Dr Mahathir files RM150 million defamation suit against Anwar - New Straits Times

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1. Dr Mahathir files RM150 million defamation suit against Anwar  New Straits Times
2. Malaysia's Mahathir Files Defamation Suit Against PM Anwar: Star  Bloomberg
3. Mahathir sues Anwar for RM150m over wealth claim  Malaysiakini
4. Dr M files RM150mil libel suit against Anwar  Free Malaysia Today
5. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-05-05 04:19:50Z
2009181150

Kremlin drone incident gives Putin cover to deepen Ukraine war - CNA

LONDON: The humiliating spectacle for Russia of two drones flying over the walls of the Kremlin, its historic seat of power, has spawned conflicting theories about who did it and why - but for Vladimir Putin the incident could yet prove useful politically.

Although the drones were destroyed before causing serious damage, the incident highlighted the apparent vulnerability of central Moscow to enemy drones, and prompted angry commentators to query the efficacy of Russia's air defences.

Inside Russia, it helped reinforce the Kremlin-backed narrative that its war in Ukraine is an existential one for the Russian state and people.

Coming in the run-up to its annual May 9 World War II victory parade on Moscow's Red Square - a sacred event for many Russians - and at a time when Russia is reported by the West to be racking up further heavy casualties with scant territorial gain in Ukraine, some Kremlin watchers believe its spin doctors may be hoping for a rally-around-the-flag effect.

"It's an attempt to gather all the sacred things in one statement," Alexander Baunov, a former Russian diplomat and Kremlin watcher, said of the Kremlin's response.

According to the Kremlin's version, the alleged attack had taken aim at Putin, the Russian flag on the top of the Kremlin senate building, and had cast a shadow over "Victory Day", Baunov told the Live Nail YouTube channel.

"They are trying ... to rally people around this (alleged) failed attack. It really is a patriotic mobilisation," said Baunov.

Such unity - potentially based on a combination of outrage, fear and patriotism - could prove handy at a time when Russia is bracing itself for a long-awaited Ukrainian counter-offensive that Kyiv hopes will see it retake swathes of its territory.

After Putin's office framed the drone incident as a Ukrainian attempt on the president's life - something Kyiv denies - politicians from across Russia's political spectrum called for revenge and for Moscow to prosecute what it calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine in a much harsher way.

Some commentators based in the West queried whether Russia has any options left to escalate, beyond using a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine - a scenario that even many hardcore Russian nationalist commentators are not yet advocating.

But Moscow does still have some options to escalate - albeit ones that would be condemned as barbaric and illegal in the West - such as targeting Ukraine's presidential administration and other government buildings in central Kyiv and openly trying to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and members of his team in a targeted campaign.

Former president Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Solovyov, one of the most prominent pro-Kremlin TV commentators, both argued for precisely such action in the aftermath of the drone incident.

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2023-05-04 19:03:00Z
1979682819

SCO foreign ministers gather in India on regional security - CNA

GOA, India: Foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) gathered in India on Thursday (May 4) to discuss regional security matters, including adding Iran and Belarus to a union of nations seen as a counterweight to Western influence in Eurasia.

The SCO is a political and security union of countries spanning much of Eurasia, including China, India and Russia. Formed in 2001 by Russia, China and ex-Soviet states in Central Asia, the body has been expanded to include India and Pakistan.

The expansion of the group to include Iran and Belarus was one of the main items on the agenda of the one-day meeting to be held in the Indian coastal resort state of Goa on Friday, an Indian foreign ministry official said.

The foreign ministers, including Russia's Sergei Lavrov and China's Qin Gang, will prepare the ground for an SCO summit in India in July that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are expected to attend in person.

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2023-05-04 13:53:36Z
2007383171

Golden week for China as tourists spend US$21 billion, but recovery ongoing - South China Morning Post

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1. Golden week for China as tourists spend US$21 billion, but recovery ongoing  South China Morning Post
2. China tourism rebounds to pre-COVID levels during May Day holiday  CNA
3. Covid: China tourism rebounds above pre-pandemic levels  BBC
4. China’s first post-pandemic May Day holiday unleashes travel frenzy  South China Morning Post
5. Chinese tourist spending rebounds to pre-pandemic levels in boost to economy  Financial Times
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-05-04 08:57:52Z
1984365302

Russia says US was behind Kremlin drone attack, drawing quick denial - CNA

"This is also often dictated from across the ocean ... In Washington they must clearly understand that we know this," Peskov said.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told MSNBC television the Russian claims were false, and that Washington does not encourage or enable Ukraine to strike outside its borders.

