China warns Japan over expanding military role abroad 

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Media captionHow the new legislation will change Japan's military role on the international stage

China has said Japan is endangering peace in the region after it passed controversial laws expanding the role of its military abroad.

Japan should learn "profound lessons from history", China's defence ministry said after Japan's parliamentary vote.

The vote allows Japanese troops to fight overseas for the first time since the end of World War Two 70 years ago.

Tensions between China and Japan have escalated in recent months over a group of islands to which both lay claim.

The security laws were voted through Japan's upper house late on Friday, with 148 lawmakers voting in support and 90 against.

It followed nearly 200 hours of political wrangling, with scuffles breaking out at various points between the bills' supporters and opposition members attempting to delay the vote.

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Reaction snapshot:

• "Japan's military stance has potentially become more dangerous... It is deplorable that [Prime Minister Shinzo] Abe, after acknowledging the mistake Japan had made over 70 years ago, is now choosing to repeat the same mistake" - China's Xinhua news agency
• The laws will add to "fears that an arms race could be sparked with China and its neighbours". Seoul will find it hard to boost security cooperation with Tokyo without "a frank apology" for Japan's actions in the past - South Korea's Hankyoreh newspaper

Compiled by BBC Monitoring

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Image copyrightEPA

Image captionThe new laws fulfil one of Prime Minister Abe's long-held ambitions

The government says that the changes in defence policy are vital to meet new military challenges such as those posed from a rising China.

But China's defence ministry said on Saturday they "run counter to the trend of the times that upholds peace, development and co-operation", the Xinhua news agency reports.

"The move has breached the restrictions of Japan's pacifist constitution," the ministry added.

Many Japanese who opposed the bills - which prompted large public protests - were also attached to the pacifist provisions in the constitution that banned fighting overseas.

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Media captionScuffles broke out in parliament amid wrangling over Japan's security bill

China also urged Japan to "heed the security concern" of its Asian neighbours and do more to promote regional peace and stability.

South Korea, which also has a tense relationship with Japan, has warned Tokyo not to exercise the new defence laws without its approval.

But the US, Japan's ally, and the UK have both welcomed the changes.

UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he looked forward to Japan "taking an increasingly active part in peacekeeping operations".

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What is collective self-defence?

Japan's post-World War Two constitution bars it from using force to resolve international conflicts except in cases of self-defence.

The new security legislation allows Japan's military to mobilise overseas when these three conditions are met:

• when Japan is attacked, or when a close ally is attacked, and the result threatens Japan's survival and poses a clear danger to people
• when there is no other appropriate means available to repel the attack and ensure Japan's survival and protect its people
• use of force is restricted to a necessary minimum

What's behind Japan's military shift?

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Critics say the changes violate the pacifist constitution and could lead Japan into US-led wars abroad.

Supporters of the measures insist they are essential for the defence of Japan and its regional allies, and will permit greater involvement in peacekeeping activities around the world.

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionThere was a heavy police presence outside parliament during a rally against the new laws

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What kinds of military actions do the laws allow?

• Japan would be able to provide logistical support to South Korea if the North invaded, though Mr Abe has said it would still be against the constitution to send Japanese troops to fight on Korean soil.
• It would be legal for Japan to shoot down a North Korean missile headed for the US. Currently, they have to threaten Japan to justify shooting them down. North Korea is thought to be several years from being able to hit mainland US targets though.
• Military action to keep shipping lanes secure, such as minesweeping, even if in an active conflict zone, might be allowed if the restriction on shipping was severe enough to constitute a threat to Japan's survival.
• Armed involvement in hostage rescues would also become possible. In January 2013, 10 Japanese hostages were killed at the Amenas gas plant in Algeria.
• Regional limits on Japanese military support for US and other foreign armed forces would also be eliminated.

Critics have focused on what they say is ambiguity in how the principles of the legislation will be interpreted, and the possibility that future governments will interpret them more broadly.

North Korea says it has restarted nuclear bomb fuel plant

North Korea confirmed Tuesday that the nuclear reactor seen as the country's main source of weapons-grade plutonium had resumed normal operations.

In an interview with the North's official KCNA news agency, the institutes's director said all facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex – including a five-megawatt reactor – had "started normal operations".

North Korea mothballed the Yongbyon reactor in 2007 under an aid-for-disarmament accord, but began renovating it after its last nuclear test in 2013.

