1MDB suspect questioned about Jho Low dies of stroke in Malaysia - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: A 56-year-old man who was questioned by Malaysian graft-busters about the whereabouts of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, has died. 

According to a statement issued by lawyers representing the late Mr Kee Kok Thiam and his family on Wednesday (May 31), Mr Kee died on Monday “of a sudden massive stroke” in a hospital. 

“We urge all parties not to entertain any speculation on this unfortunate event and allow the family the space to grieve on his passing,” said the statement. 

CNA understands that Mr Kee had been questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). 

Separately, an MACC source told CNA that Mr Kee had met with the agency when he first returned to Malaysia in early May. 

Pictures of Mr Kee were seen by CNA at the funeral on Wednesday. The cremation ceremony at the Kepong Crematorium in northern Kuala Lumpur ended at 9.30am. 

Mr Kee was a suspect in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) financial scandal. He informed local authorities about the whereabouts of Low, according to local media.

According to the New Straits Times, Mr Kee was Low's associate and had been deported from Macao for overstaying his visa. He was arrested at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2) in early May and was questioned upon his return. 

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2023-05-31 04:17:00Z
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Evacuation alerts, sirens cause panic in Seoul after North Korea satellite launch - The Straits Times

SEOUL - Wailing air raid sirens and cellphone alerts calling for rare evacuations rattled residents of the South Korean capital Seoul early on Wednesday after North Korea launched what it said was a satellite.

North Korea launched the rocket towards the south, South Korea’s military said, prompting emergency alerts and evacuation warnings in parts of South Korea and Japan.

“I was so panicked, 911 lines were busy and the Internet was slow,” said Ms Lee Ju-yeon, 33, a resident in the densely populated city of 9.6 million who has a nine-month-old child. “So without knowing what was really happening, I was about to head down to a basement wearing a wrap carrier with my baby.”

The sirens started in Seoul at 6.32am (5.32am, Singapore time) as the city issued a “Presidential Alert” asking citizens to prepare for potential evacuation.

Then came a second mobile alert minutes later calling for an actual evacuation, which remained in place for at least 10 minutes until the city authorities said it was a false alarm sent in error.

Ms Lee did not evacuate after seeing a television headline saying it was a North Korean space vehicle flying farther south, but she showed photographs of friends packing bags, readying to leave.

While residents of Seoul are used to living in the shadow of threats from their nuclear-armed neighbour, an element of complacency has crept in among many in the city about the risks and how to respond.

The two countries are still technically at war seven decades after the Korean War ended in an armistice.

Some office workers in the central district said they had considered during their commute how to respond to the alarm, such as by withdrawing cash or hoarding water.

“I understand it was a mistake, but even if it has to be simple, that alert message should have said what went on and where to go,” said Mr Kim Jong-hyun, 48, who was on his way to work after dropping off his child at school.

Later on Wednesday, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon apologised for confusion over the city’s alert but defended the decision to send one as a precaution for public safety. He said the city would improve the wording in future messages and on warning systems.

“Alerts” and “evacuation” were trending topics on Twitter in South Korea on Wednesday morning, with confused tweets scrambling to grasp what was going on or to find evacuation areas.

“Hey guys, given Twitter is still working, I guess it is not a war,” one user with the handle @Kimisnim__ said. REUTERS

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2023-05-31 00:25:00Z
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North Korea's space satellite crashes into sea; alerts sent then retracted in South Korea, Japan - The Straits Times

SEOUL/TOKYO – A satellite launch conducted by North Korea on Wednesday ended in failure after the rocket’s second stage malfunctioned, sending the craft plunging into the sea, state media said, as the nuclear-armed North seeks to gain ground in a regional space race.

The launch prompted emergency alerts and brief evacuation warnings in parts of South Korea and Japan, which were then withdrawn with no danger or damage reported.

The “Chollima-1” rocket plunged into the sea “after losing thrust due to the abnormal starting of the second-stage engine”, the Korean Central News Agency (KNCA) reported, in an unusually candid admission of a technical failure by the North.

KCNA said Pyongyang’s National Aerospace Development Administration will investigate the “serious defects” and take action to overcome them before conducting a second launch as soon as possible.

The launch was the nuclear-armed state’s sixth satellite launch attempt, and the first since 2016.

