Trump faces criminal charges in New York, a first for a former US president - CNA

Bragg's office last year won the criminal conviction of the businessman-turned-politician's real estate company for tax fraud.

Trump also faces two criminal investigations by a special counsel appointed by US Attorney General Merrick Garland and one by a local prosecutor in Georgia.

Trump served as president from 2017 to 2021, governing as a right-wing populist. He was impeached twice by the House of Representatives, once in 2019 over his conduct regarding Ukraine and again in 2021 over the attack on the US Capitol by his supporters. He was acquitted by the Senate both times.

Trump falsely claims that his 2020 re-election loss to Democrat Joe Biden was the result of widespread voting fraud.

He leads his early rivals for his party's nomination, holding the support of 44 per cent of Republicans in a March Reuters/Ipsos poll, compared with 30 per cent support for his nearest rival, Florida Governer Ron DeSantis, who has yet to announce his candidacy. Biden is expected to seek re-election.

Trump in 2018 initially disputed knowing anything about the payment to Daniels. He later acknowledged reimbursing Cohen for the payment, which he called a "simple private transaction."

Cohen testified before the Manhattan grand jury, as did David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer. The tabloid publication bought the rights to McDougal's story about her alleged relationship with Trump for US$150,000 but never published it, a method known as "catch and kill" used to bury damaging information about a third party.

In the case that led to the conviction of the Trump Organization on tax fraud charges, Bragg declined to charge Trump himself with financial crimes related to his business practices, prompting two prosecutors who worked on the probe to resign.

Among Trump's ongoing legal woes are a criminal investigation led by Fani Willis, the Democratic district attorney in Georgia's Fulton County, into whether he unlawfully tried to overturn his 2020 election defeat in that state.

Special counsel Jack Smith is separately investigating Trump's handling of classified government documents after leaving office and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

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2023-03-30 22:03:00Z
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US-China ties ‘most worrying’: Singapore leader Lee Hsien Loong tells Boao Forum - South China Morning Post

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1. US-China ties ‘most worrying’: Singapore leader Lee Hsien Loong tells Boao Forum  South China Morning Post
2. Regional groupings will help strengthen Asia in a troubled world: PM Lee  The Straits Times
3. Boao Forum: Chinese Premier Steps Up Charm Offensive At Key Business  Bloomberg
4. China’s premier warns against ‘chaos and conflicts’ in Asia  Al Jazeera English
5. Boao forum sends strong signal that China is back in business  The Straits Times
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-03-30 09:21:51Z
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China threatens response if US House Speaker meets Taiwan President - The Straits Times

BEIJING/WASHINGTON – China threatened to retaliate on Wednesday if US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen during her planned transit of the United States in May, saying any such move would be a “provocation”.

China, which claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly warned US officials not to meet Ms Tsai, viewing it as support for the island’s desire to be seen as a separate country.

China staged war games around Taiwan in August 2022 when then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, and Taiwan’s armed forces have said they are keeping watch for any Chinese moves when Ms Tsai is abroad.

Ms Tsai is going to Guatemala and Belize, transiting through New York and Los Angeles on the way back. While not officially confirmed, she is expected to meet Mr McCarthy while in California.

Speaking in Beijing shortly before Ms Tsai left, Ms Zhu Fenglian, a spokesman of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said that Ms Tsai’s “transits” of the US were not just her waiting at the airport or hotel, but for her to meet US officials and lawmakers.

“If she contacts US House Speaker McCarthy, it will be another provocation that seriously violates the one China principle, harms China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and destroys peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” she said.

“We firmly oppose this and will definitely take measures to resolutely fight back,” Ms Zhu added, without giving details.

Ms Tsai’s transits will come at a time when US relations with China are at what some analysts see as their worst level since Washington normalised ties with Beijing in 1979 and switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei.

Taiwan is China’s most sensitive territorial issue and a major bone of contention with Washington, which, like most countries, maintains only unofficial ties with Taipei.

