A Japanese diplomat was detained and deported from Vladivostok in eastern Russia, according to the Federal Security Service (FSB), after the consul allegedly request for limited information. In exchange for monetary reward, the diplomat was allegedly discovered looking for information regarding the economic effects of Western sanctions. In a statement to the public, the FSB stated “A Japanese diplomat was detained red-handed while receiving, in exchange for financial reward, restricted information about Russia’s cooperation with another country in the Asia-Pacific region”. The expulsion occurred after Fumio Kishida, the Prime Minister of Japan, backed international sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. In response to expulsion of diplomat, Japan demanded an apology from Russia for what it viewed as the unjust imprisonment of one of its diplomats in Vladivostok, who Tokyo claimed was physically restrained and blindfolded after the Kremlin made wrong accusations of espionage. According to Japan Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno, Russia breached international agreements by holding the diplomat even he had not engaged in any criminal conduct.

Russia and Japan are technically at war as two countries not ratified a formal peace treaty for a long time. In the days of World War II, the Soviet Union seized four small islands that are located between Japan and Russia, preventing the two countries from formally ending hostilities since 1945 which is still causing tension between the two sides. Since then, bilateral relations have faced ups and downs, which further deteriorated much in March 2022. It is because Russia declared it would suspend peace negotiations with Tokyo in response of imposing economic sanctions on Moscow for Ukraine war. In addition, the tensions between Russia and the G-7 nations, including Japan have spilled over into bilateral relations, the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine has severely harmed ties with Japan. Russia’s obstruction of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT) Review Conference and ongoing diplomatic and military tensions in the southern Kurils, which Japan claims as northern territory, remained points of contention in past months.

Even though the situation between Japan and Russia has gotten worse, there are still chances of maintaining ties with each other. Japan kept contact with Russia, Tokyo restricted the import of Russian coal but continued to buy Russian oil and natural gas to fulfill the country’s need. On 3rd October, 2022, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida in a statement said that “Due to the situation in Ukraine, Russian-Japanese relations are in a difficult position, but we strongly adhere to the direction of resolving territorial issues and concluding a peace treaty.” Japan is aware that strengthening relations with Russia are the only way to settle their long-standing territorial issue and open the path for a peace treaty.

At the meeting, the first between the two countries since 2012, the EU hopes to restore its ties with Israel, it is because EU needs to diversify its energy sources in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Israel and the EU were supposed to meet annually to discuss issues of shared interest in the Association Council but Israel cancelled the conference, formally known as the EU-Israel Association Council, in 2013, after the EU issued a statement for Israel’s expansion in West Bank. It was asserted that Israel colonies in the occupied Palestinian territories would not be included in any future accords with Israel. The EU-Israel conference has been denounced by global human rights organizations as it is being considered for serving mainly to legitimize the continued “apartheid” against Palestinians. Amnesty International in a statement cautioned that “Israel is committing the crime of apartheid against Palestinians and that any cooperation must focus on dismantling Israel’s terrible system of oppression and domination.”

Despite warnings from human rights organizations and European parliamentarians regarding Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in violation of their human rights, talks between the EU and Israel were held in Brussels. Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the EU led the trip, while Elazar Stern, the minister of intelligence, led Israeli delegation in the absence of Yair Lapid due to domestic commitments, but the prime minister of Israel, attended the meeting online. Borrell concentrated on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict prior to the conference. He referred a recent UN report that said it was “very worrisome” that this year had seen the most Palestinians killed since 2007. During the discussions with the Israeli delegation, he intended to concentrate on this matter and the rising tensions in the West Bank.

