Taiwan grounds Mirage fighter jet fleet after crash at sea

Taiwan grounds Mirage fighter jet fleet after crash at sea
Taiwan received its first of 60 Mirage 2000 jets in 1997, though they have been upgraded several times since then. At least seven have since been lost in accidents. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 11 September 2024
Follow

Taiwan grounds Mirage fighter jet fleet after crash at sea

Taiwan grounds Mirage fighter jet fleet after crash at sea
  • The Mirage was conducting nighttime exercises late on Tuesday after taking off from the Hsinchu air base when it suffered a loss of engine power and the pilot bailed out

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s air force said on Wednesday it had grounded its fleet of French-made Mirage fighter jets for maintenance checks after one crashed off the island’s northwest coast, though the pilot was rescued.
The Mirage was conducting nighttime exercises late on Tuesday after taking off from the Hsinchu air base when it suffered a loss of engine power and the pilot bailed out. Rescuers later found him and took him to hospital.
The air force said the Mirage fleet has now been grounded for checks, and that they would ensure sufficient coverage from other aircraft to make up for those taken out of rotation.
The US-built F-16 fighter jet is the mainstay of Taiwan’s air force. Taiwan received its first of 60 Mirage 2000 jets in 1997, though they have been upgraded several times since then. At least seven have since been lost in accidents.
Taiwan’s air force has suffered a series of crashes in recent years, including in 2022 when it grounded its Mirage fleet after one crashed into the sea off the east coast.
While Taiwan’s air force is well trained, it has been repeatedly scrambling to see off Chinese military aircraft flying near the island in the past five years, though the accidents have not been linked in any way to these intercept activities.


Indonesia to check grocery shelves as deadline for halal labels nears

Indonesia to check grocery shelves as deadline for halal labels nears
Updated 34 sec ago
Follow

Indonesia to check grocery shelves as deadline for halal labels nears

Indonesia to check grocery shelves as deadline for halal labels nears
  • World’s biggest Muslim-majority country adopted a measure in 2014 requiring the labeling for restaurants and food products
  • An October 17 deadline was set to ensure items are suitable for consumption under Islamic law
JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities plan to inspect grocery store shelves to check compliance with a law requiring halal labels on food items from Friday, officials said, although some importers and restaurants face hurdles in complying.
The world’s biggest Muslim-majority country adopted a measure in 2014 requiring the labeling for restaurants and food products, setting an Oct. 17 deadline to ensure items are suitable for consumption under Islamic law.
While most businesses in the nation of 280 million have complied, along with some major global food producers, others say they need more time.
“They (some members) want to be part of Indonesia’s strong market for halal products, but are still encountering complex supply chains and lack of clear guidelines,” said Lydia Ruddy, managing director of the American Chamber of Commerce.
“These potentially can lead to trade disruptions and higher costs,” she told Reuters, adding that AmCham was in talks with the government on the matter.
She called for more foreign certifiers to speed inspection of products and raw materials abroad so as to help the affected AmCham members.
The law requires products or restaurants without the certification to declare they do not comply with Islamic law, a step that could hit sales.
Islamic law prohibits consumption of pork or intoxicants such as alcohol, while meat can only be eaten if the animals were slaughtered by prescribed methods.
The halal certifying body BPJPH has asked the government for a two-year waiver on some raw materials used in the food and beverages industry, as well as products of small businesses, but the president has yet to sign off, its head, Aqil Irham, said.
With Indonesia’s President-designate Prabowo Subianto set to take over from the incumbent Joko Widodo next weekend, it was not clear if such a dispensation could be issued in time.
The presidential office did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The trade ministry deferred questions on the waiver to the BPJPH.
Authorities plan inspections on Friday to check compliance and issue a formal warning to producers of items that lack clear labels, said domestic trade official Moga Simatupang.
“We will take administrative action against non-compliance, so we urge importers to immediately register to get halal labels,” he added.
In the absence of compliance, such products will be removed from stores, he added, without setting a timeframe.
Most of the 400 members of the Indonesian Food and Beverage Industries Association have complied, but restaurants and hotels face difficulties because authorities need time to check menu offerings, said Adhi Lukman, the group’s chairman.
Conservative interpretations of Islam have gained ground in Indonesia in the past few years, ushering in major changes to the economy, across industries from entertainment to banking.

