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Jumat, 19 April 2024

What we know about the reported strike on Iran - CNA

HOW DID IRAN RESPOND?

Air defence systems over several Iranian cities were activated, state media reported.

Flights to the cities of Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz were suspended, as were airports across several parts of the country, according to the Mehr news agency.

Flight-tracking software showed commercial flights avoiding western Iran, including Isfahan, and skirting Tehran to the north and east.

One flydubai plane that had already departed for Tehran had to return to Dubai after the Iranian capital's airport was closed, the Emirati airline said in a statement.

On Friday morning, Iranian television carried a live feed of normal road traffic at a roundabout in Isfahan, while the official IRNA news agency said "no major damage" was reported after the explosions.

WHY NOW?

Iran-backed armed groups across the region have carried out attacks on Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October.

Both Lebanon's Hezbollah and Palestinian militant group Hamas are backed by Iran. But the recent, and direct Israel-Iran exchanges have ventured into unprecedented territory.

In response to a deadly attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on Apr 1 widely blamed on Israel, Tehran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at its arch-foe.

Israel had vowed to respond to that onslaught launched on Saturday, which was mostly intercepted and caused no deaths.

Just hours before the explosions were heard inside Iran on Friday, the foreign minister warned that Israel would come to "regret" any attack on his country.

Speaking at the UN Security Council during a meeting on the Middle East on Thursday, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called the Islamic Republic's weekend barrage a "legitimate defence" and said Israel should "stop any further military adventurism".

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2024-04-19 07:25:15Z
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Israel attacks Iran, US sources say, drones reported over Isfahan - The Straits Times

Iran’s Fars news agency reported “three explosions” were heard near the Shekari army airbase in the central city of Isfahan. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM WARISJOKHIO98/X

Israel has attacked Iran, three people familiar with the matter said, as Iranian state media reported early on April 19. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM BENISABTI/X

WASHINGTON - Israel launched an attack on Iranian soil on April 19, sources said, in the latest tit-for-tat exchange between the two arch-rivals, whose decades of shadow war has broken out into the open and threatened to drag the region deeper into conflict.

Iranian media reported explosions, but an Iranian official said those were caused by air defence systems. State media said three drones over the central city of Isfahan had been shot down.

Mini drones shot down by air defences in Isfahan were flown by “infiltrators from inside Iran”, an Iranian analyst told state TV.

Iran has no plan for immediate retaliation against Israel, a senior Iranian official said.

“The foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed. We have not received any external attack, and the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

Israel’s leadership and the military were silent early on April 19.

The United States received notification before Israel’s attack, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters, which came days after Iran launched an unprecedented strike on Israel with a barrage of drones and missiles. Most of those were shot down.

Washington and other global powers had pressed to Israel not to respond, or to ensure any further retaliation was limited to prevent a broader conflagration after the latest surge in violence was sparked by the air strike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 that was blamed on Israel.

That strike came against the backdrop of Iran’s support for the Palestinian Hamas militant group, whose assault into Israel on Oct 7 triggered Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

Iranian state TV said that shortly after midnight “three drones were observed in the sky over Isfahan. The air defense system became active and destroyed these drones in the sky”.

Senior army commander Siavosh Mihandoust was quoted by state TV as saying air defence systems had targeted a “suspicious object”.

Iran’s state television said nuclear facilities where Iran has been conducting work - which Tehran says is peaceful but which the West believes is aimed at building a weapon - were unharmed.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed there was no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites.

ABC and CBS News reported the strikes had been carried out by Israel, quoting US officials.

The US received advance notice of Israel’s reported strike on Iran but did not endorse the operation or play any part in its execution, US media quoted officials as saying.

NBC and CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter and a US official, respectively, said Israel had provided Washington with pre-notification of the strike.

There was no immediate comment from the White House. In response to a query from AFP, the Pentagon duty desk said: “We do not have anything to offer at this time.”

