MALAYSIA
‘No longer’ joining ICC
The government yesterday did a U-turn on its decision to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said, after a backlash from a powerful Muslim ruler and opposition politicians. The last month announced it was joining the war crimes tribunal, sparking an outcry from opposition politicians and the sultan of Johor State, who were furious that the nation’s Muslim royals would not be exempted from potential prosecution.
CHILE
Fungus erases 90 species
A deadly disease affecting amphibians has become a global pandemic that has already wiped out 90 species, a prominent US biologist said on Thursday at the World Organisation for Animal Health Aquatic Conference in Santiago. Chytridiomycosis is caused by a fungus — Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis — that attacks the skin of amphibians. As the creatures use their skin to breathe and regulate their bodies’ water levels, the damage eventually leads to heart failure. “It’s over 60 countries right now, and that’s part of the problem,” said Jonathan Kolby, coauthor of a study published last month on the fungus’ effects. The rapid spread of the fungus is due to a lack of animal trade rules and airport surveillance. It is most widespread in Latin America and Australia, while trade with Asia — where it originated — has been blamed for the spread.
THAILAND
Winning candidates probed
The Election Commission yesterday said that scores of candidates who were tipped to secure elected seats in last month’s polls are under investigation and could be disqualified. Commissioner Pakorn Mahannop said that the body would investigate “66 people who got the highest votes in the constituency system” who were hit with complaints. Investigation results “will affect the calculation” of final parliamentary seats, he added. Officials did not say what parties the candidates belonged to, but said that 300 complaints had been filed.
UNITED STATES
Tariffs, but no shut border
President Donald Trump on Thursday backed away from a threat to shut down the southern border, but raised a new specter of eventually slapping tariffs on vehicle imports from Mexico unless it does more to stop illegal migrants and drugs. “We’re going to give them a one-year warning, and if the drugs don’t stop, or largely stop, we’re going to put tariffs on Mexico and products — in particular cars,” Trump told reporters. Separately, Mexican exporters this week said that they were looking into sending their goods to the US by air freight to avoid a 8km-long line of trucks at the border caused by the administration moving federal agents away from customs checks to immigration duties.
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