Since then, satellite imagery analysis has suggested the partial and intermittent restart of the reactor which, when fully operational, is capable of producing around six kilos (13 pounds) of plutonium a year – enough for one nuclear bomb, experts say.

The AEI director, who was not named, said scientists and technicians had been "steadily improving" both the quality and quantity of the North's nuclear deterrent and issued a by-now standard warning to the United States.

"If the US and other hostile forces persistently seek their reckless hostile policy ... (North Korea) is fully ready to cope with them with nuclear weapons any time," he said.

The warning followed strong hints from Pyongyang that it is considering a satellite rocket launch to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party on October 10.

The North insists its rocket launches are intended to put peaceful satellites into orbit, while the United States and its allies see them as disguised ballistic missile tests.

Japan pledges maritime security aid to Vietnam

Japan has promised Vietnam ships to strengthen its forces in the South China Sea, with the two nations describing large-scale land reclamation there as a threat to peace -- a veiled reference to China.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also pledged on Tuesday some $835 million in infrastructure loans after holding talks with Nguyen Phu Trong, in his first visit to Japan as general secretary of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party.

Both countries are locked in separate maritime territorial disputes with an increasingly assertive China and are strengthening cooperation as a result.

Malaysia arrests suspects over Bangkok blast

Malaysia has arrested three suspects in connection with the investigation into a bomb blast in central Bangkok last month that killed 20 people, police officials said.

Two Malaysians and a Pakistani national were arrested and were assisting with the investigation, police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters on Monday.

"We believe the suspects can help in the investigation ... our arrest was made to assist the Thai police in the Thai bombing investigation," he said.

Indonesia declares state of emergency over fire haze

Indonesia has declared a state of emergency in a province choked with thick haze from forest fires, as fears mount that worsening air quality could affect the upcoming Grand Prix in neighbouring Singapore.

The emergency announcement in Riau province on Sumatra island came as aircraft were deployed to water-bomb the raging blazes and conduct "cloud-seeding", which involves chemically inducing rain.

The blazes have intensified in the past fortnight, sending smog over Sumatra and Borneo that has left tens of thousands ill, forced people to wear face masks and prompted the cancellation of flights and school closures.

Although there were more fires in other provinces, Riau has been one of the worst-hit as smog blows in from the surrounding areas.

North Korea confirmed Tuesday that the nuclear reactor seen as the country's main source of weapons-grade plutonium had resumed normal operations.

In an interview with the North's official KCNA news agency, the institutes's director said all facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex – including a five-megawatt reactor – had "started normal operations".

North Korea mothballed the Yongbyon reactor in 2007 under an aid-for-disarmament accord, but began renovating it after its last nuclear test in 2013.

Since then, satellite imagery analysis has suggested the partial and intermittent restart of the reactor which, when fully operational, is capable of producing around six kilos (13 pounds) of plutonium a year – enough for one nuclear bomb, experts say.

The AEI director, who was not named, said scientists and technicians had been "steadily improving" both the quality and quantity of the North's nuclear deterrent and issued a by-now standard warning to the United States.

"If the US and other hostile forces persistently seek their reckless hostile policy ... (North Korea) is fully ready to cope with them with nuclear weapons any time," he said.

The warning followed strong hints from Pyongyang that it is considering a satellite rocket launch to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party on October 10.

The North insists its rocket launches are intended to put peaceful satellites into orbit, while the United States and its allies see them as disguised ballistic missile tests.

 http://www.france24.com/en/20150915-north-korea-says-it-has-restarted-nuclear-bomb-fuel-plant-yongbyon

Japan’s parliament voted into law on Saturday a defence policy shift that could let troops fight overseas for the first time since 1945, amid Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push to loosen the limits of the pacifist constitution on the military.

Abe says the shift, the biggest change in Japan’s defence policy since the creation of its post-war military in 1954, is vital to meet new challenges such as from a rising China.

But the legislation has triggered massive protests from ordinary citizens and others who say it violates the pacifist constitution and could ensnare Japan in U.S.-led conflicts after 70 years of post-war peace. Abe’s ratings have also taken a hit.

The legislation “is necessary to protect the people’s lives and peaceful way of living and is for the purpose of preventing wars,” Abe told reporters after the bills were approved by the upper house. “I want to keep explaining the laws tenaciously and courteously.”

Japan’s ally the United States has welcomed the changes but China, where bitter memories of Japan’s wartime aggression run deep, has repeatedly expressed concern about the legislation.

