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Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Anwar: Those selling state secrets will face the full force of the law
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reaffirmed the government's firm stance on national security, stressing that there will be no compromise, particularly in cases involving intelligence leaks. He also assured that a comprehensive investigation will be conducted into the alleged leaks. Anwar said that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has been granted full authority to investigate several high-profile cases, including alleged abuse of power within the intelligence agency accused of selling state secrets for personal gain. 'If there are groups, akin to cartels, profiting by selling confidential information, this is a grave matter for the nation. Let a preliminary investigation be carried out. I have already briefed the Royal Malaysian Air Force chief and the relevant parties, including the Intelligence Division director. 'I am awaiting the initial report, but we will not cover up anything. If we begin compromising on breaches within our intelligence apparatus, it would be disastrous for the country,' Anwar said during Minister's Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today. He said this in reply to Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) who wanted to know the government's next course of action following recent national security incidents, including leaked defence operations and a case involving the son of former Economy Minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli. On August 14, MACC remanded 10 individuals, including five senior officers of the Malaysian Armed Forces and two news portal journalists, believed to be involved in a smuggling syndicate operating in the southern region of the country. Commenting further, Anwar stressed that the MADANI Government should not be blamed for the emergence of such cases, as it has adopted a strict zero-tolerance approach toward corruption, especially within entrusted government machinery. He said that preliminary investigations had identified the case as far back as 2020, but it only came to light this year after MACC was granted full access to investigate. He also warned against politicising the matter. 'I want to stress — don't point fingers at us, because this started long before our time, and no action was taken back then. 'There were cases where certain people managed to amass why we are reviewing and investigating it. If there is a case, there will be prosecution. When it comes to major scandals like this, please do not try to defend them. These are not minor issues,' he said. The Prime Minister also assured that no one will be protected if found guilty of misconduct, including those involved in the case linked to Rafizi's son, Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir, or high-profile corruption cases in Sabah. — Bernama
Forbes
11-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Daniel Dae Kim On His Spy Thriller ‘Butterfly,' K-Dramas And Karaoke
The glossy well-constructed spy thriller Butterfly is the story of a secret operative who risks his life to return to Seoul. It's also a story about a father and daughter who need to resolve the pain caused by his absence. Daniel Dae Kim plays David Jung, a highly skilled secret agent, long thought to be dead. During his extended absence his daughter became an asset for the intelligence agency that he co-founded, an agency that has since turned against him. She's a coldblooded killer and he wants to rescue her. She might be so angry to learn that her father's alive, she may want to kill him. It wasn't just the thriller's rapid fire action scenes that led Kim to both star in and produce Butterfly. It was also the dangerous dynamic between Jung and his daughter Rebecca, played by Reina Hardesty (The Flash, It's What's Inside). Their relationship definitely needs mending. 'I'm a dad myself," said Kim. "I know that parents can sometimes make very big mistakes with the best of intentions and I'm interested in playing and watching people who are flawed, not your perfect hero. Every character in our show has made mistakes and everyone is seeking some kind of forgiveness or reconciliation. Whether the audience chooses to give it or not is the question I'm interested in seeing gets answered. That attracted me to the piece. I also love this idea of bringing together Korean culture and American culture because they both reflect two sides of who I am.' The international cast includes Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly), Louis Landau (Surprised by Oxford), Charles Parnell (Top Gun Maverick) and Sean Dulake (Dramaworld), but also features Korean drama and film stars Kim Tae-hee (Hi, Bye Mama), Kim Ji-hoon (Death's Game), Park Hae-soo (Prison Playbook), Sung Dong-il (Reply 1988) and Lee Il-hwa (Reply 1988). 'The idea that I could have a cast full of Korean stars, as well as well-known American actors and put them in a story that is authentic to who I am, it was really a gift,' said Kim. The American actor and producer is known for his roles in television and theater, having played Jin Soo Kwon on Lost, which might be the first time any character spoke Korean on a U.S. television series. He played Chin Ho Kelly on Hawaii Five-0, and executive produced the U.S. version of the k-drama The Good Doctor. Kim also voiced characters in animated films including Raya and the Last Dragon, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and most recently Healer Han in the hit movie KPop Demon Hunters. He has long been a fan of Korean dramas 'Most of the Korean actors that joined our show I was a fan of before they came on board," said Kim. 