Pakistan: Imran Khan barred from politics for five years

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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks with Reuters during an interview, March 2023Reuters
By Antoinette Radford
BBC News

The former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been barred from holding public office for five years by the country’s electoral authorities.

The decision was announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan three days after Mr Khan was sentenced to three years in prison for corruption.

Tuesday’s announcement means Mr Khan will be dismissed as an MP and unable to stand for public office until 2028.

He maintains the charges are politically motivated.

But the Pakistani government has denied any political motivation in his arrest and sentencing.

Marriyum Aurangzeb, Pakistan’s minister of information and broadcasting, told the BBC before the announcement: “You have to be accountable for your deeds in law. This has nothing to do with politics. A person who has been proven guilty by the court has to be arrested.”

Mr Khan, 70, was elected as Pakistan’s leader in 2018, but was ousted in a no-confidence vote last year after falling out with the country’s powerful military.

His guilty verdict on Saturday was centred on charges he incorrectly declared details of presents from foreign dignitaries and proceeds from their alleged sale.

The gifts – reported to be worth more than 140m Pakistani rupees ($635,000; £500,000) – included Rolex watches, a ring and a pair of cufflinks.

Local media reported that Mr Khan’s disqualification from running in any elections for five years was in line with that guilty ruling.

Under Pakistani laws, a convicted person cannot run for public office for a period set out by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

His legal team has challenged the guilty verdict and the case will be heard in the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday.

The former prime minister is currently being held in a prison near Islamabad.

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Minister Edwin Tong hospitalised, has stent inserted after severely blocked coronary artery found

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SINGAPORE: Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong underwent angioplasty and had a stent inserted on Tuesday (Aug 8) after a severely blocked coronary artery was found during a routine health check.

He is recovering in hospital and said he would “take things a little slower for a bit” before returning to his usual routine.

“Will be working from home as much as possible in the meantime,” said Mr Tong in a Facebook post.

“I have also had to cut down on some of my events and meetings over the last couple of days, on doctors’ orders not to exert myself too much.”

During a routine health check, doctors discovered his left anterior descending artery was blocked.

“This was significant because it is the main and largest artery supplying blood to the heart, and it was assessed to be severely blocked,” said the minister.

He said he was neither diabetic nor a smoker, has maintained “pretty good” cholesterol levels, and was “definitely not sedentary” when it comes to daily activities and exercise.

“So it was quite a shock for me to find out about the extent of the blockage and the risks which it put me under,” he added.

Mr Tong did a scan on Tuesday morning, which made the diagnosis clearer. After the scan, he underwent an angioplasty – a procedure used to stretch open a blocked artery – before a stent was inserted to restore blood flow.

“Very grateful to my doctors and the nursing team – they are looking after me brilliantly,” he said, adding that he will spend National Day on Wednesday in hospital.

FEELING A LITTLE MORE TIRED

Mr Tong said he was “perhaps feeling a little more tired” from his regular routine than usual and had put it down to the “hustle and bustle of the schedule”.

“I did not otherwise feel unwell. Nor did I experience any symptoms or discomfort at all, and I also don’t have any specific risk factors,” said Mr Tong.

“So it’s fortunate that I managed to have this picked up in good time through a routine health check.”

The minister also apologised for missing various events over the last couple of days.

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18% of recent COVID-19 community cases in Singapore infected by EG.5 Omicron subvariant

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SINGAPORE: About 18 per cent of recent COVID-19 community cases in Singapore were infected with the EG.5 Omicron subvariant, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday (Aug 8).

The first local case infected with the subvariant was detected on May 5.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), currently available evidence does not suggest that the subvariant has contributed to any significant increase in cases, disease severity, or deaths, as compared with other circulating strains, said the ministry.

The number of COVID-19 cases hospitalised or in intensive care has remained stable, said MOH, adding that it will continue to monitor the local situation closely.

