APD | Weekly top 10 hot news (Mar.4 - Mar. 8)
Every Saturday, Asia Pacific Daily will provide you with a run-down of the latest hot news.
This week, the following hot news you should know:
Top1 | Iran warns US allies of 'humiliated citizens' uprising
US allies in the Middle East risk an uprising by their "humiliated citizens" if they continue to rely on Washington, a top Iranian security official warned Sunday in comments carried by state media.
"(US President) Trump and even his underlings ridicule and humiliate Saudi Arabia and the (United Arab) Emirates day and night, saying that you're nothing without us and cannot last a day without America's support," said Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.
Back in October, Trump said that Saudi Arabia's 83-year-old King Salman "might not be there for two weeks" without US military support. The comments were mostly shrugged off by Riyadh.
Top2 | Venezuela's Guaido urges supporters to protest on Monday
Opposition leader Juan Guaido is calling for nationwide demonstrations Monday to coincide with his planned return to Venezuela, in a challenge expected to escalate his power struggle with President Nicolas Maduro.
Guaido on Sunday tweeted that Venezuelans should monitor his official announcements and that he would provide details about meeting points for supporters. He said they should gather across the country at 11 a.m.
The leader of the National Assembly who has declared himself president also tweeted a photo of himself walking across an airfield ahead of his departure from the naval base in Salinas, Ecuador, where he met with Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno on Saturday. Guaido said he was "taking off," but did not say where the plane was heading.
Top3 | PM Theresa May's lawyer seeks legal fix to the Brexit riddle
Prime Minister Theresa May’s top lawyer will try to clinch a Brexit compromise with the European Union this week in a last ditch bid to win over rebellious British members of parliament before crunch votes that could delay the divorce for three months.
The United Kingdom is due to leave the EU on March 29 but May is hoping to win over at least 115 more British lawmakers by agreeing a legal addendum with the EU on the most controversial part of the deal - the so called Irish border backstop.
Concerns about the backstop, an insurance policy aimed at preventing a return to hard border controls between EU member Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland, helped prompt members of parliament to reject May’s deal on Jan. 15 by 432 to 230 votes.
Top4 | Russia may deploy missiles with range across Europe if US puts such arms in area
Russia may be forced to deploy missiles capable of striking the entire European continent if the United States deploys such weapons in the region, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said during remarks at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC.
"We are very much concerned that after the decision of the United States to withdraw from INF, missiles could be deployed on the territory of European allies," Antonov said on Monday. "We will be forced to deploy our missiles, and here you will see that the whole territory of European countries will be covered."
Russian Ambassador to the United States also said that the United States and Russia are destined to cooperate in combating terrorism.
Top5 |Pakistan navy foils alleged attempt by Indian sub to enter Pak's waters
The Pakistan Navy has released a video claiming that an Indian submarine had tried to enter Pakistani waters on 3 March and was pushed back. The latest development comes after an increase in tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations.
The Pakistan Navy (PN) on Tuesday claimed it foiled an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter Pakistani waters.
"The Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters", a statement from a Pakistan Navy spokesperson reads.
Top 6| Washington considering imposing secondary sanctions over Venezuelan crisis
The United States is considering imposing sanctions on third country actors in response to the Venezuelan crisis, US Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams said during a press conference.
"We haven't done that yet, secondary sanctions, it's clearly a possibility," Abrams said on Tuesday. "It would depend on the conduct of the regime over time."
According to the senior official, the US will continue taking "appropriate actions" against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and will impose new visa restrictions for dozens of Venezuelan officials.
Top 7| Indian defence ministry accuses Pakistan of fresh ceasefire violation in Kashmir
The Indian Defence Ministry has said that Pakistani troops violated ceasefire in the disputed Kashmir region once again by shelling Indian military positions.
Indian Defence Ministry spokesman, Lieut. Col. Devender Anand told reporters that the Pakistani Army committed unprovoked ceasefire violation in the Sunderbani sector at around 10.30 p.m. (17:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
"The firing continued till 4.30 a.m. Indian positions retaliated strongly," Anand said.
Top 8| EU's Tusk warns of hostile, foreign-funded parties ahead of EU vote
European Council President Donald Tusk called on voters across the continent to reject anti-European parties he said had been set up by hostile foreign forces and could try to use upcoming EU parliamentary elections to seize influence in Brussels.
Tusk, a center-right former Polish prime minister who chairs summits of EU leaders, gave one of the starkest warnings yet from the bloc about the prospect that openly anti-EU parties could gain ground in May’s European Parliament election.
“There are external anti-European forces which are seeking - openly or secretly - to influence the democratic choices of the Europeans,” Tusk told a news conference, naming the “Leave” result in Britain’s 2016 Brexit referendum as one such example.
Top 9|Cohen’s 4th day of testimony could touch on Russia, finances
President Donald Trump’s former lawyer is returning to Capitol Hill for a fourth day of testimony as Democrats pursue a flurry of investigations into Trump’s White House, businesses and presidential campaign.
Michael Cohen became a key figure in those investigations after turning on his former boss and cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe. He was interviewed behind closed doors by both the Senate and House intelligence committees last week and is due for another private, daylong meeting with the House intelligence panel on Wednesday.
Cohen also testified publicly before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, where he called Trump a con man, a cheat and a racist. He pleaded guilty last year to lying to Congress, campaign finance violations and other charges and is set to begin a three-year prison sentence in May.
Top 10|China suspends Canadian canola imports over pest concerns
China customs has suspended the clearance of canola imports from Canadian company Richardson International Limited and relevant firms after harmful pests were discovered in their imports.
The suspension of clearance involves their canola imports shipped from March 1, according to a warning notice issued Thursday by the General Administration of Customs (GAC).
The warning will be valid until further notice, GAC officials said.
The move is taken to protect China's agriculture production and ecological safety, the GAC said.
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(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
