Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto, 54, was arrested on December 7, 2014 at Kuala Lumpur airport with 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) of methamphetamine.

Customs officers discovered the drugs stitched into the compartment of a backpack she was carrying.

Malaysia has a mandatory death penalty, carried out by hanging, for anyone found guilty of carrying more than 50 grams (1.75 ounces) of an illegal drug.

Exposto told the High Court she fell for the online romance scam masterminded by a certain “Captain Daniel Smith”, who had identified himself as a US soldier based in Afghanistan.

Defence lawyers said that she was lured into carrying a bag — which she believed contained only clothing — by “Smith” who asked her to take it to Melbourne from Shanghai.

She was in transit at Kuala Lumpur airport when she was arrested.

“He (Smith) made me feel loved, he made me feel wanted,” Exposto told the court, adding that the alleged US serviceman would send her photos of himself.

“Smith would sing to me a few times a day and send love poems as well,” she added.

Exposto said Smith had also asked to marry her in September 2013 at a time when her relationship with her husband was getting “a bit sour”.

Defence lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told reporters that Exposto’s testimony suggests her close online relationship with Smith.

“There are probably thousands, mostly women, who have been conned into similar situations. Captain Daniel Smith is one of the many scammers,” he said.

The trial will continue until Friday.

Two Australians were hanged in Malaysia in 1986 for heroin trafficking — the first Westerners to be executed in the country.

The court also ordered Closer magazine’s editor Laurence Pieau and publisher Ernesto Mauri to each pay 45,000 euros ($53,000) in fines, the maximum possible.

The couple had sought 1.5 million euros in damages and interest.

Closer magazine’s lawyer Paul-Albert Iweins said he was “pleased” with the ruling on the damages to pay, but said the fine was “exaggerated for a simple private matter.”

(FILES) This file photo taken on September 14, 2012 shows copies of French celebrity magazine Closer, which published topless pictures of Prince William’s wife Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, taken while the pair were on holiday in France on September 5, displayed at a newsstand in Paris. // AFP PHOTO

For his part, the royal couple’s lawyer Jean Veil declined to comment, adding that Kensington Palace would make a statement.

Two Paris-based agency photographers, Cyril Moreau, 32, and Dominique Jacovides, 59, were each given fines of 10,000 euros, with 5,000 euros suspended.

The grainy snaps of Kate Middleton sunbathing in a bikini bottom were taken while she was on holiday in September 2012 in the south of France with her husband, the second in line to the British throne.

The couple were snapped with a long lens relaxing by a pool at a chateau belonging to Viscount Linley, a nephew of Queen Elizabeth.

The pictures triggered a furious reaction from the royal family in Britain, where several newspapers rejected an offer to buy the pictures.

(FILES) This file photo taken on March 17, 2017 shows Britain’s Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and his wife Britain’s Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visiting the Irish Guards during a St Patrick’s Day parade at Cavalry Barracks in Hounslow.  // AFP PHOTO

Closer, a glossy gossip magazine, was the first to splash them on its cover, and they were later reproduced in several other European publications, including Chi in Italy and Ireland’s Daily Star.

The royals — who announced Monday they are expecting a third child — filed a criminal complaint for invasion of privacy and obtained an injunction preventing further use of the images.

The court also ordered Closer to hand over the files with the images to the royal couple.

In a letter read out in court in May, William said the case reminded him of the paparazzi hounding of his mother, princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris 20 years ago.

 – ‘Positive image’ –

The prosecution had called for “very heavy” fines for the editor of the French Closer and Mondadori France, which is part of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s media empire.

(FILES) This file photo taken on July 3, 2017 shows Britain’s Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, waving as she arrives at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on the first day of the 2017 Wimbledon Championships. // AFP PHOTO

The royals had joined the case as civil plaintiffs.

During the trial, Closer’s lawyers argued that the pictures were in the public interest and conveyed a “positive image” of the royals.

The couple learned of their impending publication while on an Asia-Pacific tour to mark the diamond jubilee of William’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.

The court also ruled on a complaint against the Marseille-based La Provence newspaper, which printed a picture of the Duchess of Cambridge in a two-piece bathing costume at the same chateau a week before the Closer photos.

For that picture, the paper’s publisher and the photographer were given suspended fines, while they were ordered to pay a total of 3,000 euros in damages to William and Kate.