However, the US government is required by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

No reason to overreact

The US says such transits by Taiwanese presidents are routine and that China should not use Ms Tsai’s trip to take any aggressive moves against Taiwan.

The US sees no reason for China to overreact to planned transits of the US this week and next month by Taiwan’s president, senior US officials said ahead of Ms Tsai’s departure.

A senior US official said that in her previous transits, Ms Tsai had engaged in a range of activities, including meetings with members of Congress, the Taiwanese diaspora and other groups.

“So, there is absolutely no reason for Beijing to use this upcoming transit as an excuse or a pretext to carry out aggressive or coercive activities aimed at Taiwan,” the official said.

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2023-03-29 11:52:06Z
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Eu Yan Sang ordered to recall Brown Rice Si Shen powder due to excess toxin, chemical presence - CNA

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has directed traditional Chinese medicine maker Eu Yan Sang Singapore to recall two batches of its Brown Rice Si Shen powder, after detecting aflatoxin and arsenic elements beyond permissible levels.

The affected batches have the numbers 120 and 121, with respective expiry dates of May 13, 2024 and May 17, 2024, according to an SFA release on Wednesday (Mar 29).

The agency said it detected the aflatoxin B1 carcinogen and arsenic chemical in samples of the powder product, at levels exceeding the maximum limit stated in Singapore's food regulations.

Long-term intake of aflatoxins can cause cancer and liver damage, while long-term intake of arsenic can cause cancer and skin changes.

“Exposure through food, especially those meant for young children, should be kept as low as possible,” SFA said.

Consumers who bought the implicated products are advised not to feed it to their children, it added.

Those whose children have consumed the products, and who have concerns about their children’s health, should seek medical advice.

Consumers may also contact their point of purchase for enquiries, said SFA.

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2023-03-29 11:01:13Z
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Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen defiant after China threatens retaliation for US trip - CNA

TAOYUAN: External pressure will not stop Taiwan engaging with the world, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Wednesday (Mar 29) as she left for the United States, hitting a defiant note after China threatened retaliation if she met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

China on Wednesday threatened to retaliate if McCarthy meets Tsai, saying that any such move would be a "provocation".

China, which claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly warned US officials not to meet Tsai, viewing it as support for the island's desire to be seen as a separate country.

China staged war games around Taiwan last August when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, and Taiwan's armed forces have said that they are keeping watch for any Chinese moves when Tsai is abroad.

Tsai is going to Guatemala and Belize, transiting through New York first and Los Angeles on the way back.

While not officially confirmed, she is expected to meet McCarthy while in California, at the end of her trip.

That would be the first meeting on US soil between a House Speaker and a Taiwanese leader, and the prospect has angered Beijing.

"External pressure will not hinder our determination to go to the world," Tsai said at Taiwan's main international airport at Taoyuan.

"We are calm and confident, will neither yield nor provoke. Taiwan will firmly walk on the road of freedom and democracy and go into the world. Although this road is rough, Taiwan is not alone."

Speaking in Beijing shortly before Tsai left, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, told reporters in Beijing that Tsai's "transits" of the United States were not just her waiting at the airport or hotel, but for her to meet US officials and lawmakers.

"If she has contact with US House Speaker McCarthy, it will be another provocation that seriously violates the 'One China' principle, harms China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and destroys peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," she said.

"We firmly oppose this and will definitely take measures to resolutely fight back," Zhu added, without giving details.

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2023-03-29 04:05:00Z
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Mahathir gives PM Anwar 7 days to retract 'slanderous' claims or face legal action - The Straits Times

Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad has demanded that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim retract “slanderous” claims that he had enriched himself and his family while in power.

If Datuk Seri Anwar fails to respond within seven days to the letter of demand dated March 27, Tun Dr Mahathir said he will proceed with legal action.

“These are terrible accusations and give a very bad impression of me. It is slander, unless he can show proof that I have billions of ringgit, I channelled money overseas and I don’t pay taxes,” he told the Malaysian media on Tuesday.

