Heatwave-hit South Korea scout jamboree to end early over typhoon warning - CNA

South Korea's presidential office said Monday that President Yoon Suk-yeol was briefed on a contingency plan for the Jamboree as the typhoon approached, hinting that the scouts may relocate to Seoul for the remainder of their stay.

"By 'contingency plan', it means the scouts' accommodation and the remaining schedule can be moved to the metropolitan area including Seoul," Yoon's office said in a statement.

Yonhap news agency reported that all afternoon activities have been cancelled and the participants will begin leaving the campsite from Tuesday morning.

"NATIONAL DISGRACE"

South Korea last week issued its highest-level hot weather warning.

The exit of British, American and other scout troops is a significant public relations setback for the South Korean government, which on Friday called an emergency cabinet meeting and mobilised aid.

The presidential office approved 6.9 billion won (US$5.3 million) in spending to support the jamboree, and Yoon on Saturday spoke by phone to camp organisers, urging them to offer more tourism programmes to the scouts.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Saturday that organisers would "create and operate a tour program featuring South Korea's industry, culture, history, and nature".

Local media has described the situation as a "national disgrace", given the time the country had to prepare for the event, which happens once every four years.

Organisers have also come in for criticism from parents and the public for failing to anticipate the heat.

A Korean-American mother, whose 15-year-old daughter lost consciousness during the event, said it took a "terrifying" 45 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.

"How can South Korea allow children to be neglected like this?" she told South Korean broadcaster SBS.

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2023-08-07 06:39:01Z
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Singapore's PM Lee congratulates new Cambodian PM Hun Manet, sends best wishes to outgoing Hun Sen - CNA

Singapore and Cambodia have stepped up cooperation in trade and investments, technical assistance as well as military-to-military exchanges under Dr Hun Manet's leadership as deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Army, said Mr Lee.

"We have also expanded collaboration in new and emerging areas, such as the export of renewable energy to Singapore and the trading of carbon credits. Our countries should continue to explore expanding collaboration in areas such as climate change and digitalisation," he added.

Mr Lee wrote that he looked forward to meeting Dr Hun Manet in person during the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta next month.

In a valedictory letter to Mr Hun Sen, also dated Jul 26, Mr Lee described the CPP's victory at the elections as "a clear endorsement" of his "leadership and vision for Cambodia’s future".

Mr Lee noted that Mr Hun Sen was one of the longest-serving leaders in the world and had "steered Cambodia through challenging and unprecedented times".

He also highlighted Mr Hun Sen's successful ASEAN chairmanship in 2022 and organisation of Cambodia’s first-ever Southeast Asian Games and ASEAN Para Games this year.

"You have worked hard to bring peace, stability, and development to the Cambodian people," said Mr Lee.

He then thanked Mr Hun Sen for his "strong support" for strengthening bilateral ties between Singapore and Cambodia.

"Our cooperation has grown across a broad spectrum of areas over the years," said Mr Lee.

Mr Lee said he looked forward to working with both Mr Hun Sen and his son to further deepen their countries' partnership.

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2023-08-07 06:20:54Z
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Search under way for missing man suspected to have drowned near Punggol Point Jetty - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE – The authorities are searching for a 35-year-old man who is suspected to have drowned in the waters off Punggol on Sunday.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the police said they received a call for assistance at about 3.45pm on Sunday near Punggol Point Jetty where the man was reported missing.

The police said: “A search and rescue operation by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is ongoing.”

An artist who wanted to be known only as Mr He told Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao that he was walking past Northshore Plaza at about 4pm when he saw a large group of police and SCDF officers sweeping the area.

The 50-year-old said the authorities had cordoned off a section stretching from a park connector next to Northshore Plaza to the area near seafood restaurant The Punggol Settlement.

The authorities deployed a boat to comb the sea, as well as multiple fire engines and ambulances to the scene, he said, adding that many people had gathered to watch the tense operation.