According to the latest data on MOH’s website, Singapore has seen a drop in the weekly number of COVID-19 cases, with about 5,000 cases in the week from Jul 23 to Jul 29.

Cases peaked earlier this year, with more than 28,000 cases recorded in the country in the week from Mar 26 to Apr 1.

The number of new COVID-19 cases hospitalised was down to 102 cases in the week leading up to Jul 29, down from the high of 568 in the week from Apr 23 to Apr 29.

In June, 27 COVID-19 cases died – 20 were aged 60 and above, while the remaining seven were aged between 12 and 59. 

The EG.5 Omicron subvariant, which includes the subgroup EG.5.1, is a descendant of subvariant XBB.1.9.2.

EG.5 was first detected overseas in February this year, and has since been reported in at least 51 countries, MOH said.

The WHO designated EG.5, including EG.5.1, as a variant under monitoring on Jul 19.

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Singapore recalls eggs imported from Ukrainian farm due to presence of Salmonella bacteria

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SINGAPORE: The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) ordered the recall of eggs imported from LCC “Yasensvit” farm in Ukraine after detecting the presence of Salmonella Enteritidis, it said in a media release on Tuesday (Aug 8).

The affected eggs can be identified by the stamp CEUA001 on them, said SFA.

Salmonella Enteritidis may cause foodborne illness if food is consumed raw or undercooked. 

SFA directed importers to withhold or recall the affected eggs as a precautionary measure.

All batches of eggs with the farm code CEUA001 are implicated in this recall.

The recall is ongoing. 

LCC “Yasensvit” farm is also suspended and will not be allowed to export its eggs to Singapore until the farm has rectified the contamination issue, said SFA.

As Salmonella Enteritidis can be destroyed by heat, the eggs are safe to consume if they are cooked thoroughly.

The bacteria can survive in raw and undercooked eggs and may cause foodborne illness. Symptoms include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, nausea and vomiting. 

While the infection typically subsides within a week in most people, Salmonella Enteritidis can cause serious infection in the vulnerable such as the elderly, young children, and those with weakened immune systems. 

SFA advise consumers who have purchased the affected eggs to cook them thoroughly before consumption. Those who have consumed the eggs and are unwell should seek medical attention. 

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16-year-old girl busted for pimping minors

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Teen in Kamphaeng Phet communicated with clients who scanned QR codes on her Twitter account

PUBLISHED : 8 Aug 2023 at 19:58

16-year-old girl busted for pimping minors
Police arrest an accused teenage procurer as she rode a motorcycle to take minors to a hotel in Kamphaeng Phet. (Photo: Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau Facebook)

Police arrested a 16-year-old girl on Tuesday in Kamphaeng Phet province for human trafficking and luring minors to be prostitutes.

The suspect was arrested by a Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) team at a hotel in tambon Nakhon Chum of Muang Kamphaeng Phet district.

The bureau’s Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children (Ticac) unit took up the investigation after the bureau received a report about the suspect from Alliance Anti-Traffic Thailand.

According to the investigation, the girl offered sexual services in Muang Kamphaeng Phet district. Clients interested in the services were required to scan a QR code posted on her Twitter account.

She then sent four pictures of teenage girls ranging from 14 to 16 years old to the prospective client. The client was required to pay 1,100 baht, including a 200-baht deposit and 900 baht for the girl to be paid at the selected hotel.

A CCIB officer posing as a client contacted the suspect, who delivered the girls to the hotel. The suspect was arrested after money changed hands.

The suspect said she was a sex worker who procured others at the request of her clients. She was charged with sex trafficking and child prostitution.

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Public housing schemes to be adjusted, ‘extra help’ for older workers with not enough CPF savings: PM Lee

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SINGAPORE: Singapore will have to adjust its public housing schemes to keep them inclusive, as well as ensure that flats remain accessible and affordable, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his National Day message on Tuesday (Aug 8). 

Older workers who have not built up enough Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings for retirement could also do with “extra help”, Mr Lee said, adding that he will speak about these issues at the National Day Rally on Aug 20.

