Displaying items by tag: threats

Shigeru Ishiba, Japan’s newly-appointed prime minister, has dissolved parliament and announced snap elections for 27 October. His Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), along with its coalition partner, is expected to win, capitalising on Ishiba's early popularity and a fragmented opposition. He wants to revitalise rural regions affected by Japan's demographic crisis, and aims to create a ‘new Japan’ with increased support for families and flexible work policies. Facing a complex security landscape, including threats from China, Russia, and North Korea, Ishiba plans to expand Japan’s defence capabilities. Ishiba has proposed economic stimulus, particularly for local governments and low-income households, as part of his strategy to lead the country out of deflation. His call for an early election seeks to solidify his mandate before political momentum wanes, while distancing himself from scandals that plagued his unpopular predecessor.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has warned that no place in Israel would be safe if a full-scale war erupts between the two foes, also threatening Cyprus and other Mediterranean regions. Hezbollah has released drone footage of sensitive Israeli military sites; Nasrallah says that it has a ‘bank of targets’ for precision strikes, and Israel must prepare for attacks by land, air, and sea. He also threatened Cyprus, accusing it of aiding Israel with its airports and bases for military exercises. There was no immediate response from Cypriot authorities; Cyprus has historically allowed Israel to use its airspace for drills, but not its land or bases​. In another development, Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved his war cabinet after two of his opponents resigned from it: see

London’s Chinese embassy called Liz Truss’s trip to Taiwan a ‘dangerous political stunt’ which will bring nothing but harm to the UK. In a pre-briefed extract of her speech to the Prospect Foundation, Truss was expected to say, ‘Last summer Rishi Sunak described China as the biggest long-term threat to Britain, and he promised to close all thirty of UK’s Confucius Institutes, which promote Chinese culture on campus in higher education and in some British schools. Sunak was right; we need to see those policies enacted urgently. Confucius Institutes must close, and the service supplied by Hong Kong and Taiwanese nationals in the UK on a free basis.’ The embassy urged Truss to stop supporting ‘Taiwan independence’. Taiwan has been separate from the People’s Republic of China since 1949, but Beijing insists on reuniting Taiwan with the mainland, by force if necessary.

President Bolsonaro has delivered fiery speeches to tens of thousands of supporters at rallies ahead of a divisive election on 2 October when opinion polls suggest he will be defeated. Bolsonaro has repeatedly attacked Supreme Court justices, alleging (without any evidence) that Brazil’s electronic voting system is vulnerable to widespread fraud. Legal experts have rejected that allegation, and critics accuse him of sowing doubt ahead of the election to dispute the results, as was done by Donald Trump, whom Bolsonaro has emulated. ‘Bolsonaro, activate the military to depose the Supreme Court,’ said one banner carried by Suely Ferreira who said, ‘Our country is being ruined by the high court’s dictatorship. We love our president. Everyone I know supports him. He will win. There’s no way he could lose.’ The president’s attacks on the voting system have stirred calls for a military coup from some more radical backers, fuelling concerns that the nation could see election-related violence.

Ukraine's nuclear agency Enerhoatom says the Russians are ‘blackmailing the entire world’ with threats to blow up the Zaporizhzhia power plant. In a post on messaging app Telegram, Enerhoatom says Maj Gen Valery Vasiliev - the head of Russia's radiation, chemical and biological defence forces - has said, ‘There will be either Russian land or a scorched desert. We have mined all the important facilities of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.’ UN secretary general António Guterres has called for international inspectors to be given access to the power plant, after Ukraine and Russia accused each other of shelling the site on 7 August. One of Putin's closest allies, former president Medvedev, has been telling the media that Russia will achieve its aims in the conflict in Ukraine on its own terms. He warns the West has a long-term plan to destroy Russia.

On 25 March the Solomon Islands government announced it was ‘expanding’ security arrangements, ‘diversifying the country's security partnership with China’. Beijing is moving from island to island and wants to upgrade an airstrip in Kiribati for civilian purposes; yet the military uses are apparent. Kiribati is 1,900 miles south of Hawaii. A five-year deal, with automatic renewals, will allow Beijing to base its military in the Solomon Islands. If applied to its full extent, the Framework Agreement will give China the ability to sever shipping lanes and air links connecting the USA with its treaty ally Australia and partner New Zealand. For decades the US allowed Canberra and Wellington to manage the Solomons and its region. Beijing, through payoffs now detailed in public, essentially owns the Solomon Islands government. There is also now talk that China will ink a security agreement with Papua New Guinea, just north of Australia.

In the wake of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the country’s highly secretive Christian community began to experience a rapid increase in threats. Charities began moving the most vulnerable Christians and pastors out of the country, but for those left behind it is a long and uncertain road ahead. International Christian Concern (ICC) continues to rescue Afghan Christians and secure shelter for them beyond Afghanistan’s borders. There are currently about 200 families under ICC’s care - in hiding and protected. In addition, ICC’s advocacy team is giving updates from the ground and telling US and world leaders what is needed to save the Christians left behind. In the early months of 2022, ICC will launch a strategic initiative for a long-term solution for Christians stuck in transit countries without a final destination, while also serving those still in hiding in Afghanistan.

India's home minister has offered 500 railway carriages for use as makeshift coronavirus hospital wards as New Delhi struggles to contain a spike in cases. Delhi has about 9,000 beds dedicated to Covid-19 patients among public and private hospitals, but a panel of experts has said that at least 15,000 beds will be needed by the end of June. The health ministry is reporting jumps in coronavirus infections nationwide. At least 55 journalists faced arrest, physical assaults, destruction of properties and threats for reporting on Covid-19 or exercising freedom of opinion during India's lockdown. It did not take long for the state and political activists to allege the journalists’ reports were prejudicial to maintaining national harmony. India has become the riskiest place in the world for journalists.

South Korea’s national intelligence service told a closed-door parliamentary audit session that it expected working-level denuclearisation talks between Kim and Trump to resume by early December. As recently as 31 October Kim test-fired two short-range missiles that traveled 350 to 400 kilometres. The tests were believed to be the nuclear-armed country’s 19th and 20th launches since May. Japan’s prime minister condemned the launches as an act threatening the peace and safety of his country as North Korea was refining weapons capable of reaching it. Meanwhile, Iran announced launching a new batch of advanced centrifuges to accelerate uranium enrichment on the 40th anniversary of the start of its Islamic Revolution. However, Tehran has left room for diplomacy by saying that talks are possible if Washington lifts all the sanctions and returns to the nuclear deal. See

European and Arab leaders recently held their first summit in a bid to bolster cooperation and protect their traditional diplomatic, economic and security interests while China and Russia move to fill the vacuum left by the United States. Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, who organises summits for EU countries, acknowledged that ‘there are differences between us’, but said neighbours had much at stake. ‘We need to cooperate and not leave it to global powers far from our region’, he told leaders from forty countries. He did not name those powers, but an EU source confirmed he meant China and Russia. A suspected Russian spy working in the Swedish high-tech industry was arrested in Stockholm on 26 February. He was ‘suspected of being recruited as a Russian agent working under diplomatic cover’. See