Huge crowd at South Korea fireworks amid safety concern after deadly 2022 crush

seoul, south korea — A large fireworks festival in South Korea drew a massive crowd Saturday, snarling traffic through its busy capital, prompting police to deploy 2,400 officers and sending hotel room rates above $7,400.

The popular annual event has taken on a serious public safety dimension as memory is still fresh of a Halloween night disaster two years ago that killed 159 mostly young people in a crush of crowd packed in a dense entertainment district.

Many of the more than 1 million spectators who were expected to watch the 90-minute show were camping out since midnight to secure a spot with a view of the event scheduled to start at 7:20 p.m. (1020 GMT) over the Han River that runs through Seoul.

Oh Soo-taek, 64, who said he has been coming to the festival with his wife for three years, found the place already crowded when they got there at 2 p.m. but said it was exciting to be part of an event bringing so many families and friends together.

“We had that big accident two years ago so it’s so good to see the organizers and the police and everyone helping each other and keeping order.”

Many restaurants, bars and hotel rooms on Yeouido island on the river and on its banks with a view of the fireworks by teams from Japan, South Korea and the United States had been booked days ahead.

High-floor suites at one luxury hotel on Yeouido were sold out Saturday at nearly double the normal rate, despite the less than perfect view of the fireworks they offered, a reservation official said.

The event is hosted by the Hanwha conglomerate, which has grown from a dynamite maker to a global defense contractor. Its team participates in a fireworks performance as part of the festival.

Authorities took no chances on security, as spectators poured into an area the size of several city blocks on and near Yeouido, the country’s main financial center and a dense commercial and residential district.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo directed police, emergency services and the safety and health ministries to be on full alert with a focus on crowd control and also asked for spectator cooperation to ensure order.

The precaution comes as the country still grapples with the 2022 Halloween disaster in Seoul’s Itaewon nightlife district blamed on failed crowd control.

On Monday, the police chief of that district was convicted of negligence and sentenced to three years in prison in the first such verdict against a senior public official over the disaster.

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South Korea adoptees endure emotional searches for their birth families

SEOUL, South Korea — They began a pilgrimage that thousands before them have done. They boarded long flights to their motherland, South Korea, to undertake an emotional, often frustrating, sometimes devastating search for their birth families.

These adoptees are among the 200,000 sent from South Korea to Western nations as children. Many have grown up, searched for their origin story and discovered that their adoption paperwork was inaccurate or fabricated. They have only breadcrumbs to go on: grainy baby photos, names of orphanages and adoption agencies, the towns where they were said to have been abandoned. They don’t speak the language. They’re unfamiliar with the culture. Some never learn their truth.

“I want my mother to know I’m OK and that her sacrifice was not in vain,” says Kenneth Barthel, adopted in 1979 at 6 years old to Hawaii.

He hung flyers all over Busan, where his mother abandoned him at a restaurant. She ordered him soup, went to the bathroom and never returned. Police found him wandering the streets and took him to an orphanage. He didn’t think much about finding his birth family until he had his own son, imagined himself as a boy and yearned to understand where he came from.

He has visited South Korea four times, without any luck. He says he’ll keep coming back, and tears rolled down his cheeks.

Some who make this trip learn things about themselves they’d thought were lost forever.

In a small office at the Stars of the Sea orphanage in Incheon, South Korea, Maja Andersen sat holding Sister Christina Ahn’s hands. Her eyes grew moist as the sister translated the few details available about her early life at the orphanage.

She had loved being hugged, the orphanage documents said, and had sparkling eyes.

“Thank you so much, thank you so much,” Andersen repeated in a trembling voice. There was comfort in that — she had been hugged, she had smiled.

She’d come here searching for her family.

“I just want to tell them I had a good life and I’m doing well,” Andersen said to Sister Ahn.

Andersen had been admitted to the facility as a malnourished baby and was adopted at 7 months old to a family in Denmark, according to the documents. She says she’s grateful for the love her adoptive family gave her, but has developed an unshakable need to know where she came from. She visited this orphanage, city hall and a police station, but found no new clues about her birth family.

Still she remains hopeful, and plans to return to South Korea to keep trying. She posted a flyer on the wall of a police station not far from the orphanage, just above another left by an adoptee also searching for his roots.

Korean adoptees have organized, and now they help those coming along behind them. Nonprofit groups conduct DNA testing. Sympathetic residents, police officers and city workers of the towns where they once lived often try to assist them. Sometimes adoption agencies are able to track down birth families.

Nearly four decades after her adoption to the U.S., Nicole Motta in May sat across the table from a 70-year-old man her adoption agency had identified as her birth father. She typed “thanks for meeting me today” into a translation program on her phone to show him. A social worker placed hair samples into plastic bags for DNA testing.

But the moment they hugged, Motta, adopted to the United States in 1985, didn’t need the results — she knew she’d come from this man.

