Trump and the North’s leader Kim Jong Un held a groundbreaking summit in Singapore in June, which the US leader touted as a historic breakthrough.

At the meeting the pair struck a vague agreement to denuclearise the Korean peninsula, but there has been little movement since.

Meanwhile the North has criticised Washington for its “gangster-like” and “unilateral” demands for the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of Pyongyang’s atomic arsenal.

On Saturday Rodong Sinmun, the North’s most prominent daily, praised Trump for seeking to improve US-North Korea ties and achieve world peace, which it said would be the “feat of the century”.

“However, he faces too many opponents,” it said in a signed commentary.

The newspaper said Democrats and even some Republicans are hampering Trump’s efforts for their own partisan interests while media hostile to Trump are undermining his policies.

It accused bureaucrats and Trump’s aides of “speaking and moving in contradiction to the president’s will” and “distorting facts and covering up his eyes and ears in order to mislead him to a wrong decision”.

North Korea has demanded that America agree to declare an end to the 1950-53 Korean War, accusing the US of failing to reciprocate a series of its “goodwill measures”.

These include ending its nuclear and missile testing, the destruction of a nuclear testing site and handing over the remains of US troops killed in the Korean War.

When Kim met South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April for their first summit, they agreed to push for a declaration of an end to the Korean War this year.

But US officials insist denuclearisation of the North should be realised before such an event takes place.

Trump’s political opponents are “raising their voice, dismissing the Singapore joint statement and boycotting a declaration of an end to the war”, Rodong Sinmun said.

“The current deadlock in the DPRK-US relations requires President Trump’s bold decision,” it added.

It also urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to brush aside speculation from opponents over the North’s intentions.

Pompeo, who is preparing for his fourth visit to the North, said Thursday his team was “continuing to make progress” with the North, expressing hope that “we can make a big step here before too long”.

The two Koreas will march behind the blue-and-white Korean Unification flag for the second time this year, after the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics — an event that heralded an unprecedented warming of ties.

The North and South, still technically at war, are also joining forces in women’s basketball, canoeing and rowing during the 40-sport, two-week regional Olympics.

The weeks and months leading up to the tournament have been dogged by worries over poor air quality, terrorism and Jakarta’s notorious traffic.

But organisers insist they are ready, and 4,000 dancers and a 100-piece orchestra will get the party started in Jakarta at a ceremony which organisers say will be watched by billions of people across Asia and beyond.

The main Gelora Bung Karno stadium will be transformed into a verdant mountain, organisers say, and Indonesian celebrity singer Anggun Cipta Sasmi will take to the stage.

The Games website says the ceremony will show the world Indonesia is capable of hosting an international event — but the jury is still out.

On Thursday the online ticketing system crashed, just days after the country admitted a series of malfunctions have been plaguing the light rapid transit system in Palembang, which is co-hosting the games with Jakarta.

A brutal police crackdown on petty crime in the run-up to the Games has also caused alarm, with Amnesty International warning at least 31 suspects had been killed under a “shoot first and ask questions later” operation in Jakarta and south Sumatra.

‘Once in a lifetime’

Just a few hours before the opening on Saturday, national police chief Tito Karnavian visited the GBK stadium, telling journalists that more than 8,000 security officials would be deployed for the ceremony.

“We are giving special attention to security,” he said at the arena, where more than 300 CCTV cameras with facial recognition technology have been installed.

Around 50,000 people are expected inside the stadium, Games organising committee INASGOC said Saturday, adding that tickets — which range in price from to $50-$350 — had sold out.

Indonesian Gunawan Tri Wasisto, who works in finance, said tickets were costly but worth it.

“This is the moment, we are the host. A bit expensive but for a once-in-a-lifetime event, it doesn’t matter,” he told AFP.

Some locals turned up at the stadium on Saturday morning, hours before the 7:00 pm (1200 GMT) start to soak up the atmosphere.

Bani, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, arrived with his wife and two kids, telling AFP he wanted “to feel the euphoria, see the preparations”.

“The people are also involved,” Bani, 36, added. “You can see people are decorating their neighbourhoods with the Games’ logos.”

