03/10/2026

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Taiwan receives first F-16V fighter jets from US

Developing countries hit by crises WASHINGTON: Rising energy costs, a super El Nino and soaring borrowing costs are increasing pressure on developing countries, with conditions nearing those of the pandemic when the G20 suspended debt payments for the poorest nations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said yesterday. Global policymakers are expected to discuss the huge challenges facing developing countries at the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in the Thai capital Bangkok from Oct 12 to 18, UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo told reporters. He said events could trigger a “domino effect with many, many countries being pushed into financial distress“, but stopped short of calling for a new round of debt relief. The IMF-World Bank meetings will bring together top financial officials from around the world for talks on the global economy, AI, climate change and other challenges, as government borrowing costs hit their highest in several decades. At the same time, the strongest El Nino weather effect since 1950 is expected to trigger more floods in some regions and droughts in others, plunging an expected 49 million more into food insecurity by the end of 2027. De Croo said UNDP surveys conducted since the start of the Iran war showed that it has morphed from a regional conflict to “a crisis which has an impact on about 100 countries”. Many governments have taken steps to shield their citizens from the surge in oil prices but their fiscal coffers are now running low and their debt levels are rising, with no real relief in sight, he said, adding that countries should focus on measures to help the most vulnerable. While some countries are diversifying their energy sources and adapting their food systems, those efforts would take time, leaving them in a “really tough, tough spot” for now, he said. UNDP chief economist George Gray Molina said a major shift was seen in September as some governments began to allow higher energy prices to flow through to citizens, and started rolling back subsidies, tax relief and other steps that had kept food and energy prices largely in check since the war began. – Reuters Unemployment rate rises in Japan TOKYO: Japan’s unemployment rate in August rose to 2.5% from 2.4% in the previous month, deteriorating for the first time in five months, Kyodo News reported, citing the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry. The number of people with jobs increased by 30,000 from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted 68.34 million, the ministry said. Of those not employed, 810,000 left their jobs voluntarily, likely in search of better working conditions, up 8% from July, while 400,000 were dismissed, rising 5.3% from the previous month. The number of people newly seeking jobs grew 2.2% to 460,000, according to the ministry. “The job market is not in bad shape,” a ministry official said, adding that more workers quit to seek better opportunities than for other reasons. “The increase in voluntary job departures appears to have been the main driver of the latest rise in the unemployment rate.” Over the past two years, the unemployment rate has always rebounded the month after falling to 2.4% or lower. The job availability ratio was unchanged from July at 1.18, meaning there were 118 jobs available for every 100 job seekers, according to separate data from the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry. Eight of the 11 sectors saw declines, led by accommodation and restaurant services with an 11.1% drop, followed by a 10.2% decrease in wholesale and retail, it said. – Bernama-Kyodo

SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said yesterday Seoul would take “further measures” if Ukraine refuses to publicly apologise over what he called its unilateral disclosure of North Korean prisoners of war (POW) being sent to South Korea. Seoul has taken a hard stance on Ukraine disclosing the transfer of two soldiers captured fighting for Russia, warning that their families could be targeted by Pyongyang. The POW were captured by Ukrainian forces early last year after being deployed alongside thousands of North Korean troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine, in exchange for economic and military assistance to Pyongyang. Hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed last week the transfer in remarks at the United Nations, Lee expressed his dismay, with Seoul claiming that confidentiality was key to protecting the relatives of the POW. Seoul later demanded an official apology from Ukraine, saying both sides had reached a “clear understanding” during consultations to keep the transfer confidential – citing concerns for the safety of the POW families in TAITUNG: The first two of a batch of 66 new F-16V Block 70 fighter jets ordered in 2019 arrived in Taiwan yesterday after months of delays, helping to strengthen an air force that has to scramble almost daily to shadow China’s military. Taiwan faces a rising military threat from Beijing, which claims the democratically governed island as its own territory. Taipei has complained of repeated delays to weapons ordered from the United States, its most important international backer and arms supplier. The delivery to Taitung’s Chihhang Air Base on the island’s mountainous east coast comes amid growing concern in Taiwan about the Trump administration’s commitment to arming Taipei, despite Washington saying there has been no change in policy. The aircraft, which flew via Hawaii and Guam, touched down at noon (0400 GMT). Speaking to reporters at Parliament in Taipei shortly before, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said there would be other new F-16Vs arriving soon, although he did not give details. “Of course, we will not only have these two by year-end.” The United States in 2019 approved an US$8 billion (RM32.6 billion) sale of Lockheed Martin F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan, a deal that would take the island’s F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets. But issues that included software problems have delayed delivery of the planes. The arrival of the first two comes almost exactly a week after US President Donald o We continue standing with friends and allies across Indo-Pacific to advance shared prosperity, security and values: Washington

A Lockheed Martin F-16V fighter jet landing at Taitung’s Chihhang Air Base yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

published by RBC-Ukraine and other Ukrainian outlets on Thursday. Sybiha said he would “not like to call it an incident”, describing it instead as a “diplomatic misunderstanding”. “South Korea is an important country for us. And I very much hope for momentum, continued cooperation and concrete results that we are indeed achieving with them.“ North Korea is known to retaliate against defectors and their families. Both POW are identifiable as they had been photographed by South Korean media before their arrival to the South. Seoul’s spy agency said Zelensky may have disclosed the transfer of the North Korean soldiers to boost public support in South Korea for Seoul providing arms to Ukraine, a lawmaker said on Wednesday. South Korea has in recent years emerged as a major arms exporter, particularly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and including through a multibillion-dollar arms deal with Poland. But it has refrained from supplying Kyiv with lethal weapons, citing its long-standing policy of not arming countries engaged in active conflicts. – AFP unwilling to provide Taiwan its most advanced fighters, such as the F-22 or F-35. An upgrade programme for Taiwan’s existing F-16s was completed in 2023. The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself but the two have no formal diplomatic relations. Beijing has repeatedly told Washington to stop arming Taiwan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the arrival of the F-16s. “We continue standing with friends and allies across the Indo-Pacific to advance our shared prosperity, security and values – that includes Taiwan,” a US State Department spokesperson said when asked about the new F-16s. – Reuters

North Korea. “If Ukraine continues to refuse to acknowledge the facts and publicly apologise, we will take further measures,“ said Lee, accusing Kyiv of making him out to be a “liar”. “This is a matter concerning the dignity of the Republic of Korea and its people, and cannot be overlooked.“ Analysts say from South Korea’s perspective, keeping the transfer of the POW confidential may have partly been for Ukraine’s sake, as making it public could have complicated Kyiv’s own prisoner exchanges with Russia. In domestic South Korean politics, however, Seoul’s approach “could prove problematic”, said Myongji University political science professor Shin Yul, given the current administration’s dovish approach to the nuclear-armed North. “The government has acted swiftly in this case involving Ukraine, while exercising extreme caution over the North Korean landmine incident (that injured South Korean soldiers). That contrast could leave the public deeply dissatisfied.” Lee referred yesterday to an interview with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington. Trump said in May, after meeting Xi in Beijing, he was holding a new US$14 billion package for Taiwan in abeyance, although he did approve one worth US$11 billion in December 2025. US officials believe a Chinese invasion of Taiwan before 2028 is increasingly unlikely, individuals familiar with US thinking told Reuters. Taiwan holds its next presidential election in early 2028. “China’s intention to annex Taiwan by force has never changed,” said Koo. The F-16Vs have advanced avionics, weapons and radar systems to better counter the Chinese air force, including its stealthy J-20 fighters, although Washington has been

Seoul warns of ‘further measures’ if no apology received