Idlib: US special forces in counter-terrorism raid

Today's headlines: the US approves cash transfers to Afghanistan; Pakistan says it will not introduce a presidential system; Cambodia invites a non-political representative from Myanmar to the Asean summit; the Philippines opens up to foreign investment; Orban's Hungary strengthens ties with Russia.

SYRIA

US special forces conducted an anti-terrorism raid in northwest Syria. Experts say the operation was similar to the one that killed Islamic State chief al-Baghdadi in 2019. There is no clear information yet on any civilian casualties in the operation. Idlib province is partly controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group that was part of al-Qaeda.

AFGHANISTAN

The US Treasury Department has allowed international banks to transfer funds to Afghanistan for humanitarian purposes. Cooperation agencies can also pay the salaries of Afghan teachers and health personnel, so transactions involving the Taliban are also permitted. All such transactions will not be considered violations of sanctions.

PAKISTAN

Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed denied the government's desire to introduce a presidential system or a state of emergency following the increase in attacks by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). When journalists pointed out that the TTP had carried out 40 attacks across the country this year, Ahmed replied that two terrorists had been neutralised in Islamabad recently.

CHINA

Chinese President Xi Jinping claims the Winter Olympics starting tomorrow will be "safe and splendid", amid criticism from the head of the International Olympic Committee of the diplomatic boycott by some countries over human rights issues in China. Yesterday, 55 new cases of Covid-19 were detected in Beijing, the highest daily count so far.

CAMBODIA - MYANMAR

The Cambodian foreign minister said that a non-political representative of Myanmar had been invited to the upcoming summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). The members of the organisation have not yet reached an agreement regarding the participation of the Burmese military junta after last year's coup.

PHILIPPINES

The Philippine Congress has passed a bill allowing full foreign ownership of rail and telecommunications services, opening up one of the world's most hostile economies to foreign investment. The measure, to be ratified by President Rodrigo Duterte, updates an 85-year-old law which stipulated that foreign ownership could be up to a maximum of 40 per cent.

JAPAN

The International Monetary Fund deleted a sentence criticising Japan for its continued funding of carbon-intensive projects. The sentence was contained in the final statement of the review of Japan's economic policies, after the IMF included climate engagement among its monitoring activities.

RUSSIA

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the Kremlin to assess Russian security demands from NATO and the US. Putin reminded his colleague of the signing of long-term contracts (until 2036) to supply gas to Hungary from Russia's Gazprom. Orban said he was convinced he would win in the next elections and wanted to cooperate with Russia "for many years to come", and invited his Russian colleague to visit Hungary on a "peace mission".

• AsiaToday