59-year-old man arrested for murder in Redhill; victim found with multiple wounds - CNA

SINGAPORE: A 59-year-old man was arrested on Friday (Mar 17) for allegedly murdering his elderly co-tenant.

The police were alerted to the incident in a flat at Redhill Close at about 10.50am on Friday. 

Police officers found a 61-year-old man lying motionless with multiple wounds inside the unit, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The 59-year-old man, who was a tenant in the unit, was arrested at the scene.

The suspect will be charged on Saturday with murder.

When CNA arrived at the scene at about 2.20pm, police investigators were at the scene and had cordoned off an area on the fifth floor.

CNA understands that there was a dispute between the two tenants. People living in the block said they did not hear anything unusual in the morning.

The offence of murder carries the death penalty. Police investigations are ongoing.

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2023-03-17 05:03:00Z
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Pentagon releases declassified video of Black Sea drone incident - The Straits Times

WASHINGTON – In a rare move, the Pentagon on Thursday released a declassified video showing Russia’s intercept of a United States military surveillance drone downed over the Black Sea two days ago.

It was the first direct US-Russian incident since the Ukraine war began, worsening already tense relations between Washington and Moscow.

In the video, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet is seen coming very close to the US MQ-9 drone and dumping fuel near it.

US officials say it was an apparent effort to damage the American aircraft as it flew over the Black Sea.

It also shows the loss of the video feed after another close Russian manoeuvre, which the Pentagon says resulted from the Russian jet’s collision with the drone.

It ends with images of the drone’s damaged propeller, which the Pentagon says resulted from the collision, making the aircraft inoperable.

The video, which is about 40sec long, has been edited by the US military for length but shows events in a sequential order, the Pentagon said.

Russia has denied US accusations that its jet acted recklessly in the incident.

It instead blamed “sharp manoeuvering” by the drone for the crash, claiming its jet did not make contact.

The incident over international waters was a reminder of the risk of direct confrontation between the US and Russia over Ukraine.

Moscow invaded Ukraine more than a year ago and Western allies have supported the Kyiv government with intelligence and weapons.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russian ships had been seen near the area where the drone had crashed, though they did not appear to have recovered any parts of the drone yet.

It was not clear if they were still in the area.

Washington has said that any recovery efforts relating to the drone would be difficult because of the depth of water in the region. It said it has taken measures to ensure that no sensitive information can be gleaned from the remains of the drone.

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2023-03-16 11:27:26Z
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Malaysian man injured after parang attack by robbers at Johor apartment - The Straits Times

JOHOR - An online seller in Malaysia suffered injuries to his head and hands, after an armed robbery in broad daylight at an apartment at Puteri Harbour in Johor.

The robbery was caught on camera and the video has since gone viral on various social media platforms.

In the two-minute clip, two cars blocked the path of the victim’s pickup truck, and three parang-wielding men then started attacking the victim, who was in the driver’s seat.

The suspects forcefully opened the vehicle’s doors and started to slash the victim, who, in an attempt to escape, tried to speed off but hit the car blocking him.

Not giving up, the victim then rear-ended the car behind him before hitting the other car again to escape from the armed suspects, but his car stopped several metres in front.

The armed suspects continued to chase him on foot, slashing him again before robbing the man and escaping from the scene.

Iskandar Puteri police officer Rahmat Arrifin said the incident occurred at the apartment’s lobby at around 9.45am on Monday.

“Based on information and intelligence, the police arrested two men aged 40 and 45.

“The first suspect was arrested on the same day of the incident at around 10.15am near Horizon Hills, while police then caught the second suspect at 9pm in Gelang Patah,” he said on Thursday.

Mr Rahmat added that through investigation, both suspects admitted that they were involved in the robbery where they hit the victim’s car before robbing him.

He said police also seized items from the suspects, including the weapons used in the robbery and RM10,000 (S$3,000) in cash, believed to be the stolen money.

Mr Rahmat added the victim then sought medical treatment at a private hospital in Medini and has been discharged as he was in a stable condition.