In a statement Tuesday, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said Myanmar lacked the will to find a solution to the issue despite repeated calls by Asean member states to do so.

“Though the Myanmar Government has given its assurance to implement measures to solve the problem, the recent incidents of violence as widely reported by the media show that little, if any progress has been achieved.

“Given these developments, Malaysia believes that the matter of sustained violence and discrimination against the Rohingya should be elevated to a higher international forum,” he said.

According to Anifah, the international community had placed high expectation on state councillor Aung San Suu Kyi to achieve national peace and reconciliation in Myanmar as she is a Nobel laureate who stood up for the principles of human rights.

“It is Malaysia’s hope that she will be able to fulfil these expectations soon,” he added.

The latest round of violence in Myanmar erupted following attacks by militants on police posts and an army base on Aug 25, which prompted a major counter-offensive that reportedly killed around 400 people, mostly Rohingya.

The United Nations estimated that 38,000 people had sought refuge in Bangladesh while another 20,000 were amassing along its border, barred from entering the country.

The accused, identified by the court as Huseen K., was arrested in the southwestern town of Freiburg last December, accused of brutally raping a 19-year-old medical student and leaving her for dead on a river bank seven weeks earlier.

An autopsy concluded that the woman had drowned, with the asylum seeker’s DNA found at the scene.

The crime made headlines nationwide and triggered a fresh wave of anger over Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to open Germany’s borders to refugees at the height of Europe’s migrant crisis in 2015.

“This is the trial the whole country has been waiting for,” Germany’s best-selling tabloid Bild wrote.

Outrage was fuelled by the revelation that the man had previously been jailed for attempted murder in Greece for pushing a woman off a cliff in Corfu in 2014.

Husseen K (C), who is accused of raping and killing a young woman in October 2016, and his lawyer Sebastian Glathe (L) wait at the court room at the regional court in Freiburg, southern Germany, on September 5, 2017.  // AFP PHOTO

He was sentenced to 10 years but walked free after serving little more than a year as part of a Greek initiative to free up space in the country’s crowded prisons.

The Greek authorities then lost track of him and he arrived in Germany in 2015, registering as an unaccompanied minor from Afghanistan.

Critics have used the case to highlight what they see as the poor vetting of asylum seekers during the chaotic influx of 2015, and the lack of communication between countries about migrants with criminal backgrounds.

 – Age unclear –

Questions still remain about the suspect’s age and background.

The accused claims he was 17 at the time of the murder, but German prosecutors believe he is at least 22 years old today and want him to be tried as an adult.

They accuse him of “maliciously” attacking the young woman as she was cycling home that evening “to satisfy his sexual urges” before leaving the unconscious victim to drown.

The accused was born in Iran, according to court documents, but the suspect himself has said he is from Afghanistan.

The defendant surprised the Freiburg court Tuesday by stating that he wanted to speak at his trial, which opened with people queing to enter the courtroom.

“I want to testify,” he told the judges, reversing an earlier stance to stay silent.

Sixteen days of hearings have been scheduled for the trial, with a verdict expected in December at the earliest.

Moreover, the Maldives government urged the general-secretary of the United Nations and UN’s Human Rights Council to investigate human rights abuse of Bengalis in Myanmar.

The statement also strongly condemned plight of Bengali community in Rakhine State in Myanmar and they worried about the current violence.

After releasing the statement, Myanmar’s Health Minister cancelled his annual meeting of World Health Organization to be held in Maldives.

On September 1, Myanmar government designated Maungdaw district as an operation area. Although, Maungdaw Township is in stable condition, locals and villagers from neighbouring areas of Maungdaw Township are now fleeing to Buthedaung and Sittwe Townships.

Moreover, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a State Counsellor, and Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services held separate meetings concerning Rakhine affairs with the Indonesia Foreign Minister in Nay Pyi Taw on September 4th.

On the occasion, both sides discussed development of Rakhine State, providing of humanitarian aids and health care services for the two communities in Rakhine State by the Indonesian government.

The international community already worried about Rakhine affairs and Turkey and Iran are now calling for stopping of abuse upon the Bengalis. Protests were held in Russia, Indonesia and Malaysia concerning Bengalis in Myanmar.

Likewise, the UN and International community urged State Counselor Suu Kyi to settle the Rakhine affairs and to control the riots in northern Rakhine State.

China will promote cross-border green bond flows and green finance investment as part of efforts to fulfill its commitment to ensure sustainable growth, a top central bank official said on Monday.

