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Vietnam jails six over deadly karaoke bar blaze

Vietnam jails six over deadly karaoke bar blaze
The blaze in a province close to business hub Ho Chi Minh City shocked Vietnam and led to the closure of thousands of karaoke bars nationwide for failing to meet fire regulations. (AFP)
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Updated 35 sec ago
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Vietnam jails six over deadly karaoke bar blaze

Vietnam jails six over deadly karaoke bar blaze
  • The blaze in a province close to business hub Ho Chi Minh City shocked Vietnam and led to the closure of thousands of karaoke bars nationwide for failing to meet fire regulations
Updated 35 sec ago
AFP
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HANOI: A court in Vietnam on Wednesday jailed six people including four police officers over a fire that ripped through a karaoke bar two years ago, killing 32 people.
The blaze in a province close to business hub Ho Chi Minh City shocked Vietnam and led to the closure of thousands of karaoke bars nationwide for failing to meet fire regulations.
The court in southern Binh Duong province convicted the bar owner, a contractor involved in its construction and four police officers on charges of breaching fire regulations and negligence.
Bar owner Le Anh Xuan was given eight years in jail, while the bar’s fire prevention system contractor was sentenced to five years.
Four police officers were jailed for between four and seven and half years.
In his final words before court last week, bar owner Le Anh Xuan apologized to victims and their families, saying “my mistakes had caused huge losses.”
Flames engulfed the second floor of the 30-room An Phu karaoke building in Binh Duong in September 2022, trapping customers and staff as dense smoke filled the staircase and blocked the emergency exit.
Many crowded onto a balcony to escape the flames, which spread quickly through the wooden interior, while others were forced to jump from the building.
A total of 32 people died in the inferno, 17 men and 15 women.
The police officers were charged for their involvement in designing and approving the fire prevention system at the bar.
Vietnam regularly experiences deadly fires — 56 people were killed in a Hanoi apartment disaster last year — and the Binh Duong blaze prompted a nationwide crackdown on karaoke bars that failed to comply with fire regulations.
More than two-thirds of the country’s approximately 15,000 karaoke bars were forced to close, according to state media, citing police sources.

Topics: Vietnam Karaoke

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UN envoy warns Myanmar is in crisis, with conflict escalating and criminal networks ‘out of control’

UN envoy warns Myanmar is in crisis, with conflict escalating and criminal networks ‘out of control’
Updated 3 sec ago
AP
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UN envoy warns Myanmar is in crisis, with conflict escalating and criminal networks ‘out of control’

UN envoy warns Myanmar is in crisis, with conflict escalating and criminal networks ‘out of control’
  • UN special envoy for Myanmar Julie Bishop: ‘Myanmar actors must move beyond the current zero-sum mentality’
  • Three powerful ethnic armed militias have gained territory, keeping the government’s ruling military increasingly on the back foot
Updated 3 sec ago
AP
UNITED NATIONS: The UN special envoy for Myanmar warned that the Southeast Asian nation is in crisis, with conflict escalating, criminal networks “out of control” and human suffering at unprecedented levels.
Julie Bishop told the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee on Tuesday in her first report since being appointed by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last April that “Myanmar actors must move beyond the current zero-sum mentality.”
The army in Myanmar ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests that sought a return to democratic rule, leading to increasing violence and a humanitarian crisis.
In the past year, three powerful ethnic armed militias have gained territory, keeping the government’s ruling military increasingly on the back foot in fighting that has forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes. According to the UN, 3 million people are displaced across Myanmar and some 18.6 million need humanitarian assistance.
Bishop called for an end to the violence, stressing that “There can be little progress on addressing the needs of the people while armed conflict continues across the country.”
The former Australian foreign minister said she has engaged with the government, including Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyidaw, as well as opposition representatives, ethnic armed organizations, women’s groups, human rights defenders and numerous countries. She gave no details about the meetings.
She said she has engaged with the current, previous and incoming ASEAN chairs in Vientiane, Laos; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The UN envoy said she has also visited Myanmar’s neighbors China and Thailand and will soon visit India and Bangladesh, “continuing to urge neighboring countries to leverage their influence.” She said she will also return to Naypyidaw but gave no time frame. She gave no details about any of the meetings.
At the recent summit between the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN, Bishop said Secretary-General Guterres backed strengthened cooperation between the UN envoy and the ASEAN chair “on innovative ways to promote a Myanmar-led process.”
This includes “effective implementation” of a five-point ASEAN plan Myanmar’s rulers agreed to in April 2021 but have done little to fulfill. It calls for the immediate cessation of violence, a dialogue among all concerned parties mediated by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid and a visit to Myanmar by the association’s special envoy to meet all concerned parties.
“Any pathway to reconciliation requires an end to violence, accountability and unfettered access for the UN and its partners to address vulnerabilities among the marginalized, including Rohingya, ethnic communities and particularly women and youth,” Bishop said.
But instead she pointed to rising civilian casualties and the rule of law “so severely undermined that transnational crime emanating from Myanmar is proliferating.”
“The sheer scale of arms productions and trade, human trafficking, drug manufacture and trafficking, and scam centers means Myanmar now ranks highest among all member states for organized crime,” she said. “The criminal networks are out of control.”
Bishop backed Guterres who stressed the urgency of forging a path toward a democratic transition and return to civilian rule.
“I share his concern regarding the military’s stated intention to hold elections amid intensifying conflict and human rights violations,” she said.
Bishop warned that “the Myanmar conflict risks becoming a forgotten crisis.”
“The regional implications of this crisis are evident, but the global impact can no longer be ignored,” she said.

