US orders arms embargo on Cambodia
The US has ordered an arms embargo on Cambodia, citing deepening Chinese military influence, corruption and human rights abuses by the government and armed forces in the country. The added restrictions on defence-related goods and services, issued by the US state and commerce departments, are due to be published and take effect soon. A notice in the Federal Register said developments in Cambodia were “contrary to US national security and foreign policy interests”. The aim of the embargo is to ensure that defence-related items are not available to Cambodia’s military and intelligence services without advance review by the US government, it said. The latest restrictions follow the treasury department’s ordering in November of curbs against two Cambodian military officials for corruption and come amid concern about Beijing’s sway. Cambodia branded those sanctions as “politically motivated.”
Saudi crown prince visits Qatar
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince visited Qatar last week for the first time since the kingdom rallied other Arab states to end their year-long rift and embargo on the small Gulf state. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Qatar marks his third stop in the region this week as the Saudi heir to the throne tours the six US-allied Gulf Arab states that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council. His meetings with Arab rulers are aimed at fortifying the kingdom’s alliances as rival Iran resumes nuclear negotiations with world powers. His visit to Qatar is particularly significant because last year at this time the neighboring states were in the midst of a diplomatic standoff that had frayed familial ties in the region.
Iraq and US formally end combat mission
Iraq and the US-led coalition concluded a final round of technical talks to formally transition from a combat mission tasked with rooting out the extremist Islamic State group to an advisory mission to assist Iraqi forces, security officials said. The talks - which centered on the transition - formally end the coalition’s combat mission, tweeted Qassim al-Araji, Iraq’s national security advisor. He said the coalition would continue providing assistance, advice and training for Iraqi forces. The announcement reaffirms a July decision by the Biden administration to end the US combat mission in Iraq by December 31. There are roughly 2,500 US troops remaining in Iraq. It is unclear how many will remain in the next phase of coalition assistance.
Nearly 50% S Korean newlyweds have no kids
Nearly half of newlywed couples in South Korea have no children, data revealed, amid the country’s chronic low birthrate and changing social norms. Some 44.5 per cent of the country’s 1.18 million couples, who were legally married in the five years up to November 2020, did not have children, up from 42.5 per cent a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The newlyweds include first-time and other newly married couples residing in the country, reports Yonhap News Agency. The proportion of newly married couples with children has been on a steady decline from 64.5 per cent in 2015 to 63.7 per cent in 2016, 62.5 per cent in 2017 and 59.8 per cent in 2018. The number of babies born to newlyweds fell to 0.68 in 2020 from 0.71 the previous year.