Borrell stressed the significance of resuming this high-level political conversation between Israel and the European Union during the meeting. As per him, it is the most effective means to discuss a variety of topics that concern both parties, especially the Middle East Peace Process and the stability of the larger Middle East area. The meeting’s agenda included talks on the conflict in Ukraine, the global energy crisis, and food insecurity. In the meantime, Lapid suggested that the EU may and ought to participate in the Abraham Accords and the Negev Forum in a message to the European leadership. He emphasized that Israel has been cooperating with the Palestinian Authority and reiterated his commitment to the two-state solution. However, addressing the UN General Assembly in September 2022, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated that “our trust in attaining a peace based on justice and international law is dwindling as a result of Israel’s occupation tactics.” Following Lipid’s speech in which he advocated a two-state solution and urged Muslim countries to recognize and make peace with Israel. To conclude, despite the rhetoric, human rights advocates and EU parliamentarians who warned that Israel has not altered its policy toward the Palestinians yet the EU-Israel summit was held. EU is looking towards Israel to attain its interests but European Union must consider the situation of Palestine with respect to human rights violations by Israel against humanity.

Introduction

According to the statistics department, consumer inflation in Sri Lanka, which is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades, increased to 70.2% in August. According to the Department of Census and Statistics, the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) increased by 70.2 percent from a year earlier in August after increasing by 66.7 percent in July. Prices of non-food items increased by 57.1 percent, while food prices increased by 84.6 percent in the 22 million-person South Asian nation that depends heavily on tourism. In August, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) predicted that the country’s inflation rate, which peaked at over 70% as the economy slowed, will decline. Due to severe dollar shortages brought by poor economic management and the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka is currently unable to import basic goods including food, fuel, fertilizer, and medication. Earlier in September, Sri Lanka and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) came to a preliminary agreement for a loan of $2.9 billion, subject to the guarantees from official creditors and completion of talks with private creditors.

Economic Integration with India despite Security Concerns

Ranil Wickremesinghe, the president of Sri Lanka, has made it clear that his country wants to break away from China and merge its economy with that of India. Asserting that India and the West need not be concerned that the Chinese built and operated Hambantota port will be utilized for military reasons, the President took care to particularly assure India that Sri Lanka is aware of India’s security concerns. Colombo and New Delhi believe there is a potential to grow India-Lanka relations in the wake of the Rajapaksas’ departure. After reassurance, on September 20, 2022, India announced that it had started talks with Sri Lanka about restructuring its debt and pledged to support the neighboring country in crisis, primarily through long-term investments, after providing nearly $4 billion in financial aid. New Delhi would keep assisting Colombo, according to the Indian High Commission, in all possible ways, particularly by encouraging long-term investments from India in important economic sectors.

India and Sri Lanka both agree that Hambantota must not be considered a hurdle in the relationship between the two countries, which has been on lease for nearly 99 years and Chinese owned the port. Since there is great potential for Sri Lanka and India to come together and look at various areas including logistics, renewable energy, tourism, trade and IT as well as cooperation for long-term energy security, therefore both the countries are making serious efforts to develop bilateral relations using arrangements for trade, connectivity, investment, and security as it will help the devastated economy of Sri Lanka to flourish again.

In October, Japan will relax strict border controls related to the pandemic, allowing for mass tourism for the first time in 2.5 years. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that individual travel and visa-free entrance would return on October 11 as the country works to rebuild its relationship with the rest of the world. Kishida, who is in the United States for the UNGA, said on Thursday that “we are a nation that has flourished on the free flow of people, goods, and capital.” Naturally, COVID-19 has prevented the use of all these advantages, but starting on October 11, Japan will ease border controls to a level with those in the US and restore visa-free travel and individual travel.

Only China has yet to declare plans to relax strict border controls, making Japan one of the last economies to restore widespread travel and tourism. Japan is only permitting tourists on tours, and the country now has a daily arrival limit of 50,000 as part of a partial easing of restrictions that have been in place since June. Visitors to the nation also need to apply for a visa. Only 8,000 foreign visitors arrived in July, compared to approximately 3 million in July of 2019. Tight limitations have caused foreign tourists to generally avoid the country.

The government has been asked to reopen borders by tourism industry representatives and trade associations, who also expressed concern that Japan would fall behind as the rest of the globe adapts to the virus. Japan experienced some of the highest COVID cases anywhere in the world last month, with the daily infection rate topping 250,000, despite the fact that the country’s overall death toll continues to be among the lowest globally. The reopening of Japan, according to Gary Bowerman, director of travel and tourism research at Check-in Asia, will be a “key barometer” of the recovery of travel in the Asia-Pacific region, which has lagged behind the other regions of the world.

