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Trump lashes out at 'unfair' Japan trade ties

US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Japan over trade and said he would push for a fairer economic relationship between the two countries.

Speaking to business leaders in Tokyo on Monday he said Japan "has been winning" on trade in recent decades.

He also called on Japan to build more cars in America, a claim at odds with industry data on manufacturing.

Mr Trump's comments come at the start of a 12-day Asian tour expected to be dominated by North Korea and trade.

The US leader said his country had "suffered massive trade deficits at the hands of Japan for many, many years".

"We want free and reciprocal trade but right now our trade with Japan is not free and it's not reciprocal and I know it will be and we've started the process," Mr Trump told the group of US and Japanese executives.

He praised Japan, which counts the US as its second largest trade partner after China, for buying American military hardware.

Mr Trump also said he wanted his country to be the most attractive place to hire and invest.

Trade ties

Japan had a $69bn (£52.8bn) trade surplus with the US in 2016, according to the US Treasury department.

The countries are working on a new roadmap for trade after Mr Trump walked away from a regional free trade pact shortly after taking office.

The remaining 11 nations to the Trans Pacific Trade partnership are proceeding with negotiations on the agreement without the United States.

Made in America

Mr Trump also took aim at Japanese carmakers in Tokyo on Monday.

"Try building your cars in the United States instead of shipping them over. That's not too much to ask," the US president said at the briefing, adding, "is that rude to ask"?

But data from the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, a non-profit trade group, shows that a large proportion of its cars are built in the US.

In 2016, three-quarters of Japanese branded cars sold in the US were manufactured in North America, it said.

Last year those automakers built nearly 4m vehicles and 4.7m engines in the US.

They contributed $45.6bn in total investment through 24 manufacturing plants, and 43 research and development and design centres in the US.

Source – bbc.com

1.25 million face starvation in war-torn South Sudan

In war-torn South Sudan 1.25 million people are facing starvation, double the number from the same time last year, according to a report by the United Nations and the government released Monday.

This country could once again plunge into famine in 2018, warn humanitarians and the government.

"The widespread and extreme food consumption gaps … should make us all extremely concerned about the worst case scenario of famine in many locations across South Sudan in 2018," said Katie Rickard, country coordinator for REACH, a humanitarian research initiative that provided data for the report.

Humanitarians blame the worsening situation on South Sudan's continuing conflict, which is nearing its fifth year and has killed more than 50,000 people.

In February, the world's youngest nation declared famine in two counties in Unity State, the world's first formal famine declaration since Somalia in 2011. In South Sudan's two counties, 100,000 people were on the brink of starvation but thanks to early detection and a rapid response catastrophe was avoided, said the World Food Program.

However, the latest food and security analysis update by the U.N and South Sudan's National Bureau of Statistics is grim.

As of September, 6 million people — 56 percent of the population — were experiencing severe hunger with 25,000 South Sudanese in humanitarian catastrophe in Ayod and Greater Baggari counties.

South Sudan's widening war has made food production impossible and delivery of aid dangerous and difficult. Both Ayod and Baggari are rebel-held areas and locals say the situation in the two counties is dire.

"We ran out because of the hunger," said a resident of Baggari who recently fled with his family to the nearby town of Wau because they didn't have any food. He spoke on condition of anonymity for his safety. The 52-year-old father of four told AP by phone that people are "dying of hunger" and in the last year and a half he only saw humanitarians enter Baggari town three times.

"If the government doesn't approve of people coming in to help what can we do? We have nothing, we can just pray," he said.

The government says there's no policy of "discrimination" and it is committed to helping "all South Sudanese," said Isaiah Chol Aruai, chairman of the National Bureau of Statistics.

Rights groups are calling on all parties of the conflict to provide immediate and unfettered access to humanitarian agencies.

"Both government and opposition forces have used food as a weapon of war, ranging from restrictions to civilian access to food, actively preventing food from reaching certain areas, systematically looting food and markets and homes and even targeting civilians carrying small amounts of food across front lines," said Alicia Luedke, South Sudan researcher for Amnesty International.

