Pakistan court drops arrest warrant against ex-PM Imran Khan - CNA

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan judge dropped an arrest warrant against former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday (Mar 18), his lawyers said, after the ex-cricket star, who had skipped several hearings, travelled to court.

The 70-year-old has been tangled in a slew of court cases since he was ousted in a no-confidence motion last year and has been pressuring the fragile coalition government, which replaced him, to hold early elections.

Earlier this week, Khan's supporters fought pitched battles with police sent to arrest him in the eastern city of Lahore after he failed to appear in court over graft charges, citing security concerns.

"The court has cancelled the arrest warrant after marking Imran Khan's attendance. The hearing has been adjourned till March 30," one of Khan's lawyers, Gohar Khan, told AFP.

Khan, in office from 2018 to 2022, is facing a spate of legal challenges, including one that prompted a failed attempt to arrest him on Tuesday.

He was to address charges in court on Saturday of unlawfully selling state gifts given to him by foreign dignitaries while in office.

Khan says he followed legal procedures in acquiring the gifts.

The 70-year-old reached the capital on Saturday afternoon and was on his way to the court in a motorcade surrounded by supporters.

After days of legal wrangling, Khan travelled more than 300 km from Lahore to the Islamabad court complex, but was unable to get out of the car.

Around 4,000 supporters mobbed the complex, pelting stones and throwing bricks at police officers who fired back with tear gas.

The court however accepted Khan's attendance, his lawyers said.

Islamabad's police chief told local broadcaster Geo News that Khan's supporters had attacked police near the court and fired tear gas shells, prompting police to fire more tear gas back.

Khan has led nationwide protests since his ouster from power last year and has had a spate of cases registered against him.

The police chief for Punjab province, Usman Anwar, told a media conference in Lahore that officers went to Khan's house on Saturday to intercept people who had been involved in earlier clashes with police and had arrested 61 people, including for throwing petrol bombs.

Earlier this week, police and Khan's supporters clashed outside his home during the arrest attempt.

Hours before leaving his home, the former cricket star told Reuters he has formed a committee to lead his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), if he is arrested.

Khan, who was shot and wounded while campaigning in November, said in the interview the threat to his life is greater than before and asserted - without providing evidence - that his political opponents and the military want to block him from standing in elections later this year.

The military and government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government has denied being behind the cases against Khan. The military - which has an outsized role in Pakistan, having ruled the country for nearly half of its 75-year history - has said it remains neutral towards politics.

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2023-03-18 12:57:00Z
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North Korea says 800000 people enlist to fight 'US imperialists' - CNA

Images released by Pyongyang's official Rodong Sinmun showed young North Koreans waiting in long lines to sign their names at what looks like a construction site.

The latest report comes after Pyongyang test-fired its largest and most powerful missile, a Hwasong-17, on Thursday - its second ICBM test this year.

State media has described the launch as a response to the ongoing, "frantic" US-South Korea joint military drills.

On Saturday, KCNA said the ongoing drills were "inching close to the unpardonable red-line".

Last year, North Korea declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power, and leader Kim Jong Un recently called for an "exponential" increase in weapons production, including tactical nukes.

Kim earlier this month also ordered the North Korean military to intensify drills to prepare for a "real war".

Pyongyang is using the drills to justify their nuclear weapons program domestically as "crucial and necessary", Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.

This involves "spreading the idea that the South Korea-US military drills ultimately aim to destroy the current North Korean regime and even occupy its capital Pyongyang," Yang added.

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2023-03-18 12:14:22Z
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Biden says Putin committed war crimes, calls charges justified - CNA

"There is no doubt that Russia is committing war crimes and atrocities (in) Ukraine, and we have been clear that those responsible must be held accountable," the spokesperson added. "This was a decision the ICC prosecutor reached independently based on the facts before him."

The ICC move obligates the court's 123 member states to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory. The ICC also issued a warrant on Friday for Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's commissioner for children's rights, on the same charges.

A US-backed report by Yale University researchers last month said Russia has held at least 6,000 Ukrainian children in at least 43 camps and other facilities as part of a "large-scale systematic network".

Russia has denied accusations that its forces have committed atrocities during its invasion. The Kremlin said on Friday the ICC arrest warrant against Putin was outrageous, but meaningless with respect to Russia.

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2023-03-18 10:16:14Z
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Man charged with the murder of his co-tenant in Redhill flat - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - A 59-year-old man was charged on Saturday with the murder of his 61-year-old co-tenant in a flat in Redhill Close in Bukit Merah.

According to court documents, Ng Boon Hong allegedly murdered Mr Ang Cheng Kek at Block 90 in Redhill Close between about 11pm on Wednesday and about 2am on Thursday.

The police said they were alerted at 10.50am on Friday to the murder case involving the co-tenants.

“Upon arrival, officers found a 61-year-old man lying motionless with multiple wounds inside the unit. He was subsequently pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene,” the police said on Friday.

Ng was arrested at the scene.

When The Straits Times arrived at the crime scene at about 2pm on Friday, police officers were seen in a flat on the fifth floor.

A 10m trail of bloody shoe prints stretched from the door of another unit down the corridor.

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2023-03-18 03:45:00Z
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Thailand prepares to dissolve parliament ahead of election - CNA

BANGKOK: Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Friday (Mar 17) he had prepared a decree seeking to dissolve parliament ahead of an election, an expected step as his government heads into the last week of its four-year term.

The decree would require the approval of Thailand's monarch and would take effect once published in the Royal Gazette. An election must take place 45 to 60 days after dissolution.

"I have prepared (the decree), we have to wait. We have to wait for the announcement in the Royal Gazette," General Prayut told reporters in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

Asked when this would be, he said: "We have to wait."