“I am a sinner for not finding you,” he said.

Motta’s adoption documents say her father was away for work for long stretches and his wife struggled to raise three children alone. He told her she was gone when he came back from one trip, and claimed his brother gave her away. He hasn’t spoken to the brother since, he said, and never knew she was adopted abroad.

Motta’s adoption file leaves it unclear whether the brother had a role in her adoption. It says she was under the care of unspecified neighbors before being sent to an orphanage that referred her to an adoption agency, which sent her abroad in 1985.

She studied his face. She wondered if she looks like her siblings or her mother, who has since died.

“I think I have your nose,” Motta said softly.

They both sobbed.

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Philippines condemns China attack of Vietnamese fishermen

manila, philippines — The Philippines on Friday denounced China ‘s alleged assault of Vietnamese fishermen in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing are also locked in violent confrontations that have led to fears of armed conflict.

Vietnam has accused “Chinese law enforcement forces” of beating the 10 fishermen with iron bars and robbing them Sunday of thousands of dollars’ worth of fish and equipment off the Paracel Islands.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson acknowledged an incident took place there but disputed the Vietnamese version of the events.

China and Vietnam both claim the Paracel Islands, but the Philippines does not.

“We strongly condemn the violent and illegal actions of Chinese maritime authorities against Vietnamese fishermen near the Paracel Islands on September 29, 2024,” Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said in a statement.

He described the “unjustified assault” as an “alarming act with no place in international relations.”

The Philippine foreign department also issued a statement Friday saying it was aware of the “serious incident.”

“The Philippines has consistently denounced the use of force, aggression and intimidation in the South China Sea, and emphasized the need for actors to exercise genuine self-restraint,” it said.

“It is a paramount obligation to ensure the safety at sea of vessels and their crew, especially fisherfolk.”

The incident came just over three months after Chinese law enforcement personnel armed with knives, sticks and an axe attacked Filipino troops attempting to resupply a Philippine garrison on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly archipelago.

The Chinese seized guns and other equipment and damaged Philippine boats, while a Filipino sailor lost a thumb in the June 17 melee.

Chinese coast guard and other vessels have in recent months also rammed, water-cannoned and blocked Philippine government vessels on several occasions around Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal in the Spratlys, as well as Scarborough Shoal in another area of the sea.

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea and has for years sought to expand its presence in contested areas there, brushing aside an international ruling that its claim to most of the waterway has no legal basis.

It has built artificial islands armed with missile systems and runways for fighter jets, and deployed vessels that the Philippines says harass its ships and block its fishermen.

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Nuclear stalemate sparks debate over information campaign aimed at North Korea

Washington — As a nuclear standoff between the United States and North Korea continues with no diplomatic off-ramp in sight, some experts in Washington say an information campaign aimed at pressing North Korea should be considered as an alternative strategy, while others caution against such an approach.

The discussion comes as the North escalates tensions while the U.N. Security Council remains split over how to respond to Pyongyang’s increasing threats.

Kim Song, North Korea’s U.N. ambassador, told the U.N. General Assembly on Monday his country will resolutely hold onto its nuclear weapons, saying “we will never bargain,” regardless of who gets elected as the next U.S. president in November.

Last month, North Korea’s state media outlets released photos showing leader Kim Jong Un visiting what they claimed to be a uranium enrichment facility, another move against international calls to resume talks on denuclearization. It was the first time it had disclosed a uranium enrichment facility publicly.

Nuclear standoff

Talks between the U.S. and North Korea have been stalled since October 2019.

Moreover, Russia, one of five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council with veto power, has blocked U.N. action against the North since February 2022, when it invaded Ukraine. Moscow has deepened military ties with Pyongyang since it started the war.

Russia has imported dozens of ballistic missiles and more than 18,000 containers of munitions and munitions-related materiel from North Korea since its invasion of Ukraine, Robert Wood, deputy U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said at a U.N. Security Council meeting in September.

Some experts suggest Washington consider launching an information campaign against Pyongyang, separate from the work of Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, U.S. government-funded broadcasters. The two networks reach people inside North Korea through their Korean language broadcasts.

David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy, said Washington policymakers have long neglected an information campaign aimed at North Korea as a viable strategy for pressing Pyongyang to change its provocative behavior.

“We really haven’t had an overall information strategy that cuts across everything that is happening,” Maxwell told VOA Korean on Tuesday in an interview.

Maxwell, a former U.S. Special Forces colonel who served on the Combined Forces Command of the U.S and South Korea, said information is a threat to Pyongyang and could possibly drive the North Korean leader to the negotiating table.

The U.S. should respond to every North Korean provocation by actively informing North Korean people of their dire human rights situations, Maxwell argued.

“If North Korea conducts a missile test, the response should not just stop at condemning the act,” he said. “Kim’s deliberate decision to prioritize nuclear weapons and missiles is what is causing the suffering of the Korean people in the North. That should be a routine message that we should be sending in response to every action by North Korea.”

