Briefly

JAPAN

Growth nearly flat, showing fragile recovery

Japan's economy grew at an annual pace of 0.1 percent in October-December, in a downgrade from an earlier 0.6 percent increase, showing how the world's third-largest economy was barely eking out growth. The Cabinet Office's revised figure for the seasonally adjusted GDP for the last three months of 2022 showed growth on quarter was flat, down from an earlier estimate given in February at 0.2 percent growth. Capital spending, also a key driver of the economy, remained unchanged from its initial reading, dropping 0.5 percent in the October-December period, as rising import costs have seen firms rein in their investment outlays.

UNITED STATES

Republicans' stance on Jan 6 attack shamed

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that Republicans should be ashamed of supporting an effort by Fox News to play down the seriousness of the assault on Congress by a mob of Donald Trump supporters on Jan 6, 2021. "More than 140 officers were injured on Jan 6. I've said before: How dare anyone diminish or deny the hell they went through?" Biden tweeted. Biden expressed support for Capitol Hill police, whose chief has accused Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson of manipulating video footage of the unprecedented assault after Trump's election defeat.

SYRIA

Govt vows to hold US officials accountable

Syria said on Wednesday that US officials seeking to destabilize Syria must be held accountable, in response to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's vow to hold the Syrian government accountable for "human rights violations and abuses". "The American officials who used unlimited funds to destroy Syria and shed the blood of its people must be held accountable," the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry stressed that lasting peace in Syria could not be achieved amid the presence of United States forces on Syrian soil. The statement came in response to a statement issued by Blinken on Monday.

Agencies - Xinhua