“Recently we have noticed that voices in Japan opposing the bill have become louder by the day,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular news briefing on Friday.

“We demand that Japan earnestly listen to these just voices domestically and internationally, learn the lessons of history, uphold the path of peaceful development, speak and act cautiously in security and military matters and take actual steps to maintain regional peace and stability,” Hong added.

The bills, already approved by parliament’s lower house, were voted into law by the upper chamber in the early hours of Saturday despite opposition parties’ efforts to block a vote by submitting censure motions and a no-confidence motion against Abe’s cabinet in the lower house. All were defeated.

A key feature of the laws is an end to a long-standing ban on exercising the right of collective self-defence, or defending the United States or another friendly country that comes under attack, in cases where Japan faces a “threat to its survival”.

 http://www.france24.com/en/20150918-japan-security-bill-limits-pacifist-constitution-china

Turnbull sworn in as Australia’s new prime minister

Video by FRANCE 24

Text by NEWS WIRES

Latest update : 2015-09-15

Multi-millionaire former banker Malcolm Turnbull was sworn in as prime minister of Australia on Tuesday, just hours after masterminding a coup against conservative leader Tony Abbott, and pledging a new style of leadership.

Turnbull is the country's fourth prime minister in just over two years, a recent Australian political tradition the deposed Abbott slammed as a "revolving door" that was not good for the country.
"This is the most exciting time to be an Australian," Turnbull told reporters in the capital before taking the oath.
"This is a turn of events I did not expect, I have to tell you, but it's one that I'm privileged to undertake, and one that I'm certainly up to."
Turnbull, a suave former lawyer, has pledged to run a consultative government, in contrast to Abbott's divisive rule.
"My firm belief is that to be a successful leader in 2015, perhaps at any time, you have to be able to bring people with you by respecting their intelligence in the manner you explain things," he said Monday. "We need advocacy, not slogans."
Abbott lashed out at the savage nature of modern politics after his sudden toppling by his long-time Liberal Party colleague and rival – who served as communications minister before making the challenge.
"The nature of politics has changed in the past decade. We have more polls and more commentary than ever before, mostly sour, bitter character assassination," Abbott told a farewell press conference.
He won power in a general election victory in September 2013 but his first budget, with its harsh cuts to health and education, proved highly unpopular.
Abbott survived a leadership challenge in February after poor polling and a series of gaffes ignited a backbench revolt.
But he failed to turn around the polls, bolster the economy or stop damaging internal leaks, and lost the support of his party.

 http://www.france24.com/en/20150915-australia-malcolm-turnbull-sworn-new-prime-minister

INTERNATIONAL

WILLIAM WEST / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

Malcolm Turnbull sworn in as Australia's new PM

Turnbull, the nation's fourth leader two years, assured the country that his government remained strong

September 15, 2015 2:15AM ET

Australia's former communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, was sworn in as prime minister on Tuesday, assuring the country that his government remained strong despite an internal party revolt that made him the nation's fourth leader in little more than two years.

Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott ousted 2:04

Al Jazeera America News | September 14, 2015

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Turnbull became Australia's 29th prime minister after a surprise ballot of his conservative Liberal Party colleagues voted 54-44 on Monday night to replace Prime Minister Tony Abbott only two years after he was elected. Turnbull's elevation has cemented a culture of disposable leaders as the new norm in Australian politics since the 11-year tenure of Prime Minister John Howard ended in 2007.

"There's been a change of prime minister, but we are a very, very strong government, a very strong country with a great potential and we will realize that potential working very hard together," Turnbull told reporters as he left his Canberra apartment on Tuesday morning.

"I'm filled with optimism and we will be setting out in the weeks ahead ... more of those foundations that will ensure our prosperity in the years ahead," Turnbull added.

Shortly before Turnbull was sworn in, a grim-faced Abbott spoke for the first time since his sudden ouster, warning that the persistent volatility in Australia's government could hurt the nation's standing on the global stage.

"Australia has a role to play in the struggles of the wider world: the cauldron of the Middle East and security in the South China Sea and elsewhere," Abbott told reporters. "I fear that none of this will be helped if the leadership instability that's plagued other countries continues to taint us."

Abbott did not say during his speech whether he will quit politics. He did say he would not destabilize the new prime minister. "There will be no wrecking, no undermining, and no sniping," Abbott told reporters.