Targeted information campaign

Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corporation, said information could be part of the targeted efforts to put pressure on the Kim regime.

“We could tell Kim Jong Un, look, we know you’re preparing to do a seventh nuclear weapon test. If you do that, we will send a million USB drives into the Pyongyang area with K-Pop, K-dramas and messages to your senior leaders,” he told VOA Korean by phone on Tuesday.

Bennett stressed it is time that the U.S. government renews its understanding that information can be a powerful tool.

“You go back to World War II, we viewed information as being very powerful,” he said. “But we’ve lost sight of that.”

Bennett added that the U.S. government should mobilize its experts in psychological operations to put together an effective campaign plan.

Some are cautious about using information tactics against North Korea.

Robert Rapson, who served as chargé d’affaires and deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul from 2018 to 2021, told VOA Korean on Wednesday via email that an information campaign may complement sanctions and effective diplomacy, but risks could follow.

“Turning the volume and intensity of the information campaign way up, as some are now advocating, runs the clear risk of escalating tensions across the demilitarized zone in ways that threaten peace and stability, to include the distinct possibility of war,” Rapson said. “The regime would undoubtedly see a high intensity information campaign as a major provocation of existential dimensions and would respond accordingly.”

Rapson also said significant qualitative improvements are needed in dissemination technology as well as message focus and content, for an enhanced information campaign to have any chance of success, however long-term that might be.

Potential risks

Joseph DeTrani, who served as the special envoy for six-party denuclearization talks with North Korea from 2003 to 2006, said implementing such an approach would prove challenging but is “doable.”

“The North Korean regime fears exposing its people to the reality of the outside world — the real situation in South Korea and other countries as compared to the dire economic and health care situation in North Korea,” DeTrani told VOA Korean on Wednesday via email. “Mindful of this, inserting truthful information into North Korea must be done with care, given the harsh treatment by the regime to those who dare to listen or read foreign broadcasts, videos, newspapers, etc.”

Meanwhile, Maxwell said the end goal of the information strategy should be to empower the North Korean people with information.

“Only through information can the people be empowered to create conditions where new emerging leadership can come to power,” he said. “So that, they change the direction of North Korea and ultimately, their leaders.”

The U.S. State Department has stressed the need for an effort to facilitate the flow of independent information into North Korea when asked whether the U.S. should consider using information as a pressure tool against the North.

“An informed citizenry, with unfettered access to information, is critical for responsive governance and contributes to regional peace, security, and prosperity,” a State Department spokesperson said in an emailed response on Thursday to a VOA Korean inquiry. “The United States will continue to coordinate with like-minded governments to cooperate on areas such as access to information and advancing accountability for those responsible for human rights violations and abuses in the DPRK.”

DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name. 

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Dozens of zoo tigers die after contracting bird flu in southern Vietnam

HANOI, Vietnam — More than a dozen tigers were incinerated after the animals died after contracted bird flu at a zoo in southern Vietnam, officials said.

State media VNExpress cited a caretaker at Vuon Xoai zoo in Bien Hoa city saying the animals were fed raw chicken bought from nearby farms. The panther and 20 tigers, including several cubs, weighed between 10 and 120 kilograms when they died. The bodies were incinerated and buried on the premises.

“The tigers died so fast. They looked weak, refused to eat and died after two days of falling sick,” said zoo manager Nguyen Ba Phuc.

Samples taken from the tigers tested positive for H5N1, the virus that causes bird flu.

The virus was first identified in 1959 and grew into a widespread and highly lethal menace to migratory birds and domesticated poultry. It has since evolved, and in recent years H5N1 was detected in a growing number of animals ranging from dogs and cats to sea lions and polar bears.

In cats, scientists have found the virus attacking the brain, damaging and clotting blood vessels and causing seizures and death.

More than 20 other tigers were isolated for monitoring. The zoo houses some 3,000 other animals including lions, bears, rhinos, hippos and giraffes.

The 30 staff members who were taking care of the tigers tested negative for bird flu and were in normal health condition, VNExpress reported. Another outbreak also occurred at a zoo in nearby Long An province, where 27 tigers and three lions died within a week in September, the newspaper said.

Unusual flu strains that come from animals are occasionally found in people. Health officials in the United States said Thursday that two dairy workers in California were infected — making 16 total cases detected in the country in 2024.

“The deaths of 47 tigers, three lions, and a panther at My Quynh Safari and Vuon Xoai Zoo amid Vietnam’s bird flu outbreak are tragic and highlight the risks of keeping wild animals in captivity,” PETA Senior Vice President Jason Baker said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.

“The exploitation of wild animals also puts global human health at risk by increasing the likelihood of another pandemic,” Baker said.

Bird flu has caused hundreds of deaths around the world, the vast majority of them involving direct contact between people and infected birds.