Chen Yulu, deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, said the nation will stay faithful to its green pledges through building clear roadmaps and enhancing co-operation with countries sharing similar visions as China on tackling climate change challenges.

Some efforts include launching a carbon market by the end of this year and promoting green infrastructure construction related to the Belt and Road Initiative, according to Chen.

China has demonstrated strong leadership in building and developing a green bond market as a key element of accelerating the transition to a green economy.

From 2016 to July 2017, the total issuance of green bonds in China reached 324 billion yuan ($48 billion), representing 30 per cent of the total bonds issued in the global market during the same period, according to a green finance report issued on Monday by the UK-China Green Finance Taskforce.

Chinese green bonds represent 2 percent of the total issuance of bonds in the domestic market, which is substantially higher than the 0.2 percent share in the global market, the report said.

China has great potential to keep its green pledges by attracting more foreign investors, according to Ma Jun, head of the Green Finance Committee of the China Society for Finance and Banking.

Differences between China’s green bond definitions and those in the international market may perplex investors, according to Ma.

Unifying the definition between different government regulators in China has been put onto China’s own agenda for green development, but there is much to be done to ensure clarification across different markets, he said.

As part of the initial steps, China and the United Kingdom will establish a uniform set of standards at the regional level, building an investor alliance for the Belt and Road Initiative in order to help member organisations invest in related projects, according to Sherry Madera, special adviser for Asia at the City of London Corporation.

The alliance will issue guidelines for projects helping investors better understand and manage environmental risks.

In the meantime, domestic regulators should improve financial infrastructure through providing foreseeable policies and different tools for hedging exchange risks, according to Wang Yan, deputy general manager of Bank of China London Branch.

The officials also reaffirmed their commitment to driving their vision and dreams one step closer to becoming reality in the near future.

This information was outlined yesterday during the 36th Asean Air Transport Working Group and other related meetings, taking place in Vientiane from September 4-7, during which they made a commitment to enhancing cooperation on air transport services.

At the meeting, officials focused on key decisions reached at the previous ATWG meeting held recently, particularly completing key economic and technical elements to implement the open skies policy, Director General of the Civil Aviation Department Vanhpheng Chanthaphone said.

Vanhpheng, who is also chair of the ATWG, said the meeting also focused on  key performance indicators to monitor the implementation of the Kuala Lumpur Transport Strategy Plan, which is targeted for submission to the 43rd Senior Transport Officials Meeting (STOM) for consideration and approval. As anticipated, the 43rd STOM also supports strategies of approach in order to maximise the progress in negotiations with existing and prospective dialogue partners.

Other issues concerning the Asean Strategic Action Plan for Consumer Protection 2016-2025 including the proposed projects and initiatives which are relevant to ATWG under the said Action Plan were discussed.

The documentary and procedural requirements for the development of Asean common standards and procedures for the issuance of schedule flight permission and overflight permission was also briefed.

“To build upon those achievements and to ensure a successful conclusion to this week’s meeting, I hope to see kind support and cooperation, active participation and contributions to our deliberations so as to ensure the success of this significant meeting,” Vanhpheng said.

The Asean Single Aviation Market, also known as the Asean Open Sky Agreement/Policy, is the region’s major aviation policy. It is geared towards the development of a unified and single aviation market among Asean members in Southeast Asia.

The aviation policy was proposed by the Asean Air Transport Working Group, supported by the Asean STOM and endorsed by Asean transport ministers.

The creation of the Asean Single Aviation Market was a key component of the road map for the establishment of the Asean Economic Community.

The Asean Single Aviation Market is expected to fully liberalise air travel between member states in the Asean region, allowing Asean countries and airlines operating in the region to directly benefit from the growth in air travel around the world, and also freeing up tourism, trade, investment, and service flows between member states.

Typhoon Mawar, the 16th typhoon formed in the northwest Pacific this year, made landfall in Lufeng at 9:30 pm on Sunday, packing winds of up to 72 kilometres per hour.

Although weaker than the previous two typhoons in recent weeks, Hato and Pakhar, authorities issued red alerts for rainstorms, while kindergartens and primary and middle schools were closed in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Shanwei, Shantou, Chaozhou and Guangzhou.

Many roads in Zhuhai and Shenzhen were flooded, cutting off traffic. More than 20 bus lines were suspended in Zhuhai, a city that felt the full force of Typhoon Hato on Aug 23.

