Trump rape accuser's claim not a 'he said, she said', lawyer says as trial starts - CNA

NEW YORK: E Jean Carroll's accusation that Donald Trump raped her was not a "he said, she said" dispute, a lawyer representing the writer told jurors on Tuesday (Apr 25) as a civil trial over the former US president's conduct nearly three decades ago got under way.

Shawn Crowley, who represents the former Elle magazine advice columnist, said in her opening statement that Trump "slammed Ms Carroll against the wall" and "pressed his lips to hers", an account other witnesses were prepared to verify.

"This is not a 'he said, she said' case," Crowley said in federal court in Manhattan. She told jurors they would also hear testimony from two other women who say Trump sexually assaulted them, which Trump denies.

Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina countered in his opening statement that the evidence will show the former US president did not assault Carroll.

Tacopina also asked jurors in strongly Democratic Manhattan to set aside their feelings for Trump, a Republican and former New Yorker who has inspired strong opinions from across the political spectrum.

"You can hate Donald Trump. It's fine," Tacopina said.

Earlier in the day, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan sat nine jurors who will decide whether Trump raped Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the mid-1990s and defamed her by denying it happened.

In an October 2022 post on his Truth Social platform, Trump, 76, called Carroll's rape claim a "hoax" and "complete Scam," said she made it up to promote her memoir and declared Carroll was "not my type!"

Carroll, 79, is seeking unspecified damages for pain and suffering, psychological harm and invasion of privacy.

Her lawsuit invoked a new state law in New York giving adult sexual abuse victims a one-year window to sue their alleged attackers even if statutes of limitations expired long ago.

The trial is expected to resume on Wednesday and last one to two weeks.

JUDGE WARNS ABOUT INCITEFUL STATEMENTS

Carroll's case is among a slew of lawsuits and probes facing Trump, the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential race.

It could also be politically damaging as witnesses detail Trump's alleged sexual misconduct, all of which he denies.

Among the other cases is Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's criminal case over hush money payments to a porn star. Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts on Apr 4 at a New York state courthouse, a three-minute walk from Tuesday's trial.

Carroll's trial began the same day President Joe Biden, a Democrat, said he would seek a second White House term.

Before juror questioning began, Kaplan ordered Trump's and Carroll's lawyers to tell their clients and witnesses not to make statements that could "incite violence or civil unrest."

He screened jurors for bias, asking if they agreed with Trump that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, or thought the #MeToo movement - which Carroll has said inspired her to come forward - would undercut their impartiality. None said they did.

Kaplan is also keeping jurors anonymous from the public and the lawyers, to shield them from potential harassment by Trump supporters, and even suggested that jurors not use their real names when speaking with one another.

"If you're normally a Bill and you're selected for the jury or even before, you can be John for a couple of days," Kaplan said.

Trump did not attend the trial and is not required to, and according to lawyers from both sides is unlikely to testify.

He has repeatedly attacked Carroll and in personal terms, once calling her mentally ill.

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2023-04-25 21:08:00Z
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Malaysian instant noodle firm conducting tests after Taiwan health authorities find carcinogenic substances - CNA

The spokesman also reportedly said that they do not think the noodles which were tested by the Taipei authorities were produced by the company. 

"They (Taipei's Department of Health) have not shown us their results or the samples they used but we do not think they used our instant noodles.

"This is because when we asked them what samples were used, the expiry date of the noodles did not tally with the ones we sent to Taiwan last year (in 2022)," said the spokesman, as quoted by The Star. 

According to Bernama, citing Taiwan’s Central News Agency, two types of instant noodles made by brands from Malaysia and Indonesia were found to contain a type of carcinogenic substance. 

In a statement, Taipei's Department of Health reportedly said on Monday that a batch of "Ah Lai White Curry Noodles" from Malaysia and a batch of "Indomie: Special Chicken Flavour" noodles from Indonesia both contained ethylene oxide, a chemical compound associated with lymphoma and leukemia

The findings were part of the city’s 2023 inspection of instant noodle available in Taipei. 

Testing by the Taipei authorities found that ethylene oxide was detected in both the noodles and flavour packet of the Malaysian product and the flavour packet of the Indonesian-made instant noodle, said the health department, according to Bernama. 