In a speech at his Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s congress on March 18, Mr Anwar had alluded to someone “who had been in power for 22 years and (later) an additional 22 months” using his position to enrich his family and himself.

While Mr Anwar did not mention Dr Mahathir by name, he also said the person was complaining about Malays losing their dominance only after he was no longer in power.

Dr Mahathir demanded on Monday that the Prime Minister back his claim.

On Tuesday, he said it was clear that Mr Anwar was referring to no other former premier but him because “I was in power for 22 years and 22 months”.

Dr Mahathir, 97, served as premier twice – from 1981 to 2003, and from 2018 to 2020 – and resigned both times. He lost his parliamentary seat of Langkawi in the 2022 General Election.

“Although I have heard similar remarks which he made in the past, but at that time he was not prime minister. Now he is prime minister, and prime ministers have the responsibility to not simply make such accusations without any clear proof,” Dr Mahathir added.

He also said he will continue to be politically active as he believes the people still need his experience, adding that he could not say no if people sought him out for advice.

“For the love of the country... if someone comes and asks me for help, I could not say ‘I am sorry I cannot help because I want to rest’. I still have ideas and (if asked) I’m ready to share,” he said.

Dr Mahathir and Mr Anwar used to have a close relationship, with the former calling Mr Anwar his friend and protege.

He anointed Mr Anwar his successor, but later, amid disagreements over how to handle the Asian financial crisis in 1998, he said Mr Anwar was unfit to lead “because of his character”.

Between his stints as deputy prime minister in the 1990s and as official prime minister-in-waiting in 2018, Mr Anwar spent nearly a decade in jail for sodomy and corruption – charges that he said were politically motivated.

After decades of enmity, the two buried the hatchet briefly in 2018 to oust the then ruling Barisan Nasional coalition – only to fall out again within two years, ending their 22-month-old Pakatan Harapan government and plunging Malaysia into a period of instability.

The last election, on Nov 19, left the country in political limbo after no coalition gained enough seats to form a government.

Mr Anwar and rival Muhyiddin Yassin, whose coalitions had the two largest blocs in Parliament but no simple majority needed to form the government, raced against each other to become premier.

The situation was resolved only when Mr Anwar gained the backing of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional to form a unity government.

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2023-03-28 12:30:53Z
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Senior citizen in Johor dies after eating pufferfish - The Straits Times

KLUANG, Johor - A senior citizen from Johor has died after eating pufferfish, while her husband is now hospitalised in the intensive care unit (ICU).

According to Johor health and unity committee chairman Ling Tian Soon, the 83-year-old woman and her husband, 84, from the village of Chamek, ordered the fish, known in Malay as ikan buntal, through social media.

The couple received the fish on Saturday morning, Mr Ling said.

Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily reported that the couple ordered the fish from a fishmonger through Facebook.

“They cleaned and cooked the fish for lunch and around 3pm, the woman started shivering and having breathing difficulties,” Mr Ling told The Star on Tuesday. “About an hour later, her husband began displaying similar symptoms.”

Mr Ling said the couple’s son rushed his parents to Hospital Enche’ Hajjah Kalsom’s emergency unit for treatment.

“The woman was pronounced dead at around 7pm while her husband is still in the ICU,” he added.

It is understood that this was the couple’s first time eating pufferfish.

Mr Ling added that the fish they ordered came from a fisherman from the coastal Johor town of Mersing and was processed by a distributor in Batu Pahat.

He said that the seller is also from Batu Pahat and had sold the fish online, adding that 15kg of the fish was sold to four customers in Chamek and the nearby district of Paloh. Another fish was sold to a customer in the town of Yong Peng on the same day.

“Besides the couple, the other customers have yet to consume the fish but the Health Department has obtained samples of the fish from the seller for analysis.

“The public are advised to be careful about what they consume, especially when it comes to food with known risks,” he said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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2023-03-28 09:44:17Z
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