Jakarta might be stealing the limelight but several thousand athletes, officials and VIPs are also expected at a welcome evening Saturday staged in the huge Sports City complex of Palembang.

As well as performances by local and international musicians, Jakarta’s opening ceremony will be broadcast live on a huge screen outside the main stadium of the city that will host 13 of the sporting events, including shooting, bowling and beach volleyball.

About 18,000 athletes and officials from 45 Asian countries will be at the Asiad, organisers said, looking to make their mark across a range of sports including bridge, jetski, paragliding and sepak takraw, as well as nearly the full Olympic programme.

Authorities warned of more torrential rain and strong winds over the weekend, as hundreds of troops and local fishermen staged desperate rescue attempts in helicopters and boats across the southern state.

Kerala, popular among international tourists for its tropical hills and beaches, has been battered by record monsoon rainfall this year.

The state is “facing the worst floods in 100 years”, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Twitter, adding that at least 324 lives have been lost so far.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the stricken state on Friday night, Vijayan’s office tweeted, with media reports saying the premier would undertake an aerial survey of the worst-affected areas on Saturday.

People all over the state of 33 million have made panicked appeals on social media for help, saying they cannot make contact with rescue services as power and communication lines are down.

“My family and neighbouring families are in trouble,” wrote Ajo Varghese, a resident of the coastal city of Alappuzha, in a Facebook post that quickly went viral.

“No water and food. Not able to communicate from afternoon. Mobile phones are not reachable… Please help,” he added.

Other distressed messages were shared online from people trapped inside temples and hospitals as well as their homes.

More than 30 military helicopters and 320 boats are attempting rescues across Kerala after some areas were engulfed by overflowing rivers, with residents seen swimming and wading through chest-high waters past partially submerged houses.

Authorities said thousands of people have been taken to safety so far but 6,000 more are still waiting for rescue.

“We are deploying more boats and the army to ramp up rescue operations,” senior state government official P.H. Kurian told AFP.

Helicopters have also been dropping emergency food and water supplies, while special trains carrying drinking water have been sent to Kerala.

‘Extremely grave’

According to India’s weather bureau, since the beginning of June more than 321 centimetres (126 inches) of rain has fallen on the hilly central district of Idukki, which is now virtually cut off from the rest of the state.

The Kerala government has said it faces an “extremely grave” crisis and Vijayan warned of further torrential rainfall hitting the region over the weekend.

The gates of dozens of dams and reservoirs across the state have been opened as water levels reach danger levels, inundating many other villages.

At least 310,000 people have been displaced and are taking shelter in more than 2,000 relief camps.

North and central Kerala have been worst-hit by the floods with the international airport in the main city of Kochi shut until at least August 26.

The home ministry announced separately that 868 people have been reported dead in seven Indian states including Kerala since the start of the monsoon in June.

Around 165 international and local flights were cancelled on Friday and Saturday at the Philippine capital’s main airport after the plane’s bumpy landing, said airport media officer Connie Bungag.

The Xiamen Airlines aircraft landed on its second attempt before skidding onto the grass, ripping off its left engine and blocking the runway late Thursday evening.

The 157 passengers and eight crew aboard were able to disembark without suffering any major injuries.

Moving the plane was complicated by heavy rains that softened the ground, making it difficult to install the two cranes needed to lift the aircraft, officials said.

By noon on Saturday, flights had resumed their normal schedule, but some passengers were not impressed by the speed of the recovery operation.

“At last,” tweeted one disgruntled observer. “That’s a record 36 hours.”

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines spokesman Eric Apolonio said investigators had recovered the plane’s black box and flight data recorder and would be summoning the pilots next week to find the cause of the mishap.

The airport will schedule special flights after midnight to make up for some of the flights that were cancelled earlier, Bungag told AFP.

In a written statement received by The Jakarta Post on Friday, Amnesty International Indonesia claimed that police officers had shot at least 77 people across the country between January and August this year, in an operation dubbed Cipta Kondisi (Public Safety Operation).

Among the number, 31 were shot in the Asian Games’ host cities, Jakarta and Palembang, South Sumatra. The organization believes that the police are taking a heavy-handed approach ahead of the Asian Games, which takes place from Aug. 18 to Sept. 2.

