The State Department said it was green-lighting the sale that includes 20 F-16 jets and related equipment to the Philippines, a treaty-bound ally of the United States.

The sale will “improve the security of a strategic partner that continues to be an important force for political stability, peace and economic progress in Southeast Asia,” a State Department statement said.

The sale will boost “the Philippine Air Force’s ability to conduct maritime domain awareness” and “enhance its suppression of enemy air defenses,” it said.

President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to redirect US military efforts to Asia to face a rising China, especially as tensions rise over Taiwan, and to lessen involvement in Europe despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Philippines and China have seen months of escalating confrontations in the South China Sea. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the crucial waterway, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit.

He’s visited all of its well-known tourist sites, “but in the end, it’s the people who make me feel right at home. Penangites are just extra warm and welcoming”, he said.

One insider pro tip: “If you want to experience Penang in a less touristy manner, you can visit the mainland. There’s not much for tourists to do, but there are plenty of small towns to hop around and have a look-see at how the locals live.”

If you’re hankering after a bit of adventure, “I remember going to the Snake Temple in Penang when I was a kid and, man, I was just in awe and in fear of the sheer number of snakes you see. I’m not sure if it’s still the same today – I haven’t been there in awhile – but there were so many snakes in a single room, it was insane.”

He added: “I recently read that Andy Lau has sponsored a pillar in the temple, and apparently this temple brought luck to his career and also increased his chances of having a baby – but please fact-check me on this!”

When it comes to good eats, though, Penang doesn’t reign supreme – it’s tied in his heart with Malaysia’s capital city.

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: US Attorney General Pamela Bondi directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting and killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance division, in New York last year.

In a statement, Mangione’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo called the decision to seek the death penalty “barbaric.”

“While claiming to protect against murder, the federal government moves to commit the pre-meditated, state-sponsored murder of Luigi,” Friedman Agnifilo said.

Mangione, 26, has pleaded not guilty to New York state charges of murder as an act of terrorism and weapons offenses. He could face life in prison without parole if convicted in that case. New York does not have the death penalty for state charges.

Mangione faces a parallel federal indictment in Manhattan federal court over Thompson’s killing. He could face the death penalty if convicted in that case. He has not yet been asked to enter a plea to the federal charges.

If Mangione is convicted in the federal case, the jury would determine in a separate phase of the trial whether to recommend the death penalty. Any such recommendation must be unanimous, and the judge would be required to impose it.

Thompson was shot dead on Dec 4 outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, where the company was gathering for an investor conference.

“Luigi Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson – an innocent man and father of two young children – was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” Bondi said in a statement.

BEIJING: China said it would deliver a “fair and objective” ruling following a hearing in its ongoing investigation into beef imports that could lead to higher tariffs or import limits if it finds domestic producers are at risk.

China is the world’s largest beef consumer and importer, and its investigation coincides with a trade dispute with US President Donald Trump, who is set to announce reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday (Apr 2) after Washington and Beijing hit each other with tit-for-tat tariffs in March.

Launched last year, China’s review covers all imported beef, rather than that from any specific country, as slower demand and a domestic supply glut hit China’s beef market.

Monday’s hearing brought together around 180 representatives, including officials from major suppliers Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Uruguay and the United States, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. Exporters, trade associations, Chinese importers and domestic beef producers, also attended, the ministry said.

China imported a record 2.87 million metric tons of beef in 2024, according to customs data, heightening concerns over possible trade restrictions that could affect leading suppliers.

Brazil, the world’s biggest beef exporter, alone sold 1.3 million tons to China last year, according to trade data from the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries, ABIEC, an industry lobby.

US Meat Export Federation spokesman Joe Schuele said US beef primarily served China’s high-end food service and retail sectors, and did not compete directly with domestic beef that is often priced lower.

“We don’t feel that any restrictions on US beef are going to benefit the domestic industry,” Schuele said.

The wait of more than a month for the time of the ruling has fuelled a bitter clash between the ruling party, with many of its members calling for Yoon’s reinstatement, and the opposition, which has said his return would deal a serious blow to the country’s constitutional order.

Parliamentary lawyers seeking his removal compared Yoon to a dictator during their final arguments at his impeachment trial.

Yoon, a former prosecutor who has seen his popularity dive, could face removal from office less than three years into his five-year presidency if his impeachment is upheld, marking a tumultuous end to a tenure marred by political turmoil.

If Yoon is removed, a new presidential election must be held within 60 days.

Yoon is also on a separate criminal trial on charges of leading an insurrection by declaring martial law and faces the death penalty or life in prison if convicted although South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997.

His shock martial law announcement, which banned political and parliamentary activity, triggered a constitutional crisis that also led to the impeachment of the prime minister who became acting president.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was reinstated on Mar 24 by the Constitutional Court and resumed his role as acting president.

In an impeachment trial in 2017, eight justices of the court at the time unanimously backed a decision to oust then President Park Geun-hye for violating her constitutional duty.

“I have not been able to eat after this happened, I cannot eat at all,” she told CNA, her voice raw with anguish. 

