S'pore President pays tribute to late Viet leader

SINGAPORE • President Halimah Yacob has paid tribute to former Vietnamese president Le Duc Anh for his contributions to Singapore-Vietnam relations.

In her letter to her Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Phu Trong on Friday which conveyed her condolences on the passing of Mr Anh, President Halimah said the former leader played an important role in deepening bilateral relations between Singapore and Vietnam.

"His presidency took place at a time when relations between our two countries were growing rapidly. This included the establishment of the first Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park in 1996, which has now become a flagship of our bilateral ties," she said.

"Singapore has lost a close friend. Please accept my sincere and deepest condolences during this time of sorrow."

Mr Anh, 99, died late on Monday "following a long illness", the government and state media announced a day later. Born in 1920, the former general led the invasion of Cambodia which led to the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime.

He was Vietnam's president between 1992 and 1997.

Biden raises more funds on Day 1 than rivals

WASHINGTON • Mr Joe Biden raked in US$6.3 million (S$8.6 million) in the 24 hours since launching his 2020 presidential bid, his campaign has said, outpacing Day 1 fund raising of all other Democrats.

Online donations on Friday to the former vice-president, already considered the front runner among the Democrats seeking to challenge President Donald Trump, averaged US$41. Sixty-one per cent of the total money raised came from new donors who were not on earlier Biden e-mail lists.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Idlib assault impractical - for now, says Putin

BEIJING • Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday he did not rule out Syrian forces, backed by Russian air power, launching a full-scale assault on militants in Syria's Idlib province, but that such an operation was impractical for now.

Russia, one of the Syrian government's staunchest allies, and Turkey, brokered a deal in September to create a demilitarised zone in the north-western Idlib region that would be free of all heavy weapons and militant fighters.

REUTERS