TOKYO: Japan will curb asylum seekers’ rights to work and detain any not deemed refugees or who have made multiple applications, the Yomiuri daily reported on Tuesday, in a move to further tighten one of the developed world’s toughest refugee systems.
From as early as mid-November, Japan will only allow those it regards as bona fide refugees the right to work. The Justice Ministry estimates that the new rule will effectively deny the right to work for more than 10,000 asylum seekers a year who don’t qualify for refugee status, the Yomiuri said, without citing sources.
Others, including those who fail to qualify as refugees in initial checks and multiple asylum applicants, will be held in detention centers after their permission to stay in Japan expires, the report said.
At present, asylum seekers with valid visas receive renewable permits allowing them to work in Japan while their refugee applications are reviewed — a system the government says encourages people to seek asylum in order to work.
“We are looking at policies, including that in the (Yomiuri) article. We haven’t decided whether to put it into action,” said Yasuhiro Hishida, a Justice Ministry official overseeing refugee recognition.
Japan accepted just three refugees in the first half of 2017 despite a record 8,561 fresh asylum applications, and only 28 in 2016. Human Rights Watch in January described the country’s record on asylum seekers as “abysmal.”
The prospect of the crackdown drew criticism from Japan’s most prominent refugee organization, which said that asylum seekers would struggle to make ends meet without work permits.
“It’s essential that minimum living conditions are ensured while people apply for asylum,” said Eri Ishikawa of the Japan Association for Refugees.
The world’s third biggest economy has remained unwelcoming to immigration despite a shrinking, aging population that has exacerbated the worst labor shortages in four decades and drags on an already slow economic growth.
Japan’s reluctance to accept foreign workers and refugees is in contrast to the policies of other industrialized countries, and has forced labor-hungry industries including construction and manufacturing to rely on asylum seekers with work permits.
Immigration remains a controversial subject in Japan, where many pride themselves on cultural and ethnic homogeneity.
Almost six in 10 Japanese think diversity of ethnic groups, religions and races makes their country a worse place, a poll this month by the Pew Research Center showed.
Japan to reportedly launch crackdown on asylum seekers
Japan to reportedly launch crackdown on asylum seekers
WEF: War, disinformation, and climate dominate global threats in 2025
- More than 900 global leaders highlight escalating geopolitical tensions, environmental crises and misinformation as critical issues shaping the year ahead
- Davos to begin Jan. 20 amid fragmented global order marked by growing power rivalries, weakened multilateralism
LONDON: Escalating wars, rising disinformation, and intensifying climate challenges rank as the most pressing global threats for 2025, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report, released Wednesday ahead of the Davos annual meeting.
Based on insights from 900 global leaders in business, politics and academia, the report highlights escalating geopolitical tensions, environmental crises and misinformation as critical issues shaping the year ahead.
“Rising geopolitical tensions, a fracturing of global trust and the climate crisis are straining the global system like never before,” said Mirek Dusek, WEF managing director.
“In a world marked by deepening divides and cascading risks, global leaders have a choice: To foster collaboration and resilience, or face compounding instability. The stakes have never been higher.”
State-based armed conflicts are flagged as the most immediate concern for 23 percent of respondents, with wars in the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine driving global instability.
The forum will host a historic gathering of Middle Eastern leaders, including representatives from Iran, Syria, Yemen and Gulf countries, to discuss prospects for peace amid hopes of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel after 15 months of devastating war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Donald Trump, set to be sworn in as the 47th US president on Jan. 20, has vowed to end the war in Ukraine. He will deliver a virtual address to the forum on Jan. 23. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also attend and deliver a speech on Jan. 21.
“From conflicts to climate change, we are facing interconnected crises that demand coordinated, collective action,” said Mark Elsner, WEF’s head of the Global Risks Initiative, who urged world leaders to make “renewed efforts to rebuild trust and foster cooperation.”
While conflicts rank as the most immediate threat, the survey highlights the climate crisis as the dominant risk of the next decade. Environmental risks — including extreme weather, biodiversity loss and critical changes to Earth’s systems — account for three of the top four long-term global concerns.
In 2024, global warming hit a record 1.54 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, triggering catastrophic weather events, such as the Los Angeles wildfires, devastating floods in Spain caused by the DANA weather phenomenon and unprecedented rainfall across the Middle East, which triggered floods in the Arabian Peninsula and Sahara Desert for the first time in half a century.
“The climate and nature crisis requires urgent attention and action,” said Gim Huay Neo, the WEF’s managing director for the Center for Nature and Climate.