'My favorite k-drama of all time is Reply 1988. Kim Tae-hee is a legend in Korea. Kim Ji-hoon is an up and comer. I am so excited to be able to bring them to a new audience for people who haven't seen their work. And I'm equally excited for people to see Korea in the way that we try and show it to them—with respect, authentically, and a little bit of a personal view from my perspective.' Despite the many dramatic action scenes, Butterfly takes time to celebrate Korean cuisine. Kim's character turns to brewing the traditional Korean liquor makgeolli after his departure from the espionage world. There are a few food scenes reminiscent of the amount of time that k-dramas spend focusing on food. 'Korean cuisine is unsurprisingly some of my favorite in the world," said Kim. "I wanted to shine a light on all the richness of the different kinds of food we have and drink we have. When I grew up and my friends would come to my house as a kid, they would smell kimchi and go, what the heck died in here? I remember feeling embarrassed about that and a little ashamed about something that I ate every day. So, how nice is it now to say the word kimchi and know that everyone, every non-Korean, knows what it is? Not only do they know what it is, they're like, oh, I love it. It's so flavorful and it has probiotic qualities. It's just a shift in the way that Asian cultures are viewed now. I'm so happy to see that in my lifetime.' His favorite scene in Butterfly involves David Jung and Rebecca drinking makgeolli. 'He ends up singing her that lullaby," said Kim. 'I like that scene a lot because you not only get to see what their relationship dynamic is, but you also see a little bit of betrayal. You see the resentment that results from it in the fight afterwards and there's a bit of a confessional at the end of it. In some ways, that scene is a microcosm of our first season. If you buy into that scene then I believe you buy into the rest of the season.' It's not the only time David Jung sings in Butterfly. He starts the series singing karaoke in a crowded room. He's a little off key, but everyone is drunk and doesn't mind. His character isn't drunk because he's there with an ulterior motive. Kim actually likes singing karaoke and enjoys belting out the song he sings in the series, 'Mr. Brightside' by The Killers. 'That's a good song,' said Kim. 'That's a fun song to sing. I also like the Backstreet Boys. 'I Want It That Way' is a fun song to sing. I like songs where everyone just feels like they want to chime in, so that it becomes an impromptu group singing, and that's when it feels the most fun for me." Butterfly was adapted from a graphic novel of the same name, but it wasn't originally set in Seoul, as the TV version is. 'It was actually set in Virginia and in Europe with white characters," said Kim. "But when it was brought to me as a potential project to do, I asked the author of the book and the publisher whether or not they'd be open to changing it to Asian people or Asian Americans and set it in Korea. Thankfully, they were open to that.' Adapting a graphic novel is always a challenge. A graphic novel provides lots of visual cues, but everything doesn't easily translate to the screen. 'There's always a question as to how much we should take from the original source material versus how much liberty we should be taking," said Kim. "Thankfully the writer and the comic book company were very collaborative. Steven Christy, the head of Boom, is one of our executive producers. We were in touch with them regularly about the development process and I really like the balance we were able to find between respect for the original and originality.' A drama with espionage agents naturally requires a lot of action scenes and this one is no exception. David Jung is pursued by legions of agents, including a ruthless tatttooed killer, played by Kim Ji-hoon. Daniel Dae Kim continues to do as many of his own action scenes as he can because he enjoys them. 'The older I get, the harder they get, but they're as much fun, if not more than before," said Kim. "Not many people like to do action. I do. I find that it actually helps my scene work as an actor because it activates me, it grounds me into the work. So, I'll keep doing action scenes as long as the insurance companies will let me.' Filming in Seoul was a different experience, but a rewarding one. 'There is a slightly different philosophy toward when it comes to how the actors work behind the scenes, makeup and hair and trailers and all the mechanics of those kinds of things,' said Kim. 'But one thing that we have in common is the desire to really delve into storytelling. I was not surprised, but encouraged to see that every one of our actors really cared about their characters. They weren't just doing it for a paycheck. It led to some really in-depth discussions about relationships and beats and scenes, and it was really heartening to know that that artistry transcends national boundaries.' Butterfly airs on Prime starting on August. 13.
Washington Post
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Trump's immigration crackdown unnerves Cuban exiles long shielded from deportation
MIAMI — Immigration officials said Tomás Hernández worked in high-level posts for Cuba's foreign intelligence agency for decades before migrating to the United States to pursue the American dream. The 71-year-old was detained by federal agents outside his Miami-area home in March and accused of hiding his ties to Cuba's Communist Party when he obtained permanent residency.