“We are hunting down three more suspects involved in the robbery,” he said, adding that one of the suspects has a criminal record and the two already arrested have been remanded until Saturday to assist with the investigation. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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2023-03-16 08:40:21Z
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Swiss central bank throws financial lifeline to Credit Suisse after shares pummelled - CNA

ZURICH: The Swiss central bank said on Wednesday (Mar 15) that capital and liquidity levels at embattled Credit Suisse were adequate but stressed it was ready to make liquidity available to the institution if needed.

The announcement came after shares in Switzerland's second-biggest bank nosedived to historic lows on Wednesday after its main shareholder said it would not invest any more money, as market jitters over European lenders spiralled.

"Credit Suisse meets the higher capital and liquidity requirements applicable to systemically important banks," the Swiss National Bank (SNB) and Swiss financial regulator Finma said in a joint statement.

The SNB will provide liquidity to Credit Suisse "if necessary", the statement added, after a turbulent day in which the bank's market value fell below US$7 billion.

Credit Suisse, hit by a series of scandals in recent years, saw its share price tumble off a cliff after Saudi National Bank chairman Ammar al-Khudairy said it would "absolutely not" up its stake.

Credit Suisse's market value had already taken a heavy blow this week over fears of contagion from the collapse of two US banks and its annual report citing "material weaknesses" in internal controls.

The bank's shares were quickly in freefall on the Swiss stock exchange, plunging more than 30 percent to a record low of 1.55 Swiss francs.

The bank regained some ground by the close, ending the day's trading 24.24 per cent down at 1.697 Swiss francs.

Fears about the bank were spreading beyond Switzerland's borders, but US stock markets bounced after the Swiss central bank's assurances.

The tech-rich Nasdaq gained 0.1 per cent, while both the Dow and S&P 500 finished above session lows.

A US Treasury spokesperson said the finance ministry was "monitoring" the problems surrounding Credit Suisse and was "in touch with global counterparts".

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2023-03-15 20:15:00Z
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Fewer than 4 in 10 Singapore respondents optimistic of better lives in 5 years, all-time low in global survey - CNA

SINGAPORE: Fewer than four in 10 people in Singapore believe that they and their families will be better off economically in five years’ time, according to a survey conducted by consultancy Edelman. This is the lowest level of economic optimism in the 23 years that the firm has conducted the annual global survey.

Only about 36 per cent of respondents in Singapore felt that way, down seven percentage points from a year ago, according to the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer report released on Wednesday (Mar 15).

This was roughly in line with what the survey described as a “collapse” in economic optimism around the world, with the global average dropping by 10 percentage points over the same period to 40 per cent.

“Nearly half of the countries surveyed (showed) a year-over-year double-digit decline in the belief that their families will be better off in five years’ time,” said Edelman in a statement on the 2023 report.

The firm noted that respondents in developed countries were less optimistic than those in developing ones.

This trend is occurring against the backdrop of a wider spread of income-based trust gap in governments, businesses, the media and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), or what is collectively referred to by the report as "societal institutions".

The survey found that respondents from the higher income group have greater trust in these societal institutions compared to respondents with low-income.

The 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer is the 23rd annual trust and credibility survey by the Edelman Trust Institute. Conducted last November, more than 32,000 respondents across 28 countries were surveyed via online interviews. 

A total of 1,135 individuals aged 18 or older residing in Singapore were interviewed.

Besides the low level of economic optimism, the survey also found that nearly half of respondents here felt that the social fabric here is weakening and over three-quarters expect business leaders here to take a public stand over issues such as discrimination, climate change and the treatment of workers.

"COLLAPSE" OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC OPTIMISM

Respondents were asked how they thought they and their family will be doing in five years’ time in terms of economic prospects, selecting their answer from a five-point scale.

For the 2023 report, 36 per cent of the respondents in Singapore picked either of the top two alternatives, indicating optimism. This was down from 43 per cent in 2022, and 44 per cent in 2021. 

This compares with 40 per cent global average across 24 markets, down from 50 per cent in 2022 and 53 per cent five years ago in 2019.

"For some time now, experts have been predicting that the global economy is headed towards a recession," said Ms Julia Wei, chief executive officer of Edelman Singapore.

"Combined with the mass layoffs that have been taking place around the world since late last year, this could be reinforcing the perception that our financial prospects have never been worse."

