Japan’s parliament reelects struggling leader Ishiba as prime minister

Update Japan’s parliament reelects struggling leader Ishiba as prime minister
Lawmakers in the powerful lower house convened on Monday afternoon for a special four-day session to nominate the prime minister, a necessary step after a general election. Above, Shigeru Ishiba attends the session to elect the new prime minister on Nov. 11, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 11 November 2024
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Japan’s parliament reelects struggling leader Ishiba as prime minister

Japan’s parliament reelects struggling leader Ishiba as prime minister
  • Ishiba’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito lose majority in the Lower House
  • Ishiba beat top opposition leader Yoshihiko Noda 221-160 in the first runoff in 30 years

TOKYO: Japan’s parliament reelected Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday after his governing coalition suffered the worst election loss in more than a decade.
Ishiba’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito together lost their majority in the 465-seat Lower House, the more powerful of Japan’s two-house parliament, in the Oct. 27 election due to continued voter outrage over financial misconduct by his party and its lukewarm response.
A special parliamentary session convened Monday to pick a new leader in a vote required within 30 days of a general election. In the past, these votes did not attract as much attention because an LDP leader was virtually assured to be prime minister. Ishiba beat top opposition leader Yoshihiko Noda 221-160 in the first runoff in 30 years.
Most of his previous Cabinet members will be reappointed, but Ishiba will have to replace three who lost their seats or were affected by the election results.
Since the election loss, Ishiba has refused to step down, saying is willing to cooperate with additional coalition partners to boost stability and help him pursue his party’s policies. Noda, head of the centrist opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, has sought to form an opposition coalition — but so far unsuccessfully.
Ishiba will struggle in the coming months as he must gain consent from the opposition on policies including the budget and other legislation.
He is eyeing a rising smaller, conservative opposition, the Democratic Party for the People, whose seats quadrupled to 28 under its popular leader Yuichiro Tamaki.
A Harvard-educated former Finance Ministry bureaucrat, Tamaki has proposed raising the basic tax-free income allowance and increasing take-home wages, ideas that attracted low-income earners and younger voters in the election. He only wants to cooperate with Ishiba’s party on policy — not as part of a coalition — since he wants to use his leverage to increase his party’s standing ahead of the next election.
Tamaki was recently stung by a magazine article exposing an extramarital affair, which he admitted to on Monday, adding to political uncertainty.
Ishiba’s government is preparing for his trip later this month to ASEAN and Group of 20 summits, as well as a possible meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump on his way home.


UN Security Council to meet Monday on Syria: diplomatic sources

A general view of a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Friday, Sep. 1, 2024. (AP)
A general view of a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Friday, Sep. 1, 2024. (AP)
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UN Security Council to meet Monday on Syria: diplomatic sources

A general view of a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Friday, Sep. 1, 2024. (AP)
  • The Syrian opposition source said the rebels had shown Turkiye details of the planning, after Ankara’s attempts to engage Assad had failed

UNITED NATIONS, United States: The UN Security Council will convene Monday afternoon for an emergency closed door meeting regarding Syria in the aftermath of president Bashar Assad fleeing the country, multiple diplomatic sources told AFP on Sunday.
The meeting, set for 3:00 p.m. (2000 GMT), was requested by Russia earlier on Sunday.
 

 


Somali pirates demand ransom for Chinese vessel

Somali pirates demand ransom for Chinese vessel
Updated 08 December 2024
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Somali pirates demand ransom for Chinese vessel

Somali pirates demand ransom for Chinese vessel

MOGADISHU: Somali pirates who hijacked a Chinese fishing boat have demanded a ransom payment for the vessel and its 18 crew members, police and local officials said.

It was not immediately clear when the ship was taken hostage by gunmen wielding AK-47 assault rifles but the EU’s anti-piracy force drew global attention to the incident on Thursday.

“The pirates are moving the ship off the coast ... they are looking for a safe haven,” Mohamed Dini, a police officer in Eyl, a traditional pirate stronghold on Puntland’s east coast, said.

The boat was hijacked by men who had been contracted to provide “protection” before later being reinforced by other pirates, Dini said, adding that they had demanded payment for its release.