NHK
19-05-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Ukraine: Russia plans ICBM launch on Monday night
Ukraine says Russia plans to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a training warhead on Monday night. The Ukrainian defense ministry's intelligence agency disclosed the information on social media on Sunday. It said Russia intends to conduct the launch from a complex in the central region of Sverdlovsk. It also said the missile's flight range exceeds 10,000 kilometers. The agency added that the launch is meant to "demonstratively pressure and intimidate" Ukraine, as well as EU and NATO member states. The agency did not mention other details, including a possible target of the missile.
Globe and Mail
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Canada needs a foreign human intelligence service
Thomas Juneau is a professor with the University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Vincent Rigby is a former national security and intelligence adviser to the prime minister and the Slater Family Professor of Practice with McGill University's Max Bell School of Public Policy. Stephanie Carvin is an associate professor with Carleton University's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. For decades, a small circle of government officials and academics have periodically debated whether Canada should establish a foreign human intelligence service. Proponents have argued that, as the only G7 member state without such a body, Canada needs to set up its own version of an American CIA or British MI6. Opponents have responded that Canada's secure position in North America and the important benefits it already derives from intelligence partnerships, such as the Five Eyes, have made the many challenges of creating a separate foreign intelligence agency unnecessary. It is time to revisit this debate. It must be acknowledged at the outset that these discussions have often been based on a false premise, i.e., that Canada does not already collect foreign intelligence. In fact, the Canadian Armed Forces do so during overseas operations, while the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) possesses a robust signals-intelligence collection program. In addition, Global Affairs Canada gathers information related to our foreign interests through its Global Security Reporting Program, while the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) collects foreign intelligence within Canada under limited circumstances and can collect security intelligence overseas. And contrary to arguments that Canada's intelligence programs are derided by our allies, our capabilities are in fact widely respected, notably with respect to cyber operations and watching over the Arctic. But now is the time to step up these efforts. To begin with, the United States is not, and is unlikely to be for the foreseeable future, a reliable ally. Recent American actions toward Canada have been hostile, and there is no guarantee that Washington will continue sharing intelligence as it has in the past. Beyond North America, a revanchist Russia, an ascendant China, and a proliferation of conflicts, from the Middle East to the Caribbean to Africa, also directly threaten Canadian interests. The slow crumbling of Canadian democracy Given this deteriorating environment, exacerbated by a predatory United States, we believe that Prime Minister Mark Carney should take two steps: create a foreign human intelligence service, and enhance current intelligence capabilities as an interim step. To be clear, any such service will fall short of being a 'Canadian CIA,' a level of ambition that is neither feasible nor desirable. But even a small agency would allow Canada to collect a greater volume of information from human sources abroad on matters vital to its interests. It would allow policy-makers to better understand the intentions and capabilities of a growing number of adversaries and take more effective action in response. It would focus on states, non-state actors such as terrorists and drug cartels, and also 'over-the-horizon' transnational threats such as pandemics and climate change. Establishing such a service will be no easy task, and will involve significant government machinery. It will come with a steep financial cost. It will require the poaching of highly specialized skills from other departments and agencies. It will raise multiple political, legal and moral issues. And it will take time – likely five to 10 years. The government will need to ensure that it proceeds carefully and deliberately, bases all its decisions on solid evidence and consults Canadians. That is why, in the meantime, Mr. Carney should significantly enhance Canada's collection and analysis of foreign intelligence. This could include providing greater resources to CSIS, the CSE, Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces to do more intelligence gathering and assessment abroad. It could also mean strengthening open-source intelligence capabilities throughout the national security community, as recommended by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue in her recent report on foreign interference. And Canada should diversify and deepen its partnerships outside the Five Eyes, particularly in Europe (including with France, Germany, and the Nordic countries) and in the Indo-Pacific (notably Japan and South Korea). These two steps, taken in tandem, will bring important benefits to Canada: greater strategic autonomy, greater support for our national security, including our foreign and defence policies and, above all, greater protection for Canadians. It will also enhance Canada's standing with its intelligence partners and, as a result, secure even more co-operation from them. Recent events demonstrate that Canada must do more to strengthen its security and prosperity and protect its values. These efforts will come in many shapes and sizes, but all should be aimed at making Canada more resilient and independent. Creating a foreign human intelligence service should be a top priority for the government as it embarks on this vital journey to build a Canada fit-for-purpose in the 21st century.
