World Wildlife Day (WWD) is marked annually on 03 March to celebrate and raise awareness of the varied forms of flora and fauna in the world.

A road roller is used by Myanmar authorities during a ceremony to destroy confiscated ivory and wildlife parts in Yangon on March 3, 2019. // AFP PHOTO

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Aung Bo Bo Thein, 30, was detained by Bangladeshi security forces on January 24 near the southern town of Naikhongchhari, Brigadier General Sajedur Rahman told AFP.

“He crossed the border and was found in a jungle. Today we have handed him over to Myanmar border police through a flag meeting,” said Rahman, border guard regional commander.

Ties between Bangladesh and Myanmar have soured since about 740,000 Rohingya Muslims fled the Buddhist-majority country in 2017 following a military clampdown in restive Rakhine state.

    Dhaka had already been hosting another 300,000 Rohingya who took refuge in squalid camps in Bangladesh’s southeastern Cox’s Bazar district after previous bouts of violence.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement in November 2017 for the repatriation of the Rohingya, but the persecuted Muslim minority has refused to go back unless they are granted citizenship and other rights.

This week Bangladesh told the UN Security Council that it will no longer be able to take in refugees from Myanmar.

Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque told a Council meeting that the crisis over the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya sheltering in his country had gone from “bad to worse” and urged the council to take “decisive” action.

Rahman said Rohingya arrivals from Myanmar have almost stopped, with none arriving in the past few weeks.

Bangladesh in recent months has stepped up security near the border to curb smuggling of Yaba — a popular methamphetamine pill — across the border from Myanmar, he said.

Myanmar’s Ambassador Hau Do Suan insisted his government was taking steps and appealed for patience.

Kim boarded his olive green armoured train at the Dong Dang border station in Vietnam before it rolled northward toward China en route to Pyongyang, kicking off a marathon 4,000-kilometre (2,500-mile) journey expected to take two and a half days.

Earlier Kim made a highly unusual stop at the stark concrete monument where the body of Vietnam’s independence hero is on display.

On historic North Korean anniversaries Kim regularly pays tribute — with the “humblest reverence”, according to the official KCNA news agency — to his predecessors, his father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung, at the sprawling memorial palace on the outskirts of Pyongyang where their preserved remains lie in state.

But he is not known to have previously done anything similar for a foreign leader.

The North Korean adjusted the ribbons on a large wreath emblazoned with his name and the message “Cherishing the memory of President Ho Chi Minh” before bowing his head for no less than 48 seconds.

Kim has visited China, the North’s key diplomatic protector and main provider of trade and aid, four times but there have been no reports in either country’s state media of him going to Mao Zedong’s mausoleum in Beijing.

But Kim’s grandfather was a close friend of Ho Chi Minh and supplied him with fighter pilots and psychological warfare specialists during his war against the US-backed regime in South Vietnam.

Pictures of the two together are displayed on the noticeboard outside the Vietnamese embassy in Pyongyang.

– Single-string guitar –

Kim’s trip to Vietnam was the first by a North Korean leader since 1964, when Kim Il Sung also travelled by rail for his journey to the southeast Asian nation.

Kim boarded his own train Saturday and headed towards China, though his route was not known and it was not clear whether he would be stopping to meet President Xi Jinping along the journey.

A smiling Kim waved to crowds at the station and clasped his hands in the air as he was seen off by white-uniformed soldiers and Vietnamese officials.

“I really admire Chairman Kim Jong Un and I see him as a friendly person,” said local resident Nguyen Thuy Chi at the station.

On Friday Kim met Vietnam’s top leaders and reportedly tried his hand at playing a dan bau — a traditional single-string guitar.

Pictures in the Vietnamese press showed the grinning leader with the instrument as a crowd of Vietnamese guests — including President Nguyen Phu Trong — cheered him on.

Kim and Trump’s much-hyped second summit finished abruptly with a signing ceremony scrapped after the pair failed to reach an agreement on walking back North Korea’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

Both sides said they were open to further talks, though a third summit has not been scheduled.

This time around, the only occupant on board SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule was a dummy named Ripley — but NASA plans to put two astronauts aboard in July, although that date could be delayed.

The new capsule blasted off aboard the Falcon 9 rocket built by SpaceX — run by billionaire Elon Musk — at 2:49 am (0749 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, lighting up the coastline.

The first and second stages separated without incident, placing Dragon in Earth’s orbit 11 minutes after take-off.

Every successful stage of the mission — whose planning suffered three-year delays — triggered cheers at the firm’s headquarters and at the Kennedy Space Center.