On her first visit to the country in October, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley raised concerns about humanitarian access during a meeting with South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, according to a statement by his office.

Kiir told her that together with the United Nations, they've been able to establish "mechanisms to improve access," but acknowledged that more needs to be done.

As South Sudan enters the dry season, locals and aid workers are expecting the situation to get worse.

Communities are becoming more desperate to feed their families and people have started using "extreme coping strategies" says a report by REACH, including going into sparsely inhabited forests, swamps and grassland and finding "increasingly unhealthy wild plants" while they search for food.

"2018 will be critical," said Serge Tissot from the U.N's Food and Agricultural Organization. He said the only way to avoid further deterioration in the short term is "peace."

The current food crisis is a result of the country's "man-made conflict," said U.N representative in South Sudan, David Shearer.

"It's about people who have fled their homes because of the conflict and therefore left their livelihoods behind," said Shearer.

This is especially true in the Equatoria regions, once known as the breadbasket of South Sudan, yet today has the largest number of people who have fled their homes due to the conflict.

"South Sudan had ideal rainfall in most places this year," said Shearer. "It's not about climate, it's actually about war."

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Source – abcnews.go.com

Australia dual citizenship row: New rules to make MPs disclose status

Australia's Prime Minister has announced new rules to make all federal politicians declare their citizenship status.

It comes amid a dual citizenship saga, which has led to six politicians losing their office.

In Australia, dual citizens are not allowed to run for federal office.

Malcolm Turnbull unveiled the new disclosure rules on Monday in a bid to clear up the uncertainty around politicians' eligibility in Canberra.

The plan will need to be voted on in both the upper and lower houses in Australia's parliament, before coming into force.

• Are there more Australia dual citizen MPs?

Under the new plan, politicians will be obliged to make a formal declaration about their citizenship status, as well as provide details about the time and place of their birth, and the time and place of birth of their parents.

If the politicians had citizenship of another country they will also be required to detail when and how they renounced it.

Current politicians will have 21 days to make the declaration, while future members of parliament will be required to make the declaration when they are elected.

"What we have seen is a concern, a legitimate concern that there is insufficient transparency," Mr Turnbull said on Monday.

"Members and senators have been put squarely on notice now and so they will be turning their mind to their own affairs and the issues of citizenship."

The plan comes following weeks of pressure on the Turnbull government to carry out an audit of all sitting federal politicians.

Last month, Australia's highest court decided that five politicians – including Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce – were invalidly elected because they held dual citizenship.

Many of the politicians had argued that they had not been aware they were dual nationals due to their parents or place of birth.

Last week Australian Senate President Stephen Parry also resigned, after confirming he was a UK dual citizen.

Source – bbc.com

Australia Manus refugees 'need urgent medication'

Refugees who have refused to leave an Australian-run detention centre in Papua New Guinea are struggling with acute health problems, advocates say.

Over the weekend, one refugee collapsed from heart pain and had to wait more than four hours before being taken to hospital, activists said.

The hospital lacked the equipment to treat him and sent him back, they said.

About 600 men have gone for days without electricity, food and running water at the Manus Island centre.

The centre was closed on 31 October, but many of the men have refused to leave or relocate to a new centre, due to fears of attacks from locals.

Most of the men have been classified as refugees. Lawyers for the men have filed a case with a PNG court and are arguing for the centre's basic services to be reinstated.

• Refugees 'dig for water' in Australia camp
• Timeline: A controversial centre
• 'Our situation is just like hell'
• Australia asylum: Why is it controversial?

On Monday, Human Rights Watch said: "Some of the refugees and asylum seekers have acute medical needs that are not being met… The situation at the Manus centre continues to be dire with little food and water."

They argued that a new centre opened for the refugees was not safe, as "refugees and asylum seekers have been repeatedly robbed and assaulted in Lorengau town, with little action taken by police."

Meanwhile, an advocacy group, the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre, said it had set up a response team of doctors and specialists to administer medical advice to the men over the phone.

However, the men urgently need medication and water, it added.

Iranian refugee and journalist Behrouz Boochani reported that a refugee in the centre had collapsed from heart pain over the weekend.