British security firm Ambrey said on April 19 merchant vessels transiting the Gulf and Western Indian Ocean were advised to stay alert in case of increased uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) activity in the region.

Ambrey said it had received information that indicated an “Israeli military strike” was conducted on Isfahan.

The Israeli military said that warning sirens which sounded early on April 19 in northern Israel were a false alarm.

The sirens had gone off shortly after unconfirmed reports of Israeli strikes in Iran.

Airports in Shiraz, Isfahan and Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport were closed to all flights until 0700 GMT (3pm, Singapore time), according to a notice to airmen posted on a US Federal Aviation Administration database.

By 0445 GMT the airports and airspace had reopened, and closure notices had been removed.

Iran on April 13 launched hundreds of drones and missiles in a retaliatory strike after a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria.

Most of the drones and missiles were downed before reaching Israeli territory.

Iran told the United Nations Security Council on April 18 that Israel "must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests" as the UN secretary-general warned that the Middle East was in a "moment of maximum peril".

Israel had said it was going to retaliate against Iran's April 13 missile and drone attack.

Some Emirates and Flydubai flights that were flying over Iran early on April 19 made sudden sharp turns away from the airspace, according to flight paths shown on tracking website Flightradar24. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM FLIGHTRADAR24

Analysts and observers have been raising concerns about the risks of the Israel-Gaza war spreading into the rest of the region.

Oil prices jumped on the reports of the Israeli strike. Brent crude futures rose 2 per cent to US$88.86 (S$121.20) a barrel, the dollar gained broadly, gold rose 1 per cent and S&P 500 futures dropped 1 per cent.

Bitcoin sank as part of a wider retreat in cryptocurrencies amid a wave of caution across global markets. It fell below US$60,000 before recovering to US$61,400 at 11.15am on April 19 in Singapore.

Israel's assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7, killing 1,200, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's military offensive has killed over 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the local health ministry.

Iran-backed groups have declared support for Palestinians, launching attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. REUTERS

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2024-04-19 06:14:15Z
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Kamis, 18 April 2024

Expert proposes body scanners, bag checks for all airport visitors in wake of KLIA shooting [NSTTV] - New Straits Times

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Expert proposes body scanners, bag checks for all airport visitors in wake of KLIA shooting [NSTTV] New Straits Times
Kuala Lumpur airport shooting suspect tried to flee Malaysia by changing car plates, using fake IDs CNA
Beyond the Headlines: Tighter gun control after KLIA shooting & ringgit's fate tied to Chinese yuan [NSTTV] New Straits Times
KL airport shooting: 'I need seven lawyers', suspect says after remand order The Straits Times
Cops: Suspect bought new pistol for RM5k days before KLIA shooting Malaysiakini

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2024-04-19 01:46:10Z
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Malaysia's billion-dollar 5G roll-out stumbles as deal breaks down between powerful telcos, state-owned operator - CNA

Analysts also noted that there is lack of visibility in the offtake of 5G and Malaysia’s relatively small market remains a serious issue.

“The whole situation is fuzzy because there is no clarity on the pricing of the 5G services and also the question of the shareholding at DNB,” said a chief of a bank-owned investment research firm.

Still, other analysts believe that there could be upside for the economy.

“Given the delay and uncertainty of network operational readiness, the bright shining opportunity is potentially the explosive growth in the semiconductor industry in Southeast Asia, where Malaysia is well-placed and positioned,” said Mr Jaafar Ismail of Fergana Advisory in Kuala Lumpur.

It was just under a year ago that the government caved in to pressure from the country’s private telco lobby to break DNB’s monopoly in the 5G space as the country’s so-called single wholesale network operator (SWN) and allow competition with a second operator, comprising local mobile network operators (MNOs) and the possibility of China’s Huawei emerging as the new technology partner.

Under the multi-tiered compromise settlement signed in December, the country’s five MNOs each paid DNB RM230 million (US$48.15 million), or a total of RM1.15 billion, as a pre-payment for access to the 5G network for a period of up to three years.

