Fury among aid groups as US approves cluster bombs for Ukraine - CNA

PARIS: Humanitarian organisations on Friday (Jul 7) condemned plans by the United States to supply controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine, citing the long-lasting danger posed by the weapons which leave behind unexploded bomblets.

"This is a death sentence to civilians over the long term. There are people who have not yet been born who will fall victim" to cluster bombs, said Baptiste Chapuis of Handicap International - Humanity and Inclusion (HI).

Days ahead of a NATO summit in Lithuanian capital Vilnius next week, the American move comes as allies cast around for further assistance to offer Kyiv as its counteroffensive against Russian invaders has been slow to make major advances.

When they detonate, cluster bombs spread dozens of tiny bomblets over an area the size of several football pitches, with a large number burying themselves in the ground rather than exploding.

The weapons therefore effectively leave a large field of antipersonnel mines in their wake - prompting a wave of condemnations even before the American delivery was confirmed.

"The USA's plan to transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine is a retrograde step, which undermines the considerable advances made by the international community in its attempts to protect civilians from such dangers," Amnesty International researcher Patrick Wilcken said in a statement, saying the aid group "urges the USA to reconsider".

In military terms, cluster bombs allow a belligerent to strike a large enemy formation at a single blow, to deny the use of an airfield's runway or halt an enemy's advance with widespread mines.

But they make no distinction between civilians and military personnel, with experts suggesting between 5 and 40 per cent of bomblets do not explode on impact, remaining present on the battlefield for decades.

Beyond the immediate physical danger posed to civilians, "there is also the question of physical access to affected areas for humanitarian organisations", HI's Chapuis told AFP.

The bombs' use can "prevent a lifeline reaching affected populations", he said.

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2023-07-07 23:18:00Z
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China imposes de facto ban on Japanese seafood amid anger over Fukushima - South China Morning Post

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1. China imposes de facto ban on Japanese seafood amid anger over Fukushima  South China Morning Post
2. China tightens scrutiny of some Japanese food imports over Fukushima water release  CNA
3. China to keep ban on food imports from parts of Japan over 'safety'  Nikkei Asia
4. Fragile oceans should not be dumping ground for Fukushima waste water  South China Morning Post
5. South Korea says Japan's water release plan meets standards  CNA
6. View Full coverage on Google News

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMinAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5zY21wLmNvbS9lY29ub215L2dsb2JhbC1lY29ub215L2FydGljbGUvMzIyNjg3My9jaGluYS1zY3JlZW4tYWxsLWphcGFuZXNlLWZvb2QtaW1wb3J0cy1hbWlkLWFuZ2VyLW92ZXItZnVrdXNoaW1hLXdhdGVyLXJlbGVhc2UtcGxhbi12b3dzLXByb3RlY3TSAZwBaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuc2NtcC5jb20vZWNvbm9teS9nbG9iYWwtZWNvbm9teS9hcnRpY2xlLzMyMjY4NzMvY2hpbmEtc2NyZWVuLWFsbC1qYXBhbmVzZS1mb29kLWltcG9ydHMtYW1pZC1hbmdlci1vdmVyLWZ1a3VzaGltYS13YXRlci1yZWxlYXNlLXBsYW4tdm93cy1wcm90ZWN0?oc=5

2023-07-07 11:59:20Z
2184200051

China imposes de facto ban on Japanese seafood amid anger over Fukushima - South China Morning Post

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

1. China imposes de facto ban on Japanese seafood amid anger over Fukushima  South China Morning Post
2. South Korea says Japan's water release plan meets standards  CNA
3. China to keep ban on food imports from parts of Japan over 'safety'  Nikkei Asia
4. Fragile oceans should not be dumping ground for Fukushima waste water  South China Morning Post
5. China bans some Japanese food imports over Fukushima water release  CNA
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-07-07 10:41:58Z
2184200051

China tightens scrutiny of some Japanese food imports over Fukushima water release - CNA

BEIJING: China will tighten its scrutiny on food from Japan and maintain curbs on some Japanese imports, the government said on Friday (Jul 7), citing Tokyo's decision to discharge treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima plant into the sea.