The wind caused by Mawar was not very strong but rain was heavy, said Zhou Shuying, a resident in the city.

Roads were seriously waterlogged and many cars were submerged by water. Traffic was brought to a standstill on some roads.

Water and power supplies remained normal in Zhou’s neighbourhood and the floodwater began to retreat gradually after 3 pm on Monday, she said.

Police officer Tan Jiaguang waded in water up to his waist in Zhuhai’s Nanyangpu village to reach a gong, which he rang to warn residents to relocate to emergency shelters. His station helped transport about 600 people, including in speed boats, Zhuhai Daily reported.

A minor landslide occurred in Jigongsan Street in Zhuhai on Monday morning and people living in adjacent areas were evacuated. No casualties were reported.

Several students were rescued and taken to safety in a dinghy by firefighters after their school bus stalled in a flooded street in Huangjiang town, Dongguan.

Mawar, which forced the evacuation of 57,120 people in Guangdong before it made landfall, affected power supplies to 115,000 homes and businesses. Services were fully restored by 10:30 am, according to China Southern Power Grid.

The arrival of Mawar marks the fifth time Guangdong has witnessed three typhoons in half a month since meteorological records began, with the previous case in 1993, Wu Zhifang, chief forecaster for the Guangdong Meteorological Observatory, told Xinhua News Agency.

In the past two weeks, subtropical high pressure and southwestern monsoons have remained stable, which has seen tropical depressions formed near the Philippines mostly move northwestward onto the Guangdong coastline, said Zhang Ling, chief forecaster for the National Meteorological Centre.

It appears experts and government officials here and abroad have yet to decide just what to think of North Korea’s latest nuclear test on Sunday. But for ordinary South Koreans, one thing looks clear: North Korea’s weapons program has made significant progress. In other words, those in South Korea are now at greater risk.

The possibility of the ongoing military escalation evolving into a full-blown war is still deemed low, but there is no harm in preparing for the worst-case scenario.

Here is how to react in the event of an attack, based on guidelines provided by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security.

1. The basics

If you believe an attack is imminent, you should prepare yourself an emergency supply kit designed to keep you alive while staying in a shelter for as long as it takes. According to the Security Ministry, the kit should include needed medications, cooking utensils, a battery-powered radio with extra batteries, a flashlight, candles, gas masks, food and water.

Before the attack, experts advise to make a family emergency plan and decide when and how to contact each other in case of an emergency.

For foreign residents, the ministry official said it is important to check with their companies, schools or organizations as to whether to stay or leave the country.

“Once they decide to leave the country, they should follow evacuation instructions from their embassies, as they are only allowed to use airlines and airports designated by the government in case of a war,” an official at the ministry said.

If you are an undocumented immigrant, or lack valid identification, you should report to immigration offices for further instructions, the official added.

2. What to do during artillery fire?

In such a case where North Korean artillery begin to shell the city of Seoul, the first step would be finding fallout shelters near home, work and school in your community. Around 24,000 public buildings, subway stations and underground parking spaces nationwide have been designated as such, according to the ministry.

Follow government instructions carefully through local broadcasts on TV and radio for evacuation information.

If you can’t find designated shelters near your location, find the nearest building and take cover below ground if possible. Stay there as long as possible until instructed otherwise through official broadcast channels.

Experts recommend getting out of a car if driving during the emergency situation, and to run alongside buildings while keeping as low as possible until you find potential concrete structures to serve as fallout shelters to protect yourself.

3. If it involves chemical weapons?

When uncertain about a chemical weapons attack, animal corpses are one of the first signs to look for. Usually corpses of birds and fish will be spotted on ground and in the water.

It is also crucial to be aware of injuries and side effects on one’s body. Most toxic chemicals will enter a functioning human body through the respiratory system. Inhalation of such materials will likely cause inflammation and irritation of the eyes, difficulty breathing, reddening skin and body convulsion.

To avoid these symptoms, a person must immediately cover his or her face with a gas mask or other cloth while seeking safety.

High ground nearby such as a rooftop is the most convenient place to seek refuge when a deadly chemical agent is unleashed. Most chemical gases, such as sarin, are denser than air, which means they will sink to the ground.

When in a room, all cracks around windows, doors and other openings should be sealed. Ventilators and air conditioners must be turned off to prevent the risk of unwanted air circulation.