Ali Warsame, a local elder familiar with the case, said a Somali company acting on the boat’s behalf had offered to pay a $300,000 ransom. But the proposal was declined by the pirates. Local fishermen said the boat came close to Eyl on Friday, but the pirates pushed back into the sea out of fear of Puntland’s coast guards.

But “they cannot move deeper toward the ocean because they are afraid of the foreign military ships,” said fisherman Abdirahman Said.


Migrants who survived Madagascar boat tragedy arrive back in Somalia

Migrants who survived Madagascar boat tragedy arrive back in Somalia
Updated 08 December 2024
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Migrants who survived Madagascar boat tragedy arrive back in Somalia

Migrants who survived Madagascar boat tragedy arrive back in Somalia
  • Survivors were stranded in the ocean for 13 days after their boat’s engines failed

MOGADISHU: Nearly 50 survivors of a migrant boat tragedy last month that left 25 people dead in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar arrived back in Somalia and were received by government officials.

The survivors aged 17 to 50 wore outfits made of fabric with the Somali national flag colors as they disembarked from a plane in the capital, Mogadishu, visibly relieved to return to safety.

Many young Somalis embark every year on dangerous journeys in search of better opportunities abroad. The UN agency has previously raised concerns over the rise in irregular migration from Horn of Africa countries as people flee from conflict and drought.

The survivors told The Associated Press that they were stranded in the ocean for 13 days after their boat’s engines failed.

Ahmed Hussein, traveling with his now-deceased cousin, said they were heading to Europe hoping for a better life. Two vessels carrying the migrants departed Somalia early last month.

“We were split into two small boats. The engine broke down, and we drifted at sea for 13 days with no functioning engine. We had no food or water, and the (few) dates we had ran out during those 13 days. We survived by catching some fish,” he said.

Officials in Madagascar and Somalia had earlier said the boats capsized but offered no further explanation. The authorities had also put the number of survivors at 48 but only 47 arrived in Somalia and the whereabouts of one survivor remained unclear.

The boats left from a beach near the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Nov. 2 with 73 people on board and were believed to be headed to the French region of Mayotte, according to Jean-Edmond Randrianantenaina, the head of Madagascar’s Maritime Ports Agency. Mayotte, an archipelago, is around 1,600 kilometers from Mogadishu.

Abdirashid Ibrahim, another survivor, recalled how some survivors had swollen ankles and couldn’t walk after being rescued. “On the boat, we had nowhere to sleep, no food, and we were crammed together. Some people died from shock, and others succumbed to starvation,” he said.

Abdulkadir Burgal, director of the Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who was at the airport to receive the survivors, told journalists that some of the people who helped the migrants embark on the dangerous journey had been arrested while others died in the incident.

“Eight people involved in the trafficking of Somali migrants have been arrested,” he said.

Maryan Yasin, the president’s special envoy for migration, said the survivors were happy to be home.

“They assured me they will never take the same risk again.” The Somali government is committed to finding a resolution, and this resolution will be a collective effort,” she said.


Ghana’s ex-president Mahama returns with election win

Ghana’s ex-president Mahama returns with election win
Updated 08 December 2024
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Ghana’s ex-president Mahama returns with election win

Ghana’s ex-president Mahama returns with election win

ACCRA: Ghana’s former President John Drahami Mahama won a historic comeback election victory on Sunday after the ruling party accepted defeat with voters appearing to punish them for the government’s handling of an economic crisis.

Following Saturday’s election, New Patriotic Party candidate Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia on Sunday conceded Ghanaians wanted change after he failed to shake off widespread frustration over high costs of living.

His defeat ended eight years in power for the NPP under President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose last term was marked by the west African state’s worst economic turmoil in years, high inflation and a debt default.

For opposition National Democratic Congress party’s Mahama, president from 2012-2017, it was his third attempt to reclaim the top post after falling short in 2016 and 2020 elections.

“Former President Mahama has won the presidential election decisively,” Bawumia told a press conference.

Mahama’s NDC also won the parliament elections, Bawumia said, referring to the NPP’s own internal collation of election results.

“The people of Ghana have spoken, the people have voted for change at this time and we respect it with all humility,” he said.

The speedy concession came as official vote tallies were still arriving.

