Malaysia Airlines says it has lost contact with flight MH370 travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Friday Asia Update: Top Five Stories for the Week of March 7, 2014
1. Mass stabbing in Kunming, China, leaves thirty-three dead and 130 injured. Eight people armed with knives attacked travelers in a train station in the southwestern city of Kunming on Saturday. Four attackers were shot dead, one was wounded and captured, and three other attackers were apprehended near the border with Vietnam. Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, called “China’s 9/11” by Chinese media, early signs suggest that Uighur separatists are the perpetrators. The western province of Xinjiang, home to the the Muslim Uighur minority group, has a tenuous relationship with Han Chinese based on religious, cultural, and linguistic differences. The last attack by Uighur’s against Han occurred in November 2013, when three Uighurs drove an SUV through Tiananmen Square in Beijing, killing themselves and two tourists. These two attacks were especially surprising because they occurred half a country away from Xinjiang, where the vast majority of China’s twenty-two million Uighurs live. The governor of Xinjiang signaled that the Communist Party would crack down on separatist groups in the region.
2. China’s NPC, CPPCC meet, marking one year in office for President Xi Jinping. The National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s parliament, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s top political advisory body, began their annual meeting this week. Though the NPC is seen as little more than a rubber stamp for the Communist Party’s decisions, it signals the state’s priorities for the next year. On the opening day of the Congress, Premier Li Keqiang presented his work report—among its most important points were: China’s growth target would be set at about 7.5 percent; the country’s military budget would increase by 12.2 percent; Beijing would launch “a war on pollution”; and China would expand President Xi’s anti-corruption policies.
3. North Korea test-fires missiles into East Sea. North Korea fired seven short-range missiles from its east coast on March 4, the most recent in a slew of missile tests. Just minutes following the launch, a Chinese passenger plane flying from Tokyo to Shenyang, China, passed through the trajectory of one of the missiles. North Korea launched four short-range missiles on February 27 and another two on March 3. The tests follow the conclusion of annual U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises, though many experts say the launches will not raise tension in the region. The tests have since prompted the UN Security Council on March 5 to extend its sanctions on North Korea through April 2015. Despite its reticence to respond to diplomacy, North Korea has had careful engagement with its neighbors recently, including reunions for separated families with South Korea last month and a visit by the Japanese Red Cross to Pyongyang on March 3 to discuss the repatriation of the remains of Japanese nationals buried in the North. Japanese government officials accompanying the envoy were able to conduct informal talks with North Korean officials.
4. Caroline Kennedy urges Japan, South Korea to mend ties. In an interview with Hiroko Kuniya for the show Close-Up Gendai, which aired on Japan’s national broadcaster NHK, Ambassador Kennedy said that it was up to Japan and South Korea to improve their relations, but that the United States is “happy to help” in any way possible. “The three countries can work together, will work together, and I think these good relations are in everyone’s interests,” Kennedy said. Tensions between Japan and South Korea have been high for some time. Earlier reports had suggested that the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo was reluctant to give NHK an interview with Ambassador Kennedy because of controversial remarks about WWII history made by some of the broadcaster’s board members. Kennedy did reiterate the negative U.S. view toward Prime Minister Abe’s visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, but she also praised Abe as a “strong, stable leader” and a “wonderful partner” for the United States.
5. Suicide bomber kills 11 in Pakistan; talks with Taliban resume.Two suicide bombers killed eleven people in Islamabad’s district court complex on Monday, the deadliest terrorist attack in Pakistan’s capital in five years. Ahrar-ul-Hind, an offshoot of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the country’s biggest militant coalition, has claimed responsibility for Monday’s attacks. The attack came days after the Pakistani government and the TTP announced a month-long ceasefire. The ceasefire was supposed to head off a Pakistani military operation against militant strongholds, allowing for the resumption of peace talks between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government and the TTP. Last month, peace talks between the two sides broke down after a Taliban faction killed twenty-three paramilitary soldiers.
Bonus: Nepal making Mount Everest climbers take out the trash. With climbing season for Mount Everest starting, Nepal’s tourism ministry is enforcing a new rule: clean up after yourself. Climbers must return to base camp with eighteen pounds of garbage, or forfeit a $4,000 deposit. The new regulation is an attempt for Everest to dump its nickname as the “world’s highest garbage dump.” The rule won’t do much about the garbage heaps already on Everest, but it will at least keep the situation from getting worse.
MALAYSIAN Court Overturns Anwar Ibrahim's Acquittal
Malaysia’s appeals court overturned the acquittal of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on a sodomy charge and sentenced him to five years in prison. Mr. Anwar has called the charge politically motivated.
The judgment may complicate the charismatic leader’s bid to contest a state assembly seat this month, even as his lawyers plan to appeal the verdict.
SOUTH KOREA: Apple loses a round in smartphone legal war
Samsung won the latest skirmish in its feud with Apple, when a judge on Thursday rejected Apple's request for a ban on U.S. sales of some older Samsung smartphone models. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh said Apple had not produced enough evidence to support its argument that its patented features, such as the pinch and zoom screen function, were significant enough selling points to justify yanking Samsung phones off store shelves.
RUSSIA: Obama calls Crimea's referendum on leaving Ukraine illegal
President Obama said Thursday that Crimean lawmakers' decision to hold a referendum on breaking away from Ukraine to join Russia violated their country's constitution as well as international law. Crimea's legislature defiantly pressed ahead with the plan, and Russia made a show of force by starting what it said were already scheduled military drills. Earlier in the day, the U.S. announced sanctions against ousted Ukrainian leaders.
RUSSIA: Russian State Gas Company Threatens to Cut Supply to Ukraine
Ukraine Failed To Meet Deadline For Payment Of Bill, Says Gazprom Chief Executive
RUSSIA: Putin Ignores Obama¹s Ukraine Warnings
President Barack Obama's warnings to Russia over the past week have been brushed aside by President Vladimir Putin, who has taken control of Ukraine's Crimea region despite the threat of sanctions by the United States and the European Union.
SOUTH KOREA: Samsung leads European patent list in "patents arms race" with Apple
Smartphone and electronics maker Samsung has filed ten times as many European patents as rival Apple, the latest sign in the escalating "patents arms race" between the companies.
CHINA'S Smog in Western Region Stirs Protests
China's plan to clear smog from Beijing by shifting power plants to the less populated western part of the country inhabited by restive minorities has prompted protests.
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