As Singapore continues to develop more public housing, fewer undeveloped sites are left for new Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates, said the Prime Minister.

Existing non-mature estates are also “steadily maturing” as transport links and amenities improve, he noted.

“So in time to come, more and more new HDB flats will be built in existing estates like here in Dawson.

“Such flats will naturally be in greater demand. Their launch prices and resale prices will reflect that,” said Mr Lee. His message was recorded at SkyOasis@Dawson – a project launched in recent years in Queenstown, one of Singapore’s oldest towns. 

Amid this changing landscape, the government must still ensure that public housing is accessible and affordable for Singaporeans of all income groups, and that housing schemes are fair and inclusive for all, Mr Lee said.

“This is how we keep our national housing story going strong for current and future generations. This is my government’s commitment to you, and we will deliver on it,” he added. 

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South Korea: 1,000 buses evacuate scouts from disaster-hit World Jamboree

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An image showing buses waiting in a long line to transport participants leaving the scout campsiteReuters
By Ruth Comerford
BBC News

More than 1,000 buses have begun ferrying scouts at an international event in South Korea out of a campsite due to an incoming tropical storm.

Helicopters and police cars were escorting the buses from the disaster-hit jamboree.

The threat of the storm comes just days after hundreds at the camp fell ill in temperatures of 35C (95F).

South Korea’s president has cut short his holiday to help manage the fallout from the gathering.

Attended by more than 40,000 young people from 155 countries, the World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum has been marred by illness and criticism of its organisation and facilities from the start.

“This is the first time in more than 100 years of World Scout Jamborees that we have had to face such compounded challenges,” Ahmad Alhendawi of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, said in a statement.

An image showing Scouts boarding a bus to leave the campsite in Saemangeum

EPA

The massive event had been “very unlucky with the unprecedented heatwave” and the incoming storm, he said.

The bus convoy began moving the scouts from Saemangeum at 09:00 local time (01:00 BST) on Tuesday to inland locations, including Seoul and its surrounding province of Gyeonggi.

Scout groups from the UK, Singapore and the US had left the event early – with the British group citing poor sanitation and food quality among their reasons for leaving.

Most of the remaining scouts will be ferried from the camp to 128 accommodation sites across eight provinces and cities around Seoul, interior minister Lee Sang-min on Tuesday morning.

He said the government would ensure participants could be “safe and comfortable” at their new lodgings, which include university halls and hotels.

He vowed the Jamboree would continue and said he hoped the scouts could “finish their schedules with a happy heart”.

An image showing some of the many buses used to transport the scouts

Reuters

In an effort to mitigate the national embarrassment surrounding the event, a South Korean lawmaker has appealed to the military to give three members of seven-strong super K-pop group BTS leave from their mandatory military service so as to entertain the stranded scouts.

The now-empty schedules of these “precious guests” needed filling with “the power of Korean culture,” Sung Il-jong wrote on his Facebook page.

A closing ceremony will now be held on Saturday at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, followed by the K-pop concert, South Korea’s culture ministry said on Tuesday.

Korean media have described the event as “a national disgrace,” saying authorities had six years to prepare for a site plagued by poor drainage, rudimentary showers and toilets.

Government organisers admitted there had been “shortcomings” in the area of hygiene, with the scout chief acknowledging the event had a “bumpy start with… services and facilities” in a LinkedIn post.

Severe Tropical Storm Khanun, which has already forced evacuations and cut off power to thousands in Japan, is forecast to reach South Korea’s southern Jeolla province on Thursday.

Originally classified as a typhoon, the weather system has weakened but is still bringing high winds and torrential rain to the region.

Heatwaves like the one that hit the campsite become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. Increased sea surface temperatures also mean storms are likely to be more intense and bring more extreme rainfall.

The jamboree’s organisers had insisted the event would continue despite the weather forecast, but on Monday they confirmed the scouts would be evacuated and the campsite closed due to the approaching typhoon.