"When he collapsed… we were without power so everywhere was dark and the refugees became so scared. It was a such hard night," he told the BBC.

They tried to call various organisations for help, including International Health and Medical Services, which is contracted to deliver health services to asylum seekers and refugees on Manus Island.

"They said we cannot help you there while you are refusing to leave the camp," Mr Boochani said.

The PNG immigration department sent a car to pick up the refugee four and a half hours after he collapsed, and took him to a local hospital – but they did not have the necessary equipment to treat him and sent him back, Mr Boochani said.

Other reported cases at the camp include men with infections and a man suffering from severe kidney stone pain.

The BBC has approached Australia's Department of Immigration and Border Protection, and International Health and Medical Services (IHMS), for comment.

In an earlier statement, IHMS said it could no longer provide services at the closed Manus Island detention centre, but it offered treatment at the new East Lorengau Refugee Transit Centre.

"All people prescribed medication, including medication for mental health issues, were provided a 28 day supply by IHMS" ahead of the closure of the Manus Island centre, they added.

Skip Twitter post by @Kon__K

We now have a man having trouble breathing on #Manus. I have an acute medical specialist calling him now.

— Kon Karapanagiotidis (@Kon__K) November 5, 2017

Report

End of Twitter post by @Kon__K

Skip Twitter post by @BehrouzBoochani

Refugee on Manus with severe kidney stones, crying from pain. Govt obviously violating human rights. I'm witnessing a tragedy, a disaster.

— Behrouz Boochani (@BehrouzBoochani) November 5, 2017

Report

End of Twitter post by @BehrouzBoochani

Australia detains asylum seekers who come by boat on PNG's Manus Island and on the Pacific Island of Nauru under a controversial offshore detention policy.

Australia shut down the Manus Island centre on Tuesday, following a PNG court ruling that the centre was unconstitutional. It has removed all staff and services and urged the men in the centre to move to alternative accommodation on the island.

However the UNHCR, which has called the stand-off an "unfolding humanitarian emergency", has said some of the new facilities are not ready for habitation and cannot accommodate all 600 men.

Lawyers for the men are also seeking orders in the PNG Supreme Court for the men to be transferred to a safe, third country. They argue the closure of the centre has breached human rights.

Six men have died at the centre since 2012, including cases which refugees say were a direct result of medical neglect.

On Sunday, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull rejected a renewed offer from New Zealand to resettle 150 of the refugees. Australia has argued that allowing this would encourage people smugglers.

Source – bbc.com

Qatar Airways pays $662M for 10 percent of Cathay Pacific

Qatar Airways is buying nearly 10 percent of Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific Airways for about $662 million, the companies said Monday, in a deal making it Cathay's third-biggest shareholder.

The Middle Eastern carrier said it bought almost 3.8 million Cathay shares, which represents a 9.6 percent stake in Hong Kong's biggest airline.

Hong Kong conglomerate Swire Pacific owns 45 percent of Cathay, state-owned Air China has 30 percent and the rest is publicly traded.

Qatar Airways bought the shares from Hong Kong's Kingboard Holdings, according to a stock exchange filing by the company, which makes circuit boards and invests in property.

Kingboard expects to reap an 800 million Hong Kong dollar ($102 million) profit from selling its Cathay stake, the company said in the filing.

Cathay, which last year reported its first annual loss in nearly a decade, is carrying out a three-year corporate overhaul that includes laying off hundreds of workers as it battles to keep up with intensifying competition from rival Asian carriers.

The investment adds to Qatar Airways' overseas portfolio. The company also owns 20 percent of International Airlines Group, which controls European carriers Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling; 10 percent of Chile's Latam Airlines Group; and 49 percent of Meridiana, Italy's second-biggest carrier.

Cathay shares fell 1.5 percent on Monday, while the benchmark Hang Seng Index finish nearly unchanged.

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Source – abcnews.go.com

Catalonia ex-officials freed by Belgian judge

Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four former ministers have been freed with conditions by an investigating judge in Belgium.

The judge said they could not leave the country without permission and had to give details of their accommodation.

