Reuters, NEW DELHIIndian authorities yesterday stepped up security in major cities, and mobile data services were suspended in some places ahead of protests against a new citizenship law. At least 25 people have been killed in protests across the country since the law, seen as discriminatory toward Muslims, was adopted on Dec. 11. Violence peaked on Friday last week as police clashed with protesters in several cities, especially in Uttar Pradesh state, after weekly Muslim prayers. Such prohibitions have been in place in Uttar Pradesh for more than a week. The protests come amid the slowest economic growth in more than six years, rising unemployment and growing discontent over several surprise government decisions.

AFP, JERUSALEMEmbattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday declared a “huge” victory after winning a leadership primary that ensures he is to lead his right-wing Likud party into March elections. With all votes counted, Likud early yesterday announced that Netanyahu had secured 72.5 percent, with Saar winning 27.5 percent. Stephan Miller, a pollster who has worked on multiple Israeli campaigns, said that Netanyahu had campaigned harder than ever before to defeat Saar. He is likely to remain prime minister at least until new elections on March 2. “The big game for Netanyahu is immunity and for that he needs 61 votes [in the 120-seat Israeli parliament].”

He is leaving the post to focus on running his own business, Softbank spokeswoman Hiroe Kotera said. The founder of fashion chain Uniqlo has served as a Softbank board member since June 2001. With this departure, Softbank investors lose one of the few board members capable of standing up to Son. The value of Softbank’s investment portfolio could grow 33-fold to ￥200 trillion (US$1.8 trillion) in 20 years, he said. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (阿里巴巴) founder Jack Ma (馬雲) is an external director, but Alibaba counts Softbank as its biggest shareholder.

One man remembered sitting in the mountains at sunset, watching the elephants cross the valley through the miombo forest, while the lions roared. On one road there was a teak plantation on one side and a miombo forest on the other. The 2011 Bonn challenge aims to bring 350 million hectares of degraded land into restoration by 2030 and nations have already signed up 170 million hectares. Even the news that global tree cover is growing is not what it seems, said Tim Rayden of the Oxford Forestry Institute. “There is a big difference between tree cover and forests,” Rayden said.

Buthidaung National League for Democracy (NLD) Chairman Ye Thein, the most senior civilian official to die in the growing insurgency, was killed on Monday in an attack on the rebels by the Burmese army, the Arakan Army rebels said. The NLD chairman from Buthidaung, Ye Thein, died on the scene,” the Arakan Army said in the statement. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in Rakhine since clashes between the Arakan Army and the army began about a year ago. The Arakan Army is among several ethnic armed factions that have said they support the case against Myanmar. NLD spokesman Myo Nyunt said it was the responsibility of the Arakan Army.

The GuardianFirefighters in South Australia and New South Wales (NSW) yesterday continued to battle out-of-control bushfires before a heat wave brings extreme temperatures to many parts of Australia. A large fire on the NSW south coast, known as the Currowan fire, was yesterday upgraded to watch and act. A severe heat wave with localized pockets of extreme heat was forecast to move across South Australia tomorrow and on Sunday, reaching NSW and Victoria on Monday. “Some areas are forecast to reach extreme heat wave conditions,” Barr said. As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 74 active bush and grass fires in the state, almost 30 of which were not contained.

By Remy Rioux and Peter SandsAs part of the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development, the international community set itself the ambitious goal of eradicating HIV, tuberculosis and malaria by 2030. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a public-private partnership, has contributed substantially to this effort, by massively scaling up prevention and treatment. Over the past decade, the annual number of deaths from HIV, tuberculosis and malaria have been lowered by about a half. Yet, we are still not on track to eliminate HIV, tuberculosis and malaria by 2030. Success requires clear political leadership and sustained investment in critical capacities, such as well-trained community health workers, cost-effective supply chains, quality data systems and well-equipped laboratories.

AFP, MOSCOWRussian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Wednesday said that one of his allies had been forcibly conscripted and sent to serve at a remote Arctic base, in a move that his supporters said amounted to kidnapping. On Tuesday, he resurfaced at a secret air defense base on the remote Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, Navalny said. Separating the Barents and Kara seas, the Novaya Zemlya islands were used by the Soviet Union to conduct nuclear tests. Shaveddinov has a medical condition that disqualifies him for military service, Navalny said, but added that he was forcibly drafted and sent to the Arctic base without basic training. Prominent rights campaigner Valentina Melnikova said that it was unusual for the authorities to send conscripts to remote Arctic outposts known for harsh weather conditions and long polar nights.