Musk gave $75 million to pro-Trump group, becoming a Republican mega donor

Musk gave $75 million to pro-Trump group, becoming a Republican mega donor
Updated 10 min 29 sec ago
Follow

Musk gave $75 million to pro-Trump group, becoming a Republican mega donor

Musk gave $75 million to pro-Trump group, becoming a Republican mega donor

WASHINGTON: Elon Musk gave around $75 million to his pro-Donald Trump spending group in the span of three months, federal disclosures showed on Tuesday, underscoring how the billionaire has become crucial to the Republican candidate’s efforts to win the Nov. 5 presidential election.
America PAC, which is focused on turning out voters in closely contested states that could decide the election, spent around $72 million of that in the July-September period, according to disclosures filed to the Federal Election Commission.
That is more than any other pro-Trump super PAC focused on turning out voters. The Trump campaign is broadly reliant on outside groups for canvassing voters, meaning the super PAC founded by Musk — the world’s richest man — plays an outsized role in the razor-thin election between Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.
Musk, the CEO of electric car manufacturer Tesla, was the sole donor to the group in that period.
Musk, who has said he has voted for Democratic presidential candidates in the past, has taken a sharp turn to the right this election. He endorsed Trump in July and appeared with him at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month.
On Wednesday, Musk said in a post on X that he will be “giving a series of talks” throughout Pennsylvania, less than two weeks after his appearance with Trump in the state.
He said people only needed to sign a petition on his America PAC website to attend his talks from “tomorrow night through Monday.”
Reuters reported, quoting a source, last week that Musk planned more campaigning for Trump in Pennsylvania, considered a crucial state for both Trump and his Democratic opponent Harris in the race for the White House.
Musk’s donations to America PAC propel him into the exclusive club of Republican mega donors, a list that also includes banking heir Timothy Mellon and casino billionaire Miriam Adelson.
However, Reuters reported earlier this month that Musk has secretly funded a conservative political group for years, well before his public embrace of Trump.
America PAC declined to comment on the Musk donations. Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
America PAC is focused on encouraging Americans who like Trump but don’t always vote to cast ballots this cycle, a high-risk, labor-intensive strategy by the Trump campaign.
The group, which started its work later in the election than other PACs, has encountered some problems with hiring and its contractors. Since July, it has fired two major contractors it has hired to knock on doors.
It has also struggled to hire door knockers in several battleground states in part because by the time the PAC became operational many other canvassing groups had already staffed up, a half-dozen sources briefed on the issues told Reuters.
The group had around $4 million left on hand by the end of September, the filings show.
Separate filings earlier on Tuesday showed that Miriam Adelson, the casino magnate, donated $95 million to another pro-Trump super PAC, Preserve America PAC, in the same period.


Former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad hospitalized with respiratory infection

Former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad hospitalized with respiratory infection
Updated 38 min 11 sec ago
Follow

Former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad hospitalized with respiratory infection

Former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad hospitalized with respiratory infection
  • The 99-year-old Mahathir has a history of heart problems and has undergone bypass surgeries
  • He has been in and out of hospital in recent years, and was last hospitalized in July

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has been admitted to hospital for a respiratory infection, his office said on Wednesday after media reported the ex-premier missed a court hearing in a defamation case he has lodged.
The 99-year-old Mahathir, who served as prime minister for more two decades, has a history of heart problems and has undergone bypass surgeries. He has been in and out of hospital in recent years, and was last hospitalized in July.
Mahathir had been due in court on Wednesday for a defamation case he had filed against the current deputy prime minister, but local media reported the hearing was postponed after his lawyer said he had been admitted to the National Heart Institute.
An aide of Mahathir told Reuters he was hospitalized on Tuesday evening for coughing due to a lower respiratory tract infection, and would be on medical leave until Oct. 25.
Mahathir served as prime minister for 22 years until 2003. He returned as premier in 2018 after leading the opposition coalition to a historic win, but his government collapsed in less than two years due to infighting.


China says it will not renounce use of force over Taiwan

China says it will not renounce use of force over Taiwan
Updated 46 min 41 sec ago
Follow

China says it will not renounce use of force over Taiwan

China says it will not renounce use of force over Taiwan
  • China staged a day of large-scale drills around the island on Monday as a warning to ‘separatist acts’
  • Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future

BEIJING/TAIPEI: China will not promise to renounce the use of force over Taiwan but this is aimed at external interference and a small minority of separatists, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday following the country’s latest war games around the island.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, staged a day of large-scale drills around the island on Monday it said were a warning to “separatist acts” following last week’s national day speech by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te.
“We are willing to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with the utmost sincerity and endeavor,” Chen Binhua, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, told a regular press briefing in Beijing.
“But we will never commit ourselves to renouncing the use of force,” he said.
That is, however, aimed at the interference of “external forces” — a reference to the United States and its allies — and the very small number of Taiwan separatists, not the vast majority of Taiwan’s people, Chen said.
“No matter how many troops Taiwan has and how many weapons it acquires, and no matter whether external forces intervene or not, if it (Taiwan) dares to take risks, it will lead to its own destruction,” he added.
“Our actions to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity will not cease for a moment.”
Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei earlier on Wednesday, Taiwan National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen said China’s drills had backfired given the international condemnation they generated, especially from Washington.
“The Chinese communists’ military exercise has created a negative effect in that it made the international community more supportive of Taiwan,” he said.
Lai, in his Oct. 10 speech, said China has no right to represent Taiwan, but the island was willing to work with Beijing to combat challenges like climate change, striking both a firm and a conciliatory tone which Taiwan officials said was a show of goodwill toward Beijing.
Chen, the Chinese spokesperson, said Lai had stuck to his “stubborn separatist position.”
“There was no goodwill to speak of,” he added.
Lai has repeatedly offered talks with China but been rebuffed.
China’s military on Monday held open the possibility of more drills around Taiwan depending on the level of “provocation.”
Tsai said the government remained on alert for further military actions.
“We cannot rule out any possibilities,” he added.
China has over the past five years sent warships and warplanes in the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis.
On Wednesday morning, in its daily update of Chinese activities in the previous 24 hours, Taiwan’s defense ministry said it had detected 22 Chinese military aircraft and five navy ships.
The defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists. No armistice or peace treaty has ever been signed.