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Work and travel resume across Taiwan after Typhoon Krathon dissipates

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — Work, classes and flights resumed across Taiwan on Friday after Typhoon Krathon brought torrential rainfall to the island but finally dissipated over a mountain range.

A heavy rain advisory remained in place for the northern coast and mountainous areas, where two landslides occurred early Friday.

Krathon had brought much of the island to a standstill for three days but weakened to a tropical depression early Friday. Its center moved back over the sea after making a “U-turn” across the island’s southwestern tip overnight.

Schools and businesses reopened with the exception of the city of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, and some parts of Hualien County and New Taipei. Domestic flights, which had been grounded for two days, resumed.

Krathon lashed Kaohsiung with winds up to 126 kph and higher gusts. It felled trees and flooded roads. Heavy rains and flooding also occurred along Taiwan’s southern and eastern coasts. Mountainous Taitung County saw 171 centimeters of rain over six days.

Two people died earlier in the week and one person remained missing, according to Taiwan’s fire department. The missing person was swept off a bridge.

Authorities had expected Krathon to bring devastation comparable to a major typhoon that swept Kaohsiung in 1977, causing 37 deaths.

But it lost steam shortly after making landfall in Kaohsiung and reaching the mountains northeast of the city, according to the Central Weather Administration.

Krathon was one of only two typhoons in recent history to “die” over Taiwan, beside Typhoon Trami, in 2001, the weather agency said.

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In the Fast Lane: Chinese car imports grow in South Africa

While China and the West have been pushing for more electric vehicles on the road, gas-powered cars still dominate in Africa. Chinese automakers are tapping into the South African car market, the largest on the continent, with prices so attractive that dealers say existing brands risk being pushed to the curb. Kate Bartlett has the details from Johannesburg.

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Beijing tests regional resolve in South China Sea amid Middle East conflict

Taipei, Taiwan — As the United States and other like-minded countries hold joint military exercises in the South China Sea, Chinese vessels have been aggressively asserting Beijing’s territorial claims in the hotly contested waterway, testing the resolve of the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Last week on September 26, China used two missile boats and a high-intensity laser to disrupt an attempt by the Philippines to deliver supplies to local fishermen posted near the Half Moon Shoal, an atoll that lies within Manila’s Exclusive Economic Zone, or EEZ.

On Sunday, Chinese law enforcement reportedly attacked Vietnamese fishermen with iron pipes, confiscating fishing equipment near the Paracel Islands. 

And a new report by the Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative released Tuesday highlighted how the Chinese coast guard vessels have been operating “like clockwork” this year in waters claimed by Malaysia as the resource-rich country tries to expand oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea.

On Thursday, The Washington Post also reported that Chinese vessels have been disrupting the repair and construction of subsea cables running under the South China Sea. 

China emboldened

Analysts say these actions suggest Beijing is attempting to test regional countries’ resolves to safeguard their territorial claims at a time when the United States is fixated on the conflict in the Middle East.

“The serious crisis in the Middle East has emboldened China and allowed them to test the Americans further in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Collin Koh, a maritime security expert at the Singapore-based S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

He added that Beijing is using physical actions and lawfare to try to change the situation in the South China Sea “altogether.”

The Philippines has characterized Beijing’s harassment of its vessels as “irresponsible, dangerous, and provocative,” while Hanoi said the attack on the Vietnamese fishermen violated its sovereignty and international law. 

China’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request from VOA regarding the harassment of Philippine vessels.

Commenting on the attack on the fishermen, Beijing claims Chinese law enforcement forces were stopping Vietnamese fishermen from illegally fishing near the Paracel Islands, which China calls Xisha. The islands are an equal distance from China and Vietnam, but Beijing has maintained de facto control of the islands since it seized them in 1974 after a clash with Vietnamese forces.

In recent years, Beijing has reclaimed land and established military installations in the Paracel Islands, including an airstrip and artificial harbor.

New front

Koh told VOA that the incident near Half Moon Shoal, which comes after Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels collided twice near the disputed Sabina Shoal since August, shows Beijing may be “opening a new front” against Manila.

“The Philippines wants to apply the provisional agreement that they have reached with China over Second Thomas Shoal in July to the other contested reefs in the South China Sea, but I don’t think the Chinese are keen to expand the agreement throughout the region,” he said in a phone interview.

While the United States and other countries, including Australia, Japan and New Zealand, have been conducting more joint patrols in the South China Sea to counter China’s aggression, experts say that appears to have done little to thwart Beijing’s ability to challenge its neighbors in the region.

“There needs to be more concrete minilateral cooperation between regional countries like Vietnam and the Philippines, including joint military exercises, expansion of maritime domain awareness activities or search and rescue drills,” Stephen Nagy, a regional security expert at the International Christian University in Japan, told VOA by phone.