They had handed themselves in to Belgian police following an EU arrest warrant issued by a Spanish judge.

Mr Puigdemont fled to Belgium after Madrid imposed direct rule on Catalonia following an independence declaration.

He has said he will not return to Spain unless he is guaranteed a fair trial.

The five are wanted in Spain to face charges including rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.

They are now expected to appear in court in Belgium within 15 days. Belgium has a maximum of 60 days to return the five to Spain but, if they do not raise legal objections, a transfer could happen much sooner.

• Catalonia's longest week
• The man who wants to break up Spain
• Catalonia crisis: What next for Spain?

"The request made this afternoon by the Brussels' Prosecutor's Office for the provisional release of all persons sought has been granted by the investigative judge," said a statement by the Belgian prosecutor's office.

Mr Puigdemont's political party, PDeCAT, said he had surrendered to police to show his "willingness not to flee from the judicial process but to defend himself in a fair and impartial process, which is possible in Belgium, and highly doubtful in Spain".

Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy imposed direct rule on Catalonia following a declaration of independence in the regional parliament. He sacked Mr Puigdemont, dissolved the parliament and called local elections for 21 December.

The declaration of independence followed a referendum that the Spanish constitutional court had declared illegal.

Mr Puigdemont's colleagues also listed on the EU arrest warrant are Meritxell Serret (former agriculture minister), Antoni Comín (former health minister), Lluís Puig (former culture minister), and Clara Ponsatí (former education minister).

They all handed themselves in to Belgian federal police, accompanied by their lawyers, on Sunday morning and were questioned in a hearing lasting 10 hours.

There were more protests in Catalan cities on Sunday against the detention of officials and activists held by the Spanish authorities.

Protesters plastered city squares with posters depicting the detainees as political prisoners.

Eight politicians are being held in an investigation into alleged rebellion and sedition linked to Catalonia's declaration of independence.

Two activists are being detained in a separate investigation.

Source – bbc.com

The Latest: Trump expects large-scale military sale to Japan

The Latest on President Donald Trump's trip to Asia (all times local):

3:55 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he expects Japan to purchase "massive amounts" of military equipment from the United States.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump says Japan will be able to shoot missiles from North Korea "out of the sky" with that equipment.

Trump also says this would mean jobs in the United States and more security for Japan.

Abe says Japan is already buying a lot of defense equipment from the U.S. and that it plans to upgrade due to the rising tensions with North Korea. Abe said Japan shoots down missiles only when it's necessary.

3:30 p.m.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (shin-zoh AH'-bay) has announced plans to take additional sanctions measures against North Korea over its escalating missile and nuclear development.

Abe said Monday he will announce Tuesday a freezing of the assets of 35 North Korean groups and individuals as Japan's own sanctions measure.

He made the announcement during a joint news conference after holding talks with President Donald Trump, who is on a three-day visit in Tokyo as part of his Asia tour.

Abe says North Korea dominated their talks, and that they are completely on the same page on the issue. Abe reiterated that it's not time for dialogue but to maximize pressure on North Korea.

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3:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump is stressing that the "era of strategic patience" is over with North Korea.

Trump is speaking Monday at a joint news conference with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He says: "some say my rhetoric is strong, but look what's happened with weak rhetoric over the last 25 years."

Trump stressed a strong relationship with Japan. He said the United State is "committed to improving our economic relationship" and that he wants a "free, fair and reciprocal trading relationship."

The president kicked off his Asian tour in Japan Sunday. He held a working lunch and a bilateral meeting with Abe and paid a formal state call on Japan's Emperor Akihito and his wife, Empress Michiko, at the Imperial Palace.

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3:02 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he has heard "very sad" stories from families of Japanese citizens snatched by Pyongyang's agents.

Trump participated in a meeting Monday with these families and appeared afterward with family members holding photographs.

Trump said what happened was a "tremendous disgrace" and promised to work with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to "see if we can bring them back to Japan."

North Korea has acknowledged apprehending 13 Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s, but claims they all died or have been released. But in Japan the government insists more were taken — and believes some may be alive.

