02/08/2025

SATURDAY | AUG 2, 2025

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At least 14 either dead or missing in Vietnam flooding HANOI: Flooding triggered by heavy rain has left at least 14 people dead or missing in Vietnam’s northern province of Dien Bien, state media reported yesterday. Floodwaters rose quickly on Thursday night after hours of heavy rain, inundating houses in low-lying areas and causing flash floods and mudslides in mountainous parts of the province, Tien Phong reported. The mountain village of Xa Dung suffered the heaviest casualties, with one death and six missing, the report said. Traffic and power lines to several parts of the province have been cut off due to the floods, according to a statement from the provincial People’s Committee. Two children in Hang Pu Xi village have been buried in mudslides and rescuers have yet to find their bodies, according to the statement. Media reports said ongoing heavy rain in the province is hindering the search for those missing. – Reuters Myanmar imposes martial law for 90 days in 63 townships YANGON: Myanmar declared martial law in 63 townships on Thursday, shortly after declaring a state of emergency in those areas, according to the state-owned Myanmar Radio and Television, reported Xinhua. The martial law order, which will be in effect for 90 days, was declared by the Myanmar National Defence and Security Council. The report stated that the order was imposed to restore normal administrative conditions, peace and the rule of law in the townships. Consequently, the executive and judicial duties of the townships have been transferred to the Defence Services commander-in-chief. The townships placed under martial law include five in Kachin state, three in Kayah state, two in Kayin state, seven in Chin state, nine in the Sagaing region, five in the Magway region, three in the Mandalay region, 14 in Rakhine state and 15 in Shan state, the report said. – Bernama-Xinhua

Execution of detention warrant for Yoon fails

SEOUL: South Korea’s special counsel team failed to execute a detention warrant for jailed former president Yoon Suk Yeol yesterday due to his “adamant refusal” after he repeatedly snubbed summonses, Yonhap News Agency reported. Assistant Special Counsel Moon Hong-ju, a prosecutor and an investigator from Special Counsel Min Joong-ki’s team, arrived earlier in the day at the Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, just south of the capital, where Yoon has been held since last month. They withdrew about two hours later, saying they had gone as far as outside Yoon’s cell to direct prison officers to bring him out, but failed. “We could not complete the execution of the detention warrant for Yoon due to his adamant refusal,” the team said in a notice to the press. COOLING OFF ... Residents soaking in the Jialing River amid a red alert for heat in Chongqing, China on Thursday. – REUTERSPIC

Australia spy boss warns of Russian threat SYDNEY: Australia’s spy chief has singled out Russia as an “aggressive espionage threat”, saying several Moscow-linked intelligence officers have been caught and expelled in recent years. Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general Mike Burgess used a speech on Thursday to warn of the mounting threat posed by foreign actors such as Russia and China. He said 24 major espionage operations have been dismantled since 2022, more than the previous eight years combined. “A new iteration of great power competition is driving a relentless hunger for strategic advantage and an insatiable appetite for inside information. Russia is a persistent and aggressive espionage threat.“ He also mentioned China and Iran as nations actively trying to pilfer classified information. “You would be shocked by the number and names of countries trying to steal our secrets,“ he said, reiterating that foreign actors were targeting their nuclear-powered submarine programme. Australia plans to deploy stealthy nuclear powered submarines in a pact with the United States and Britain, known as Aukus. “We are seeing foreign intelligence services taking a very unhealthy interest in Aukus and its associated capabilities.“ Australian police last year charged a Russian-born couple with spying for Moscow. – AFP The team has been tasked with investigating 19 criminal allegations against the former first lady. – Bernama-Yonhap martial law bid. Even if Yoon is forcibly taken to the interrogation room, there is scepticism that he would comply with questioning. He and his wife are suspected of receiving free opinion polls from self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the 2022 presidential election in exchange for securing the nomination of former People Power Party representative Kim Young-sun for a parliamentary by-election later that year. Min’s team is also looking into whether Yoon violated election law by making false statements about his wife’s suspected involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme during the presidential primaries in 2021.

o Team withdraws after two hours, citing ‘adamant refusal’ by South Korean ex-leader

Thursday and the team reportedly does not plan to try to execute it again. This is the second time a detention warrant has been issued for Yoon. In January, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials detained Yoon at the official presidential residence under a court-issued warrant and took him to the same detention centre, where he was held until his surprise release in March. At the time, he was arrested on charges of leading an insurrection through his brief attempt to impose martial law in December. His second arrest last month was on additional charges related to the

The team sought to take Yoon to their office for questioning over allegations that he and his wife Kim Keon Hee meddled in candidate nominations for the 2022 parliamentary by-elections. The detention warrant was issued by a court on Thursday after Yoon twice defied the special counsel’s summons earlier this week, citing health problems. Yoon’s lawyers said they delivered his medical records and a doctor’s note to the detention centre on Thursday. They said he has been struggling to regulate his body temperature and could go blind if his eye ailment is left untreated. The warrant is valid until next

Indonesian president pardons political opponents JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has pardoned two political rivals, namely a former trade minister and a senior politician from an opposition party, a few weeks after both were sentenced to jail, officials said. conviction will still stand. Prabowo also granted an abolition for Thomas Trikasih Lembong, trade minister under former president Joko Widodo, who was sentenced to 3.5 years’ prison for improperly granting sugar import permits, said Supratman. The abolition means that together, with all the political elements, and both have contributed to the republic.” It is common for the Indonesian president to give pardons ahead of the national independence day on Aug 17.

She said the amnesty given to Hasto was rather “political” to gain support from the largest opposition party in parliament. She added that for Lembong, the government is responding to growing protests from the public over his sentence. Other observers were concerned that the pardons undercut efforts by the judiciary to deal with corruption in a country in which concerns about graft and government misconduct are high. “It shows that the government could intervene in law enforcement, making it a political bargain,“ said Muhammad Isnur from rights group Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation. – Reuters

The amnesty for Hasto was among the pardons given to more than 1,100 other individuals, added Supratman. Lawyers for Hasto and Lembong did not immediately respond to a request for comments. Under Indonesian law, the president has the authority to give amnesty and abolition but it requires approval from parliament, said Bivitri Susanti from Indonesia’s Jentera School of Law.

Prabowo granted amnesty to Hasto Kristiyanto, secretary-general of parliament’s largest party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, said Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas on Thursday in a news conference broadcast by local media, after meeting the deputy speaker of the House. Hasto was sentenced to 3.5 years’ prison last week for bribing an election official and the amnesty revokes his sentence, although his

Lembong, who was campaign manager of Prabowo’s rival candidate in last year’s presidential election, is acquitted of the charges and his sentence. Prabowo granted the clemencies as part of Indonesia’s independence celebrations in August and as the government sees the need to unite all political elements, said Supratman. “We need to build this nation