“I’m a little emotionally exhausted, because that was super stressful but it worked, so far,” Musk told a late-night press conference an hour later. “It’s been 17 years, we still haven’t launched anyone yet, but hopefully we will later this year.”

The next tricky step for the capsule will be docking at the ISS on Sunday at around 1100 GMT, with a return to Earth scheduled for next Friday.

It is to splash down in the Atlantic Ocean, and then return to Cape Canaveral.

– ‘Confidence in the future’ –

The mission aims to test the vessel’s reliability and safety in real-life conditions.

Ripley — nicknamed in honor of the character played by Sigourney Weaver in the “Alien” movies — is fitted with monitors to test the forces that future astronauts will be subjected to on takeoff and when they return to the Earth’s atmosphere and then land in the Atlantic, braked by giant parachutes.

The mission’s successful start provided some immediate reassurance.

At the press conference, Musk asked the two NASA astronauts slated to fly in Dragon: “You guys think it’s a good vehicle?”

They both nodded. “Seeing a success like this, that really gives us a lot confidence in the future,” said one of them, Bob Behnken.

In another success, the rocket’s first stage returned to Earth, landing on a platform 500 kilometers (310 miles) off the Florida coast in the Atlantic. It marks the 35th such recovery by SpaceX.

“Today represents a new era in space flight” said Jim Bridenstine, head of the US space agency who sees the launch as a step toward the privatization of low Earth orbit.

“As a country, we’re looking forward to being one customer of many customers, in a robust commercial marketplace in low Earth orbit, so that we can drive down costs and increase access in ways that historically have not been possible,” he said.

– Key NASA partner –

After the shuttle program was shut down in July 2011 following a 30-year run, NASA began outsourcing the logistics of its space missions.

It pays Russia to get its people up to the ISS orbiting research facility at a cost of $82 million per head for a round trip.

In 2014, the US space agency awarded contracts to SpaceX and Boeing for them to take over this task. But the program has suffered delays as safety requirements are much more stringent for manned flights than for unmanned missions to deploy satellites.

Boeing also received a contract in 2014 to develop a space vessel, the Starliner. It will not be tested until April, in a mission similar to SpaceX’s.

NASA did not want to rely on just one single vehicle, in case of accidents.

For SpaceX, sending an astronaut into orbit would be a culmination of years of hard work and high-risk investment.

In less than a decade, it has become a key partner for NASA, in addition to dominating the market for private satellite launches.

Its Falcon 9 rockets have resupplied the space station 15 times in seven years, though one of them blew up in 2015.

“He didn’t seem to have answers to the questions I was raising,” Jolley said during an exclusive interview with The Star TV. “These were things that were fully detailed in the US Department of Justice’s report.

“I just felt as though a lot of the time, the former prime minister was suggesting that he didn’t know about things and was putting the blame on other people, rather than taking the blame himself.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who was quizzed over various matters like the notorious “pink diamond” and 1MDB, was seen losing his cool several times during the interview, which ended with him walking out. “I wanted him to stay,” Jolley said.

“Obviously he wanted to talk about the economy, which was fine, but we couldn’t get to that until we answered the other questions.”

The 25-minute video of the interview went on to rack up more than one million views on Youtube and was awarded the “Interview of the Year” prize at the Royal Television Society’s Television Journalism Awards 2019.

Asked if she would interview the former prime minister again in the near future, Jolley said she would do it if the need arose.

She also expressed interest in interviewing the former first lady, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor. “We think it would be really important to talk to her as well,” she said.

“People in Malaysia believed she played a critical role as the prime minister’s wife, so we would certainly love to talk to (Najib) and (Rosmah).”

The 101 East journalist said she was currently working on another video on Malaysian politics, which she hoped would be released some time next month.

A video of the incident, which took place in Pasir Ris Drive 3 towards Loyang Avenue, was recorded by the 15-year-old cyclist who uploaded it to the SG Road Vigilante Facebook group that same night.

The altercation took place apparently after the cyclist had allegedly hit a car driven by the 60-year-old woman. Later, the couple also shared a video of the incident.

Their 15-second clip, taken from their car’s in-vehicle cameras, was spliced together with footage taken by the cyclist and uploaded to the same Facebook group on Friday night.

In it, the cyclist can be seen bumping against the rear of the Audi which the woman was driving.

In footage of the incident, she and the 66-year-old man can be seen trying to grab the phone from the cyclist. The couple repeatedly accuse the cyclist of hitting their car and attempting to flee.