Zelensky to unveil ‘victory plan’ to Ukrainian lawmakers after presenting it to Western allies

Zelensky to unveil ‘victory plan’ to Ukrainian lawmakers after presenting it to Western allies
Updated 16 October 2024
Follow

Zelensky to unveil ‘victory plan’ to Ukrainian lawmakers after presenting it to Western allies

Zelensky to unveil ‘victory plan’ to Ukrainian lawmakers after presenting it to Western allies
  • The plan is considered as Ukraine’s last resort to strengthen its hand in any future ceasefire negotiations with Russia
  • No country has publicly endorsed it or commented on its feasibility

KYIV, Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was set to at least partially unveil a plan to win the war against Russia to his country’s Parliament on Wednesday after weeks of dropping hints about the blueprint to lukewarm Western allies, including US President Joe Biden.
The plan — comprising military, political, diplomatic and economic elements — is considered by many as Ukraine’s last resort to strengthen its hand in any future ceasefire negotiations with Russia. Thus far, however, no country has publicly endorsed it or commented on its feasibility.
Zelensky is keen to get the “victory plan” in place before a new US president is sworn in next year, though Ukrainian officials say neither presidential candidate will necessarily improve Kyiv’s standing in the war.
Zelensky’s presentation to Parliament, announced on Monday by presidential adviser Serhii Leshchenko, comes during a bleak moment in Ukraine. The country’s military is suffering losses along the eastern front as Russian forces inch closer to a strategically significant victory near the crucial logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
At every turn, Kyiv is outnumbered by Moscow: The country is struggling to replenish ranks with an unpopular mobilization drive; its ammunition stocks are limited; and Russia’s superiority in the skies is wreaking havoc for Ukrainian defensive lines.
It’s not clear how much of his victory plan Zelensky will reveal on Wednesday; Leshchenko indicated that it would be fully unveiled, while other officials suggested that the president would not divulge its most sensitive elements to all lawmakers.
Either way, the plan essentially puts Kyiv’s future in the hands of its allies. Without it, any deal with Russia would almost certainly be unfavorable for Ukraine, which has lost a fifth of its territory and tens of thousands of lives in the conflict. Kyiv would be unlikely to ever recover occupied territory, or receive reparations for widespread destruction across the country.
Several elements of the plan have already come to light: making Ukraine a member of NATO; allowing the country to use Western long-range weapons to strike deep inside Russia; providing resources to strengthen Ukraine’s air and other defenses, and intensifying sanctions against Russia.
Ukraine’s surprise military incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August was also part of the plan, Zelensky told reporters. He said the 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of territory captured by Ukraine — along with other provisions of the plan — will likely serve as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Russia.
NATO’s Article 5 states that an attack against one member is considered an attack against all. Ukraine’s inclusion in the alliance would deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading again, Ukrainian officials argue. Western leaders have so far been reluctant to guarantee an invitation, fearing escalation from Putin.
Ukrainian officials were expecting feedback from Western allies at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, during which defense leaders from 50-plus partner nations gather to coordinate weapons aid for the war. Scheduled for this past weekend, the summit was postponed after Biden canceled his attendance in response to Hurricane Milton in the US
Zelensky has since toured Western capitals to present other key allies an outline of his vision. But none so far have given any indication they will support the plan. Some expressed concerns over the tight deadline set by Zelensky, who gave allies just three months to adopt the blueprint’s main tenets in late September.
Thus far, the US has been Kyiv’s main backer during the two-and-a-half-year war. But Biden has balked at the request to use long-range weapons to strike specific targets inside Russia, fearing a possible escalation in the war. Meanwhile, an intensifying conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hezbollah that risks embroiling Iran has diverted Washington’s attention.
Many expect Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris to continue Biden’s policy and maintain the status quo. Under Biden, US assistance to Kyiv, though substantial, has consistently arrived too late to make a significant difference for Ukrainian forces.
Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump has only said that he’d end the war quickly, without saying how.
Meanwhile, Brazil and China have proposed alternate peace plans that Zelensky has rejected, saying they would merely pause the war and give Moscow time to consolidate its battered army and defense industry.