Two technology-related concerns ranked next on the list of global threats: “Misinformation and disinformation” and the “adverse outcomes of AI technologies.”
The survey, conducted between September and October, noted rising anxieties about misinformation. These concerns have intensified following Donald Trump’s election victory and his alignment with tech leaders like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, who are reportedly advocating for deregulation policies expected to benefit the tech industry.
It coincides with Zuckerberg’s recent decision to scale back fact-checking and content moderation across Meta’s platforms, a move widely criticized by experts as an appeasement of Trump, whose return to the White House will overlap with the forum’s opening.
Organizers are expecting 60 heads of state and government to attend, alongside chief executives and campaigners. Several ministers and business leaders from Saudi Arabia are also expected to take part.
The WEF’s report found that 64 percent of experts foresee a fragmented global order dominated by competition among middle and great powers, with multilateralism under significant strain.
Against this backdrop, the forum’s theme, “A Call for Collaboration in the Intelligent Age,” highlights the need for renewed cooperation, even as Trump’s anticipated policy shifts could undermine collective efforts on critical global issues, including the climate crisis.
South Korean investigators question President Yoon in insurrection probe
- Yoon is the first sitting president in South Korean history to be arrested
- His last month’s short-lived martial law order plunged the country into turmoil
Seoul: South Korean investigators began questioning President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday after arresting him over accusations of insurrection following his briefly imposed martial law.
The arrest ended a standoff between investigators and Yoon’s presidential security team, which had prevented his detention earlier this month.
The Corruption Investigation Office announced it had “executed an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol today at 10:33 am,” after which he was seen stepping out of the car wearing a white shirt and suit as he slipped through the CIO’s back entrance for high-ranking officials.
“I decided to answer to the CIO’s investigations in order to prevent unsavory bloodshed,” Yoon said in a pre-recorded video statement released by his lawyers following the arrest.
“That does not mean I recognize the CIO’s investigation as legitimate.”
The CIO is leading a joint probe — together with military investigators and police — to probe allegations against Yoon.
He is charged with insurrection and will be held at the Seoul Detention Center. Authorities now have 48 hours to question the president and seek a warrant to detain him for up to 20 days.
The probe coincides with Yoon’s impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court. The trial began on Tuesday, but hearings were adjourned minutes after it started due to Yoon’s absence.
The trial follows the National Assembly’s vote on Dec. 14 to impeach Yoon over the imposition of martial law on Dec. 3 — a move that lawmakers swiftly overturned hours after it was announced.
Yoon is the first sitting president in South Korean history to be arrested.
The CIO’s legitimacy in investigating Yoon has come under scrutiny as the president and his lawyers argue that it lacks the legal authority to investigate insurrection charges.
“The CIO does not have the right to investigate insurrection charges ... We strongly urge them to follow due legal processes,” Yoon’s lawyer and friend of 40 years, Seok Dong-hyun, said in a press conference after the president was taken into custody.
Prof. Hong Young-ki from the Korea University School of Law told Arab News it was a matter of interpreting the law, “but the court has already confirmed the legitimacy” by approving the arrest warrant.
“The court already recognized the CIO’s jurisdiction when it issued the arrest warrant. Then who can go against the court and say that the CIO is illegitimate? How can a third party do it?” he said.
“The president wants to say that, but how can someone who was merely a prosecutor say his interpretation is more correct than that of the court? I don’t really think his argument has that much persuasive power.”
Claiming that the CIO’s investigation was illegitimate, Yoon tried to evade arrest also during the eventually successful second attempt, which started at 4:10 a.m., with 3,000 officers surrounding his hillside house.
Buses and barbed wire were set up on the road leading to Yoon’s residence to prevent entry, while lawmakers from the president’s ruling People’s Power Party gathered at the site, tried to block the authorities, and shouted that “South Korea’s rule of law has collapsed” and that the “constitution has been destroyed.”
The opposition Democratic Party welcomed the arrest.
“A bit late, but it shows that South Korea’s governmental authority and justice is still alive,” floor leader Park Chan-dae said in a briefing.
“(Yoon’s arrest) is the first step in restoring liberal democracy and realizing the rule of law.”
Negotiators resume talks on final details of Gaza ceasefire deal
DOHA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Negotiators in Qatar resumed talks on Wednesday hoping to hammer out the final details of a complex, phased ceasefire in Gaza aiming to end a conflict that has inflicted widespread death and destruction and upended the Middle East.