In January, Vietnam and the Philippines signed an agreement aimed at boosting cooperation between their coast guard forces to prevent incidents in the South China Sea. Then in August, Manila and Hanoi held their first joint coast guard drill, focusing on firefighting, rescue and medical response in Manila Bay.

In addition to bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and Vietnam, some regional observers say all Southeast Asian countries that have competing territorial claims with China in the South China Sea should explore the possibility of establishing a regional alliance.

Such a mechanism “could potentially evolve into a coast guard alliance specifically designed to address China’s actions in the region, and such a coalition would present a more formidable deterrent and could more effectively safeguard the interests of these nations in the South China Sea,” Duan Dang, a Vietnam-based maritime security analyst, told VOA in a written response.

However, he said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations “appears too weak and divided” on issues related to the South China Sea to present a united front.

As the U.S. and Japan both gear up for major elections in the coming weeks, Nagy thinks China is also trying to use this “window of opportunity” to try to “lock in some strategic gains” in the South China Sea.

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EU to vote on tariff hike for Chinese EVs as Germany fears retaliation

Vienna — The European Union is set to vote Friday on a massive tariff increase on Chinese electric vehicles that Germany fears could spark a trade war with Beijing.

Reuters reported Wednesday that the measure already has enough votes to pass, with support from France, Greece, Italy and Poland, whose populations make up 39% of the EU. At least 65% of the EU’s population must vote against the tariff plan to stop it.

Regardless, analysts say, continued negotiations will be needed on China’s subsidies to its EV industry.

On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin called Chinese subsidies “unbearable.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday said talks with China must continue, and he indicated Germany might abstain from the vote.

“More trade with more partners from more countries — that’s what sensible risk management looks like in an uncertain world,” Scholz said, as reported by Reuters.

“That’s why negotiations with China on electric vehicles must continue and why we must finally tackle the areas where cheap Chinese imports are harming our economy, for example steel,” he said.

Bloomberg reported that Germany expected a significant number of EU states to abstain from voting on the tariffs.

German automakers are against tariffs, fearing that retaliation from Beijing could impact access to China, their largest market.

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said Wednesday “A trade war with China would do us more harm than good for a key European industry and a crucial sector in Germany.”

If the vote passes, it could see tariffs on Chinese EVs as high as 45%.

Beijing has hinted that it could retaliate with tariffs on German and Italian vehicles and on European agricultural products such as dairy, pork and French brandy.

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao visited Europe in late September and met with officials and businesspeople in charge of foreign trade and commerce in the EU, Belgium, Germany, Italy and other auto-manufacturing countries to lobby the EU to abandon the tariffs.

During the negotiations, the Chinese side proposed to set a minimum import price, but the European side refused.

The vote was pushed from September 25 to Friday to allow time for more consultation between the two sides.

Analysts believe the EU may make some compromises due to the complex interests within the EU.

Ja Ian Chong, associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, told VOA, “Because the EU is made up of many national entities with cross-cutting interests, these may lead to the vetoing of tougher action, much the same way ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is ineffective in the face of PRC (People’s Republic of China) pressure.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said during a visit to Beijing in early September that he would urge the European Commission to reconsider raising tariffs on China’s EVs.

Francesco Sisci, an Italian Sinologist, told VOA that the centrifugal forces of member states and political parties within the EU are too strong to make difficult decisions.

In the past, the EU “was ruled by a solid majority centered around People’s parties and Social-Democratic parties and a triangle made of Germany, France and Italy, Sisci said. “Both these two architectures are now partially shattered.”

“The People’s parties and Social-Democratic parties have still a majority but a thin one,” he said. “Italy, with a right leaning government, didn’t vote for the present President of the commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and it is dragging its feet on many EU policies.”

“Germany and France have governments at home that are under siege from new rightist parties,” he added.

Sisci told VOA Mandarin that Germany’s car industry “is dependent on the sales in the Chinese market and yet risks being squeezed out of all markets because of the Chinese EV competition. There are no good or clear alternatives.”

Although China’s EVs have a price advantage in the European market, Chinese businesspeople working in the automotive industry there are more cautious.

Yang is a Chinese businessman in Austria who does automobile maintenance, annual inspection and second-hand car trading. He did not give his full name because of privacy concerns.

Yang said that because of Europe’s economic downturn, consumers there are careful with their money and will not easily replace their gasoline-powered vehicles with all-electric vehicles.

“Many European consumers choose hybrid electric vehicles,” Yang said, talking about his own business. “This year’s data report shows that the sales of all-electric vehicles have decreased by one-third, while hybrid electric vehicles have increased.”

He said tariffs will certainly affect the price of Chinese electric vehicles in Europe, but European consumers are more concerned about other factors such as the life and endurance of the car.

“All-electric vehicles may not be a big market in Europe,” he said.

