Diplomatic Briefing
Your exclusive news aggregator handpicked daily!Archive for September 1, 2022
Newsline: Serial protestor outside US embassy in Singapore gets maximum jail term
A serial protestor who held illegal demonstrations nine times in six years was sentenced to a maximum jail term of 12 months, just 18 days after he was out of jail for similar offences. Yan Jun, a 46-year-old Singaporean, was also jailed an additional 53 days after he committed the latest offences during his remission order, according to a report by The Straits Times. He will serve an additional six months in jail as he was unable to pay the $5,000 fine imposed on him. (https://news.yahoo.com/serial-protestor-us-embassy-given-maximum-jail-term-144954106.html) On 12 June, Yan protested and displayed placards in front of the US embassy at Napier Road against the governments of Singapore, the US and Canada. He had also notified media outlets and some authorities ahead of his planned protest. In addition to the US embassy, Yan has demonstrated at locations including outside the Istana and Raffles Place MRT station since 2016. Among the individuals he has targeted during his protests include Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, Court of Appeal Judge Chao Hick Tin, and Commissioner of Prisons Desmond Chin.
Newsline: Dutch embassy in Baghdad evacuated
Personnel working at the Dutch embassy in Baghdad have been evacuated following the outbreak of the worst violence the Iraqi capital has seen in years. Staff have been relocated to the German embassy, in another part of the city, after unrest that has killed at least 15 people. ‘Fire fights are taking place around the compound. The German embassy is far outside this area,’ the foreign affairs ministry told NOS. (https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2022/08/dutch-embassy-in-baghdad-evacuated/) Violence broke out after influential Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced he was leaving politics. The Dutch embassy is in the middle of the so-called Green Zone, an area of the city with many foreign embassies and government buildings. Protesters pulled down security barriers and stormed the government palace. The country is now under a nationwide curfew. The ministry advises any Dutch citizen in the country to leave immediately.
Newsline: Philippine Top Diplomat Says Open to Resume Talks With China
The Philippines is open to new talks with China on oil and gas exploration, the Southeast Asian nation’s top diplomat said. (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-31/philippine-top-diplomat-says-open-to-resume-oil-talks-with-china) President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s government is ready to resume discussions, but any deal will have to comply with Philippine laws, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo told lawmakers during his agency’s budget hearing.
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