INDIA CLEARS $3.2 BILLION PURCHASE OF NAVAL CHOPPERS
NEW DELHI: India will purchase more than 100-armed helicopters for its navy to replace its outdated French- designed fleet in a military deal worth $3.2 billion, an official said Wednesday. The defense acquisition council approved funding for the purchase of 111 multi-utility helicopters for attack missions, search and rescue, surveillance operations and medical evacuation. A spokesman for the Indian navy said on Twitter the new aircraft were a huge step toward addressing a “critical void of helicopters” for the naval fleet, which currently uses the French- designed Chetak model. The government will identify a foreign military hardware company and a local defense firm to develop the helicopters in a joint partnership. India, the world’s largest defense importer, wants to build more of its hardware in country.
MALAYSIA PROBES LEAK OF 46M PHONE USERS’ DATA
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is investigating an attempt to sell details of more than 46 million mobile phone subscribers that were leaked online in a massive data breach, a minister said Wednesday. The breach was originally reported by local technology website net after unidentified individuals offered the phone data, from several telecoms companies, and other personal information for sale on a public forum on the site. Communications Minister Salleh Said Keruak said police and the country’s internet regulator were looking into the case. “We have identified several potential sources of the leak and we should be able to complete the probe soon,” he told reporters in parliament. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, the internet regulator, has met telecoms companies to discuss the issue. Lowyat.net removed the leaked data after getting a tip-off in mid-October. The data was from 46.2 million phone subscribers and included addresses and identity card numbers.
SKOREA PROSECUTORS SEEK 10 YEARS’ JAIL FOR LOTTE FOUNDER
SEOUL: South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday demanded a 10-year jail term for the aged founder of embattled retail giant Lotte Group for breach of duty and tax evasion. Shin Kyuk-Ho founded the group in Tokyo in 1949, before building it into a sprawling giant that today has dozens of units focused on food, retail and hotel businesses in South Korea and Japan. But the 94-year- old was charged with paying millions of dollars in “wages” to relatives who made little contribution to the management, or awarding lucrative deals to his mistress. Shin eventually caused the group losses of 77.8 billion won ($69.7 million), prosecutors said, adding he also secretly gave fortunes to relatives without paying taxes. Prosecutors also demanded he be fined 300 billion won. “He needs to be held accountable harshly even considering his health and age, given the nature of the crime and the scale of financial losses he caused,” prosecutors said in a statement.
HAMAS HANDS OVER BORDER CROSSINGS TO PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
RAFAH, Palestinian Territories: Hamas handed over control of the Gaza Strip’s borders with Egypt and Israel to the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday in the first key test of a landmark Palestinian reconciliation accord agreed last month. Nazmi Muhanna, the Palestinian Authority’s top official for border crossings, formally received control of the Rafah crossing with Egypt from his Hamas counterpart in a ceremony Wednesday morning. At a separate checkpoint with Israel, an Agence France-Presse photographer saw Hamas installations being dismantled. Palestinian Authority and Hamas officials were also there overseeing the handover. At the Rafah crossing, Palestinian and Egyptian flags were flying, with large pictures of Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas and Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Mufeed al-Husayna, a Palestinian Authority minister, gave a short speech at the crossing, saying all the border crossings were being handed over.