The EU’s vote comes after a probe into China’s subsidies for the industry and 100% tariff hikes on Chinese EV imports to the U.S. and Canada.

Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.

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Singapore’s disgraced former transport minister jailed for 12 months in landmark case

SINGAPORE — A Singapore court on Thursday sentenced a former minister to 12 months in prison for obstructing justice and receiving more than $300,000 worth of gifts, in the first jailing of an ex-cabinet member in a city-state famous for its clean governance.

S. Iswaran, who was a cabinet member for 13 years and has held the trade, communications and transport portfolios, pleaded guilty last week to four counts of improperly receiving gifts and one of obstructing justice.

The sentence handed down was more severe than the six to seven months sought by the prosecution, which presiding judge Vincent Hoong said was “manifestly inadequate” given the gravity of Iswaran’s offenses and their impact on public trust.

“Trust and confidence in public institutions were the bedrock of effective governance, which could all too easily be undermined by the appearance that an individual public servant had fallen below the standards of integrity and accountability,” he said in sentencing Iswaran.

The case has shocked Singapore, which prides itself on having a well-paid and efficient bureaucracy as well as strong and squeaky clean governance. It was among the world’s top five least corrupt countries last year, according to Transparency International’s corruption perception index.

The last corruption case involving a Singaporean minister was in 1986, when its national development minister was investigated for alleged bribery but died before any charges were filed in court.

The investigation caused a stir in the Asian financial hub and centered on allegations Iswaran while transport minister accepted expensive gifts from businessmen that included tickets to English Premier League soccer matches, the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, London musicals and a ride on a private jet.

Iswaran, 62, faced a huge media scrum as he arrived in court and declined to answer questions. He showed no emotion during the court session.

The judge allowed him to remain on bail for the next few days and begin his jail term on Monday.

Iswaran had initially said he was innocent and would fight to clear his name but pleaded guilty last week to the five charges put before the court.

The former minister faced a total of 35 charges, two of which were corruption-related but were later amended to charges of receiving gifts while a public servant.

The attorney-general’s chambers last week said they made amendments because of litigation risks involved in proving the corruption charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

Iswaran was arrested in July last year and was accused of taking kickbacks from businessmen including property tycoon Ong Beng Seng. Iswaran was an adviser to the Singapore Grand Prix’s steering committee, while Ong owns the rights to the race.

Ong has not been charged with any offense and has issued no public comment on the allegations. The attorney-general’s chambers last week said it would decide whether to take action against Ong soon.

Judge Hoong in his ruling said there was a higher level of culpability when a public servant holds high office that wield greater influence over business transactions.

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Conservative think tank pushes US to continue engagement in Pacific

washington — U.S. engagement with a string of Pacific Island nations must continue, regardless of which party wins the White House, the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation said in a newly published report.

The islands, situated between Hawaii and Australia, are the latest front of competition between Washington and Beijing.

In the 45-page report, Andrew Harding, a research assistant in the Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center, argues that it’s time to make the case to taxpayers and Washington policymakers that investing in the Pacific Islands is money well-spent because it “counters Chinese ambitions” and denies Beijing a foothold “that can threaten U.S. national security interests and complicate possible future military operations in Asia.”

That argument appears convincing to some China hawks in the Republican Party.

Alexander Velez-Green, former national security adviser to Republican Senator Josh Hawley, called the report “a compelling vision,” telling VOA in a statement, “The Pacific Islands are key terrain in America’s efforts to balance power against China.”

Likewise, former Asia adviser in the Trump administration Alexander Gray said the Heritage report would benefit “whoever is president in January 2025.”

“I expect a Trump 2.0 would only expand on this important work,” Gray wrote in response to VOA’s emailed questions.

The Heritage Foundation now employs many former Trump administration officials. Last year it released Project 2025, a controversial series of proposals to staff and shape policy for a second Trump White House. Former President Donald Trump has sought to distance himself from the effort, even as his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, claims it defines his policies.

John Hennessey-Niland, who served as U.S. ambassador to Palau from 2020 to 2022, argues that Harding’s message may convince policymakers in Washington but addresses only one of the region’s problems.

“The Pacific Islands are concerned about PRC interference and coercion, but it is not the only threat they face. Other concerns include climate and their own capacity to provide for their people,” Hennessey-Niland told VOA via a statement, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China.

Kathryn Paik agrees. She served as director for the Pacific and Southeast Asia at the National Security Council under President Joe Biden and now works as a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

“Making U.S. Pacific engagement ‘all about China’ neglects precisely what can enable the U.S.-Pacific relationship to grow deeper than anything China could ever hope to have — our history, our culture and our shared values,” she told VOA in response to emailed questions.

Harding said he is just saying the quiet part out loud.

“America’s primary driver is U.S.-China competition and the threats that it poses to America’s national interests and the security of its people,” he told VOA Tuesday in an interview.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has traveled to the Pacific Islands to meet one on one with the leaders of Fiji and Papua New Guinea. He also has hosted numerous other Pacific Islands heads of state in Beijing.