On September 14th, 2022, border guards from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan exchanged fire during a border dispute, according to officials on both sides, with more than one-third of the 1,000 km that is about 600 miles border between the two Central Asian countries which leads to a dispute every time. Since the fighting started, at least three people have died and 27 have been injured in the increasing border dispute between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Both countries have accused one another of employing heavy weapons like tanks and mortars along the border. Kyrgyz border guards have accused the Tajiks of firing several posts and setting up camp at a section of the border that had not yet been marked. Tajikistan, in response has claimed that Kyrgyz troops had deployed heavy weaponry to shell seven of its villages and one of its outposts to which casualties were also observed.

The clashes took place on the eve of a regional security meeting, and during the times when leaders and country heads are in Central-Asia for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit from eight member states including Pakistan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan; three observer states i.e. Belarus, Iran and Mongolia and dialogue-partner countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Turkmenistan. However, the leaders of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have joined Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping for SCO summit in Uzbekistan, along with other international leaders. The conflict is also of importance as it erupts against the backdrop of clashes between Russia and Ukraine and Azerbaijan and Armenia. Despite the fact that Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are both allies of Russia and host Russian military installations, border disputes between the two former Soviet republics frequently result in fighting, last year it was nearly ended into a full-scale dispute over irrigation water between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan led to violence that soon expanded throughout the border, killing more than 40 people and forcing 30,000 Kyrgyz residents to flee.. According to press sources citing a foreign ministry source, Russia has asked its Central Asian allies to take immediate action to regain control of the situation on the two countries’ border.

The security officials from both nations could not agree more on anything in the meantime than the fact that a clash had taken place. On Friday, September 16, 2022, an agreement was reached between the heads of the national security committees of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is crucial now more than ever that regional countries play their active role to seek long-term solution to the dispute between Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan and resolve the conflict over resources, borders and mistrust that lie at the root of the outbreaks for maintaining Central-Asia’s peace and stability.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been engaged in a protracted military conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus, and fighting has recently broken out once more between the two countries. Russia might potentially get involved in another war close to its borders as a result of the confrontations. The conflict that erupted along the border earlier on September 13th, 2022, for the renewed clashes both the countries Azerbaijan and Armenia has blamed each other. It was the largest escalation of hostilities between the two nations since a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 which was ended after extensive deadliest fighting between the both countries’ forces because of a cease-fire mediated by Russia. Although Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized by the international community as a part of Azerbaijan, but it not only claims independence but also maintains close ties with Armenia.

Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, connected the recent incidents to the long-running, dispute over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and claimed that the Azeri Government refused to engage in negotiations regarding the enclave, which is located inside Azerbaijan but is primarily populated by Armenians. The Azerbaijani military launched cross-border attacks using artillery, mortars, drones, and large-caliber weapons, according to the Defense Ministry of Armenia, which claimed that at least 105 Armenian soldiers were killed. Also, the Ministry added that the strikes have targeted both military and civilian facilities in and around many cities and villages, which requires a response back. As opposed to this, Azerbaijan asserted that its troops had retaliated to large-scale provocations by the Armenian military and denied initiation of the conflict. It is reported by Azerbaijan that after stockpiling weapons along the border and making an attempt to mine Azerbaijani positions, Armenian forces attacked on Azerbaijani military positions in several places, causing casualties that were not stated as well as damage to military equipment. Almost 71 military personnel were killed, according to the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan, during overnight fighting with Armenia.

Armenia claims there is a chance that violent confrontations with Azerbaijan could turn into war and is pleading international community to pay more attention to a serious situation that could result in yet another devastating catastrophe. The tensions in both the Caucasus and Central Asian former Soviet republics have reached a breaking point at a time when global tensions are already quite high. A confrontation in the South Caucasus, which is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, threatens to involve Russia which is Armenia’s ally and Turkey who is supporting Azerbaijan. This might draw two nations in major conflict while jeopardizing the pipelines that transport Caspian oil and gas to the west. Following the start of hostilities and new tensions along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Russia, the United States and France have urged both the sides to maintain peace for the sake of humanity.