Police say there is no nuclear risk after a fire at Britain’s nuclear submarine shipyard

Police say there is no nuclear risk after a fire at Britain’s nuclear submarine shipyard
Updated 1 min 12 sec ago
AP
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Police say there is no nuclear risk after a fire at Britain’s nuclear submarine shipyard

Police say there is no nuclear risk after a fire at Britain’s nuclear submarine shipyard
  • The force said two people were taken to hospitals with suspected smoke inhalation and there were no other casualties
Updated 1 min 12 sec ago
AP
LONDON: Two people have been hospitalized after a fire broke out at the shipyard that builds Britain’s nuclear-powered submarines, but there is “no nuclear risk,” police said Wednesday.
Cumbria Constabulary said a “significant” fire broke out soon after midnight at the BAE Systems shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, northwest England.
The force said two people were taken to hospitals with suspected smoke inhalation and there were no other casualties. It advised people living nearby to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed.
The 150-year-old shipyard, about 220 miles (350 kilometers) northwest of London, is currently building several nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Navy. It is also where the handful of subs that carry the UK’s nuclear missiles were constructed.

North Korea may launch ICBM in November, launcher ready, South Korea says

North Korea may launch ICBM in November, launcher ready, South Korea says
Updated 4 min 53 sec ago
Reuters
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North Korea may launch ICBM in November, launcher ready, South Korea says

North Korea may launch ICBM in November, launcher ready, South Korea says
  • South Korean MP Lee Seong-kweun said a mobile launcher has been deployed at a location for a possible test of the ICBM
  • Lee was briefed reporters after a closed-door parliamentary hearing with Defense Intelligence Agency officials
Updated 4 min 53 sec ago
Reuters

SEOUL: North Korea has moved a launcher in place after completing preparations to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile and may go ahead with the launch in November, South Korean members of parliament said on Wednesday citing the country’s military intelligence.
South Korean MP Lee Seong-kweun said a mobile launcher has been deployed at a location for a possible test of the ICBM and its atmospheric re-entry of a missile warhead, potentially around the time of the US presidential election Nov. 5.
Lee was briefing reporters after a closed-door parliamentary hearing with Defense Intelligence Agency officials.
Another MP Park Sun-won said the DIA did not believe a missile was yet loaded on the launcher.
South Korean officials have said the North may attempt to launch a long-range missile or conduct its seventh nuclear test around the November US election to highlight its strategic weapons development.

Topics: North Korea South Korea

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Indonesia arrests former trade minister in sugar import graft case

Indonesia arrests former trade minister in sugar import graft case
Updated 20 min 27 sec ago
Reuters
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Indonesia arrests former trade minister in sugar import graft case

Indonesia arrests former trade minister in sugar import graft case
  • Thomas Trikasih Lembong was named a suspect and arrested late on Tuesday by prosecutors from the attorney general’s office
  • He is accused of giving the permit to a private company at a time when Indonesia had a surplus of sugar
Updated 20 min 27 sec ago
Reuters

JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities investigating graft have arrested a former trade minister turned government critic on suspicion of improperly granting a sugar import permit in 2015 that led to losses of $25 million.
Thomas Trikasih Lembong was named a suspect and arrested late on Tuesday by prosecutors from the attorney general’s office, accused of giving the permit to a private company at a time when Indonesia had a surplus of sugar, the office said.
“At that time, Indonesia did not need to import sugar but (Lembong) granted a permit to import 105,000 metric tonnes of raw crystal sugar,” prosecutor Abdul Qohar told a press conference.
There was no consultation with other state bodies or a recommendation from the industry ministry, he said, adding that the decision had led to losses of 400 billion rupiah ($25.42 million).
Qohar did not say what Lembong is accused of having received in return for the permit to the company, which authorities identified only by its initials, PT AP.
The attorney general’s office denied that its investigation had a political motive.
“I surrender everything to God Almighty,” media reported Lembong, handcuffed and wearing a pink detainee vest, as saying after the press conference.
Reuters could not reach Lembong or his lawyer to seek comment.
A former investment banker, Lembong was Indonesia’s trade minister between 2015 and 2016 and a close aide of former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, for whom he often wrote international speeches.
But after leaving office in 2019, he became one of the staunchest critics of Jokowi’s government.
Lembong was a campaign manager in February’s presidential election for Anies Baswedan, who ran against the winner, defense minister Prabowo Subianto, widely seen as Jokowi’s preferred successor, who took office on Oct. 20
Indonesia’s sugar output in 2015 was 2.49 million metric tonnes, while consumption was 2.12 million.

Topics: Agriculture trade Indonesia sugar

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Malaysian ex-PM Najib Razak ordered to enter defense in latest 1MDB trial

Malaysian ex-PM Najib Razak ordered to enter defense in latest 1MDB trial
Updated 27 min 30 sec ago
AFP
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Malaysian ex-PM Najib Razak ordered to enter defense in latest 1MDB trial

Malaysian ex-PM Najib Razak ordered to enter defense in latest 1MDB trial
  • The 1MDB scandal sparked investigations in the US, Switzerland and Singapore, whose financial systems were believed to have been used to launder the money
  • Former prime minister began serving a 12-year jail term in August 2022 for offenses linked to the misuse of public money from former 1MDB unit SRC International
Updated 27 min 30 sec ago
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KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian court ruled on Wednesday that jailed former prime minister Najib Razak will have to defend himself against charges of abuse of power and money laundering linked to the scandal-wracked 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.
Presiding judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah said the prosecution had successfully established that Najib had a case to answer for on four counts of abuse of power linked to alleged bribes worth 2.27 billion ringgit ($517 million), as well as on 21 counts of money laundering.
“After a maximum evaluation of the evidence, I find that the prosecution has proven the ingredients of the charges,” Sequerah told the court.
Six years after first being charged, Najib was in court decked out in a navy blue suit on Wednesday, and appeared calm after hearing the decision.
The 71-year-old told the court he would take the stand in his defense at the trial, which is slated to get under way on December 2.
Each count of abuse of power is punishable by up to 20 years in jail and a fine up to five times the amount of the bribe.
Each money laundering count can incur a maximum fine of 5 million ringgit and imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
The hearing came just days after Najib issued an apology that the 1MDB scandal happened during his tenure, but maintained he had no knowledge of illegal transfers from the now-defunct state fund.
“It pains me every day to know that the 1MDB debacle happened under my watch as minister of finance and prime minister,” Najib wrote in a statement read by his son Mohamad Nizar last Thursday.
“For that, I would like to apologize unreservedly to the Malaysian people.”
Allegations that billions of dollars were pilfered from investment vehicle 1MDB and used to buy everything from a super-yacht to artworks played a major role in prompting voters to oust Najib and the long-ruling United Malays National Organization party in 2018 elections.
The 1MDB scandal sparked investigations in the United States, Switzerland and Singapore, whose financial systems were believed to have been used to launder the money.
The current case is one of five brought against Najib in 2018, and involves Tanore Finance Corp, which US authorities have said was used to syphon money from 1MDB.
Najib began serving a 12-year jail term in August 2022 for offenses linked to the misuse of public money from former 1MDB unit SRC International. The sentence was later halved by Malaysia’s pardons board.
His 1MDB audit tampering trial ended with an acquittal at the High Court in 2023.
Najib, the UK-educated son of one of Malaysia’s founding fathers, still has a pending case of criminal breach of trust involving 6.6 billion ringgit, as well as a money laundering trial involving 27 million ringgit.
The US Justice Department has said more than $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB between 2009 and 2015 by high-level officials at the fund and their associates.

Topics: 1MDB Najib Razak Malaysia

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