Silvia Giovany

SOUTH Korea’s top military general has vowed aggressive retaliation against the North and support for the “Kill Chain” system of defence, as a massive military exercise gets underway. Chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Jeong Kyeong-doo said the North Korean threat is “more serious than any other time” at his inauguration on Sunday. The former fighter pilot and air force chief said North Korea would “bitterly regret” any provocation as the military will “retaliate resolutely and strongly.” He also confirmed support for South Korea’s controversial “ three axis defence platform ” that involves three critical elements; The Kill Chain pre-emptive strike, the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) scheme. The military strategy was first unveiled in late 2016 and plans to be operational within the next five years. It involves preparing South Korea to be able to carry out a pre-emptive strike on the North ...

India's Supreme Court has ruled a controversial Muslim quick divorce law "unconstitutional", a landmark victory for Muslim women who had long argued that it violated their right to equality. The law allows Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by uttering the word "talaq" three times. Muslim women say they have been left destitute by husbands divorcing them through "triple talaq", including by Skype and WhatsApp. Three of the five judges hearing a case questioning the legality of the law ruled it was unconstitutional, effectively ending its legal practice. The court's verdict on Tuesday was marred by confusion initially, with the senior judge, the chief justice of India, announcing that his opinion was to suspend the practice and ask the government to come up with a new law within six months. He was overruled by the three judges who said it was unconstitutional. "Finally I feel free today. I have the order that will liberate ma...

KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesian women’s sepak takraw team on Sunday (Aug 20) staged a walkout halfway through the second game in their match against Malaysia at the SEA Games The trio were allegedly unhappy with the decision of referee Mohd Radhi Che Mei. Malaysia had won the first set 22-20 after a mammoth battle, but when Mohd Radhi penalised Indonesian “tekong” Lena’s serve when the score was 16-10 in favour of Indonesia in the second set, coach Asry Syam rushed into the court to protest the decision and urged his players to leave the court in protest, despite pleas from team officials. Asry together with his players Dini Mita Sari, Leni, Florensia Cristy, Lena and Evana Rahmawati later left the Titiwangsa Stadium hurriedly. The match referee later awarded the match to Malaysia with a 2-0 score. The walkout was the first major incident to mar the 29th SEA Games, which officially opened on Saturday. There had also been an earl...

KUALA LUMPUR: Buses transporting SEA Games squash players en route to the Bukit Jalil national stadium were involved in an accident on Monday morning (Aug 21), according to police. The accident involved two buses carrying 13 athletes from Thailand, five Filipino athletes and 10 Myanmar athletes. Squash matches for Monday - men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles - were temporarily suspended pending medical clearance, reported the Star. Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/sea-games-bus-carrying-squash-players-involved-in-accident-9142062 Organisers added late Monday that two Myanmar squash players pulled out of the doubles competition after they were among eight people hurt the bus crash. Aye Aye Thin and Ei Ei Pyone have withdrawn from the women's doubles and they will also be replaced in the mixed doubles, the Games' sports and technical committee secretary, Low Beng Choo, said in a statement. Nobody was seriously hurt in the...

Malaysian websites targeted in retaliation for inverted image in official SEA Games booklet KUALA LUMPUR • Indonesian hackers yesterday claimed responsibility for attacking more than 30 Malaysian websites following a gaffe that saw Indonesia's flag printed upside down in a SEA Games commemorative magazine. Malaysia's foreign ministry and the event organisers apologised profusely for the blunder but it was not enough to quell a wave of complaints online from Indonesian supporters. A group of hackers, who call themselves the ExtremeCrew, ratcheted up the neighbourly tiff by defacing 33 Malaysian websites. They posted an image of the upside-down flag in the Games booklet along with the message: "My national flag is not a plaything." Amirudin Abdul Wahab, chief executive of CyberSecurity Malaysia, said the authorities were looking into the attacks. "The incident is real and we are doing the investigation, monitoring and working closely with other agen...

S'pore U-22 skipper feels team are in the mix for SEA Games gold despite being written off He may not have a glittering resume that lists success after success. It might not even bode well that in the mission to win the SEA Games gold medal that has eluded Singapore, the Under-22 football team are captained by a young man who has faced failure after failure. But maybe, just maybe, he is the right man for the job. After the hype of the 2015 tournament on home soil that produced zero returns, this year's vintage are going to Kuala Lumpur with low expectations and the distinct tag of underdogs. Chief among them is their skipper Shahrin Saberin, a young centre-back who has been down and out, and yet continues to stand up in the face of adversity, a specialist in chasing lost causes, a man who makes lemonade from lemons. To understand the man, it is necessary to rewind to his beginnings. Like many footballers, his journey started during childhood at the age of eight when...

1.       All Saints (2017) ALL SAINTS is based on the inspiring true story of salesman-turned-pastor Michael Spurlock (John Corbett), the tiny church he was ordered to shut down, and a group of refugees from Southeast Asia. Together, they risked everything to plant seeds for a future that might just save them all. Director: Steve Gomer Stars: Cara Buono , John Corbett , Barry Corbin , David Keith   Birth of the Dragon (2016) Set against the backdrop of 1960s San Francisco, BIRTH OF THE DRAGON is a modern take on the classic movies that Bruce Lee was known for. It takes its inspiration from the epic and still controversial showdown between an up-and-coming Bruce Lee and kung fu master Wong Jack Man - a battle that gave birth to a legend. Director: George Nolfi Stars: Billy Magnussen , Philip Ng , Terry Chen , Teresa Nava...