The White House hoped the meeting will elevate the issue to help pressure North Korea to end its provocative behavior toward American allies in the region.

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2:18 p.m.

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump is learning about Japanese calligraphy at a Tokyo elementary school.

The first lady visited the school Monday with her Japanese counterpart, Akie Abe. About 300 children welcomed them with a school song. Melania Trump posed for photos, shook hands and slapped high fives with the kids.

In the calligraphy class, she wrote the first Chinese letter of "peace," as Akie Abe wrote the second letter.

Melania Trump is accompanying her husband, President Donald Trump, on his first Asian tour, which kicked off in Japan.

On Sunday, two first ladies learned about the history of pearls at a jewelry shop in downtown Tokyo and had a private dinner with their husbands at a Japanese steak house.

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1:45 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he is making "tremendous progress" in talks with Japan.

Trump spoke before a bilateral meeting Monday with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (shin-zoh AH'-bay). The two held a working lunch earlier in the day. Trump said it was a good meeting, with conversation on trade and North Korea. He cited progress "on trade in particular."

The president says he looks forward to continuing the work and says "friendships" have been built.

Trump kicked off his first Asian tour on Sunday in Japan. He is scheduled to hold a news conference with Abe later Monday.

Abe also said they had an "in-depth" discussion and he looked forward to continuing the conversation.

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12:18 p.m.

Japan's leader is offering his condolences after a mass shooting at a Texas church.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (shin-zoh AH'-bay) said Monday that he would like to express "our sincerest solidarity with the American people at this difficult time." He spoke to reporters ahead of a summit meeting in Tokyo with President Donald Trump.

Authorities say 26 people were killed and about 20 others wounded in the attack in Sutherland Springs.

Abe said that he and Trump would discuss various international issues, starting with North Korea. He said he hopes that the talks will show the world that the U.S.-Japan alliance is solid. He did not take any questions.

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12:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump has been officially welcomed to Japan by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (shin-zoh AH'-bay).

Trump, Abe and their wives stood in a grand plaza outside the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on Monday as the Japanese Self-Defense Forces honor guard played music.

Trump and Abe then walked along red carpets laid out across the cobblestones to approach the military band.

The president and the prime minister introduced each other to their respective delegations before they ventured off together to feed Asian carp fish in a koi pond.

But Trump did not appear amused by the animal feeding. He started out by tossing big handfuls of food pellets at the fish before he emptied the entire box into the pond.

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11:20 a.m.

President Donald Trump is meeting with Japanese Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump called upon Akihito and his wife, Empress Michiko, on Monday morning, their motorcade driving past beautifully manicured pines and deciduous trees bursting with color.

The president nodded at the emperor and shook hands as he arrived. The Trumps were then ushered into a receiving room where they spoke to the imperial family with assistance from translators. Reporters were unable to hear the conversation.

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10 a.m.

President Donald Trump has raised the touchy issue of trade with Japanese business leaders.

Trump says in remarks to business leaders in Tokyo that the U.S. and Japan will have "more trade than anybody ever thought" possible under the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the trade deal, to the dismay of many in the region.

Acknowledging disagreement with that sentiment, Trump says he'll ultimately be proven "to be right."

Trump says the U.S. has also suffered "massive trade deficits" with Japan for many years. He says he hopes to turn that around.

Trump also complained that millions of Japanese cars are sold in the U.S. but that virtually no U.S. cars are sold in Japan.

He says "we'll have to negotiate that out," adding that "we'll do it in a very friendly way."

9:45 a.m.

President Donald Trump is pitching the U.S. to Japanese business leaders, saying he's made it easier for them to get projects approved.

Trump is talking about efforts he's made to roll back regulations. He described the CEOs he addressed at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Tokyo as the "rock stars of business."

Trump says he wants to make the U.S. the most attractive place for local companies to hire, invest and grow.

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8:30 a.m.

President Donald Trump is getting down to business in Tokyo on the second day of his maiden trip to Asia.

Trump opens with a speech Monday to American and Japanese business leaders, then joins first lady Melania Trump for a welcoming ceremony and meeting with Japan's emperor.

