CHINA
Xi willing to work with Seoul
President Xi Jinping (習近平) has said he is willing to work with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on addressing differences between the two countries following months of angry rhetoric and economic retaliation over Seoul’s deployment of a US missile-defense system. Xi’s remarks were yesterday sent in a message to Moon marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Beijing and Seoul. Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying that he was willing to make “concerted efforts” to improve relations, but did not directly mention the US-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. The government has retaliated against Seoul by suspending visits to South Korea by tour groups and trips to China by South Korean entertainers. South Korean businesses have faced boycotts, especially retail group Lotte, which provided the land for the missile defense system.
INDIA
Authorities brace for verdict
Several northern cities were yesterday placed under a security lockdown ahead of a verdict in a rape trial involving a controversial and hugely popular spiritual leader. Tens of thousands of followers of the flamboyant guru of the quasi-religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda have gathered in the town of Panchkula, where a special court is scheduled to announce a verdict today. The guru, who calls himself Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan, has denied the charges. Thousands of police and paramilitary soldiers have deployed in Panchkula and nearby areas fearing violence in the event of a guilty verdict. The sect claims to have 50 million followers and runs a spiritual empire that promotes vegetarianism and campaigns against drug addiction.
RUSSIA
Bombers fly around S Korea
Strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear bombs have flown over the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, prompting Japan and South Korea to scramble jets to escort them, the Ministry of Defense said yesterday. It said in a statement that the Tupolev TU-95MS bombers flew over neutral waters and were accompanied by Sukhoi SU-35S fighter jets and Beriev A-50 early warning and control aircraft. The ministry gave no details about the overall number of aircraft that had taken part in what it called a prearranged flight and did not say when or why the mission took place. The TU-95MS bombers were refueled mid-air during the mission, the ministry said. During parts of the route, the bombers were escorted by South Korean and Japanese military jets, it added.
VIETNAM
Trong calls for ASEAN unity
Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has called for greater unity among Southeast Asian states at a time when the country has appeared increasingly isolated in challenging China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. Making the first visit by a party chief to Indonesia, Trong said in a speech televised at home on Wednesday that ASEAN needed to be unified in resolving territorial disputes. “Do not let ASEAN become a playing card for the competition among major countries,” Trong said, without providing further detail. The nation has emerged as the most vocal opponent of China’s claims in the South China Sea, where more than US$3 trillion in cargo pass every year. Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei also have claims to the sea. After Indonesia, Trong is due to visit Myanmar.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of