“You (did) not even stop. If we didn’t stop you, you would never stop,” says the woman. The cyclist responds: “There is a traffic light there and the light is green… if I stop, the car behind will ram into me.”

He can also be heard claiming that he had already apologised, and that there was no damage done to the car, an Audi. The woman, however, insists that her vehicle had been scratched, and the trio continue arguing.

At one point, the man threatens to report the cyclist to the Land Transport Authority and to upload footage of the incident on social media.

Later, the couple demand that the cyclist hand over his identity card. The woman is then seen grabbing at the mobile phone, covering its camera lenses.

What sounded like a struggle ensues. The man could be heard repeatedly asking the cyclist if he wanted to fight.

As the three of them tussle, a passer-by tries to break up the altercation, telling the couple: “Explain to the police, please, but you cannot do this! The moment you fight him, you are in the wrong.” But the trio continue arguing and struggling for the phone.

Later, the man threatens to call the police. The cyclist responds: “Call the police, that’s the best thing to do. This is Singapore, the law protects the weak.” The video ends with the trio going back to the struggle for the phone.

“We challenge all candidates and their supporters to stop leaving a messy trail of garbage during their campaign sorties and instead demonstrate discipline and a true commitment for order and cleanliness,” Philippine Business for Environmental Stewardship (PBEST) said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

“Littering our neighborhoods and public places with their posters and streamers only show a shameless disregard for the environment and disrespect to the constituents they are promising to serve,” PBEST said.

The group also warned candidates to not put up their campaign materials on trees as they must follow an environmentally friendly campaign.

“We are warning all candidates not to use our precious trees as placeholders for their campaign materials,” it said.

“We fully support and echo the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) call for candidates to make their campaigns environmentally friendly and urge candidates to be mindful of their campaign posters and abide by the rules on where to put up these campaign materials,” it added.

PBEST also said that when a candidate “professes love for the environment” it must show proof and not cheap words.

Under Commission on Elections (Comelec) rules, election materials may only be posted in common poster areas or public areas like plazas, markets and barangay centers.

Campaign materials can be put up on private property but must have the consent of the owners.

Election posters must be limited in the size to 2 feet by 3 feet.

Violators may face election offense charges and even possible disqualification if they do not comply with Comelec rules.

“We call on netizens to be vigilant and report violators,” PBEST said. “Take photos and spread the word on social media. Reach out to your friends in media to shout at these environmentally unfriendly politicians a strong message offense.”

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has designated Hamza bin Laden, the son of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, under its sanctions list, subjecting him to a travel ban, assets freeze and an arms embargo as it described him as being seen as the “most probable successor” of the group’s current leader Aiman al-Zawahiri.

The UN Security Council’s 1267 ISIS and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee listed 29-year old Hamza bin Laden on Thursday, the day the US announced a reward of up to one million dollars for information about him.

Saudi Arabia also announced on Friday it had revoked the citizenship of Hamza bin Laden via a royal decree in November. A Security Council press release said al-Zawahiri has announced that the Saudi Arabia-born Hamza bin Laden is an official member of Al Qaeda.

Hamza bin Laden “has called for followers of Al-Qaeda to commit terror attacks. Is seen as the most probable successor of al-Zawahiri,” the powerful 15-member Council said.

An assets freeze under the Sanctions Committee requires that all states freeze without delay the funds and other financial assets or economic resources of designated individuals and entities.

The travel ban entails preventing the entry into or transit by all states through their territories by designated individuals. Under the arms embargo, all states are required to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale and transfer from their territories or by their nationals outside their territories, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, of arms and related materiel of all types, spare parts, and technical advice, assistance, or training related to military activities, to designated individuals and entities.

Just hours before the UNSC Sanctions Committee designated Hamza bin Laden, the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program announced a reward for up to USD 1 million for information leading to his identification or location in any country, saying he is emerging as a leader in the Al-Qaeda franchise.

“Since at least August 2015, he has released audio and video messages on the Internet calling on his followers to launch attacks against the United States and its Western allies, and he has threatened attacks against the United States in revenge for the May 2011 killing of his father by US service members,” the State Department said.

In January 2017, the State Department had listed Hamza bin Laden as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, freezing all of his assets based in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons. The designation also prohibited US persons from engaging in transactions with him.

The former foreign minister turned tormentor of Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May also mocked the “bastards” who run the EU as he attacked the bloc.

Questioned at a conference in New Delhi about pressure for a repeat of the 2016 referendum in Britain, Johnson said “I don’t think that’s possible.”

“I think that the anger in the population would be so intense and the tedium — people would be driven absolutely round the bend by the idea of having to vote on this thing again.”