The election will again pit the billionaire Shinawatra family against parties backed by the royalist military and old-money conservatives, in what has been a bitter, 18-year power struggle in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

General Prayut, a retired general who has been in charge since leading a coup against the government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014, will run under the new United Thai Nation party.

He will be up against Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and Yingluck's niece. Paetongtarn, 36, has led General Prayut in opinion polls for months as the top choice for Thailand's next prime minister.

Speaking on Friday at an event to introduce Pheu Thai's candidates, she said she was confident of winning the election by a landslide, with the aim of averting any political manoeuvring against her party.

Pheu Thai and its previous incarnations have won every election in the past two decades, but three of their administrations were cut short by judicial rulings or military takeovers.

"I have a strong hope that we can form a government for sure, that's why we go ourselves to campaign about a landslide," Paetongtarn said.

Asked about the prospect her opponents might try to block her party from ruling, she said: "Of course, of course." 

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2023-03-17 13:49:00Z
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Anwar orders Malaysia's security forces to be on alert amid spike in racial, religious rhetoric - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday said he has ordered security forces to be alert against those stirring up racial and religious rhetoric, ahead of a Malay nationalist convention on Sunday to be attended by former premier and opposition leader Mahathir Mohamad.

“Any attempt made by anyone to pit one race against another, or to increase the racial and religious temperature in this country will not be permitted,” Datuk Seri Anwar told a press conference after chairing a Cabinet meeting at his office in Putrajaya.

“I have ordered security forces to be on alert because those who are desperate or feel challenged will use these sentiments, and the poor will be paid to cause chaos,” he said, without mentioning who, or what groups, he was referring to.

The “Malay Proclamation” convention will be held at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, with speakers including Tun Dr Mahathir expected to raise issues regarding the Malay community.

Mr Anwar’s government, led by his multiracial Pakatan Harapan coalition, is opposed in Parliament by a Malay-Muslim alliance, Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Responding to Mr Anwar’s remarks, the police said on Friday that they will clamp down on any ethnic rhetoric that endangers the national security of the country.

“The current security level is under control and the police are giving a commitment to ensure law enforcement is performed properly to ensure safety is guaranteed,” the police said in a statement.

Dr Mahathir, about two weeks ago in Twitter posts, made controversial claims that the Malays, who form more than 60 per cent of the population, “did not benefit” from Malaysia’s multi-ethnic make-up.

“The business sector of Malaysia is dominated by the Chinese. Non-Chinese cannot find good jobs there. If the government does not take Malays, they will be jobless,” he wrote.

BowerGroupAsia senior analyst Arinah Najwa told The Straits Times that the discussion around race is still important among Malaysians.

“The Malay Proclamation event can be seen to embolden more staunch Malay groups who feel they are not adequately represented under a multi-racial Anwar government,” she said.

“There are two types of parties, one that will flare up racial issues because they feel like any exposure to other races would be a threat to their own. But there are also those that feel exposure to difference races can help to build understanding and diversity,” Ms Arina added.

There have also been several recent incidents that have spiked ethnic tensions, including a police report lodged by a member of PN this week accusing Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh of spearheading a Christian evangelist movement and bringing Muslim youth to visit a church as part of the ministry’s programme.

The incident led Selangor executive councillor for religious affairs Zawawi Ahmad Mughni, who is from Mr Anwar’s party, to say that Muslims are banned from attending events at non-Muslim houses of worship in the state.

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2023-03-17 12:36:30Z
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TikTok can be used on Singapore government-issued devices only on a 'need-to' basis - CNA

SINGAPORE: TikTok is only allowed to be used by public officers on government-issued devices on a "need-to basis", the Singapore government said on Thursday (Mar 16).

“Government-issued devices are meant for work and there are clear rules stipulating that only approved apps should be downloaded on such devices,” said a spokesperson for the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG).

“Currently, TikTok is only allowed for use by public officers on a need-to basis, such as for communications officers.”

The SNDGG, which comprises the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office and the Government Technology Agency, oversees the digital transformation of the government and the country's key Smart Nation projects.

Government-issued devices have security configurations to safeguard data, while public officers are regularly reminded to only download approved apps, it added in a reply to CNA’s queries about the recent security and privacy concerns over TikTok.

Some Singapore politicians are using the app, including Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin, who each have thousands of followers on the platform. CNA has contacted them about the security concerns regarding the platform.

SECURITY CONCERNS

The popular video app has come under increasing scrutiny, with the United States, Canada, Belgium and several EU bodies among those that have banned the app from government devices. 

Britain announced on Thursday that it would ban TikTok on government phones with immediate effect.

TikTok is owned by Beijing-headquartered internet company ByteDance. The bans underscore mounting concerns that the app’s user data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, undermining Western security interests.

The concerns raised are not new.

The app, with more than 1 billion users worldwide, was caught in the crosshairs in 2020 when then-US president Donald Trump dubbed it a national security threat and attempted to block new user downloads in the US. TikTok has denied that it is a threat to US national security.

Like many other social media apps, Tiktok collects significant amounts of user data, including birthdays, email addresses and phone numbers, as well as tracks users’ likes, shares and search history.

But some experts said there are elements that are more unique to the app.

Dr Kevin Curran, professor of cybersecurity at Ulster University, pointed to the platform’s in-app browser, which "could potentially be collecting passwords and usernames typed in and tracking activity on the in-app browser".

TikTok’s privacy policy page states that the browsing history of the in-app browser is collected to “help make platform improvements, such as optimising page load times and ad measurement”.

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2023-03-17 07:28:00Z
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