The US stops "pumping" weapons into Ukraine, Japan launches spy satellite, Russia arrests suspect working as an insider for Poland

China will facilitate peace talks in Myanmar, Israel affirms that the operation in Gaza is an act of "self-defense", the US issues an ultimatum demanding that Iran release the oil tanker... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is on a tour of Southeast Asian countries. (Source: Business Today)

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.

Asia-Pacific

*Japan launches spy satellite: MBC TV channel reported that on January 12, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the H2A rocket carrying the Kogaku-8 optical satellite from the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch was scheduled for January 11 but was postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions.

The Kogaku-8 satellite is owned by the Japanese government and will be used for information gathering. Kogaku-8 will monitor the Earth's surface from space and collect data on military facilities, especially related to Pyongyang's missile program, and will also serve the purpose of collecting information in case of natural disasters.

The Kogaku-8 satellite cost 40 billion yen ($275 million) to develop. The Japanese government currently uses 10 satellites to gather information. (Sputnik News)

*China to strengthen drone training: On January 12, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will strengthen drone and information technology training this year.

Commander-in-Chief and Chinese President Xi Jinping wants the PLA to accelerate modernization by 2035. On social media, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said: “We will step up information-based combat training with intelligent features, focusing on unmanned and intelligent training to use new equipment and develop asymmetric warfare capabilities.” (Xinhua)

*German Foreign Minister visits Malaysia: The Malaysian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will begin an official visit to the country from January 12, as part of her Southeast Asia tour. The visit is a testament to the expanding relationship between the two countries following the state visit of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Malaysia in February 2023.

The German foreign minister will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and attend a discussion with representatives of local Islamic NGOs. Germany and Malaysia have been each other's largest trading partners in the EU and ASEAN since 2000. In the first 11 months of 2023, total two-way trade increased by 7.2% to US$12.81 billion, compared to the same period in 2022. (Strait Times)

*China says it facilitated Myanmar peace talks: China's Foreign Ministry said on January 12 that it had facilitated peace talks between Myanmar's military government and rebels in the Chinese city of Kunming on January 10-11, and both sides agreed to stop fighting and resolve disputes through negotiations.

Earlier in the day, the leader of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) announced that an alliance of ethnic armed groups in northern Myanmar had agreed to a ceasefire with the country's military government, confirming that the talks involved an envoy from neighboring China.

According to the source, the rebel groups have agreed to stop attacking, while the Myanmar military has agreed to not carry out airstrikes and shelling. The Myanmar military government has not yet commented on the above information. (Reuters)

*Beijing asks countries outside the region not to interfere in the East Sea dispute: During a visit to the Philippines on January 11, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Europe is concerned about the rising tensions in the East Sea between the Philippines and China.

Responding to Baerbock's comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Beijing was committed to resolving differences with Southeast Asian countries through dialogue and negotiations, but warned other countries not to interfere.

Earlier, speaking during a meeting with his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo in Manila, Foreign Minister Baerbock warned: “Incidents in recent months where the Chinese Coast Guard used lasers and water cannons to block Philippine supply ships, and even collisions, have caused concern in Europe.” (Bloomberg)

Middle East-Africa

*The US and UK both attacked and said they wanted to “de-escalate tensions” in the Red Sea: In a joint statement on January 12, the US, UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and South Korea declared: “Our goal is to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea.

But let us be clear in our message that we “will not hesitate to protect lives and ensure the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most vital waterways in the face of continued threats.”

The 10-nation statement said the "precision strikes were aimed at disrupting and degrading the Houthis' capabilities to threaten global commerce and the lives of international sailors".

A day earlier, the US and Britain launched air strikes against the Houthis after weeks of attacks on Red Sea shipping by the group in Yemen in a show of solidarity with Hamas. (Reuters)

*Israel asserts that its military campaign in Gaza was an act of “self-defense”: According to Reuters on January 12, on the second day of the trial of South Africa's lawsuit against Israel for committing genocide in the Gaza Strip at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, the ICJ heard Israel's arguments.

In his presentation, Tal Becker, legal adviser to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza was an act of “self-defense” against Hamas and “other organizations.” Tal Becker accused South Africa of pushing a “grossly distorted narrative” when accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. “If there was genocide, it was committed against Israel,” he stressed. (Times of Israel)

*Russia accuses US, UK of escalating tensions in the Middle East: The Russian Foreign Ministry on January 12 criticized the US and UK for launching a military attack on Yemen, accusing the two countries of escalating tensions in the Middle East and showing contempt for international law.