Blaring horns and whistles and waving the party’s green, white and red flags, Mahama supporters took the streets to celebrate outside the party campaign office in the capital Accra.

“They said he can’t come back, and he has come. The nation builder is back to build our Ghana for us,” said trader and Mahama supporter Leyla Alhassan enjoying the celebrations.

Mahama has yet to speak publicly. But on his X account, Mahama confirmed he received Bawumia’s congratulatory call over his “emphatic victory.”

The US Embassy in Accra also applauded a “successful election that reflects the will of the Ghanaian people.”

“The US looks forward to continuing our strong partnerships under” Mahama, it said on X.

Ghana’s economic woes dominated the election, after the continent’s top gold producer and world’s second cacao exporter went through a crisis of default and currency devaluation, ending with a $3 billion IMF bailout.

Earlier, NDC spokesman Sammy Gyamfi told reporters the party’s internal review of results showed Mahama won 56.3 percent of the vote against 41.3 percent for Bawumia.


Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party march in protest at attacks in India

Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party march in protest at attacks in India
Updated 08 December 2024
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Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party march in protest at attacks in India

Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party march in protest at attacks in India
  • Bangladesh has accused Hindus of attacking its assistant high commissioner’s office in Agartala, desecrating Bangladeshi flags in Kolkata
  • The protests came a day before India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, is due to visit Dhaka amid growing tension between the two neighbors

DHAKA: Thousands of members of three youth and student bodies belonging to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party marched toward the Indian High Commission in the country’s capital on Sunday to denounce attacks on a diplomatic mission and alleged desecration of Bangladeshi flags in India.
The protests came a day before India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, is due to visit Dhaka amid growing tension between the two neighbors in recent months.
It will be the first high-profile diplomatic visit by an Indian official since the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is in exile in India, in August.
Bangladesh, which is predominantly Muslim, has accused the majority Hindus in India of attacking the Assistant High Commissioner’s office at Agartala in the Indian state of Tripura and desecrating Bangladeshi flags in Kolkata in West Bengal state.
India said it regretted the attacks and pledged to take action against those responsible. Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also summoned the Indian High Commissioner and protested formally.
On Sunday, thousands of supporters of the BNP, which is headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, marched toward the Indian High Commission, but police stopped them by setting up barbed wire fences. They later allowed a team of six leaders of the three associate bodies of the party to hand in a letter to the High Commission.
The BNP last ruled Bangladesh in 2001-2006 in partnership with the Jamaat-e-Islami party. In the absence of Hasina, Zia’s party is the main force and it is expected to win the next election if it happens sometime soon.
Hasina, whose party is seen as more secular than the BNP, is highly regarded by India as a trusted friend. Most Hindus in Bangladesh are considered to be supporters of Hasina’s Awami League party.
The BNP supporters chanted slogans such as “Delhi or Dhaka? Dhaka, Dhaka!” and “Agents of India, be careful, be careful!” They also carried banners reading “We have friends overseas, but not masters.”
The protesters said India has been trying to instigate communal riots in Bangladesh to achieve political mileage since the ouster of Hasina, who fled to India following a mass uprising that ended her 15-year rule. Hasina’s party is struggling to get back on the streets while Hasina herself is facing arrest warrants on charges of crimes against humanity involving the deaths of hundreds of protesters during the uprising in July and August.
Over the past few weeks, some smaller Islamist groups and the BNP have protested against India over the attacks in Tripura and urged the interim government, led by Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, to officially raise concerns.
The situation started becoming tense after authorities in Bangladesh last month arrested a prominent Bangladeshi Hindu leader and jailed him, pending further legal procedures.
India had earlier officially raised concern over allegations of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh after the fall of Hasina. Yunus and his close aides said the reports were exaggerated.
Bangladesh has been navigating crucial challenges since August amid mob violence, rising commodity prices, street protests and an unstable economy. The presence of Islamist groups has been visible more than ever in recent months.
The police are demoralized because many of their colleagues were killed in the protests and law and order remains a major concern, with rights groups also calling for ensuring press freedom. About 700 inmates including many criminals and radical Islamists still remain at large after jailbreaks during the political chaos in August.
Yunus has been urging people to stay calm, promising improvement.