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2023-08-07 02:10:00Z
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Ukraine calls Jeddah talks productive, Russia calls them doomed - CNA

A senior Ukrainian official said on Sunday (Aug 6) that talks in Saudi Arabia to make headway towards a peaceful settlement of the war with Russia had been productive, but Moscow called the meeting a doomed attempt to swing the Global South behind Kyiv.

More than 40 countries, including China, India, the United States, and European countries, but not Russia, are taking part in the Jeddah talks that are expected to end on Sunday without any written concluding statement.

Ukraine and its allies have said the talks are an attempt to secure broad international support for principles that Kyiv wants to be the basis for peace, including the withdrawal of all Russian troops and the return of all Ukrainian territory to its control.

President Volodymir Zelenskyy has said he wants a global summit to take place based on those principles later this year.

Eighteen months after Russia invaded Ukraine, any prospect of direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow appears remote.

Speaking about the Jeddah talks, Zelenskyy's head of staff Andriy Yermak said in a statement: "We had very productive consultations on the key principles on which a just and lasting peace should be built."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by state media on Sunday as saying the meeting was "a reflection of the West's attempt to continue futile, doomed efforts" to mobilise the Global South behind Zelenskyy's position.

While Western countries have broadly backed Ukraine, many other states have been reluctant to take sides even though they want an end to a conflict that has hit the global economy.

The participation of China, which stayed away from an earlier round of talks in Copenhagen and has shunned Western calls to condemn Russia's invasion, signalled a possible shift in its stance but not a major change, analysts said.

Western diplomats have also emphasised Saudi Arabia's role in convening a wider group of countries to take part, utilising its growing relationship with Beijing and its continued ties with both Moscow and Kyiv.

Yermak said different viewpoints emerged during the talks in Saudi Arabia, calling them "an extremely honest, open conversation".

He said all the countries present had demonstrated a commitment to the principles of international law and respect for the sovereignty and inviolability of the territorial integrity of states.

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2023-08-06 15:57:37Z
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Russia launches new burst of missile and drone attacks, Ukrainian air force says - CNA

Russia launched a multiwave overnight attack on Ukraine, using 70 air-assault weapons, including cruise and hypersonic missiles and Iranian-made drones, Kyiv's Air Force said on Sunday (Aug 6).

At least 10 missiles appeared to get through air defences. Ukraine's air defence destroyed 30 out of 40 cruise missiles and all 27 of the Shahed drones that Russia launched overnight, the Air Force – which is celebrated in a holiday on Sunday – said on the Telegram messaging channel.

It also said Russia launched three Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, but did not disclose any further information on them.

"In total, in several waves of attacks, from the evening of Aug 5 to the morning of Aug 6, 2023, the enemy used 70 means of air assault weapons," the Air Force said.

Reuters could not independently verify the report. There was no immediate comment from Russia.

It was not immediately clear whether there was any damage from the overnight attack or what happened to the 10 cruise missiles that were not shot down.

The deputy governor of the Khmelnytskyi region in western Ukraine, Serhiy Tiurin, said that a military airfield in Starokostiantyniv was among the targets.

"The Starokonstiantyniv airfield is on the enemy's mind. There was a series of explosions in Starokonstiantyniv and Khmelnytskyi communities," he said on messaging app Telegram.

"Most of the missiles were shot down by air defence forces."

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2023-08-06 08:22:15Z
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Too hot for K-pop as South Korea scrambles to save scout jamboree - CNA

SEOUL: A K-pop music concert scheduled for Sunday (Aug 6) at a World Scout Jamboree in South Korea was postponed due to heat safety concerns as the host pressed on with the meet despite extreme temperatures that led three national contingents to pull out.

Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min said the jamboree organisers "accepted the concerns over safety-related incidents" if the show was held on Sunday night. Temperatures at the jamboree site have hovered above 33 degrees Celsius.