The second stage of the settlement called for due diligence into the operations of DNB that would allow the MNOs to decide whether to acquire stakes in the state-owned 5G entity or form a joint venture to operate a second network once more than 80 per cent of the current infrastructure is completed in populated areas, up from 73 per cent when the agreement was signed.

The due diligence reviews, which were expected to be completed in late January, are still ongoing, according to DNB executives who spoke on condition of anonymity.

What’s more, DNB has already rolled out more than 80 per cent of its network to date and according to Malaysia’s Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, almost 10 million people have subscribed to the 5G service at end-January, marking an adoption rate of just under 30 per cent.

OPTIONS GOING FORWARD

“The big reason that the 5G situation is in a holding pattern is because there is a quiet rethink whether having a second network is the way forward,” noted a senior board director of state-controlled national telecommunications carrier Telekom Malaysia. Like other government representatives and industry executives, he spoke on condition of anonymity because of strict confidentiality agreements with regard to ongoing negotiations and the independent due diligence into DNB.

DNB’s roll-out, estimated to cost Malaysian taxpayers just over RM16.5 billion (US$3.44 billion), is now stirring debate within the government and private MNOs whether all parties should push ahead with the SWN model that could see the local players acquiring as much as a combined 70-per-cent interest in the state-owned concern, or simply disposing of a large stake in the company to an interested foreign entity.

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2024-04-18 22:00:00Z
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Scoot, other airlines cancel some flights to Indonesia and East Malaysia after Mount Ruang eruption - CNA

SINGAPORE: Budget airline Scoot on Thursday (Apr 18) cancelled a total of six flights between Singapore and East Malaysia as well as Indonesia following multiple eruptions of Mount Ruang.

The volcano in Indonesia started erupting on Tuesday evening, pushing an ash column more than 1.5km into the sky, prompting local authorities to evacuate thousands and shut the nearest international airport in Manado city on Sulawesi island.

Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA), said the cancellations were a precautionary measure.

It cancelled two flights scheduled to depart on Friday - TR216 and TR 217. The flights were between Singapore and the Indonesian city of Manado.

It also earlier cancelled four flights between Singapore and East Malaysia on Thursday.

TR490 and TR491 were supposed to fly between Singapore and Kota Kinabalu in Sabah while TR414 and TR415 were scheduled to fly between Singapore and Sarawak’s Miri.

“Scoot is assisting to reaccommodate affected customers onto subsequent flights, where available,” said the airline.

“Alternatively, affected customers may also request for a full refund if they choose not to continue with their travel.”

Other airlines in the region were also affected.

For instance, Malaysia Airlines said on Facebook that nearly 20 flights between Kuala Lumpur, Sabah and Sarawak on Thursday were cancelled.

For budget airline AirAsia, flights to and from nine airports including Kota Kinabalu, Miri, Kuching and Brunei were cancelled, the airline said in a news release on Thursday.

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2024-04-18 12:57:49Z
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Rabu, 17 April 2024

Thousands evacuated as Indonesia's Ruang volcano erupts, causes tsunami threat - CNA

Tourists and residents were warned to remain outside a 6km exclusion zone.

More than 800 people were initially taken to safety from Ruang to nearby Tagulandang island after the first eruption on Tuesday evening before four more eruptions on Wednesday.

TSUNAMI WARNING

Authorities also warned of a possible tsunami as a result of the eruptions.

"The communities in Tagulandang island, particularly those residing near the beach, (need) to be on alert for the potential ejection of incandescent rocks, hot clouds discharges and tsunami caused by the collapse of the volcano's body into the sea," Hendra Gunawan, head of Indonesia's volcanology agency, said in a statement Wednesday.

The authorities' fears were compounded by previous experience.

In 2018, the crater of Mount Anak Krakatoa between Java and Sumatra islands partly collapsed when a major eruption sent huge chunks of the volcano sliding into the ocean, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 400 people and injured thousands.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

The impact of Mount Ruang's eruption led to the closure of Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado city, located more than 100km from the volcano, for 24 hours until Thursday evening.