Unfortunately, they were tarnished by subsequent squabbling over which side could claim the highest turnout. The KMT accused the recall march’s organizers of “cheating,” intentionally inflating numbers and placing dummies under a huge banner. These people will not change their opinion of Han simply because more people marched in support of him than against him. Meanwhile, the Han campaign needs to address the clear political message revealed by the move to secure his recall. If it fails to do this, this movement will just be the precursor to a whole string of others against him.

Reuters, ASHKELON, IsraelA rocket on Wednesday was launched from the Gaza Strip at a southern Israeli city where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election campaign was hosting a rally, forcing him to take shelter briefly before resuming the event, Israeli TV stations reported. The Israeli military confirmed the launch against Ashkelon, which is 12km from the Palestinian enclave, and said that the rocket was shot down by an Iron Dome air defense interceptor. Israeli TV stations showed Netanyahu, who was campaigning to keep the helm of the conservative Likud party in an internal election yesterday, being escorted off a stage by bodyguards, with the reports saying that he was taken to a shelter after sirens sounded. It was the second such incident after a September appearance by Netanyahu in the nearby town of Ashdod was briefly disrupted by a rocket siren. “He [al-Atta] is no longer around,” a video circulated on social media showed a smiling Netanyahu saying after he retook the stage in Ashkelon, to cheers from onlookers.

Reuters, ROMEItalian Minister of Education Lorenzo Fioramonti on Wednesday said that he had resigned after failing to obtain from the government the billions of euros that he said were needed to improve the country’s schools and universities. The resignation is a blow to the embattled government, whose ruling parties are at odds on issues ranging from eurozone reform to migrant rights. Fioramonti said that he had tendered his “irrevocable resignation” to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in a letter on Monday. “It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that a minister keeps his word,” Fioramonti said in an interview on Wednesday. Fioramonti said that he would still support the government in parliament, where he is a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies.

On June 28 last year, the Australian parliament passed the National Security Legislation Amendment (Espionage and Foreign Interference) Bill 2018, receiving broad bipartisan support. Australia, at least, is taking the issue of Chinese political interference and espionage seriously. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus are attempting to push through an anti-infiltration bill targeting individuals or groups acting under the direction of “infiltration sources” to aid and abet foreign actors. The DPP caucus has said that the passage of the bill is crucial for national security, adding that other nations, such as Australia, have enacted similar legislation. All players understand how their stance on this bill will hone the electorate’s view on each party’s relationship with China.

BloombergGold yesterday firmed up a foothold above US$1,500 an ounce as investors positioned for next year, with post-Christmas gains coming even as equities inched higher and US-China trade concerns eased. Silver rose along with platinum and palladium in what has been a banner year for precious metals. Bullion advanced for a fourth day, the best run since October, and headed for the highest close in more than seven weeks. Earlier this month, JPMorgan Chase & Co advised betting on gold to slide as the global economy gathers momentum. Among the bulls, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and UBS Group AG see prices climbing to US$1,600 an ounce.

By Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterThe Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) yesterday bolstered regulations on who qualifies to be an independent director of a listed company, with the rules to take effect on Wednesday next week. People who have audited a company in the two preceding financial years or the current year cannot be appointed as independent directors, the amendments say. Independent directors should not be paid more than NT$500,000 (US$16,556) for providing financial, accountancy or legal services for the company, Chang said. However, if a lawyer has earned more than NT$500,000 working for a listed company’s chairperson, they can become an independent director, he said. Listed companies would not need to immediately dismiss independent directors who do not qualify according to the amended rules, but must appoint new candidates after their terms expire, he said.

By Natasha Li / Staff reporterKeyboard, video and mouse switch manufacturer Aten International Co (宏正自動科技) yesterday said it is considering relocating production to Southeast Asia amid a US-China trade dispute. Aten’s Shenzhen plant contributes 60 percent of its overall production, while its plant in New Taipei City’s Sijhih District (汐止) contributes 40 percent, he said. Aten aims to make the move by the end of next year and plans to begin production by 2021, he said. Chen offered an upbeat outlook for next year, with sales expected to regain momentum in Asia. Order visibility for Asia, which contributes about 47 percent of the company’s overall revenue, extends to the first quarter next year, he said.