A map showing the path of a storm forecast to hit South Korea

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Activists step up efforts to protect Bang Khanun forest

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PUBLISHED : 8 Aug 2023 at 17:45

Activists step up efforts to protect Bang Khanun forest
Bang Khanun reserve forest in Thalang district, overlooking Phuket airport. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran)

PHUKET: A network of environmental groups has petitioned the Thalang district office and the 3rd Naval Area Command to step up protection of the 3,700 rai Bang Khanun reserve forest, citing widespread deforestation.

Chamrun Koetdam, president of the Network of Gulf of Thailand-Andaman Conservation Areas, on Tuesday submitted a petition to Bancha Thanu-in, chief of the Thalang district office, asking the office to specifically order two tambon administrative organisations in the district to enforce the Building Control Act in one particular area of Bang Khanun reserve forest.

Part of the 3,700 rai forest is used by the 3rd Naval Area. However the environmentalist groups have obtained information about widespread deforestation in several parts of the reserve forest, including that given over for use by the navy, Mr Chamrun said.

The network had previously discussed the problem with 3rd Naval Area commander VAdm Arparkorn Yukongkaew and asked the regional navy command to help protect and rehabilitate the forest area under its care, said Mr Chamrun.

Citing also information supplied by several groups of environmentalists working in Phuket, Mr Chamrun said past major flooding at Phuket International Airport in Thalang district might have been caused by this widespread deforestation, which has also occurred on mountains close to the airport.

“We have received information about serious encroachment and deforestation in the reserve forest. This is a threat to the country’s natural resources and to tourism,” he said.

The network has already asked the 3rd Naval Area to minimise construction in the reserve forest, never compromise with encroachers, stop allowing foreigners to earn income from fruit trees grown in the forest, regrow trees as much as possible and pursue legal action against those involved in the encroachment and deforestation.

VAdm Arparkorn said the navy had already responded to all these calls while continuing to support the investigation conducted by the Department of Special Investigation into the matter.

At least nine parties had been charged since the investigation began in 2021, according to an informed source.

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King’s second son back in Thailand after 27 years

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PUBLISHED : 8 Aug 2023 at 16:20

King's second son back in Thailand after 27 years
Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, 42, the second son of His Majesty the King, posted this photo of himself in a tuk-tuk in Bangkok after his surprise arival in Thailand. (Photo: Vicharaesorn Vivacharawongse Facebook)

Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, the second son of His Majesty the King, is on a visit to Thailand after 27 years living abroad, to the delight of many Thai people.

A 30-second video of Vacharaesorn, 42, walking out of the arrival terminal at Suvarnabhumi international airport went viral on social media on Monday.

He was seen waving to a group of Thais who were there to greet him. He gave them a wai, smiling and saying, “Thank you very much”, before proceeding to an exit.

Vacharaesorn reportedly departed from the John F Kennedy airport in the United States on Aug 5 on board a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong, where he took a connecting flight that landed at Suvarnabhumi on Sunday evening.

From the airport, he went to a hotel in the heart of Bangkok. It was reported he would stay in the country for about one week.

No announcement of his visit was made by the Royal Household Bureau.

On Monday morning, Vacharaesorn went to Wat Ratchabophit Sathitmahasimaram Ratchaworawihan in Phra Nakhon district where he paid respect to the Supreme Patriarch.

He then proceeded to pay homage to the City Pillar before moving on to Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram and Wat Hong Rattanaram Ratchaworawihan temples where he posed for pictures at the request of people who happened to recognise him.

Vacharaesorn is second of the four sons of HM the King and his former consort Sujarinee Vivacharawongse. Their younger sister is Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, who lives in Thailand.

The four brothers had their primary education in Thailand before moving to the United Staes.

Vacharaesorn has both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law from Stetson University College of Law in the United States. He is a legal counsellor at a law firm in New York, where he has lived for 27 years. He has reportedly joined other Thai people in the US in activities showing Thai traditions and culture.

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