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoan’s relationship dynamic, preference, and mutual trust are a major foundation for Russian-Turkish relations. These interpersonal ties have been put to the test by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Although Turkish and Ukrainian military links are strong and President Erdoan maintains a good working relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it is evident that Erdoan is unwilling to sacrifice his relationship with Putin for Zelenskyy’s benefit. Moreover, Putin has either refused or ignored Erdoan’s attempts to arbitrate between the two presidents.

The return of Crimea to Ukraine, of which it is an integral part, is essentially a requirement of international law. It was an indicator of the opportunities Turkey is looking for to push the boundaries of its ties with Russia at a time when the Kremlin is stuck in Ukraine. Whether in Syria or the South Caucasus, Ankara is poised to fill the gap as Moscow’s influence appears poised to decline. After Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Turkey acted as a mediator, as seen in a July deal it brokered with the help of the United Nations for Ukrainian grain ships to leave Odessa. Yet Erdogan has remained consistent in his support for Kiev, including in Crimea, the historic home of the Crimean Tatars (a community that sees Turkey as a kin state). Syria was the focus of his trilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran in July, as well as Erdogan’s meeting with Putin in Sochi in August.

Getting Russia and Iran to sign off on his plans for an all-out offensive postpones the prospect of restoring relations with the government of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad as a quid pro quo. Fear of Turkey was a key reason for Armenia’s alignment with Russia in terms of foreign and security policy. The common threat in Syria and Armenia is that Turkey is methodically pushing Russia out of its neighborhood and regions where Moscow has had a strategic advantage over its geopolitical rivals in recent years. Still, anyone who thinks that the war in Ukraine is, at the end of the day, a conflict involving Moscow, Kyiv and Western capitals would do well to look further.
Turkey’s economic situation worsens even further and all of Erdoan’s and his administration’s promises to boost the economy are kept. Given the impact of economic sanctions imposed by the EU, the U.S., Canada, and other like-minded nations on Turkey, Russia is unable to immediately facilitate financially. Nevertheless, it sends tourists and expands its markets to Turkish businesses, including those in the construction industry, assisting in uplifiting some of Erdoan’s economic woes.

Introduction

The primary threat to global health security has historically been regarded to humanitarian catastrophes, which include conflicts, natural and man-made disasters and different complex situations of emergency. The relationship between the natural environment and human health has been postulated for centuries. It is evident today in Pakistan, where a large number of people are experiencing health insecurity as a result of the extreme floods that nation has never witnessed before. In a world, which is experiencing global warming at the fastest rate, due to which flooding has grown more frequent with rising negative effects on human health. Every aspect of flooding is disastrous, including the destruction of property and infrastructure, the loss of lives and broader effects on health and well-being of the people.

Situation in Pakistan

Disasters can worsen the rate of diseases and mortality linked to infectious and chronic diseases by affecting the health overall care system. Acute illness, physical and emotional trauma are all direct effects of disasters on population health. In Pakistan, more than 33 million people and 75 percent of all districts have been impacted by flooding brought on by monsoon rains, due to which the Government of Pakistan proclaimed a state of emergency. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that at least 1,000 people have died and 1,500 have been injured. In the entire nation, damage to healthcare facilities is close to 900, with 180 of those facilities being destroyed. Access to medical care and treatment has been limited to millions of people. A WHO emergency fund has been released of $10 million to help the people with the response to the current situation. Millions of people are now homeless, number of additional people in camps have increased to over 161,000 after the monsoons flooded one-fifth of Pakistan, necessitating massive relief efforts that have yet to reach the severely devastated areas. There are several ways that flooding affects human health, and medical experts can take a variety of actions to safeguard the impacted health of the people.

Conclusion

More people are going to experience floods and its destruction, including its detrimental effects on health security, as climate change makes the planet more vulnerable to extreme weather events. At national level, the federal Government and Provincial Governments should collaborate and work together for providing relief of the victims. The United Nations’ Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement “Let’s stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our world by climate change.” He urged the countries by saying “Today, it is Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country”. Therefore, it is a high time for all the countries around the world to look upon their actions regarding carbon emissions and to adopt policies that can save the humanity and mitigate the existing conditions of climate change.