In the afternoon, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (shin-zoh AH'-bay) will meet over lunch and with their staffs, and hold a joint news conference.

Trump and Abe spent Sunday together. They played golf and chatted over lunch and dinner.

Trump and his wife are also meeting Monday with the families of North Korean abductees — to put a human face on the North's human rights abuses.

He'll end the day at a state banquet.

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7:45 p.m.

President Donald Trump is stressing his close ties with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The two leaders dined with their wives in Tokyo, as part of Trump's first stop on a 12-day trip through Asia.

Trump says that he and Abe "like each other and our countries like each other." He adds that "I don't think we've ever been closer to Japan than we are right now."

The president adds that they are discussing a number of subjects "including North Korea and trade and other things

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4:45 p.m.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he and U.S. President Donald Trump had a lively conversation over golf.

Abe spoke to reporters after he and Trump had lunch and played golf Sunday. He said that the two leaders were able to talk frankly in a relaxed atmosphere while out on the course.

Abe said he and Trump were able to "carry out in depth discussion, at times touching on various difficult issues."

Their formal talks Monday are expected to focus on North Korea and other regional and bilateral issues.

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4:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump's first trip to Asia began with a round of golf, a custom cap and a hamburger of American beef.

The president got a taste of home as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcomed him to Japan Sunday with a display of friendship that will soon give way to high-stakes diplomacy. The two men have struck up an easy rapport.

The leaders played nine holes of golf at Japan's premiere course.

The low- key start was a prelude to the formal talks planned in Tokyo Monday. Abe will be looking for a united front against North Korea and reassurances that the U.S. will stand by its treaty obligations to defend Japan if attacked.

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Source – abcnews.go.com

AP PHOTOS: Poverty, hardship laid bare amid homeless crisis

Homelessness is not a new issue to America's West Coast. But it's getting worse – much worse.

On any given night, more than 105,000 people are sleeping unsheltered in some of the country's biggest and trendiest metropolises, driven there by soaring housing costs, rental vacancy rates that rival those in Manhattan and a booming tech economy that's leaving thousands behind. Another 63,000 are sleeping in shelters or transitional housing with no safety net.

The rising numbers have pushed abject poverty into the open like never before.

San Diego now scrubs its sidewalks with bleach to counter a deadly hepatitis A outbreak that has spread to other cities and forced California to declare a state of emergency. In Anaheim, home to Disneyland, 400 people sleep along a bike path in the shadow of Angel Stadium. Organizers in Portland, Oregon, lit incense at a recent outdoor food festival to mask the stench of urine in a parking lot where vendors set up shop.

All along the coast, elected officials are scrambling for solutions.

"It's a sea of humanity crashing against services, and services at this point are overwhelmed, literally overwhelmed," said Jeremy Lemoine, who works for a Seattle nonprofit that provides various forms of assistance to the homeless. "It's catastrophic."

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AP Images on Twitter: http://apne.ws/CIFADGp

More AP photo galleries: http://apne.ws/WZn4cJ4

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Source – abcnews.go.com

Policeman testifies that 4 N. Koreans fled after Kim killing

A police officer testified Monday at the trial of two women accused of killing the half brother of North Korea's leader that four suspects at large believed to have plotted with the women were North Koreans who fled Malaysia immediately after the assassination.

Police investigating officer Wan Azirul Nizam Che Wan Aziz also said an employee from North Korea's state-owned carrier, Air Koryo, arranged flight tickets for the four men so they could depart after the attack on Kim Jong Nam was carried out in a crowded budget terminal of the Kuala Lumpur airport last Feb. 13.

Wan Azirul, who earlier identified the four only as Mr. Y, Mr. Chang, Hanamori and James, revealed their full identifies as the trial entered a second month.

The two young women — Siti Aisyah of Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong of Vietnam, who are accused of smearing VX nerve agent onto Kim's face — are the only suspects detained in the brazen assassination of Kim, an outcast from North Korea's ruling family who lived abroad in virtual exile for years. Both women pleaded not guilty at the start of their trial on Oct. 2 to murder charges that carry mandatory death sentences if they are convicted.