Amnesty International Indonesia’s executive director Usman Hamid said the figures reveal a clear pattern of unnecessary and excessive use of force by the police.

“In the months leading up to the Asian Games, the authorities promised to improve security for all. Instead, we have seen the police shooting and killing dozens of people across the country with almost zero accountability for the deaths,” he said in a written statement.

Abdul Fickar Hadjar, a criminal law expert from Trisakti University, said the police are only allowed to shoot perpetrators under certain conditions, such as for self-defense.

“If the police do not encounter certain threats they should only shoot to immobilize the perpetrator,” he said on Friday. Abdul added that everyone has the right to be processed legally no matter the severity of their crime.

The Tatmadaw is striving to promote its bilateral relations with the armed forces of the neighbouring countries to reach the highest level.The bilateral military relations have further cemented the relations between the two countries, said Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

The remarks of the Senior General came from his opening address to the 6th High Level Committee Meeting held at Aureum Palace Hotel in Bagan on August 17.

In his opening address, the Senior General said the two armed forces have successfully held the township-level and regional-level meetings. Former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Gen. Tanasak Patimapragorn proposed to hold the High Level Meeting annually to acquire further improvement, and his proposal was agreed by the Senior General. It is now the 6th High Level Committee Meeting. Currently, bilateral relations between the two armed forces have reached the highest level. The Senior General thanked the Thai General for his activeness in the cooperation between the two armed forces.Now also, I firmly believe that the existing good relations between the two armed forces could have been maintained and the best relations have been built. Cooperation could be strengthened after various level meetings of relevant committees and regular meetings of navy and air forces had been held. I also firmly believe that this meeting will further facilitate trust, understanding and amicability between the two armed forces. It can clearly be seen that the relationships between the two armed forces have reached the highest level after goodwill visits of high-ranking officers including commanders-in-chief of the two countries have been exchanged to share information about defence matters of both countries. I believe that this meeting will bring invaluable results for border peace, stability and development of the two countries.

In his opening speech, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces extended his sincere appreciation to Myanmar Tatmadaw for timely assistance and support for throughout the search for Wild Boars youth football team in the Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park, Chiang Rai. Thanks to the regional border committee meetings, border problems could be prevented,thus improving the friendship between the two people from border regions. Charities of the two armed forces have also made a landmark in history. Exchange of cultural troupes, sports teams and medical teams between the two countries further improve the friendship and amicability between the two armed forces. Thailand would continue to try to improve the relations between the two armed forces.

Afterwards, the Thai General and the Senior General delivered concluding remarks. After cordially greeting the senior military officers from both countries, they posed for documentary photo. Today’s 6th High Level Committee Meeting discussed 13 points including the tasks to promote friendly ties between the two armed forces of both countries, border affairs tasks of both countries to prevent natural disasters for contributing towards peace and stability of border people,narcotic drug eradication and prevention.

“Today we talk of the separation of religion and politics. But Bhutanese state foundation is the interdependence of the spiritual and the secular,” he said. Bhutanese kingship was Buddhist kingship and is Buddhist kingship but it does not exclude religion and politics, he said.

Taking the graduates through five different forms of monarchy, he said, that Bhutan’s monarchy was adopted at a peaceful time. “The 1885 battle of Changlingmithang was the last battle before the adoption of monarchy in 1907.”

During the time of peace, major political changes happened in Bhutan, he said. “Bhutan made momentous historic decision in establishing Palden Druk Zhung in 1626, monarchy in 1907 and parliamentary democracy in 2008, all in the time of peace. We could decide our own destiny and directions without external pressure.”

Bhutanese monarchy is homegrown and domestic, he said.

For any nation to qualify as an absolute monarchy, he said kings and queens or emperors and empresses must be meant as the incarnation of god. “As representatives of god, they have the absolute power to do everything. However, our monarchs have been both secular as well as Dharma kings.”

The concept of Dharma kings is different from that of Deva raja, which is more like the divine kingship of eastern and western European countries, he said. “The idea of Dharma king is an internal check and balance of the arbitrary and the possible abuse of power.”

