Tokyo, 30 September, /AJMEDIA/
U.S. vows $810 mil. in Pacific island support, eyes trade dialogue
WASHINGTON – The U.S. government on Thursday committed to $810 million in support to Pacific island nations and a plan to launch a trade dialogue by year-end as part of efforts to ramp up its engagement with a region where China is seeking to boost its influence.
Hosting the first-ever summit between the United States and the Pacific island nations in Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden said the island countries will play a key role in ensuring a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region.
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Japan to act if needed against speculative yen moves: finance chief
TOKYO – Japan is ready to respond to rapid, speculative currency movements if needed, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said Thursday, a week after its intervention to stem the yen’s sharp fall versus the U.S. dollar.
Suzuki said rapid, one-sided currency fluctuations are undesirable, adding that the government is closely monitoring market developments. The yen-buying, dollar-selling intervention last week, the first since 1998, was meant to “correct” speculative movements.
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North Korea fires 2 ballistic missile into Sea of Japan
TOKYO – North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on Thursday, Japan’s Defense Ministry said, in the third such provocation by Pyongyang this week.
The launches, which occurred at 8:47 p.m. and 8:53 p.m., respectively, came as U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited South Korea, including a trip to the Demilitarized Zone on the border of the two Koreas, following her visit to Japan.
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N.Y. to ban gas-powered vehicles by 2035, following California
NEW YORK – The state of New York will effectively ban sales of new motor vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel fuel to further curb the emission of greenhouse gases, Governor Kathy Hochul said Thursday.
With the move, New York will seek to adopt standards unveiled by California environmental authorities last month requiring that all new passenger cars, pickups and sport utility vehicles sold in the state be zero-emission by 2035.
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U.S. slaps sanctions on China-based companies over Iran oil sales
WASHINGTON – The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on companies based in China and elsewhere over their alleged involvement in sales of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.
The move came as Tehran continues to accelerate its nuclear activities in violation of a 2015 multilateral deal, under which Iran agreed with the United States and five other major powers to limit its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.
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LNG producers, users vow cooperation amid crisis driven by Russia
TOKYO – Liquefied natural gas producer and consumer countries pledged Thursday to deepen cooperation in realizing both energy security and net zero emissions, reaffirming the vital role LNG plays in energy transitions amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Ministerial-level officials from over 25 nations and chief executive officers of the industry’s leading firms joined the 11th LNG Producer-Consumer Conference via video messages during an energy crisis ahead of winter for the northern hemisphere, with concerns looming Moscow may shut off gas supplies to Europe.
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M’bishi Heavy, utilities to develop new nuclear reactor for 2030s use
TOKYO – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said Thursday it will develop a next-generation nuclear reactor with Kansai Electric Power Co. and three other major Japanese utilities in what could be the first project in the government’s recent policy shift to push nuclear energy.
The five companies will develop an advanced light-water reactor, a new type of pressurized water reactor, or PWR, deemed safer than existing models, and plan to put it into use in the mid-2030s.
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Myanmar’s Suu Kyi, Australian adviser given 3-year prison sentences
YANGON – A special court set up by Myanmar’s military on Thursday sentenced deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her former economic adviser, Australian Sean Turnell, to three years in prison for violation of the Official Secrets Act, local media reports said.
Since the military ousted Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in a February 2021 coup and detained her, she has been on trial on multiple charges and now faces 23 years in prison.
