They were among 38 tourists who had travelled from Australia aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas and were on the volcano when it erupted.

Three helicopter tour operators pleaded guilty last week to safety breaches.

Each of the companies faces a maximum fine of 1.5 million New Zealand dollars. Each of the brothers charged faces a maximum fine of 300,000 New Zealand dollars.

The trial being heard by judge Evangelos Thomas without a jury is scheduled to run for 16 weeks.

China, Solomon Islands take swipe at AUKUS in announcing new strategic partnership

July 11, 2023 — 

Beijing: China and the Solomon Islands have signed a deal on police cooperation as part of an upgrade of their relations to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, four years after the Pacific nation switched ties from Taiwan to China.

The police cooperation pact was among nine deals signed after Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, underlining his nation’s foreign policy shift.

Visiting Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

CREDIT:AP

Sogavare arrived in China on Sunday for his first visit since the two countries struck a security pact last year, to the alarm of the United States and neighbours including Australia.

“In just four years, the relationship between China and the Solomon Islands has developed rapidly, and we can now say that it is very fruitful,” Li told Sogavare.

Sogavare, in turn, thanked China for its role in addressing global challenges including peace and sustainable development. He added that his country had “a lot to learn” from China’s experience.

A spokesperson for the US National Security Council said Washington “respects the ability of nations to make sovereign decisions in the best interests of their people” while encouraging the sides “to release these texts immediately to increase transparency and inform discussions about the impacts of these agreements on regional security”.

Australia is splashing cash in the Solomon Islands to ensure our neighbour favours our relationship over China.

The US official added that Washington was committed to a strong relationship with the region and strengthening longstanding bonds with the people of Solomon Islands.

Sogavare switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing when he came to power in 2019. Beijing claims democratically governed Taiwan as part of its own territory.

Last month, Sogavare called for a review of a 2017 security treaty with Australia, which has historically provided policing support to the Solomon Islands, including the rapid deployment of police in 2021 to quell riots, although China has increased its police training there.

RELATED ARTICLE

Pacific diplomacy
Manasseh Sogavare: the ‘paranoid’ Pacific leader tormenting Canberra

YOU ARE NOT PARANOID IF 'THEY' ARE OUT TO GET YOU

China will continue to provide assistance to the Solomon Islands to enhance its law enforcement capacity, according to a joint statement released by China’s official Xinhua news agency.

It urged “relevant countries” to “prudently” handle issues such as the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea and cooperation on nuclear submarines, in a thinly veiled swipe at Japan and AUKUS, the alliance among Australia, the United States and Britain.

‘Trustworthy friends’

Sogavare also met China’s President Xi Jinping on Monday afternoon and the two agreed to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership, according to Chinese state television.

A welcoming ceremony for Sogavare at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.CREDIT:AP

“China and Pacific island countries are both developing countries and should strengthen mutual assistance within the framework of South-South cooperation,” Xi said in the meeting.

China has long supported so-called South-South cooperation, which refers to cooperation between developing nations as equals for mutual benefit.

Describing the two countries as “trustworthy friends and reliable brothers”, Xi said China-Solomon Islands ties have set a “good example of solidarity and cooperation” between countries of different sizes and between developing nations.

RELATED ARTICLE

Opinion
Pacific diplomacy
The big idea floated by a tiny nation that could be a winner all round

Xi told Sogavare that China supports more of its firms investing in the Solomon Islands and will continue to provide economic and technical assistance “without political strings attached”.

Sogavare’s office highlighted “quality infrastructure” as an area that the country needs for economic empowerment to eradicate poverty.

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei is already building a cellular network in the Solomon Islands, financed by a $US66 million ($98.7 million) Chinese EXIM bank loan. A Chinese state company will also redevelop the port in the capital Honiara

Xi also pledged support for a 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, referring to a grand blueprint agreed among Pacific nations on advancing the region’s strategic goals over the next three decades.

The two countries also reached agreements in civil aviation, trade, economy, technology and sports, including a deal on “Sports Technical Assistance Project” as Honiara is hosting the Pacific Games in November. China has constructed the stadium.

Sogavare will be in China until Saturday and will officially open his country’s embassy in Beijing.

Reuters

Indonesia welcomes return of jewels, temple carvings as important step in global restitution effort by the Netherlands. 

(July 10)

DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY LOOTERS

Think tank leader who claims to have given FBI info on Hunter Biden charged by Justice Department

BY ELLA LEE - 07/10/23 9:06 PM ET

The head of a U.S. think tank who has repeatedly accused President Biden and his family of corruption has been charged with acting as an unregistered agent of China, Manhattan prosecutors announced Monday evening.

Gal Luft, co-director of the Maryland-based Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, is accused of recruiting and paying an unnamed former high-ranking U.S. government official on behalf of principals based in China in 2016, without registering as a foreign agent, which is legally required.

The former high-ranking official was an advisor to then President-elect Trump and was allegedly paid to publicly support certain policies pertaining to China, according to the 58-page, eight-count indictment unsealed Monday.

Manhattan prosecutors also allege Luft attempted to broker illicit arms deals to sell weapons to countries including Libya, the United Arab Emirates and Kenya without having a license to do so, as is legally required in the U.S.

And Luft is accused of violating Iran sanctions by setting up meetings between Iranian officials and a Chinese energy company to discuss oil deals. When interviewed by U.S. law enforcement, Luft allegedly made false statements regarding his role brokering those deals.

“As alleged, the defendant engaged in multiple schemes to evade sanctions and laws intended to protect our national security,” Christie M. Curtis, FBI acting assistant director in charge, said in the press release. “The FBI is determined to defend our nation by enforcing laws designed to promote transparency of foreign influence within the United States.”

A dual citizen of the U.S. and Israel, Luft was arrested on Feb. 17 in Cyprus, but fled after being released on bail and remains a fugitive, the Justice Department said in a press release.

In a video first published by the New York Post, Luft made bribery allegations against the Biden family and called himself “patient zero of the Biden family investigation.”

He claims in the video that he was arrested to prevent him from testifying before the House Oversight Committee on shady Biden family business dealings. He also claims he shared his allegations with FBI and DOJ officials during a March 2019 meeting, which he said they covered up. McConnell takes aim at Schumer, Biden for ‘escalating attacks’ on Supreme CourtHunter Biden prosecutor disputes GOP, IRS whistleblower claim

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the Oversight Committee, called Luft a “very credible witness on Biden family corruption” in a tweet last week. Comer and other Republicans have heralded Luft as a whistleblower in the Hunter Biden laptop probe.

Luft faces up to 100 years in prison if convicted of all eight counts and sentenced to the maximum amount of prison time, though such a sentence is unlikely.

The U.S. military has banned drag shows. But it used to love them.

For decades, the military not only produced drag shows for stage and screen (including one that involved Ronald Reagan), they published a handbook on how to do them