Wan Azirul testified Monday that Hanamori, whom he earlier identified as the mastermind of the attack, is Ri Jae Nam, 57, and that Mr. Chang, who was seen in airport security video with Aisyah before the killing, is Hong Song Hak, 34.

Mr. Y, seen in the video with Huong, is Ri Ji Hyon, 33, and the fourth suspect, James, is O Jong Gil, 54, Wan Azirul said.

He said the four men entered Malaysia on different days beginning last Jan. 31.

Interpol put out a red alert for the arrest of the four in March following a request from Malaysian police.

Wan Azirul said three of the men flew off to Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, more than three hours after the attack on Kim, but couldn't remember where the fourth suspect flew to. Police earlier said the four are believed to be back in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang.

Wan Azirul said police found a photo of another North Korean, Ri Ji U, 30, also known as James, in Aisyah's cellphone. But there was no record of this person entering or exiting Malaysia, he told the court.

Earlier in the trial, the court was shown airport security video of the four suspects at large. O Jong Gil was seen checking in at an airport hotel two days before the attack. After the attack, O checked out and was seen at the main airport terminal more than three hours after the other three left on the same flight.

On Monday, Wan Azirul pointed out in the video a North Korean Embassy official and the Air Koryo employee meeting with the four men before they left.

The two women's defense lawyers have said Huong and Aisyah were duped by suspected North Korean agents into believing they were playing a harmless prank for a TV show. Prosecutors contend the women's conduct showed they knew they were handling poison.

Malaysia has never directly accused North Korea, but South Korea's spy agency has claimed the attack was part of a plot by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to kill a brother he reportedly never met. Kim Jong Nam was not known to have actively been seeking influence over his younger brother, but had years earlier spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic rule.

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Source – abcnews.go.com

Saudi arrests of princes consolidates another's power grab

Saudi Arabia's heir to the throne is overseeing an unprecedented wave of arrests of dozens of the country's most powerful princes, military officers, influential businessmen and government ministers — some potential rivals or critics of the crown prince now consolidating his power.

Among those taken into custody overnight Saturday in the purported anti-corruption sweep were billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the world's richest men with extensive holdings in Western companies, as well as two of the late King Abdullah's sons.

The arrest of senior princes upends a longstanding tradition among the ruling Al Saud family to keep their disagreements private in an effort to show strength and unity in the face of Saudi Arabia's many tribes and factions. It also sends a message that the 32-year-old crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has the full backing of his father, King Salman, to carry out sweeping anti-corruption reforms targeting senior royals and their business associates, who have long been seen as operating above the law.

Reports suggested those detained were being held at the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh, which only days earlier hosted a major investment conference that the crown prince attended with global business titans. A Saudi official told The Associated Press that other five-star hotels across the capital were also being used to hold some of those arrested.

The Ritz Carlton had no availability for bookings until Dec. 1, 2017 — a possible sign that an investigation of this scale could take weeks. Marriott International said in a statement that it is currently evaluating the situation at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, but declined to comment further, citing privacy concerns.

A Saudi government official with close ties to security forces said 11 princes and 38 others were being questioned. The official spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The surprise arrests were immediately hailed by pro-government media outlets as the clearest sign yet that Prince Mohammed is keeping his promise to reform the country, wean its economy from its dependence on oil and liberalize some aspects of the ultraconservative society.

The kingdom's top council of clerics issued a public statement overnight saying it is an Islamic duty to fight corruption — essentially giving religious backing to the high-level arrests.

It's unclear if the U.S. had any advance word of the arrests. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner and others made an unannounced trip recently to Riyadh. Earlier on Saturday, Trump said he spoke to King Salman, though the White House readout of that call did not include any reference to the impending arrests.

The Saudi government says the arrests are part of a wider effort to increase transparency, accountability and good governance — key reforms needed to attract greater international investments and appease a Saudi public that has for decades complained of rampant government corruption and misuse of public funds by top officials. Surprise moves reshaping the kingdom, however, are likely to worry investors.