The Japanese plan, approved on Tuesday by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, has faced opposition at home and abroad. Japan insists the releases will be safe and meet global standards.

China's customs administration said in a statement it was stepping up monitoring of products including seafood and keeping curbs on produce from one-fifth of Japan's prefectures for safety reasons.

In the immediate aftermath of the 2011 disaster, China banned the import of food and agricultural products from five prefectures. It later widened its ban to 12 prefectures, before removing two of them.

China will "strengthen supervision" and "rigorously examine" certificates for food imports, especially aquatic products, from the other non-banned prefectures, the administration said, emphasising restrictions on the 10 prefectures remain in place.

China's foreign ministry on Thursday said that the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA)  report cannot be used as a "green light" for the water release plan and warned of unknown risks to human health.

China customs added that the report did not fully reflect the views of all the experts involved in the assessment process, and the conclusions were not unanimously endorsed by the experts. 

"China customs will maintain a high level of vigilance," the authority said in a WeChat statement.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told Reuters on Friday that one or two of the team of international experts behind the report may have had concerns but that none raised their concerns with him directly.

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2023-07-07 06:41:16Z
2184200051

70-year-old man dies after accident along Upper Thomson Road; lorry driver arrested - CNA

SINGAPORE: A 70-year-old man died on Friday (Jul 7) after the car he was driving got into an accident involving a bus, a lorry, and a van, said the police.

Emergency services were alerted to the accident along Upper Thomson Road towards Lornie Road at about 10.05am on Friday.

In response to CNA's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that a man was found trapped in the driver's seat.

"An SCDF paramedic at the scene rendered medical assistance to stabilise the man's injuries while rescuers were freeing the man's legs that were trapped under the dashboard," they said, adding that an emergency medical team from Tan Tock Seng Hospital was also activated to render medical assistance.

SCDF said hydraulic rescue equipment was used to cut and remove the roof of the car to rescue the man.

The man was conscious when he was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he subsequently died, said the police and SCDF. 

Two other people were assessed by SCDF for minor injuries but they did not want to be taken to the hospital.

A 26-year-old male lorry driver was arrested for careless driving causing death, the police said, adding that investigations are ongoing.

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2023-07-07 07:52:00Z
CBMihAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5jaGFubmVsbmV3c2FzaWEuY29tL3NpbmdhcG9yZS83MC15ZWFyLW9sZC1tYW4tZGllcy1hZnRlci1hY2NpZGVudC1hbG9uZy11cHBlci10aG9tc29uLXJvYWQtbG9ycnktZHJpdmVyLWFycmVzdGVkLTM2MTI5NjbSAQA

Scammer cheated victims of $80k by promising them Pokemon cards, used $20k to go shopping - STOMP

A 27-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly conning victims out of around $80,000 after he advertised Pokemon cards for sale.

The police said that between June 29 and July 3, they received two reports from victims who had purportedly been cheated by an online seller who had advertised a preorder sale of Pokemon cards on Carousell.

After receiving a sum of about $37,600 via money transfer, the man did not fulfil the delivery of the Pokemon cards.

Through follow-up investigations, officers from Woodlands Police Division established the man's identity and arrested him on Tuesday (July 4).

"Preliminary investigations revealed that the man is believed to be involved in at least 10 other similar cases involving losses of about $80,000," police added.

"Watches, shoes and clothes worth about $20,000 bought by the man using the defrauded monies from various victims were seized as case exhibits."

The man will be charged in court on Thursday with cheating, which carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.

The police also advised members of the public to take the following precautions when engaging online services:

1. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Only engage service providers from reputable sources.

2. Whenever possible, avoid making advance payments or direct bank transfers to the service providers.

3. Scammers may entice buyers to make deposits before the services are provided, and they may also use a local bank account or provide a copy of a NRIC/driver’s licence to make you believe that they are genuine sellers. Do not fall for it!

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688.

Anyone with information related to such scams may call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.