Officials from mediators Qatar, Egypt and the US as well as Israel and Hamas said on Tuesday that an agreement for a truce in the besieged Palestinian enclave and the release of hostages was closer than ever.
But a senior Hamas official told Reuters late on Tuesday that the Palestinian group had not yet delivered its response because it was still waiting for Israel to submit maps showing how its forces would withdraw from Gaza.
During months of on-off talks to achieve a truce in the devastating 15-month-old war, both sides have previously said they were close to a ceasefire only to hit last-minute obstacles. The broad outlines of the current deal have been in place since mid-2024.
If successful, the planned phased ceasefire could halt fighting that has decimated Gaza, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, displaced most of the enclave’s pre-war population of 2.3 million and is still killing dozens of people a day.
That in turn could ease tensions across the wider Middle East, where the war has fueled conflict in the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and raised fears of all-out war between Israel and Iran.
Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas-led fighters stormed across its borders on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 46,700 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health officials in the enclave.
Palestinians were once again hoping the latest talks would deliver some relief from Israeli air strikes, and ease a deep humanitarian crisis.
“We are waiting for the ceasefire and the truce. May God complete it for us in goodness, bless us with peace, and allow us to return to our homes,” said Amal Saleh, 54, a Gazan displaced by the war.
“Even if the schools are bombed, destroyed, and ruined, we just want to know that we are finally living in peace.”
Under the plan, Israel would recover around 100 remaining hostages and bodies from among those captured in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel that precipitated the war. In return it would free Palestinian detainees.
The latest draft is complicated and sensitive. Under its terms, the first steps would feature a six-week initial ceasefire.
The plan also includes a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to the north of the enclave.
The deal would also require Hamas to release 33 Israeli hostages along with other steps.
The draft stipulates negotiations over a second phase of the agreement to begin by the 16th day of phase one. Phase two includes the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers.
Even if the warring sides agree to the deal on the table, that agreement still needs further negotiation before there is a final ceasefire and the release of all the hostages
If it all goes smoothly, the Palestinians, Arab states and Israel still need to agree on a vision for post-war Gaza, a massive task involving security guarantees for Israel and billions of dollars in investment for rebuilding.
One unanswered question is who will run Gaza after the war.
Israel has rejected any involvement by Hamas, which ran Gaza before the war, but it has been almost equally opposed to rule by the Palestinian Authority, the body set up under the Oslo interim peace accords three decades ago that has limited governing power in the West Bank.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said on Wednesday that the Palestinian Authority must be the sole governing power in Gaza after the war.
Israeli attacks
Despite the efforts to reach a ceasefire, the Israeli military, the Shin Bet internal intelligence agency and the air force attacked about 50 targets throughout Gaza over the last 24 hours, Shin Bet and the military said in a statement on Wednesday.
Israeli strikes killed at least 13 Palestinians across the enclave. Those included seven people who were in a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City, and six others killed in separate airstrikes on houses in Deir Al-Balah, Bureij camp and Rafah, medics said.
Families of hostages in Israel were caught between hope and despair.
“We can’t miss this moment. This is the last moment; we can save them,” said Hadas Calderon, whose husband Ofer and children Sahar and Erez were abducted.
Israel says 98 hostages are being held in Gaza, about half of whom are believed to be alive. They include Israelis and non-Israelis. Of the total, 94 were seized in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel and four have been held in Gaza since 2014.
Private sector partnerships key to mining sector growth, says Al-Jadaan
RIYADH: The mining sector’s success in Saudi Arabia hinges on strong private sector partnerships, according to Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan. Given the significant investments and expertise required, the government alone cannot drive the sector’s growth, he said.
Speaking on the second day of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, Al-Jadaan emphasized the need for collaboration between public and private sectors to unlock the full potential of the mining industry. The forum, which runs from Jan. 14-16, aligns with Saudi Arabia’s ambitious goal to increase the mining sector’s contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product from $17 billion to $75 billion by 2035.
It also supports the country’s Vision 2030 objective of establishing mining as a critical pillar of the industrial economy.
“This is a very complex industry that requires significant investments that, you know, the government alone cannot do. It requires significant know-how that the government alone cannot do, and you need to make sure that you actually partner with the private sector to enable this sector,” Al-Jadaan said.
Al-Jadaan outlined three key enablers for the mining sector's development: cross-sectoral alignment, the strategic use of data, and a competitive regulatory framework.
“If you want to do the right thing within mining, it is not the mining alone that will make it. You will need to make sure that you are aligning multiple sectors together — energy, mining, logistics, and possibly even a few others,” he explained.