The wind will carry toxic materials, so an escapee must head toward the opposite direction of the blowing wind.

Try to avoid contact with contaminated materials or people. Notify the fire department or government officials of your current location and any possible symptoms as soon as possible. Body parts that were exposed to contamination should be cleansed thoroughly with soap or detergent and all clothing should be sealed in plastic bags.

Seek hospital assistance or emergency centers for further treatment.

4. To survive a nuclear blast?

An explosion from a nuclear attack emits heat ranging from 3000 to 4000 degrees Celsius. It is bound to cause massive fires in several areas due to gas pipe explosions and building collapses.

The electromagnetic wave from the detonation would paralyze communication systems, affecting electronic devices including computers and smartphones.

Once you’ve escaped from the detonation, avoid any fallout from the explosion. Radiation cannot be detected without specialized instruments, so one must take extreme caution when relocating to an underground facility such as a subway station.

If there is no such facility nearby, try to keep your body low, such as in a drainage ditch. Hide inside lead or concrete structures when no other options are available. Minimizing contact with radioactive materials is the key initiative.

Take cover in a shelter or a place away from the general vicinity of the radioactive fallout until further government notice. All food and water must be preserved in a plastic bag, wrap or container to shield it from radioactive decay.

Fund management guru Mark Mobius has given the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) a grade “A” for its integration efforts in the last 50 years and is hoping that the regional bloc would next move toward a common currency and banking system.

In a blog dated Aug. 29, Mobius, who is executive chair of Templeton Emerging Markets Group, said that in the last half a century, Asean had been successful in cooperating to improve regional trade and investment as well as tourism.

Asean, which is celebrating its golden anniversary this year, includes countries with higher per capita income like Singapore and Brunei and middle-income economies like Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia the Philippines and Vietnam. There are also the “new frontiers” like Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

The Philippines chairs Asean this year.

Goals

The Asean Economic Community (AEV) created by Asean embodies its goal to establish a stable, prosperous and competitive regional economy—one that seeks to benefit its citizens and allow them to enjoy better lives. It seeks to establish a region where goods and services are freely traded; where investments are welcomed and encouraged, and where professionals and skilled workers are able to cross borders and practice their profession with greater ease.

Asean today represents the world’s seventh-largest market with the third-biggest labor force behind China and India and there are projections it will become the fourth-largest economic bloc by 2030.

In the past five decades, Mobius noted that Asean countries had made great economic strides, outpacing much of the world at large in terms of growth rates, albeit from a low base. In some cases, this progress has been quite dramatic. For example, since 1960, Singapore’s per-capita GDP (gross domestic product) grew from US$428 to US$52,961, while Malaysia’s per-capita GDP grew from US$235 to US$9,507

“As investors, the diversity of the region is particularly exciting with a number of potential opportunities in almost every endeavor of activity, from mining to consumer goods to technology. As trade and investment barriers come down, the Asean group will represent a huge market,” Mobius said.

“Rising growth rates have also created greater prosperity for the people at large and since Asean was formed, we’ve seen a new generation of consumers emerge. These countries by and large also boast youthful populations in their most productive years, which we think bodes well for their future,” he added.

Mobius noted that Asean consumers were also increasingly moving online, even in the newest and smallest markets like Myanmar.

Risks

The biggest general risk to markets in the region, however, is seen emanating from a possible “black swan” event, a market shock that cannot be predicted such as any slowdown or derailment of China’s adjustment process given the importance of this market in the region.

On an even broader level, risks are also seen from the reality that the world was still “unbalanced,” with many countries having high debt levels, Mobius said.

“Some say the ‘Asean Way’ has also been a hindrance in many aspects—bogged down with more meetings and discussion than actual action. The region hasn’t achieved the type of economic integration—or clout—that the European Union (EU) has. Certainly Asean is much further away from the degree of integration that the EU has achieved,” Mobius said.

But some critics argue that Asean economies were just too diverse culturally, economically and politically to rise to be a stronger, unified force.

“In our view, the move toward a common currency and common banking system represents the next step for Asean, but we must remember that the concept of a unified Europe goes further back in history. Louis IV bought a large part of Europe under his control. The royal families of Europe intermarried and provided a future base for more cooperation. We don’t have a similar history in Asia (except for colonial powers, which had some integrating influence),” Mobius said.

Another challenge to the region is China’s opposition to a strong Asean, the fund manager said.