Japan to join ‘Five Eyes’ to check China’s clampdown on Uyghurs
Amid calls within the Japanese government to join the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence-sharing alliance, it provided key inputs to the US and the UK regarding Chinese clampdown on Uyghurs, reported Kyodo News.
Five Eyes is a network of five nations -- Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the US who collaborated to better respond to increasing threats by North Korea and China. Japan is on its way to become the ‘sixth eye’.
A person close to Japan-US relations disclosed on Monday that Japan had provided intelligence to the US and the UK last year on China’s forceful detainment of Muslim Uyghur minority people on condition of keeping the source confidential, reported Kyodo News.
The US as well as the UK stepped up their criticism against the Chinese severe crackdown on Uyghurs in the Xinjiang autonomous region, said the source.
Based on the information gathered from Japan, the Trump administration placed a series of sanctions on Beijing for human rights violations against Uyghurs, such as visa restriction on Chinese officials, heightening bilateral tensions, reported Kyodo News.
Earlier, Vice President Mike Pence in 2019 claimed that “Communist Party imprisoned more than a million Chinese Muslims, including Uyghurs, in internment camps where they endure around-the-clock brainwashing.”
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Bailout hopes from IMF forces Pakistan to hike fuel prices by 30 PKR
The prices of petroleum products in Pakistan shot up on Friday after the Shehbaz Sharif-led government, left with fewer options to prevent the country from spiralling into a deeper economic crisis, reduced the fuel subsidies by a record margin. The Pakistan government hiked the cost of all petroleum products by ₹30 in local currency, the highest single-hike ever.
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US slams Putin’s food-for-sanctions relief plan
The US rejected a plan by Russian President Vladimir Putin to facilitate grain and fertilizer exports only if sanctions on his country are lifted, pinning the blame on the Kremlin for blocking shipments and stoking concerns of global food shortages. The US may announce a new package of aid for Ukraine as soon as next week that would include long-range rocket systems and other advanced weapons, CNN reported unidentified government officials as saying.
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Empower inclusive Kabul to counter terror and enhance global security: NSA Doval
National security advisor Ajit Doval on Friday urged the participant countries at a dialogue with counterparts from seven other countries, including China, to enhance the capability of Afghanistan to counter the terrorism and terrorist groups which pose a threat to regional peace and security. Right to life, dignified living, human rights, and accessibility to assistance were among the priorities highlighted by the top security official.
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Imran Khan praises India again as Pak sees highest-ever rise in petrol price
Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan has once again praised India and this time for being able to reduce fuel prices which Imran Khan said was owing to cheaper oil from Russia. The statement of the PTI leader came as the Shehbaz Sharif government in Pakistan increased the prices of all petroleum products by rupees 30 per litre (PKR) to reduce fuel subsidies.
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Politicians or billionaires- Who do you trust less? Elon Musk asks
This is a question that can trigger spirited conversations, especially in the middle of a pandemic when both world leaders and tycoons have been blamed for not doing enough. Interestingly, this question was asked on Friday in a Twitter poll by the world's richest person, Elon Musk. Last year, the United Nations had told him that 2 per cent of his net worth - $6 billion - could solve the world's hunger problem.