The unspecified retailer from which the samples were collected has reportedly been asked to pull the two products off their shelves. 

The products' importers will reportedly be fined between NT$60,000 (US$1,958) and NT$200 million.

According to information on the website of Taiwan’s Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau under the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration, ethylene oxide is poisonous when consumed or inhaled.

Bernama reported that aside from leading to lymphoma and leukemia, ethylene oxide can also seriously irritate the skin and eyes of those who come into contact with the substance and can even trigger birth and hereditary defects.

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2023-04-25 10:17:00Z
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Xi's Charm Offensive Falters After China Envoy Angers Europe - Bloomberg

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1. Xi's Charm Offensive Falters After China Envoy Angers Europe  Bloomberg
2. China says it respects ex-Soviet states' sovereignty after envoy sparks outrage  CNA
3. China scrambles to defuse EU crisis over envoy’s sovereignty claims  South China Morning Post
4. China Just Put in Doubt the Sovereignty of a Huge Swath of Countries  Bloomberg
5. China now says it respects sovereignty of ex-Soviet states  Nikkei Asia
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-04-25 08:51:08Z
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Tremors felt in Singapore, Malaysia after magnitude-7.3 quake near Indonesia's Sumatra - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE – A magnitude-7.3 earthquake that struck west of Sumatra in Indonesia early on Tuesday morning was also felt in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia.

The quake hit at around 3am local time (4am Singapore time) at a depth of 84km, triggering a tsunami warning for about two hours, said Indonesia’s meteorology and geophysics agency (BMKG).

BMKG data showed that aftershocks were also detected, with one logging a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale.

The local authorities had initially instructed residents of affected areas, including Padang in Sumatra, to move away from shores, Indonesian media reported. The tsunami warning has since been lifted.

In Singapore, the National Environment Agency detected a magnitude-6.7 quake at 4am on Tuesday, around 620km south-west of the Republic.

The meteorological service division assessed that Singapore is unlikely to be affected by a tsunami that may be generated near the quake’s epicentre.

Social media users in Singapore and Malaysia reported feeling tremors that persisted for more than a minute and “swaying” furniture.

“I was on the balcony (28th floor) and for a moment I thought my chair was wonky... Quite shocked and can’t fall asleep any more,” said one commenter responding to a thread on social media platform Reddit.

In Malaysia, users of Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu – from Selangor state to southern Johor – also reported being awoken by shaking, with many posting to check if other users felt a similar sensation.

One Xiaohongshu user in Johor Bahru said she felt dizzy, before concluding it was related to an earthquake after seeing the ceiling fan in her room shaking strongly.

Tremors were also felt in Peninsular Malaysia, the Malaysian Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.

The department sought information from locals who may have felt aftershocks from the quake, adding that it did not pose a tsunami threat to the country.

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2023-04-25 05:27:49Z
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China man kidnaps grandchild to pay off $97000 gambling debt – and then blamed it on daughter - AsiaOne

Blood should be thicker than water, but some might disregard the value of familial relationships just to fuel their own interests.

This was the case for one Chinese grandfather addicted to gambling, who had kidnapped his own granddaughter in order to pay off his 500,000 yuan (S$96,600) debt.

The criminal case – which was reported in the Shanghai Law Journal – began when the 65-year-old man, surnamed Yuan, had picked up his four-year-old granddaughter from school, reported the South China Morning Post today (April 25).

Yuan then proceeded to threaten his own daughter, claiming that "you won't see your daughter again" unless a ransom of 500,000 yuan was paid to him in three days, on top of a death threat.

The daughter subsequently filed a police report and Yuan was arrested. He was then imprisoned for extortion. 

However, when incarcerated, Yuan attempted to absolve himself of the crime by pushing the blame to his daughter, accusing her of being "ungrateful".

"I'm 65 years old and my daughter is suing me. She never wants me to get better. She wants me dead," he said.

Yuan also thought that this incident was a "family" matter, instead of a "legal" one.

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The report also stated that the man had staged a hunger strike while behind bars, and was unable to get along with his cellmates.

The row ended when the police and Yuan's ex-wife stepped in, and Yuan's daughter wrote a letter of understanding for him.

He started to adapt to prison life and cooperate with authorities afterwards.

It is not known when or where the kidnapping incident occurred.