In contrast, the White House has only held joint meetings with Pacific Islands leaders, and Biden has not traveled to the nations.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to VOA’s request for comment.

While analysts differ over the report’s rationale for deeper engagement in the Pacific, they say many of the 31 policy recommendations have bipartisan appeal, including appointing a special envoy for the Pacific Islands, creating more positions at key departments to oversee outreach and planning a presidential visit to a Pacific Islands state.

Greg Brown, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the appointment of a special envoy is vital to sustained U.S. engagement.

He said the real challenge is convincing the 535 members of the U.S. Congress to increase foreign assistance to the Pacific Islands when few American voters even know where they are, much less why they’re important to U.S. national security.

“Anything requiring funding from Congress will be a chore — not because the demands are large or fiscal-burden heavy, but because members and staffs need constant reminders why securing U.S. interests in this region are imperative,” Brown told VOA in an interview.

He added that the special envoy should be a “heavyweight appointment … with the ear of the president” and the “diplomatic skill to navigate and drive changes” across Washington.

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Chinese gangs revive scam hubs in Myanmar as Beijing eases pressure on junta

WASHINGTON — A recent report by the U.S. Institute of Peace highlights the resurgence of scam hubs, particularly in Myanmar’s Karen State, due to China’s softened stance toward the country’s military regime.

China’s posture has shifted, said Jason Tower, co-author of the report and the country director for Burma at the institute. 

“They’re now much more focused on regime survival, looking at how they can prevent the [Myanmar] regime from toppling,” Tower told VOA Burmese. “As a result, China has shown much less interest in taking forceful action to pressure the Myanmar military to address these problems.”

According to the report, these criminal networks benefit from the complex dynamics between Myanmar’s military and Chinese interests. China’s focus has shifted from cracking down on scams to supporting the Myanmar military. This change in strategy has allowed the criminal organizations to flourish, using Myanmar as a base of operations.

After contacting the Chinese Embassy in Washington about the issue, VOA received a statement that did not directly address cyber scam operations. Instead, it emphasized China’s focus on peace and stability in Myanmar.

“China and Myanmar are close neighbors with a deep bond of friendship,” wrote embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu. “As a friendly neighbor, China has always paid close attention to the development and evolution of the situation in Myanmar and northern Myanmar. We do not hope to see conflict or chaos in Myanmar and sincerely hope for an early restoration of stability.” 

China’s Ministry of Public Security portrayed the situation differently, according to a report published Monday by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency. In a recent statement on its crackdown on cyber scams, the report said, the ministry highlighted joint efforts with Myanmar authorities, noting that “a total of 870 suspects, including 313 Chinese and 557 Myanmar nationals, were arrested during a crackdown on telecom and online fraud in northern Myanmar.” 

Myanmar’s state-controlled media Global New Light of Myanmar also focused on crackdowns, noting that Myanmar’s police had worked closely with China in extraditing 20 Chinese nationals in September.

Shift in China’s priorities

China’s view on the conflict constantly evolves based on events inside Myanmar, said Thomas Kean, a senior consultant at the International Crisis Group, a nongovernmental think tank.

“Since 2021, we’ve seen different phases, but ultimately, China wants stability in Myanmar to pursue its strategic objectives, keep its borders safe, and ensure that Chinese nationals and the economy aren’t affected,” Kean said.

Tower described how China’s priorities have shifted from addressing scams to focusing on maintaining its strategic interests in Myanmar.

“The Chinese government began prioritizing the advancement of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, which includes infrastructure and trade routes, giving China access to the Indian Ocean,” he said.

Tower said some Chinese strategists had suggested that China had perhaps gone too far in its crackdown on the scam syndicates, losing sight of its broader strategic goals. 

As a result, Chinese authorities pushed hard to broker cease-fire agreements between Myanmar’s military and ethnic armed groups to stabilize the region.

‘Pig butchering’ scams

The Chinese scams emanating from Myanmar have grown in sophistication, the U.S. Institute of Peace report noted. The United States has become one of the primary targets, losing billions of dollars annually to “pig butchering” scams.

“Pig butchering” is a type of investment fraud where scammers lure victims on social media only to defraud them for significant amounts of money, often in cryptocurrency.

Many Americans have fallen victim to scams originating from Myanmar, said Erin West, a deputy district attorney with California’s REACT Task Force to combat high-tech crime.

“They’ve liquidated retirement accounts, children’s college funds, only to find out that the entire thing is fictitious, and they’ve lost everything,” West told VOA. Victims are lured into fraudulent online relationships, believing they are investing in cryptocurrency, she said.

While some criminals are deported back to China, Tower said, broader networks remain primarily untouched and continue to operate with the protection of local warlords and military elites. He is concerned that these scams will increasingly become a threat to U.S. national security.