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2023-07-06 08:36:46Z
CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vc3RvbXAuc3RyYWl0c3RpbWVzLmNvbS9zaW5nYXBvcmUtc2Vlbi9zY2FtbWVyLWNoZWF0ZWQtdmljdGltcy1vZi04MGstYnktcHJvbWlzaW5nLXRoZW0tcG9rZW1vbi1jYXJkcy11c2VkLTIway10by1nb9IBf2h0dHBzOi8vc3RvbXAuc3RyYWl0c3RpbWVzLmNvbS9zaW5nYXBvcmUtc2Vlbi9zY2FtbWVyLWNoZWF0ZWQtdmljdGltcy1vZi04MGstYnktcHJvbWlzaW5nLXRoZW0tcG9rZW1vbi1jYXJkcy11c2VkLTIway10by1nbz9hbXA

KL airport incident: Malaysia introduces measures to prevent immigration abuses at entry points - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced a slate of new measures that will be introduced at the country’s entry points following an incident of alleged corruption towards a Chinese traveller at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). 

From now, only senior officers of the Immigration Department who hold a grade of KP41 and above will have the authority to determine if a traveller should be imposed with a “Not to Land” (NTL) order, he said in a press conference on Wednesday (Jul 5). 

This is a change from the current practice which allows junior officers holding a grade of KP29 to decide if a traveller should be denied entry. 

Mr Saifuddin also announced that officers who can communicate in foreign languages will be stationed at help desks to aid travellers facing any language barriers, adding that the help desks will be placed in the near future. 

"We will have a help desk that will appoint … an officer who can communicate in foreign languages, especially Mandarin, English, Arabic (and) Tamil,” he said. 

Another measure to be introduced is the installation of more signage informing travellers about the questions that they will be asked as they approach the immigration counters, he said. 

Mr Saifuddin noted that from January to June this year, Malaysia welcomed 592,490 tourists from China. He added that in these six months, an average of 300 NTL orders were imposed on Chinese tourists. 

"This amount of NTL is also experienced by other countries including Bangladesh, India (and) Indonesia. That figure is relatively higher compared to the NTL imposed on Chinese citizens. That is a fact. 

“So a clearer picture of this shows that if such restrictions are imposed, there must be a reason to it,” he said. 

Mr Saifuddin also said that Transport Minister Anthony Loke had been asked during a Cabinet meeting earlier to examine the handling of travellers who have been given an NTL order. 

He explained that travellers charged with an NTL order are managed by Mono Circle, a private company appointed by the Airline Operators Company (AOC). Since Feb 2015, Mono Circle has been handling the meals, drinks, and tickets of such travellers to depart from Malaysia, he said. 

“Earlier, … the minister of transport (was asked) to look at this aspect again. Is this a normal practice or what? 

“This (practice) causes confusion because when a person who is subject to NTL is asked to provide a certain amount of money for the purpose of buying a ticket, sometimes ... it is mistaken as an immigration officer asking for money,” said Mr Saifuddin. 

According to Free Malaysia Today, the transport minister confirmed on Thursday that the private company is being investigated. Mr Loke reportedly said that representatives from the ministry and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) have been meeting with AOC. 

“We have to find out from the AOC about the contract period and terms they agreed to … Action will only be taken once we have received all the details,” he reportedly said.  

Last Thursday, a local news portal reported that a commotion occurred at KLIA, when a Malaysian minister allegedly attempted to "rescue" a female Chinese national who was denied entry into the country. 

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing was said to have barged into the arrival hall without applying for a security pass, with the incident going viral on social media. 

Mr Tiong was quoted by The Star as saying that the media reports which said he did not have a security pass to enter the arrival zone of KLIA were "untrue" and he had a pass that was valid until next year. 

According to The Star, the Chinese national alleged that although her travel documents were in order, she was denied entry by immigration officers. She also claimed that she was asked to pay several thousand ringgit if she wanted to be allowed entry.

According to the New Straits Times (NST), Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Azam Baki said that the woman and her witness returned home on Wednesday. They were allowed to leave after their statements had been recorded, he said. 

He added that the two travellers, Mr Tiong and eight immigration officers who were on duty at the time of the incident were among 14 people whose statements had been recorded so far. 

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2023-07-06 08:25:46Z
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