The survey found that developing countries showed more optimism than developed countries. The following are the top three and bottom three countries in terms of percentage of respondents indicating an optimistic economic outlook:

• Kenya (80 per cent),
• Indonesia (73 per cent), 
• India (73 per cent); compared to
• Japan (9 per cent), 
• France (12 per cent)
• Germany (15 per cent)

"A potential consequence of this lack of economic optimism is a deepening of economic fears," said Ms Wei.

"Already, job loss and inflation are top of mind for most people and a worsening of these fears could foster distrust, which could in turn lead to greater polarisation – creating a vicious cycle where polarisation deepens fears and distrust, and these fears and distrust in turn lead to greater polarisation."

GROWING INCOME-BASED DIVIDE IN TRUST

According to Edelman, this decline in optimism has occurred “alongside a metastasising of the mass-class divide”.

“There is now a double-digit trust gap in three quarters of the countries surveyed where those with a high-income are more trusting, on average, of the four main societal institutions than low-income respondents,” it said.

Among top 25 per cent earners, the average trust in institutions globally has soared to 62 per cent from 50 per cent in 2012. Among low-income earners, the bottom 25 per cent, the trust index inched up from 44 per cent to 48 per cent over the same period.

Thailand and the United States demonstrated the largest divides in 2023, at 37 points and 23 points difference respectively, according to Edelman.

“Singapore also registered a sizeable income-based trust gap of 18-points, tied for the seventh largest gap among all countries surveyed,” according to Edelman.

High income earners in Singapore registered an average of 73 per cent level of trust in NGOs, business, the Government and the media. In comparison, the bottom 25 per cent earners in Singapore indicated a 55 per cent level of trust, which falls under the ‘neutral’ range of the trust index.

Edelman said the income-based trust gap has remained roughly the same at 19 per cent in 2021 and 2022, and 18 per cent this year.

Meanwhile, the income-based trust inequalities have grown from a four-point divide to 19-points in China and from 10 percentage points to 19 in the United Arab Emirates over the same period.

This story was originally published in TODAY. 

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2023-03-15 10:45:00Z
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Pakistan ex-PM Khan defies arrest as supporters clash with police - CNA

LAHORE: Supporters of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan clashed repeatedly with police overnight as he remained holed up in his Lahore residence early Wednesday (Mar 15), defying attempts to arrest him.

Khan was ousted from office by a no-confidence vote last year, and has been snarled in a series of legal cases as he campaigns for early elections and a return to office.

Police fought pitched battles with supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party near his Zaman Park residence throughout the night, firing fusillades of teargas and dodging rocks thrown by angry crowds.

Khan issued a video shortly before dawn, sitting in front of Pakistan and PTI flags at a desk decorated with spent teargas canisters.

"I am telling the entire nation today that they are ready once again, they're going to come again," he said.

"They will teargas our people and do other such things, but you should know that they have no justification to do so."

Video circulating on social media - much distributed by official PTI accounts - showed several bloodied supporters and others struggling to cope with tear gas.

A PTI official tweeted that there was "an urgent need" for first aid kits in the Zaman Park neighbourhood.

A party account also showed video of teargas canisters landing inside Khan's garden, but police did not appear to breach the gate or the wall.

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2023-03-15 05:30:34Z
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Australian submarine deal could have 'deadly consequences', says former PM Keating - CNA

The former Labor prime minister - who led the country between 1991 and 1996 - said that Australia had blindly followed the United States and Britain, and that China posed no tangible military threat.

"What would be the point of China wanting to occupy Sydney and Melbourne? Militarily? And could they ever do it?" he said.

"The question is so dumb, it's hardly worth an answer."

Keating said Australia was beginning a "dangerous and unnecessary journey" at the urging of the United States, and that this could carry "deadly consequences" if the country became tangled in future conflicts.

"Signing the country up to the foreign proclivities of another country - the United States - with the gormless Brits lunging along behind is not a pretty sight," he said.

Acquiring submarines powered by nuclear reactors puts Australia in an elite club and at the forefront of US-led efforts to push back against Chinese military expansion.

While Australia has ruled out deploying atomic weapons, its submarine plan marks a significant new stage in the confrontation with China, which has been racing to strengthen its own sophisticated naval fleet.

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2023-03-15 04:51:15Z
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