Introduction

Boeing has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency for its anti-ballistic missile program. The Boeing is the largest aerospace and military company based in America. According to defense related revenue from 2011, it is one of the biggest global aircraft manufacturers and the second-largest aerospace and defense contractor globally. Recently, Boeing has received a $5 billion contract to maintain the US Defense system. For that, the company will carry out the engineering, physical integration, and logistical integration of Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) components into the nation’s missile defense system. The project aims to ensure the system’s readiness to defend the US homeland from threats posed by intermediate and long range ballistic missiles.

Defense Spending of the United States

The United States currently spends more on defense than the nine countries combined, including China, India, the United Kingdom and Russia. The United States’ defense spending increased by $22 billion between 2020 and 2021, which exceeds the growth in other countries spending. In April 2022, President Joe Biden approved a massive $29 billion spending increase fiscal year 2022 national defense budget. The overall budget package for 2022 includes $782 billion for national defense, which represents a 5.6 percent increase over the 2021 expenditures and a 3.9 percent increase over the administration’s proposal for 2022. This increase was also accompanied by the approval of an additional $13.6 billion in emergency military aid for as a result of Russia’s war launched in Ukraine. The defense funding bill allots $5.1 billion for the building and ongoing research and development of a fleet of 12 ballistic missile submarines of the Columbia class. This represents a rise of roughly $7 million over the approved sum and a rise of $145 million over Biden’s requested budget. The budget hike, which also included many bills related to Taiwan with the objective of bolstering relations between the US and Taiwan island, was justified by US lawmakers by citing dangers from Russia and China.

Military and Defense Spending: A Critical Issue

Investment in peace building, conflict resolution and development lags significantly behind military spending which continues to increase excessively. As a result of the increased instability of the world after the end of the Cold War, militarism has been developing, further escalating tensions and conflict among countries. Armed conflicts have developed into both the root cause and a response to this rising militarism, together with the ongoing danger of war or terrorism. By this trend, infrastructure is being destroyed, citizens and their well-being is affected and a culture of continual fear, violence, and instability is resulting all over the world as countries continue to win the defense competition by enhancing military spending.

Liz Truss, the newly elected UK prime minister, proposed an estimated £150 billion program to protect Britain from rising energy bills. However, businesses will only get six months of coverage, compared to households’ coverage of two years. Along with state intervention, it has been decided to boost domestic oil and gas production as well as restructure the energy sector. The major objectives of the new plan of action are to help businesses and people to deal with skyrocketing energy costs while simultaneously working to increase domestic energy supplies. As per the recently elected Government, it is one of the most challenging sets of difficulties for a new leader in post-war history, including rising energy costs, an impending recession, and industrial conflict. The Prime Minister, Truss has pledged to take rapid action in order to address the underlying causes of these issues to prevent a recurrence of the same situation in future.

One of the main features of the energy plan is an energy price guarantee that will limit the price suppliers can charge customers for a unit of gas, resulting in an annual energy bill for the average household of no more than £2,500. A six-month program will be introduced for companies, nonprofit organizations and employers in the public sector such as schools. In accordance with this, the state will reimburse energy suppliers for any discrepancy between the new cap and the prices that energy merchants would otherwise charge the clients. The government will make a transition from the company scheme to a more targeted approach for vulnerable industries after six months. To speed up the production of domestic energy, drilling will be approved and more North Sea licenses will be issued.

The expected cost of the package is £150 billion, although the actual price will depend on changes in the gas market. Ministers assert that the plan will reduce inflation and reduce debt payments that cost billions. However, the plan is being criticized for not being efficient and for providing a long-term vision of clean, green and inexpensive energy. The country should adopt sustainable alternatives for the ongoing energy issue as it will not only fulfill the national demand of oil and gas but will also help to reduce its dependence on any other country. The stakeholders believe that without any compliance framework and policies, millions of pounds will not be of any help to resolve the current energy security crisis.