Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
14 November 2024 | 12:00 CAT
-minute read

North Korea and Russia ratify defence deal

North Korea ratified the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership through a decree signed Monday. The defence treaty, described in a report on AP News as the countries’ biggest defence deal since the end of the Cold War, stipulates mutual military aid and will take effect when both sides exchange documents on the ratification.

The partnership allows both Russia and North Korea to provide military assistance in the case of an attack. NATO has confirmed that North Korea has reportedly sent over 8 000 troops to Russia under the treaty, which signals increasing military ties between the two Asian nations. Additionally, it calls on both countries to actively co-operate in efforts to establish a joint and multipolar world order and strengthen co-operation in various sectors, including atomic energy, space, food supply, trade and economy.

For South Korea, the partnership poses significant concerns, Sanusha Naidu said during this week’s Asia-Pacific Report.

“This has posed challenges to countries like South Korea, where it’s looking at this and saying that the whole challenge here is that the North Koreans will now have a bigger footprint outside of North Korea. This is now challenging the security architecture,” Naidu, a senior research associate based at the Institute of Global Dialogue, said, referencing the potential for Russia to transfer sensitive technology to enhance North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

The agreement is also cause for concern for China, analysts say, because it means having an unstable neighbour and that Asia might be drawn into the European conflict. The United States is putting pressure on China to control both North Korea and Russia, reports say.

“It also means that Russia is finding traction in countries that are considered to be pariah states, like North Korea,” Naidu observed.

China demands joint security for its citizens in Pakistan after Karachi attack

Thousands of Chinese citizens live and work in Pakistan. After last month’s bombing attack near Karachi airport allegedly targeted two Chinese engineers, Beijing has said Pakistan must allow its own security staff to provide protection to Chinese citizens living in the country.

“[Chinese] workers, citizens, diplomats have been at the forefront of attacks by internal forces,” Naidu said, adding that Chinese officials want to join forces with Islamabad to create a joint security system.

Australia’s proposed social media ban for children under 16 likely to be passed by end of year

The plan, described by experts as a significant move in the fight for increased regulation of technology companies and social media, will be introduced to parliament this year. The law will come into effect a year after legislators approve it.

The ban will test age-verification systems that will block children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X.

“Australia has been the maverick in this political fight against social media platforms. They feel that social media has become a serious destructive force in children’s lives, that children have complete access to content social media without any filters,” Naidu said.

Additionally, the ban aims to hold technology and social media companies accountable for content they upload on their platforms.

“We need to understand the influence of social media, not just in this space, but in relation to many aspects of the lives of young, impressionable teenagers.” Peter Dutton, Leader of the Opposition of Australia said in a meeting about the plan to protect children from online harm.

He added, “We’ve been talking for a long time about the need to have the rule of law apply online as it does in the real world. That’s the principle, really, that we’ve applied. If you have a child who’s online speaking to a paedophile, or being groomed by somebody online, it’s not something we would accept in the real world, obviously. So why would we tolerate an environment where that sort of conduct, that sort of behaviour is commonplace? The social media companies don’t have any interest in our children except seeing them as a profit line.”

The proposal aims to control the amount of time children spend on social media platforms and to facilitate an increase in their physical fitness.

Additionally, the plan is to increase the regulated use of social media content- which is often difficult to monitor- and mitigate its risks.

The move supports parents who have voiced concerns about the harms of social media and the type of content available to children.

The new restrictions, which come after Australia banned the use of smartphones in public schools in October last year, are more comprehensive and block children from accessing social media on any device no matter where they are.

Social media companies have opposed the plans, saying that the move signals extreme forms of state intervention and regulation.

Listen to the Asia-Pacific Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.