North Korea had said it would launch its first military reconnaissance satellite between May 31 and June 11 to boost monitoring of US military activities.

In data provided to the international authorities, Pyongyang said the launch would carry the rocket south, with various stages and other debris expected to fall over the Yellow Sea and into the Pacific Ocean.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday the military was conducting a salvage operation to recover what is believed to be parts of the space launch vehicle.

The military shared pictures of debris pulled from the water, including a large cylindrical object tethered to a buoy.

Mr George William Herbert, adjunct professor at the Centre for Nonproliferation Studies and a missile consultant, said the images showed at least part of a rocket, including an “interstage” section designed to connect to another stage.

It is most likely a liquid-fuel rocket, and a round, brown object inside is likely a propellant tank for either fuel or oxidiser, he added.

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2023-05-30 21:48:28Z
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Ukraine war comes to Moscow as drones strike both capitals - CNA

INJURIES AND EVACUATIONS IN MOSCOW

Two people were injured while some apartment blocks were briefly evacuated, according to Moscow's mayor. Residents said they heard loud bangs followed by the smell of petrol. Some filmed a drone being shot down and a plume of smoke.

Tuesday's early-morning drone volley targeted some of Moscow's most prestigious districts including where Putin and the elite have residences. He was later in the Kremlin and received a briefing on the attack, a spokesman said.

Afterwards, Putin said Ukraine's biggest ever drone strike on Moscow was an attempt to frighten and provoke Russia, and that air defences around the capital would be strengthened.

Ukraine, Putin said, had chosen the path of trying "to intimidate Russia, Russian citizens and attacks on residential buildings".

Civilian targets in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities have since the earliest days of the war been struck repeatedly by Russian drones and missiles.

But Tuesday marked only the second time Moscow had come under direct fire. There was an apparent drone strike on the Kremlin earlier this month that Moscow also blamed on Ukraine and said was meant to kill Putin.

The White House said it was still gathering information on the reports of drones striking in Moscow.

"We do not support attacks inside of Russia. That's it. Period," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing. Washington is a major supplier of weaponry to Ukraine on the condition it uses it to defend itself and to retake Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces.

Russian lawmaker Maxim Ivanov called it the most serious assault on Moscow since Nazi Germany's invasion in World War Two, saying no Russian could now avoid "the new reality".

Russian state television gave the attacks calm coverage, and many Muscovites carried on with their lives with the fatalism for which they are famous. Most shrugged their shoulders and many voiced sadness that the conflict seemed to be spreading.

Olga, who said she lived near to the site of one of the drone collisions on Profsoyuznaya Street, called the strikes "logical, to be expected ... what else were we waiting for?"

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2023-05-30 21:56:00Z
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Putin says Ukraine drone strikes on Moscow aim to scare and provoke Russia - CNA

RUSSIA AT WAR

So far Putin has kept the war in Ukraine far from Moscow, where life has continued relatively normally despite the biggest rupture in Russia's ties with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Russia began attacking the Ukrainian capital with swarms of cheaply produced loitering munitions often known as “kamikaze drones” last October and uses them extensively during its regular air strikes across Ukraine.

Prosecutors said incidents occurred in the Odintsovsky District of western Moscow region - where Putin has his Novo-Ogaryovo state residence. The area, the most expensive in Russia, is the home to the country's elite.

Russian state television gave the attacks calm coverage. Many Muscovites carried on with their lives with the fatalism for which they are famous.

On a warm spring day in the city centre, residents could be seen taking selfies in front of the Bolshoi Theatre while others relaxed in cafes and shopped in the well-stocked luxury stores of Moscow.

Putin has repeatedly cast the conflict in Ukraine as a struggle with what he says is an arrogant and aggressive West which is risking a global war by supporting Ukraine.

Thus far, the war has been described by the Kremlin as a "special military operation". The United States has repeatedly said it does not want a war with Russia and has said Ukraine should not use Western weapons to attack inside Russia.

Russian lawmakers cautioned that there were likely to be more attacks on Moscow, which many said would make it necessary to give the military and security agencies even greater powers.

"The sabotage and terrorist attacks of Ukraine will only increase," said Alexander Khinshtein, from the ruling United Russia bloc.