“The US airstrikes on Yemen are another example of Anglo-Saxon sabotage of UN Security Council resolutions,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. On the same day, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas also strongly condemned the attack, stressing that the US and Britain will be held responsible for the consequences they will cause to regional security. (TASS)

*US demands Iran release oil tanker seized off Gulf of Oman: US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said on January 11 that Washington on the same day demanded Iran immediately release the US oil tanker recently seized off the coast of the Gulf of Oman.

“The Iranian government must immediately release the vessel and its crew,” the spokesman told reporters. “This illegal seizure of a commercial vessel is just the latest act by Iran, and sanctioned by Iran, aimed at disrupting international trade.”

Earlier in the day, Iranian media reported that the country's Navy had seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, following a "court order." (AFP)

*US base in northeastern Syria hit by missile attack: Sputniknews quoted local sources as saying that the US military base in the city of Al-Shaddadi, in the northeastern Syrian province of Hasakah, was targeted by four missiles. According to the source, “explosions were heard at the Al-Shaddadi Base after four missiles were fired at the target.”

Since the escalation of the Hamas-Israel conflict, US bases in Iraq, as well as US troops in Syria, have been attacked frequently. Shi'ite militant groups operating in Iraq have claimed responsibility for these attacks.

The US military illegally controls the territories of eastern and northeastern Syria in the provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Hasakah and Raqqa, which are home to Syria's largest oil and gas fields. Damascus has repeatedly called the US military presence on its territory an occupation. (Sputniknews)

Europe

*Russian naval base in Abkhazia to become operational: RIA news agency quoted the security council of Abkhazia - a breakaway territory internationally recognized as part of Georgia - as saying on January 12 that a Russian naval base in Abkhazia could become operational in 2024.

In October, Russian and Abkhazian authorities agreed that Moscow could open a permanent naval base in the town of Ochamchire.

Abkhazia has received widespread Russian support in a series of wars it waged to secede from Georgia in the 1990s and again in 2008, while Russian forces have long been stationed in the Caucasus territory. (Reuters)

*Estonia and Ukraine discuss defense cooperation: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with host country Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on January 11 to discuss international cooperation and defense assistance to Ukraine.

This includes the creation of an artillery alliance, an information technology alliance, the launch of the Tallinn Facility to enhance cyber support for Ukraine.”

President Zelensky expressed hope for active support from Estonian businesses in strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, including the production of drones. Zelensky also thanked Estonia for its leadership in confiscating Russian assets for Ukraine's needs, developing a national compensation mechanism and for the comprehensive military, financial and humanitarian support Estonia has provided to Ukraine. (AFP)

*Russia arrests security officer on suspicion of passing information to Poland: Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) on January 12 detained a Russian citizen working at a "security facility" in the Penza region of central Russia for trying to pass information about Moscow's defense industry production to Poland.

In a statement, the Federal Security Service, or FSB, said the man arrested was an employee of a “security enterprise” in the Penza region, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) southeast of Moscow.

The suspect provided Polish special services with information about the company’s defense orders in exchange for help obtaining permanent residency abroad, the FSB said, adding that if convicted of espionage, he could face up to eight years in prison. (Reuters)

America

*US congressman requests to remove Cuba from the list of "state sponsors of terrorism": Congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee on January 11 sent a letter asking President Joe Biden to begin the process of reviewing and removing the possibility of putting Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism (SSOT).

According to Mr. Cohen, the unilateral embargo imposed by Washington against Havana for more than 60 years has caused profound damage to the Cuban economy and people. He pointed out that the policy of tightening sanctions under President Donald Trump, including sanctions under the SSOT framework, is currently one of the main factors that has worsened the humanitarian crisis in Cuba.

The Tennessee congressman said former President Trump's reinstatement of SSOT on the grounds that Cuba supports terrorism is invalid. Cohen recalled that the Obama-Biden administration removed Cuba from the list in 2015 after conceding that "the basis for the designation was baseless," stressing that the move was popular and helped improve bilateral relations. Cohen accompanied President Barack Obama on a visit to Cuba in 2016. (AFP)

*US stops providing weapons to Ukraine: White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby announced that the US has stopped transferring weapons and military equipment to Ukraine due to lack of budget for these programs.

Responding to a question about Washington's military aid to Kiev, Kirby confirmed: "We have released the last withdrawal package that we have funds to support. That is why it is important that Congress make the additional request related to national security and we will receive more money. The support that we provide is now stopped."

Four months ago, the White House sent a request to the US Congress for additional appropriations for fiscal year 2024, which begins on October 1, 2023, primarily to provide aid to Israel and Ukraine. However, the US Congress did not fully approve the government's financial package. (TASS)

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