“It was a very acrimonious, very divisive campaign” in 2016, he said, predicting any second vote would produce the same result.

Johnson quit as foreign minister in May’s right-wing government last year in protest at her proposed departure deal with the EU — which would keep Britain temporarily in the EU customs union as a “backstop” until problems with the Irish border are settled.

Parliament has since rejected the deal and May is battling political turmoil ahead of the scheduled March 29 departure date.

– Brexit not ‘xenophobic’ –

“We need to get this Brexit done properly and our prime minister now needs to punch a hole through that backstop and it has got to be a hole that is big enough to fit the entire United Kingdom,” Johnson told the India Today media group conference.

“Once she does that we are free. We are at the races. I am hoping she will do it,” he declared of the intense talks between the government and Brussels.

Johnson also told the Indian audience that Brexit was misunderstood by those who say it is an “xenophobic, nationalistic and reactionary phenomenon.”

“My objection to the EU was not that it was run by foreigners. The problem is we don’t really know who is running it,” Johnson said, mocking the five presidents of the EU commission, council of ministers, parliament and other bodies.

“I couldn’t tell you who they are, or what they do or how they came by their jobs or how they may be removed from office.

“I have no idea how to kick those particular bastards out — I’m not saying they are bastards. But millions and millions of people in the UK have no idea how the system works. It’s completely cut off to them.”

Johnson said those who predict disaster for Britain outside the bloc are “chicken lickens” but said there were still “many in the upper reaches of the UK government.”

“They are like the people who said that Columbus would sail off the edge of the world.”

“There is a very big struggle going on over what Brexit really means,” he said.

“The treasury and the whole system, they are really too nervous of taking the leap,” he added. Without control of tariffs and regulation, “sincerely you might as well be in” the EU, he said.

“Unless you have the freedom then stay in. I don’t think the UK is going to stay in or that the UK should stay in,” he added however.

Media reports said Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s return to India had been held up because the pilot was forced to make the video before his release.

Abhinandan, whose MiG fighter was shot down Wednesday as he chased Pakistani jets over disputed Kashmir, crossed at the Wagah frontier late Friday several hours after the scheduled ceremony.

The pilot’s capture had become the centrepiece of hostilities between the arch-rivals since a suicide bombing in Kashmir last month killed 40 Indian paramilitaries.

Abhinandan, who ejected to safety but was set upon by a crowd on the Pakistani side of the ceasefire line that divides Kashmir, had a noticeable black eye and was immediately taken for a medical checkup and a debriefing by military and intelligence agencies.

In the heavily edited video distributed by the Pakistani military just before his release, he praised the professionalism of the Pakistani army and criticised Indian media for creating war hysteria.

“The army personnel saved me from the mob. The Pakistani army is very professional and I am impressed by it,” he said.

Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state, said the video tainted Pakistan’s gesture to return the pilot so quickly.

“Sadly the image you paint for us is marred terribly by the video he’s forced to record just before you sent him back,” Abdullah said on Twitter.

“That high moral ground you had bequeathed to yourselves slipped at the end.”

Indian media slammed the video as “distasteful” and said it breached international norms for prisoners of war.

“There is no peace without dignity and Pakistan just forgot that basic lesson in violation of Geneva convention,” wrote Rajdeep Sardesai, a top editor with the India Today group.

India’s feverish social media also slammed the video, which was tweeted by the Pakistan government but later taken off its official account.

– ‘Reason to boast’ –

Pakistan’s foreign ministry has insisted Abhinandan was “treated with dignity and in line with international law”.

Pakistan media praised the government for releasing the pilot. In the Express Tribune, lawyer Shahzaib Khan wrote that Pakistanis “have a reason to boast … the Prime Minister (Imran Khan) has done Pakistan proud by not engaging in chest thumping or war-mongering for political gain.”

Abhinandan was captured a day after Indian planes bombed what New Delhi said was a militant camp in Pakistan, in retaliation for the Kashmir suicide bombing claimed by a Pakistan-based militant group.

Violence continued to rage in Kashmir, with both sides firing mortars and artillery over the frontier, killing four civilians on the Indian side and one in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

At least 12 civilians have been killed on either side of the frontier since Monday.

“Heavy shelling by Indian army started Friday evening and continued until early Saturday. One teenager has been killed and four wounded in Nakyal sector,” Raja Moazzam, a senior official in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, told AFP Saturday.

Five Indian security personnel were killed Friday in a gunfight after troops laid siege to a house where militants were hiding in Handwara district.