When the first king was enthroned, an agreement was signed between Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck and about 54 representatives of the people, he said.

Bhutan had national assembly instituted as early as 1953, he said. “Absolute power is the ultimate power to make laws. However in 1968, the third Druk Gyalpo asked the National assembly to cast a vote of no confidence if they didn’t believe in him.”

He said that the Royal Advisory Council was also consulted on matters related to laws and people during the time, adding that no consultation is done in absolute monarchy.

Monarchy, Dasho Sonam Kinga said, brought political stability through the singular line of succession with the average reign period of about 27.5 years.

Following the revelation of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal’s death in 1707, multiple candidates and incarnations tried to fill the vacant spot of the Zhabdrung causing fractionalism, which ultimately led to a civil war.

Dasho Sonam Kinga said that there was no political stability along with gap in the continuity of leadership. “When Bhutan had monastic government, the neighbouring countries were all monarchy at the time. However, today Bhutan is the only surviving monarchy in the Himalayas.”

Mahathir arrived in Hangzhou, the capital of East China’s Zhejiang province, on Friday. His five-day trip is to include a visit to the headquarters of e-commerce giant Alibaba and carmaker Geely in Hangzhou, as well as meetings with Chinese leaders in Beijing.

Ahead of his visit, Mahathir said the relationship with China was “very important” and he wanted to further strengthen the bilateral relations with this visit.

The new government wants close relations with China and will look for China’s support for Malaysia’s economic recovery, the prime minister said.

Mahathir visited China seven times during his first tenure as prime minister, from 1981 to 2003.

In an article published by local media on Friday, Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Bai Tian said Mahathir visits China “not only as the incumbent prime minister of a friendly neighboring country, but also as a well-respected and longtime friend of the Chinese people”.

The visit is “a chance for China and Malaysia to show the world that we value our bilateral relations and respect each other’s core interests and major concerns”, Bai said in the article.

“We may not see eye to eye on every issue, but we are committed to resolving the differences or settling the issues through sincere and friendly dialogues in the manner of friends or brothers.”

Both China and Malaysia see much room for cooperation in such fields as digital economy, agriculture, automaking and high technology, Bai told reporters, adding that the two sides are expected to reach cooperative agreements during the visit.

Bilateral trade reached $96 billion last year, a year-on-year increase of 10.5 percent, and China’s cumulative direct investment in Malaysia amounted to around $5.1 billion by the end of 2017, according to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce.

Alibaba and some other Chinese technology companies are increasing their presence in Malaysia, bringing in such know-how as mobile payment systems and e-wallet services.

Mahathir might use his visit to work with China on a comprehensive plan for bilateral cooperation based on mutual benefit, particularly under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, said Zhou Fangyin, a researcher of China’s foreign policies at the Guangdong Institute for International Strategies.

China and Malaysia enjoy a traditional friendship, and strategic communications are important between the two countries’ leaders, said Zhou.

Malaysia needs China’s investment and technological support for its economic growth, Zhou said, adding that cooperation opportunities prevail over disparities, since the two countries can align their development strategies with each other for win-win outcomes.

In a statement, the police said they are aware some merchants are operating such machines in public areas, which dispense random prizes upon receipt of payments in cash.

“As this is a form of public lottery, it is an offence under Section 5(a) of the Common Gaming Houses Act,” they added.

“Existing merchants operating such vending machines are advised to cease these operations. Police will take enforcement actions against merchants who continue to contravene the law.”

Those found guilty face a prison term not exceeding five years, and are also liable to be fined an amount not less than $20,000 and not more than $200,000.

The number of such vending machines in Singapore has grown, with at least four operators setting up shop across the island in the last year.

Typically found in shopping malls, they usually charge between $5 and $10 for a “mystery box” containing a prize.

While the boxes usually contain low-value items, such as coin pouches or USB chargers, vending machine operators often claim that big prizes such as smartphones or gaming consoles are there to be won.

Various mystery box vending machines at Nex shopping centre

Among the earliest to set the trend here was hypermarket Giant, which launched its own “mystery box” machines as part of its VendMart vending clusters at its Tampines and IMM outlets in October 2017.