Turnbull, a 60-year-old former journalist, lawyer and merchant banker known for his moderate views, was party leader for two years before Abbott ousted him by a single vote in a similar leadership ballot.

The Liberals were elected in 2013 as a stable alternative to the then-Labor government. Labor came to power under Kevin Rudd at elections in 2007, only to dump him for his deputy Julia Gillard in 2010 months ahead of elections. The bitterly divided and chaotic government then dumped Gillard for Rudd just months before the 2013 election.

Successive opinion polls showed that the government was likely to lose in next September's elections under Abbott's leadership. Opinion polls show that Turnbull is more popular than Abbott, but his support for environmental steps against carbon alienated some on the party's right.

In Myanmar, Muslim minority is targeted for hate, not for votes

Nationalist monks celebrate new repressive laws as Rohingya candidates are culled from general election ballots

September 20, 2015 5:30AM ET

by Hanna Hindstrom   

Buddhist monks look at posters showing images of violence attributed to Muslims around the world during a celebration led by the Ma Ba Tha nationalist monks at a monastery in Yangon.

Ye Aung Thu / AFP / Getty Images

YANGON, Myanmar — The celebrations began shortly after dawn. A cluster of monks in saffron robes gathered beneath this city’s historic golden Shwedagon Pagoda to murmur prayers and chants. A procession of vans then took the men to a monastery on the outskirts of Yangon, where groups of monks, nuns and civilians huddled under umbrellas before a large stage lined with senior abbots and emblazoned with Buddhist insignia.

INTERNATIONAL

MOHD RASFAN / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

US corruption investigation targets Malaysian leader, NY Times reports

New York Times says DOJ probing corruption allegations against PM Najib Razak, who faces rising political pressure

September 22, 2015 10:37AM ET

A U.S. federal grand jury is examining allegations of corruption involving Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and individuals close to him, The New York Times reported. The development that could add to the domestic political pressure on the troubled administration, and three Malaysian opposition parties announced Tuesday that they’re forming a new alliance.

Thai military-backed council rejects new constitution

Thailand's military-backed legislature on Sunday rejected an unpopular draft of a new constitution, delaying a return to democracy following a coup last year.

The junta-picked drafters had hoped the proposed charter would move the Southeast Asian countrypast almost a decade of political conflicts, but it was met with strong opposition on almost all sides of political divide.

The legislature appointed by the junta, known as the National Reform Council, voted 135 against vs. 105 in favor with seven abstentions. The rejection, although welcomed by many, still sets back a tentative plan for Thailand's transition to electoral democracy, with the military retaining substantial powers until a new constitution is drafted.

Malaysia's opposition forms new alliance

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Malaysian opposition parties have formed a new alliance after an earlier union collapsed over policy disputes.

The new Alliance of Hope no longer includes an Islamist party that advocates harsh Islamic punishments.

It will be led by the wife of former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, jailed in February on sodomy charges that he said were politically motivated.

It comes amid a political scandal that has seen mass protests demanding that Prime Minister Najib Razak step down.

The Alliance of Hope replaces the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance, a three-party coalition formed in 2008 that was the most successful opposition movement in Malaysia's history.

The PR alliance fell apart in June over the conservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party's (PAS) attempt to enforce a form of Islamic law called hudud in a state it governs.

This time, Mr Anwar's People's Justice Party and the largely ethnic Chinese Democratic Action Party (DAP) have joined with the newly-formed Parti Amanah Negara, made up of defectors from the PAS.

The Alliance of Hope said Mr Anwar would be its choice of leader if it won power, but it is unclear whether he will be free then.

The next elections are due by early 2018.

China's President Xi Jinping begins US state visit in Seattle

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Seattle at the start of his first state visit to the US.

Mr Xi will spend three days meeting business and technology leaders in Seattle, before heading to Washington for talks with President Barack Obama.

Cyber security is expected to feature prominently in their discussions, after the US said Chinese spying was putting a strain on bilateral relations.

On Monday Mr Xi denied there was any state-backed hacking of US companies.

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Image copyrightGetty Images

In an article in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Mr Xi said hacking and cyber espionage were illegal, and that the Chinese government did not engage in the theft of commercial secrets or encourage companies to do so.

But he said Beijing - which has previously complained it is a victim of hacking - was "ready to strengthen co-operation with the US side on this issue".

US national security adviser Susan Rice had on Monday said Chinese-backed hacking was undermining long-term economic co-operation between the US and China "and it needs to stop".