Russia has said with increasing frequency that it sees the US as a direct participant in the war, intent on inflicting a "strategic defeat" on Moscow. The US denies that, saying it is arming Ukraine to defend itself and retake territory that Moscow has seized illegally in more than 14 months of war.

CALLS TO KILL ZELENSKYY

However, Peskov's allegation went further than previous Kremlin accusations against Washington.

Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time, and security analysts have poured scorn on the idea that the incident was a serious assassination attempt.

But Russia has said it reserves the right to retaliate, and hardliners including former president Dmitry Medvedev have said it should now "physically eliminate" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Peskov declined to say whether Moscow saw Zelenskyy as a legitimate target.

He said Russia had an array of options and the response would be carefully considered and balanced. He said an urgent investigation was under way.

Putin was in the Kremlin on Thursday and staff were working normally, he said.

The incident took place less than a week before Russia's May 9 Victory Day celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II - an important public holiday and an opportunity for Putin to rally Russians behind what he calls Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Peskov said air defences would be tightened, and this was happening anyway for the military parade on Red Square, the centrepiece of the holiday, just over the Kremlin wall from the site of the alleged attack.

He said the parade would go ahead as normal, and include a speech from Putin.

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2023-05-04 12:05:00Z
1979682819

'Enough is enough': Johor Sultan speaks out against efforts to derail political stability in Malaysia - CNA

Following this, Mr Anwar said on Monday that the parties in his unity government are strong enough to defend against any plot to topple the government. 

“As far as we can see, the position (of the government) is quite strong,” Mr Anwar was quoted as saying by Bernama. 

He also told reporters that the four political coalitions in the unity government - BN, Pakatan Harapan (PH), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) - have expressed their commitment to defend the unity government. 

In March this year, local media reported Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) president Abdul Hadi Awang as saying that based on Malaysia’s democratic system, no one had the right to stop PN’s efforts to topple the government of the day. 

PAS is a component party of the PN coalition.

Mr Abdul Hadi said that such an attempt can be done either through a vote of no-confidence or via statutory declarations, according to Bernama.

Mr Anwar was sworn in as prime minister on Nov 24 last year after the 15th General Election failed to produce a clear winner.

He leads a unity government comprising his PH coalition and the previous ruling coalition BN, among other parties. Other parties and coalitions that currently back the unity government include GPS, GRS and Parti Warisan.

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2023-05-04 03:39:00Z
2002290469

China tourism rebounds to pre-COVID levels during May Day holiday - CNA

SHANGHAI: China's tourism business during the May Day holiday rebounded to pre-COVID levels, as the number of domestic trips rose by 70.8 per cent from a year earlier, government data showed on Wednesday (May 3).

If sustained, a recovery in the service sector could ease worries that China's post-pandemic economic recovery is loosing momentum as the property market remains soft, and exports face headwinds.

Travel-hungry Chinese made 274 million domestic trips during the five-day break that began on Saturday, a rise of 70.8 per cent from a year earlier, and 19 per cent more than during 2019, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on its website.

During these trips, Chinese tourists spent 148 billion yuan (US$21.42 billion) in total, a 128.9 per cent increase from a year earlier, and on a par with 2019 levels.

The figures from this year's May Day holiday - the first travel season since the pandemic without restrictions - are being monitored as a gauge of China's economic health.

Asset manager Vontobel said it believes China's recovery should accelerate, benefiting companies that cater to domestic consumers across leisure and e-commerce, as well as travel-focused businesses in China and across Asia.

The travel boom during the May holiday "can be seen as a turning point of China's tourism sector", official Xinhua News Agency said on Wednesday.

The China Tourism Academy estimates that about 4.55 billion domestic tourist trips will be made this year, up 73 per cent from 2022, Xinhua reported.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on Wednesday that it had launched a month-long campaign during the holiday to promote domestic travel and leisure, and local governments are also making efforts to boost consumption.

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2023-05-03 13:40:49Z
1984365302