Among those reportedly taken into custody were two sons of the late King Abdullah: Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, who Saturday evening was ousted from his post as head of the prestigious National Guard tasked with protecting the Al Saud family, and Prince Turki bin Abdullah, who was once governor of Riyadh.

Prince Miteb was once considered a contender for the throne, though he has not been thought of recently as a challenger to Prince Mohammed.

Saudi Twitter accounts released several other names of those arrested, including Alwalid al-Ibrahim, a Saudi businessman with ties to the royal family who runs the Arabic satellite group MBC; Amr al-Dabbagh, the former head of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority; Ibrahim Assaf, a former finance minister, and Bakr Binladin, head of the Saudi Binladin Group, a major business conglomerate.

Analysts have suggested the arrest of once-untouchable members of the royal family is a clear sign that the crown prince is sidelining potential rivals for the throne.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-owned, Dubai-based satellite news channel Al-Arabiya reported that a helicopter crash Sunday in the kingdom's south killed Prince Mansour bin Murquin and seven others. Prince Mansour was the son of Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, a former intelligence director and a one-time crown prince of the kingdom. Authorities gave no cause for the crash.

The young Crown Prince Mohammed has risen from near obscurity to become Saudi Arabia's most talked about and powerful prince in less than three years since his father ascended to the throne. The prince's swift rise to power has unnerved more experienced, elder members of the royal family, which has long ruled by consensus, though ultimate decision-making remains with the monarch.

The moves in Saudi Arabia mirror those in China, where President Xi Jinping has used corruption charges "as a battering ram to consolidate his own power and authority," said John Hannah, the senior counselor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, an Iran-skeptic think tank in Washington whose hawkish geopolitical views often coincide with the kingdom's.

Hannah said Prince Mohammed has "latched onto corruption as a way to consolidate his power and remake the regime in his image," purging those who might be resistant.

It is not clear what Prince Alwaleed or the others were being investigated for.

Without naming those arrested, the Attorney General's office said "the suspects are being granted the same rights and treatment as any other Saudi citizen." The statement did not disclose specific details about the investigation, but stressed that no assets have yet been frozen and that individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

A high-level employee at Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's Kingdom Holding Co. told the AP that the royal was among those detained. The senior employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of repercussions, said security bodies informed him of the arrest.

Prince Alwaleed's many investments include Twitter, Apple, Citigroup, and the Four Seasons hotel chain. He is also an investor in ride-sharing services Lyft and Careem. He was once a significant shareholder in Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, but sold much of those shares in 2015.

The prince, pictured sometimes on his 85-meter (278-foot) super-yacht in the Mediterranean, is among the most outspoken Saudi royals and a longtime advocate of women's rights. He is also majority owner of the popular Rotana Group of Arabic channels.

After word of his arrest, his company's stock dropped 7.6 percent in trading Sunday on the Saudi stock exchange.

An earlier crackdown this year on perceived critics of the crown prince included clerics and lesser-known princes.

In July, Prince Mohammed's most formidable challenger to the throne, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, was plucked from the line of succession and ousted from his post as interior minister, overseeing internal security. This laid the groundwork for the king's son to claim the mantle of crown prince.

Prince Mohammed's gambles have not always succeeded . A yearslong war he has overseen as defense minister against Iranian-allied rebels in Yemen has not made the kingdom safer.

As news was unfolding about the anti-corruption probe, Saudi Arabia said late Saturday it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen at Riyadh International Airport, on the outskirts of the capital.

"The dismissals and detentions suggest that Prince Mohammed rather than forging alliances is extending his iron grip to the ruling family, the military, and the national guard to counter what appears to be more widespread opposition within the family as well as the military to his reforms and the Yemen war," James M. Dorsey, a Gulf specialist and senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said in an analysis of the shake-up.

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Associated Press writer Abdullah al-Shihri reported this story in Riyadh and AP writer Aya Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. AP writers Jon Gambrell and Fay Abuelgasim in Dubai, Jonathan Lemire aboard Air Force One and Maggie Michael in Cairo contributed to this report.

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Source – abcnews.go.com