The story caught the eyes of several prominent Chinese news outlets, and a video re-telling the saga has been viewed more than three million times on Weibo.

Chinese netizens expressed anger at the grandfather for his actions, with one commenter saying that the man was "useless" and that "he won't change until he dies", before calling for the daughter to cut off her relationship with him.

Another opined that "extortion and violence are crimes and definitely not 'family matters'", in response to Yuan's statements.

According to South China Morning Post, child abduction in China was rampant between the 1980s and 2010s, right after then-president Deng Xiaoping imposed the one-child policy in 1980.

Although cases of child trafficking in the country has been dwindling, it still remains a persistent issue, with policymakers making it a top priority to tackle it in years to come.

ALSO READ: Chinese man abducted as child leaves billionaire adoptive family, discovers birth parents are multi-millionaires

wongdaoen@asiaone.com

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2023-04-25 03:38:31Z
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Singapore and China to hold joint naval drills - CNA

SINGAPORE: Singapore and China will hold a joint military exercise this week, their first combined drills since 2021.

The exercise will be held from Apr 28 to May 1, said Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) on Monday (Apr 24).

"The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) conducts regular bilateral and multilateral exercises with foreign navies as part of its ongoing effort to enhance mutual trust and cooperation with other countries," MINDEF said in response to media queries.

The exercise, which will comprise both shore and sea phases, will involve the RSN's Formidable-class frigate RSS Intrepid and Bedok-class Mine Countermeasure Vessel RSS Punggol, said MINDEF.

The Chinese navy will deploy a missile-bearing frigate, the Yulin, and a mine-hunting ship, the Chibi, China's defence ministry said in a statement on its website, without specifying the location.

"The exercise underscores the warm and friendly bilateral defence relations between Singapore and China, and enhances mutual trust, understanding and people-to-people ties between the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) and PLA (People's Liberation Army)," MINDEF said. 

"Besides bilateral exercises, the two armed forces also interact regularly through high-level exchanges, mutual visits, cross-attendance of courses and port calls."

Two years ago, China and Singapore held a combined military drill in international waters at the southern tip of the South China Sea, following the upgrade of a bilateral defence pact in 2019 to include bigger-scale exercises among their army, navy and air force.

Singapore regularly conducts drills with countries from the region and around the world. In March, the SAF wrapped up the massive Cobra Gold exercises in Thailand. It is one of the largest multinational exercises in the Asia-Pacific region.

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2023-04-24 13:27:30Z
CBMiX2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9zaW5nYXBvcmUtY2hpbmEtbWlsaXRhcnktZHJpbGwtZXhlcmNpc2VzLW5hdnktMjAyMy0zNDM5NDQx0gEA

China says it respects ex-Soviet states' sovereignty after envoy sparks outrage - CNA

"China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," Mao insisted on Monday.

"After the collapse of the Soviet Union, China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with relevant countries."

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell branded the remarks "unacceptable", adding in a tweet the EU "can only suppose these declarations do not represent China's official policy".

And Beijing on Monday distanced itself from Lu's remarks - while also defending its claimed neutral stance on Russia's war in Ukraine.

"Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China has always adhered to the principle of mutual respect and equality to develop bilateral friendly and cooperative relations," Mao said.

"Some media misinterpret China's position on the Ukrainian issue and are sowing discord in relations between China and relevant countries," she added, warning "we will be vigilant about this".

Lu's comments last week sparked a wave of outrage across Europe, leading the EU's three Baltic countries to on Monday summon China's envoys to explain the remarks.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote on Twitter that "if anyone is still wondering why the Baltic States don't trust China to 'broker peace in Ukraine', here's a Chinese ambassador arguing that Crimea is Russian and our countries' borders have no legal basis".

Lu has previously acknowledged being part of the so-called "Wolf Warrior" class of Chinese diplomats, a nickname given to those who respond vehemently to critics they perceive as hostile to China.

In January 2019, as ambassador to Canada, he accused the North American country of "white supremacy" for calling for the release of two Canadians detained in China, days after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada at the request of the United States.

And last August he sparked outrage by suggesting Taiwanese people would need to be "re-educated" following a Chinese takeover of the self-ruled island.

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2023-04-24 08:27:00Z
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