For $10 a pop, the opaque machines would dispense vouchers for a surprise item worth a higher value, such as household appliances and kitchen gadgets.

In response to queries, a Giant spokesman said that the two machines ceased operations in December last year. Similar machines operated by third-party vendors at several of its outlets will be removed from the shop premises by the end of the day, the spokesman said.

Operators that The Straits Times spoke to said they were surprised by the news. Unlike gambling, they argued, there is no chance of people walking away empty-handed, and the items dispensed from their machines are of equal or higher value than the amount paid.

Mr Brien Chua, who co-founded Gashapon Box four months ago with 13 machines, including four in Giant hypermarts, said that he discovered his business was illegal only after hearing the news on Thursday.

“This has been happening in places like Taiwan and Malaysia for the longest time, we thought we were catching on to the fad and we’ve invested more than $100,000 in this,” said Mr Chua, who added that the firm had been looking to expand with more locations.

For $5, the machines dispense items ranging from keychains to power banks, as well as “grand prizes” such as PlayStation consoles or drones. The chance of winning top prizes stands at about 3 per cent, he said.

“I don’t see it as a form of gambling – when we were young we would play tikam tikam at mamak shops, how is this any different from that?”

Gashapon is named after the Japanese capsule machines which dispense random toys and trinkets.

“This type of machine is a long-term business where returns come in slowly… we’ve already invested in buying the machines and paid rental so we’ll have to figure out what to do now,” said Mr Chua, 37.

Video demonstration of how mystery box vending machines work

Ms Rebecca Chan, who started Hey Box five months ago, said that she was contacted by the police on Tuesday, and all 15 of its machines have since ceased operations.

“We were all caught by surprise… these machines have been around for a while and are common in other countries. We’re selling items, just in a different way. For example, if I sell a cable for $10, which is the retail value, it cost us less and we earn from the difference,” said Ms Chan, 28.

She pointed out that online retailers also sell mystery boxes.

“We have leases with malls, so we can’t just pull out… we will have to change our business model and sell other things, just not in a mystery format.”

Lucky Treasure, which has four machines in malls like Bugis Cube, is also tied down with rental contracts, said its owner, who gave his name only as Mr Loh.

Still-operational mystery box machines at Nex shopping centre. ST PHOTO: TIM GOH

Asked if the regulations extended to other forms of “mystery boxes”, such as those sold on e-commerce platforms, the police said that the public should seek their own legal advice on such matters.

Other forms of vending machines, such as claw machines at arcades, in which players pay a fee for a chance to grab prizes with a claw, are still legal, the police clarified. This is because players can see the prizes.

Takara Box, which lists seven locations on its Instagram account, could not be reached. A post on its Facebook page said that it is undergoing “an upgrading of service”, and will return with a new concept.

A mystery box vending machine at Ang Mo Kio Hub in Mini Toons on Aug 16, 2018.

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Operators of ‘mystery prize vending machines’ forced to rethink business

When ST visited the Virtualand arcade at Nex mall in Serangoon on Thursday afternoon, several “mystery box” machines were still operational. The arcade’s duty manager said that she was unaware that the machines are now illegal.

Ms Sherryll Lim, who had a go at the Takara Box in Liang Court in June, said that the $5 she spent on an eye mask was probably a waste of money.

“Personally, I think it is just a gimmick, I just played for fun,” said Ms Lim, 38, who is unemployed. “Maybe some people try to win the big prize and keep playing like they’re addicted, but I also see adults spending an hour at those soft toy machines… it’s just human greed or that desire to win.”

“That is where we will misunderstand each other on that principle that … What’s the problem about acquiring submarines? We are not using [it] against you, neither can we use it against China or anybody else because we are under armed,”  a visibly fuming Duterte said in a speech during the convention of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago, a party formed by his daughter Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, in Davao City.

“You meet me in a forum. You state your case why are you against my country acquiring submarine. You give me the reason why and make it public. You want us to remain backwards?” Duterte added.

US Defense Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver has warned the Philippines against buying defense equipment from Russia.

“Is that how you want to treat an ally and you want us to stay with you all the time,” Duterte said.