“But the sight of this hotel reminds me that I have to eat. I tried to eat. I told them (my family): ‘Mama is coming to you. I am doing everything in my power. Stay strong, my loved ones.’ I am hanging onto this belief.” 

MINUTE OF SILENCE

Myanmar on Tuesday (Apr 1) held a minute’s silence for those who lost their lives in the country’s worst earthquake in more than a century.

Sirens blared across the nation at 12.51pm local time, marking the exact time of the earthquake that struck last Friday. 

The army has declared a week of national mourning, with flags flying at half-mast on official buildings until Sunday.

RESIDENTS FELT TREMORS

The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department said it received the initial call on the fire at around 8.10am.  

The flames reportedly reached up to 20 stories high and were visible from several kilometres away.

Shortly after the fire erupted, viral videos of the blaze circulated around social media while the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia urged the public not to fly drones in the areas affected by the gas pipeline explosion.

Amirudin also warned that despite the closed valve, the flames were still intense due to residual gas remaining in the pipeline.

“I urge the public to avoid the area until the fire is fully under control and officially declared safe by JBPM (the Fire and Rescue Department). The current priority is to control the fire and rescue victims,” he said in a statement on Tuesday morning.

In a separate statement, Petronas said it was “working closely with all relevant parties to ensure the safety of the surrounding community, environment and security of gas supply to the nation, which remain our utmost priority”.

A Bernama survey at a nearby temple revealed that several Ministry of Health personnel were working to administer first aid, according to the New Straits Times. Mosque authorities were also assisting the victims.

One of the victims, 42-year-old Lee Weng Ken, who suffered burns to his left leg, said he was shocked when the ceiling of his house collapsed and crushed his vehicle parked in the compound of the house at about 8.10am.

“I rushed out of my house but fell and suffered burns due to the heat from the blaze near my house,” he said, as quoted by Bernama.

Another victim who only wanted to be known as Andy, 52, whose house was located about 100m from the site of the inferno, said he ran out with his children when they felt tremors and saw the raging fire.

“I could only take the car out. My 18-year-old daughter injured her foot when she fell while climbing the fence due to the heat,” he said.

The massive gas pipeline fire broke out on the second day of Aidilfitri celebrations. 

Putra Heights is a well-developed residential area and a highly desirable location for those seeking convenience and access to key parts of the Klang Valley.

Manila, which has a mutual defence pact with Washington, has been engaged in months of confrontations with Beijing over disputed areas of the South China Sea.

Beijing claims almost the entirety of the crucial waterway, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit.

United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Manila last week and said that “friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict to ensure that there’s free navigation” in the South China Sea.

At this month’s Balikatan exercises, US and Philippine troops will conduct a “full battle test” of “all of the plans, all of the doctrines, all of the procedures that (they) have developed in the past years”, Brawner said.

“It’s very important that we prepare for any eventuality,” he added.

Brawner alleged that “communist China is already conducting united front works in our country”.

“They are already infiltrating our institutions, our schools, our businesses, our churches, even our ranks in the military,” he said without giving details.

He said the Philippines was also experiencing “cyber warfare, information warfare, cognitive warfare, political warfare”.

The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Philippines has in recent weeks made a series of arrests of Chinese suspects accused of conducting surveillance on military camps and Filipino naval and coast guard ships.

CHALLENGES

As they race against time, rescuers in Myanmar are also operating under tough conditions.

One of the challenges the team faced was the hot weather. “It is 41 degrees (Celsius), so we had to institute a certain work-rest cycle in order to keep ourselves going for the prolonged ops and we also need to hydrate ourselves very frequently,” said Col Tay.

The contingent was also one of the first teams on the ground and was requested to start work immediately, so it had little time to set up and establish communication with its base camp, he said.

However, the morale of the officers are “extremely high”, said Col Tay. The welfare of the personnel was also taken care of as it was eventually able to set up its base camp near a hotel, enabling the team to use facilities such as the function room and car park.

“In general, the mood is very focused on our mission at hand.”

SAVING A LIFE

Sharing their experience on rescuing a man from under a collapsed building on Sunday after an eight-hour operation, Col Tay said it happened at just the second site the team went to.

At first, what they saw worried them.

“The first site that we visited, there were residential buildings and what we observed was that the second floor came down to the first, and the first floor completely gave way,” he said.

“We were thinking, if all the buildings were like this, it would be a significant challenge for us to conduct any search and rescue ops.”

When they arrived at the second site, to their surprise, the man was able to respond despite him being in a “precarious position”. 

MOSCOW: China is ready to play a “constructive role” in ending the conflict in Ukraine but will back Russia to defend its “interests”, top diplomat Wang Yi told Russian state media in an interview published on Tuesday (Apr 1).

Moscow and Beijing have deepened political, military and economic cooperation since Russia ordered its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.

Wang is in Moscow and met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov for talks on Tuesday. He will also meet President Vladimir Putin during the visit, the Kremlin has said.

“China is ready, taking into account the aspirations of the parties involved, to play a constructive role in the settlement (of the conflict),” he told the RIA Novosti news agency.

At the start of talks with Lavrov, Wang said: “We will work together to make new contributions to the cause of peace and development for humanity.”