Japan expressed concern Wednesday about Chinese military activity around Taiwan during U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-ruled island, stressing the need for a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues amid heightened tensions. Japan's top government spokesman Hiroakazu Matsuno said peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is important not only for the security of Japan but also the world.
"We hope issues concerning Taiwan will be resolved peacefully through dialogue," Matsuno told a press briefing. Tokyo conveyed its concern to China over the planned military drills near Taiwan, saying the affected area overlaps with Japan's exclusive economic zone. The military exercises, including live-fire drills, are expected to take place in six locations around Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday. Japan is closely watching the Taiwan visit, the first by a House speaker in 25 years, to gauge its impact on regional security. Asked if Japan supports Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, Matsuno said, "We are not in a position to comment." The high-profile visit has led to a spike in tensions between China and the United States. Beijing had warned that the Chinese military would "never sit idly by," while Washington said the visit would not signal a change in its policy on Taiwan. Beijing regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Japan has maintained close economic ties with Taiwan since severing diplomatic relations with Taipei and establishing them with Beijing in 1972. Heightened cross-strait tensions -- and the risk of a contingency -- are a concern for Japan due to its proximity to Taiwan. Japan and China are at loggerheads over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, uninhabited islets that are administered by Japan but claimed by China. "It's in our neighborhood. We should avoid a situation in which (the drills) would affect Japan in any way," a senior government official said. As part of her tour of Asia, Pelosi is scheduled to visit Japan later this week and could meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Matsuno said the government "welcomes" her first visit to Japan in seven years as an opportunity to promote bilateral exchanges.
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Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed in a CIA drone strike in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, United States President Joe Biden has said. Al-Zawahiri was killed on Sunday in the biggest blow to the group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011. “Justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more,” Biden said in a special televised address from outside the White House.
Intelligence had located al-Zawahiri’s family in Kabul earlier this year, Biden said, adding that no members of the family or civilians had been killed in the attack. An Egyptian surgeon with a $25m reward on his head, al-Zawahiri helped coordinate the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US that killed nearly 3,000 people. Earlier, US officials speaking on the condition of anonymity told reporters that the CIA carried out a drone attack in Kabul using two missiles. Al-Zawahiri was on his balcony at the time, they said. “It’s a significant blow,” Colin Clarke, research director at the Soufan Group, a global security firm, told Al Jazeera, adding that his presence in Kabul was also interesting in what it suggested about his relationship with the Taliban. “It tells us he’s gotten far more comfortable over the past year since the Taliban took over,” Clarke said. The Taliban confirmed the attack in Kabul, and condemned it as a “violation of international principles”. The strike was carried out on a residential house in the Sherpur area of Kabul, a diplomatic enclave where many Taliban leaders live now, Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement. “Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the US, Afghanistan and the region,” Mujahid said. In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said al-Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul “grossly violated the Doha Agreement and repeated assurances to the world that they would not allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorists to threaten the security of other countries”. Washington and the Taliban signed the deal in 2020 paving the way for the withdrawal of US-led foreign forces in return for a guarantee from the Taliban not to allow groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) to operate on Afghan soil. The US forces withdrew just before an August 31 deadline in what turned out to be a chaotic exercise. Blinken said that by allowing the al-Qaeda leader to shelter in Afghanistan, the Taliban had also “betrayed” the Afghan people and “their own stated desire for recognition from and normalization with the international community”. Reporting from Kabul, Al Jazeera’s Ali Latifi said the drone strike took place in a “highly residential area of Kabul”. “It’s near a grocery store, near a bank, and a main street. It is an area where previous warlords, governors and ministers have lived under the previous government. It is not anywhere hidden,” he said. “That raises the question of how the current leader of al-Qaeda could walk into Kabul without the government knowing and that’s what the US is alluding to when they this is in violation of the Doha agreement”, he adding, noting that the Taliban also accused the US of violating the Doha deal.
2022 FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
Fernando Alonso has completed a surprise move to Aston Martin for the 2023 F1 season. Sebastian Vettel confirmed his retirement from the sport last week to open up a seat at the Silverstone-based team, with fellow German Mick Schumacher tipped by some to take the drive. However, 41-year-old Alonso was confirmed as Aston’s new driver on Monday morning having signed a multi-year deal. The Spaniard said: “This Aston Martin team is clearly applying the energy and commitment to win, and it is therefore one of the most exciting teams in Formula One today. “I have known Lawrence [Stroll, executive chairman] and Lance [Stroll] for many years and it is very obvious that they have the ambition and passion to succeed in Formula One.
“I have watched as the team has systematically attracted great people with winning pedigrees, and I have become aware of the huge commitment to new facilities and resources at Silverstone. “No one in Formula One today is demonstrating a greater vision and absolute commitment to winning, and that makes it a really exciting opportunity for me.” Alonso currently sits tenth in the 2022 F1 championship and has delivered points finishes in his last eight races, helping Alpine overtake McLaren for fourth place in the Constructors’ standings. Young Australian driver Oscar Piastri is the likely choice to be promoted from Alpine’s academy programme to take Alonso’s seat for next season. Alonso continued: “I still have the hunger and ambition to fight to be at the front, and I want to be part of an organisation that is committed to learn, develop and succeed. “We all appreciate that there is much to be done to get to the front, and that we must apply all our energies in working together to find performance. “The passion and desire to perform that I have witnessed convince me to maintain my enjoyment and commitment to the sport. I intend to win again in this sport and therefore I have to take the opportunities that feel right to me.” |
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