"It is necessary to radically strengthen defence and security measures, especially in terms of countering drones. This includes finally passing the necessary laws."

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2023-05-30 14:48:13Z
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Lui Tuck Yew is Singapore's new ambassador to the United States - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE – Former transport minister Lui Tuck Yew has been appointed Singapore’s ambassador to the United States, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced on Tuesday.

Prior to this, he was the country’s ambassador to the People’s Republic of China from November 2019 to April 2023. He was also Singapore’s ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2019.

He will take over the post in the US from Mr Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, who has been Singapore’s ambassador to the US since July 2012.

Mr Peter Tan Hai Chuan is Singapore’s new ambassador to China.

The Government also appointed two other new ambassadors – Mr Ong Eng Chuan to Japan and Ms Constance See Sin Yuan to the Philippines.

Mr Lui, 61, who retired from politics in 2015, was first elected MP in 2006. Before embarking on a political career, he was navy chief from 1999 to 2003 and chief executive of the Housing Board from 2005 to 2006.

He was minister for information, communications and the arts from 2009 to 2011, and transport minister from 2011 to 2015.

His other portfolios included second minister for foreign affairs and second minister for defence.

Mr Ong, 55, joined MFA in 1994 and took on the role of deputy secretary (management) of the ministry from May 2016.

Ms See, 48, was director-general of MFA’s South-east Asia II Directorate from March 2017 to March 2023.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, President Halimah Yacob said she presented letters of credence to Mr Lui, Mr Ong and Ms See.

“I look forward to their contributions in strengthening Singapore’s bilateral relations,” she said.

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2023-05-30 13:04:00Z
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Prepare N95 masks, air purifiers as haze may hit S'pore from June, says Met Service - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE – Members of the public are advised to ensure that they have sufficient N95 face masks and air purifiers in good working condition as there is a higher risk of transboundary haze hitting Singapore from June due to drier and warmer weather conditions.

The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said in a press release on Tuesday that in anticipation of the onset of drier weather, the government inter-agency haze task force has been coordinating action plans for possible haze.

Singapore’s 24-hour PSI as at 3pm on Tuesday ranged from 25 in the north, to 51 in the east. A reading of 0 to 50 is considered good air quality, while a reading between 51 and 100 is considered moderate.

The one-hour PM2.5 concentration reading, an indication of the current air quality, ranged between 6 in the north and 17 in the west at 3pm. A reading of 0 to 55 is considered normal.

According to the outlook on the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) haze microsite for the next few days, dry weather is likely for many parts of the southern Asean region, although isolated showers are expected over central Sumatra, northern Borneo and Sulawesi. Higher hot spot counts may be expected in the fire-prone areas of this region under prevailing dry weather conditions, with an increased risk of smoke haze development.

While N95 masks are not needed indoors or during short exposures such as commuting, a healthy person who has to be outdoors for several hours when the air quality is in the hazardous range can reduce exposure by wearing an N95 mask.

For air purifiers, an appropriate one should have a clean air delivery rate number that is at least three times the volume of the room in cubic metres.

While the period between June and September is the usual dry season for Singapore and the surrounding region, two climate phenomena – El Nino conditions and the positive Indian Ocean Dipole – could lead to a more intense and prolonged dry season this year, even extending into October, said MSS.

El Nino is a naturally occurring climate pattern associated with changes in both the ocean and atmosphere in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, and is set to bring hotter and drier weather to South-east Asia and Australia.

The positive Indian Ocean Dipole causes warmer sea surface temperatures in the western Indian Ocean.

“Drier and warmer conditions are conducive to the development of peatland and vegetation fires. Therefore, hotspots could escalate from June 2023 under extended periods of drier weather, particularly in fire prone areas,” said MSS.

“This will increase the risk of transboundary haze affecting Singapore if fires develop in close proximity and prevailing south-easterly to south-westerly winds blow smoke haze from the fires towards Singapore,” added MSS.

MSS will continue to closely monitor the development of El Nino and the Indian Ocean Dipole, as well as the regional weather and haze situation, and provide updates when necessary.

When a haze episode is imminent, the NEA will provide haze forecasts through the NEA website (www.nea.gov.sg), the myENV mobile app and the haze microsite (www.haze.gov.sg).

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2023-05-30 07:55:00Z
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