A Roblox spokesperson told CNBC that it is aware of multiple pro-Palestinian protests on its platform. The spokesperson added: “While our Community Standards allow for expressions of solidarity, we do not allow for content that endorses or condones violence, promotes terrorism or hatred against individuals or groups, or calls forContinue Reading
Wang told Biden that the objective of his visit was to help “stem the decline” in US-China ties “with an eye on San Francisco”, without giving any details, according to a brief statement from the Chinese foreign ministry. The foreign ministry readouts for Wang’s meetings with Blinken and Sullivan saidContinue Reading
INJE, South Korea: South Korean and US troops held joint future combat drills involving drones, an unmanned vehicle and wearable laser sensors this week as part of efforts to modernise their militaries, Seoul’s army said on Saturday (Oct 27). The training came as South Korea’s military conducts a series ofContinue Reading
On the one hand, China may be forced to show its hand by undertaking more forceful actions to stop the missions. On the other, doing this would risk direct confrontation with American forces. This puts China between a rock and a hard place.
All eyes will also be on Washington to see if it demonstrates less-than-desired resolve to back up a formal treaty ally. Yet a joint escort for resupply runs would strain existing capacities and potentially enter direct confrontation with the Chinese.
Manila appears more wary, having stressed that China’s aggressive behaviour to date would have to be assessed in determining the applicability of the mutual defence treaty with Washington.
That said, the possibility of a joint Philippine-US effort to resupply Second Thomas Shoal would become higher if Beijing shows no or little inclination to stand down from its aggressive blockading actions. It would therefore behove China to refrain from escalating beyond what it is already doing, lest it decides to gamble in a “game of chicken” to further test American resolve.
Unless of course, Beijing concludes that Washington will be the first to blink. This would definitely set the two powers on a course of collision in the South China Sea.
Collin Koh is senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, based in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
HANOI: One hour. That is all the time it takes to build malicious software that can access the camera, messages, calls, storage, microphone, location, contacts — nearly everything — on a victim’s phone.
And cyber threat hunter Ngo Minh Hieu finds more than half a million of such malware apps created every day, in his work for Vietnam’s National Cyber Security Centre.
Vietnam saw a 64 per cent rise in online fraud in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year, according to the country’s Authority of Information Security.
A growing number of incidents in the last five years are related to malware, said Nguyen Quang Dong, the director of the Institute for Policy Studies and Media Development.
The flurry of fraudulent activity has landed Vietnam among the world’s top 10 cybercrime hotspots according to the Global Tech Council, the programme Talking Point found as it investigated who might be behind the malware scams that have emerged in Singapore this year.
Between January and August, more than 1,400 victims in Singapore lost at least S$20.6 million in total, police said.
The perpetrators linked to malware scams have mostly played the role of money mules, said Ang Hua Huang, assistant superintendent at the newly operationalised anti-scam command centre run by the Singapore Police Force.
There have been teenagers arrested for suspected involvement.
WATCH: Who are the people behind malware scams? (21:58)
JAKARTA: A rift between Indonesian President Joko Widodo and the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has widened, after his eldest son decided to stand as a vice-presidential running mate for a presidential candidate not backed by the party, say analysts.
Now, both sides are in a “mutual hostage situation”, where Mr Widodo, known popularly as Jokowi, and PDI-P, which is chaired by former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, cannot engage in open hostilities because they both need each other for political mileage for now, said one analyst.
“On the one hand, President Jokowi still needs PDI-P to maintain the stability of his government until the end of his term,” political analyst Yoes Kenawas from Atma Jaya University told CNA, adding how the president still needs its legislators’ backing to push for various programmes, with PDI-P being the biggest party in parliament.
Besides, if the government is unstable, it will hurt his reputation, which could affect his son’s chances at becoming a VP, said Mr Kenawas.
“And on the other hand, PDI-P will be very careful to attack President Jokowi because his approval rating is still very good,” said the analyst, as he pointed out how Jokowi has massive followers and loyal volunteers who will follow whatever he says or believes in.
He added that this prospect will make PDI-P hesitant to attack him openly to avoid damaging its chances at the presidential and legislative elections on Feb 14 next year.
The relationship between both sides has been deteriorating since as early as mid-2022 over their perceived differences in who to back as presidential candidate in the Feb 14 election, in part fueled by Mr Widodo’s efforts to build his own political dynasty and to protect his legacy.
The latest wedge being driven came when Defence Minister Subianto, 72, who is chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), picked Mr Widodo’s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, who is also mayor of Solo in Central Java, as his VP running mate.
It was not clear whether some of the people milling around were present in an official capacity, with the pile of bouquets slowly added to as the evening went on. A small group of people gathered, with some laying bunches of yellow and white chrysanthemums – a symbol of mourningContinue Reading
In a statement on Friday, Malaysia’s Malaysia’s Ministry of Education (MOE) said that the use of replica weapons or symbols containing provocative and confrontational elements as part of Palestine Solidarity Week was not permitted.
“The Education Ministry encourages activities that support humanitarian issues such as peace-themed video screenings and poster painting competitions, recital of humanitarian poetry and fundraising for the Palestinian people to be carried out throughout the week,” MOE said.
“All institutions under the ministry have been asked always to follow the organising guidelines. The Palestine Solidarity Week should be used as a platform to educate students about noble values, tolerance, compassion and mutual respect,” it added.
In one video that went viral on X and TikTok, a man is seen dressed as a militant and armed with a replica rifle at a school.
He leads a procession of other adults, some of whom are waving the Palestinian flag or wearing scarves in support of the Palestinians. Another woman is also seen aiming another replica gun.
Students of various ages can be seen sitting on the floor in the background.
The footage caused concern among users of the social media platforms.
The ministry said that it was aware of public concern regarding the viral pictures and footage.
It said the activities depicted in the images did not follow its guidelines and were also conducted before the start of Palestine Solidarity Week.
TOKYO: A ban on alcohol came into force around Tokyo’s tourist hotspot Shibuya on Friday (Oct 27) in an attempt to discourage raucous Halloween gatherings a year after a deadly crowd crush in South Korea. Nearly 160 people were crushed to death in a narrow alleyway in Seoul on OctContinue Reading
SINGAPORE: Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang has died at the age of 68, just seven months after retiring.
Li was the head of China’s Cabinet under President Xi Jinping for a decade until he stepped down from all political positions in March.
During his 10 years in office, Li met numerous world leaders and was a key figure during crises in China, from natural disasters to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here is a look back at his tenure.