Hundreds of participants have fallen ill due to the searing heat, prompting complaints from parents over the safety of their children. On Saturday, 132 additional people were treated for heat-related conditions, the jamboree organisers said.

South Korean government and jamboree officials said again the safety of the more than 40,000 participants from 155 countries was their top priority, with more water trucks, air-conditioned spaces, medics and sanitation workers being sent to the site.

But British, American and Singapore contingents continued to leave the jamboree on the Saemangeum reclaimed land project on the west coast on Sunday, moving to other locations in the country, including hotels in capital city Seoul.

Lee told a media briefing that two alternate sites are being reviewed for the K-pop concert, which is now rescheduled for the eve of the closing of the scouting meet on Aug 12.

The lack of shaded areas and inadequate water supply, food service and sanitation facilities prompted civic groups, parents and the World Organization of the Scout Movement to recommend on Saturday that the event be wrapped up early.

But the jamboree host and the government of South Korea said they had consulted with participating scouting contingents and decided the jamboree should continue.

Jacob Murray, director of world events for the World Organization of the Scout Movement, said at the media briefing there had been "increased improvement" in site conditions after additional resources were made available.

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2023-08-06 06:47:03Z
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Spectre of ethnic divisions hangs over Malaysia as racial, religious rhetoric intensifies ahead of state polls - CNA

RACIAL POLITICS WILL POLARISE COUNTRY: ANALYSTS 

In the lead up to the state polls, the Malaysia government announced that it will set up a “special unit” to deal with issues concerning race, religion and royalty - also known as 3R - issues that are played up ahead of the upcoming six state polls.
 
Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil reportedly said that the special unit is focused on incidents which could cause disunity and social unrest.

"We have freedom of expression but we have no freedom to slander or pit the rakyat (citizens) against one another by resorting to 3R issues," he reportedly said.

The government is also mulling a new law to impose civil penalties on those who play up 3R. 

The new law which may be called the State and Nation Act is like the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act in Singapore but in the Malaysian context.

Currently, the Sedition Act is primarily used to investigate any purported offences involving these 3R issues. 

Recently, caretaker Kedah chief minister Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor was charged with two counts of sedition for allegedly insulting Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

A study by the Centre of Independent Journalism (CIJ) found that 15 per cent of 18,721 social media posts that they monitored from July 24-30 as part of a “Say No to Hate Speech” campaign in conjunction with the state elections indicated that racist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic comments and gender stereotypes continue to be normalised with no obvious counter-messaging from political leaders or the public.

The overall narratives of the posts centred on race, religion, gender, and targeting lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+), with 85 per cent of the posts consisting of general comments and non-offensive disagreements. 

In this period of monitoring, Dr Mahathir emerged as one of the key proponents of inflammatory statements related to race, CIJ found.

CIJ also found the re-emergence of the ‘kafir harbi’ (infidel) narratives, some of which have been propagated by youths urging Muslims to vote with the warning that non-Muslims who are against Islam might take over the government. 

Amid the intensifying hate speech, political observers CNA spoke to outlined that these initiatives by the government are important as racial and religious rhetoric could widen ethnic divisions across the country and result in unrest. 

Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Dr Azmi Hassan said that the racial and religious polemics have been in the open for quite a while in the country and these sentiments are amplified during election campaigns.   

“We saw this during the 15th general election and PAS has been using these issues to their advantage. In the rural Malay heartland, it has been very effective for them with people seeing the party as a pillar to protect Malay rights,” he said. 

PAS - a key component in PN - won the most number of seats in the last General Elections, winning 49 of the 222 parliamentary seats. 

Dr Azmi said that the misuse of these issues would ultimately be detrimental to society.  

“During my school days, I didn’t see (my schoolmates as) Chinese or Indians but only friends. These days it is different and very polarised because of politicians who use this for their political gain,” he said.  

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2023-08-05 22:00:22Z
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