The airport runways were shut "due to the spread of volcanic ash which could endanger flight safety," Ambar Suryoko, head of the Manado region airport authority office, said in a statement.

The airport hosts airlines that fly to Singapore and cities in South Korea and China.

"All flights ... impacted because the airport is affected by the eruption of Mount Ruang, volcanic ash," Dimas, 29-year-old airport officer in Manado told AFP by phone.

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2024-04-18 04:35:00Z
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Dubai roads, airport reel from floods after record rains - The Straits Times

Cars drive in a flooded street following heavy rains in Dubai on April 17. PHOTO: AFP

DUBAI - Dubai’s giant highways were clogged by flooding and its major airport was in chaos as the Middle East financial centre remained gridlocked on April 17, a day after the heaviest rains on record.

Tailbacks snaked along waterlogged, six-lane expressways after up to 259.5mm of rain, the most since records began 75 years ago, fell on the desert United Arab Emirates on April 16.

At least one person was killed, a 70-year-old man who was swept away in his car in Ras Al-Khaimah, one of the oil-rich country’s seven emirates, police said.

Power outages were reported around Dubai, which was dotted with flooded areas and submerged and abandoned cars. One road tunnel near the airport was flooded to its roof, and some residential villas were thigh-deep in water.

Similar scenes were visible around the Gulf state including in Sharjah, neighbouring Dubai, where residents waded through main streets and paddled around on makeshift boats.

As sunny skies returned on April 17, a day after torrential downpours and rolling black clouds, stories emerged of residents stuck in cars and offices overnight.

“It was one of the most horrific situations I had ever experienced,” said one Dubai resident in his 30s, who did not want to give his name, after his 15-minute commute turned into a 12-hour ordeal on flooded roads.

“I knew that if my car broke down, it would sink and I would drown with it.”

Schools will remain closed in Dubai until next week, authorities said, underscoring the difficulty of the clean-up.

‘Chaos’

In an unusual direct intervention, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Nayan ordered “authorities to quickly work on studying the condition of infrastructure throughout the UAE and to limit the damage caused”, official media said.

Sheikh Mohamed also gave orders for affected families to be transferred to safe locations, said a statement carried by the WAM news agency.

People walk through flood water caused by heavy rains, in Dubai on April 17. PHOTO: REUTERS

Meanwhile, operations slowed to a crawl at Dubai airport, the world’s busiest by international traffic, as staff were unable to arrive with roads flooded and most public transport suspended.

With nearly every flight repeatedly delayed, passengers were told to stay away “unless absolutely necessary”, Dubai Airports said. Emirates, Dubai’s flagship airline, cancelled all check-ins.

At a connections desk, a large crowd formed, clapping and whistling in protest at the lack of information.

“They are completely lost, it’s complete chaos – no information, nothing,” fumed one passenger, who did not want to be named, after a 12-hour wait.

Scores of flights were also delayed, cancelled and diverted during Tuesday’s torrential rain, when planes were recorded taxiing through deep water.

A car is stranded in flood water caused by heavy rains, in Dubai on April 17. PHOTO: REUTERS

The storms hit the UAE and Bahrain overnight Monday and on Tuesday after previously lashing Oman, where 19 people were killed including children.

Maryam Al Shehhi, senior weather forecaster at the UAE’s National Center of Meteorology, denied a report that the UAE had carried out cloud seeding – spraying chemicals to increase rainfall.

“We did not use cloud seeding because (the storm) was already strong,” Shehhi told AFP.

Climatologist Friederike Otto, a specialist in assessing the role of climate change on extreme weather events, said it was “misleading” to focus on cloud seeding.

“The heaviest rainfall in Dubai for 75 years didn’t happen because of cloud seeding,” he said.

“When we talk about heavy rainfall, we need to talk about climate change. Focusing on cloud seeding is misleading.” AFP

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2024-04-17 22:30:00Z
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