He pointed to the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program as a successful example of how integrated sectors can collectively drive progress.
On the importance of data, Al-Jadaan emphasized its foundational role in shaping the sector's future. “There was real focus on making sure that we make an investment early on in data relating to mining, including specific technicalities and budgeting for supporting surveys throughout the mining sectors, and actually providing even support to companies who are coming for exploration,” he said.
The minister also highlighted the necessity of a stable and investor-friendly regulatory environment. “These are long-term investments investors would need to make. You know, we need to have predictability, confidence in the regulatory framework, and we need to ensure it is investor-friendly. They must be able to obtain their licenses on time and with certainty,” he added.
Al-Jadaan further acknowledged the challenges faced by emerging economies, particularly those in the Global South, which possess abundant mineral resources but often lack the capital, expertise, and infrastructure to exploit them fully. He suggested that with the right support, these nations could leverage their mineral wealth not only for industrial growth but as a key driver of broader economic development.
“With the right setup, they can utilize these resources not only for the mineral and metal industries but as part of a package for economic development,” he said, stressing that targeted support such as subsidized logistics and services could unlock the mining potential of these nations.
In a related panel discussion, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef highlighted Africa’s critical role in the global energy transition. He pointed out the disparity between the continent’s vast resource potential and its actual contribution to the market.
“Today, investment needs to happen not only in extraction but also in infrastructure. We have seen great assets today in Africa are falling behind because of infrastructure challenges, not mining challenges,” Alkhorayef noted.
As the Future Minerals Forum continues, the collaboration between the private sector and government remains central to advancing the sector, not only in Saudi Arabia but across the global mining landscape.
Israel struck Gaza ‘humanitarian zone’ almost 100 times, BBC analysis finds
- Naval, aerial attacks hit stretch of land housing more than 1m Palestinians
- ‘Heavy fire is recurrent in this area despite Israel’s unilateral ‘humanitarian designation,’ says aid official
LONDON: The Israeli military hit its own designated “humanitarian zone” in Gaza 97 times since May, analysis by the BBC has shown.
Israel established the area in October 2023, and told Palestinians in Gaza to relocate there for safety.
It was later expanded to include the urban centers of Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah.
Despite intending to “keep innocent civilians out of harms way,” Israeli forces struck buildings within the zone 97 times since May 2024, according to BBC Verify.
The area covers a significant and densely populated strip of land on the Mediterranean Sea.
More than 1 million people — many living in tents — are believed to be living inside the Israeli-imposed zone, humanitarian groups have said.
Since the new year, Israel has carried out at least 22 strikes in the area.
The 97 strikes since last May have killed 550 Palestinians.
Israeli military officials have acknowledged 28 of the attacks, and the BBC said it could not confirm that all 97 are the result of Israeli operations.
In a statement to the BBC, the Israeli military said that it was targeting Hamas fighters in the “humanitarian zone.”
It accused Hamas of international law violations, using civilians as human shields and launching rockets from the zone.
Gavin Kelleher, Gaza access manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council, told the BBC that Israel had conducted “near daily” strikes inside the zone, using naval vessels and drones.
“Heavy fire is recurrent in this area despite its (Israel’s) unilateral ‘humanitarian’ designation,” he added.
“The Israeli military appears keen to maintain the illusion of a ‘humanitarian zone’ that remains a certain size, yet that zone can be subject to ‘evacuation orders’ at any time and be targeted.”
One resident in the zone, Khaled Abdel Rahman, told the BBC that fear was “dominating the lives” of Palestinians in the area.
“We were displaced to Khan Younis because it was designated as a safe zone, but in fact we find nothing here but insecurity,” he said.
Due to Israel’s ban on foreign media operating in Gaza, BBC Verify used Palestinian and Israeli social media channels to document the strikes.
Researchers analyzed more than 300 photos and videos posted from the “humanitarian zone” since May.
The deadliest strike in the area came on July 13, and killed more than 90 Palestinians, Gaza’s Health Ministry, medics and first responders said.
Nine strikes hit within 100 meters of buildings belonging to Al-Aqsa Hospital complex in Deir Al-Balah.
Four struck within 150 meters of Khan Younis’ Nasser Medical Complex.
The Israeli military told the BBC that the attacks were launched “against terrorists and terror infrastructures including rocket launchers, weapons warehouse and manufacturing sites, operational apartments, underground infrastructure, operational headquarters and terrorist hideouts.”