“These scams are currently causing estimated losses in the range of $5.5 billion per year for the U.S., but other estimates place the numbers as high as $15 billion,” Tower said.

These actors are often under the protection of the Myanmar military or other corrupt regional elites, he added, making it difficult for law enforcement to intervene.

“This is a serious crisis,” Tower said. “We’re seeing a massive transfer of wealth from the United States to bad actors in Southeast Asia — actors that are undermining democracy, highly corrupt and often under the protection of the Myanmar military or other corrupt elites. This is bad news for the U.S. on many fronts.”

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CIA makes it easier for potential informants to share tips

washington — The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) wants to make it easier — and safer — for people in Iran, China and North Korea to share information with America’s premier spy agency.   

The agency on Wednesday posted online instructions in Korean, Mandarin and Farsi detailing steps that potential informants can take to contact U.S. intelligence officials without putting themselves in danger. 

The instructions include ways to reach the CIA on its public website or on the darknet, a part of the internet that can only be accessed using special tools designed to hide the user’s identity. The CIA posted similar instructions in Russian two years ago following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“People are trying to reach out to us from around the world and we are offering them instructions for how to do that safely,” the agency said in a statement. “Our efforts on this front have been successful in Russia, and we want to make sure individuals in other authoritarian regimes know that we’re open for business.” 

The tips, presented in text-only videos and infographics, include using a virtual private network, or VPN, to circumvent internet restrictions and surveillance, and the use of a device that can’t easily be traced back to the user. The CIA also urged any potential informants to use private web browsers and to delete their internet history to cover their tracks.   

The messages in the three languages were posted on Telegram, YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Several of those platforms are blocked in China, Iran and Russia but can still be accessed using a VPN.   

Authoritarian leaders around the world have used the internet as a tool of mass surveillance and as a way to deliver propaganda and disinformation while blocking sites and views deemed unfavorable to the government. 

China, Russia, North Korea and Iran all block access to American platforms like Facebook, for example, and use web access to control which sources of information users can access. 

VPNs and other tools offer ways around this censorship and surveillance, but that ability has made them a target. In its instructions to potential sources, the CIA warned its audience to be selective, as their well-being could depend on choosing the right program.   

“Use a VPN provider not headquartered in Russia, Iran, or China, or any other country that is considered unfriendly to the United States,” the agency wrote in its instructions for Mandarin users. 

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Taiwan shuts down for Typhoon Krathon, bringing torrential rain

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — Taiwan shut down on Wednesday, grounding hundreds of flights and closing schools, offices and financial markets ahead of the arrival of a weakening Typhoon Krathon with one person reported dead and torrential rain lashing the island’s south.  

Officials in the key port city of Kaohsiung, set to be in the eye of the storm, told people to stay home and avoid the sea, rivers and mountains, warning of a repeat of 1977’s Typhoon Thelma that killed 37 and devastated the city of 2.7 million.  

Although the typhoon has weakened, the threats from a storm surge, strong winds and rain remain as it slowly makes its way towards Taiwan’s coast, weather forecasters said.  

The typhoon would lose power once it hits land, said Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, but would still bring intense winds and rain.  

“But if it moves north, the winds will strengthen again, so the threat to Kaohsiung will continue to exist, and people cannot take this lightly,” he told reporters.  

Once it hits land, the typhoon could be downgraded into a tropical depression and dissipate, which has happened only once before in Taiwan, in 2001, forecasters said. That storm, called Trami, dumped vast amounts of rain leading to massive flooding.  

The fire department reported one person dead, an elderly man in the eastern county of Hualien who fell from a tree, with two others missing and 70 injuries.  

On Wednesday, all the island’s cities and counties declared a day off, shutting financial markets .TWII and cancelling domestic flights, along with 246 international ones, while more than 10,000 people were evacuated, mostly in the south and east.  

Typhoons often hit Taiwan’s mountainous and sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific, but Krathon is set to make landfall on its flat western plain.

It is forecast to hit  between Kaohsiung and its neighboring city of Tainan in the early hours of Thursday, before heading northeast up towards Taipei, the capital, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.  

“Because of Typhoon Gaemi being quite severe earlier this year, everyone is more cautious and prepared this time around,” said sales representative Yu Ren-yu, 35, picking up sandbags at a government office, referring to July’s storm that killed 11.  

“First be prepared, then we can face this typhoon.”  

The typhoon has revived the older generation’s bad memories of Thelma, prompting extra precautions, said Chou Yi-tang, a government official working in the Siaogang district home to the airport.  

“We were hit directly by the eyewall,” he added, describing events almost five decades ago. “Power was out for two weeks and no water for almost a month. It was disastrous.”  

More than 700 sandbags have been distributed in his district, a record for a typhoon, while authorities are making more to meet demand, Chou said.  

Taiwan’s defense ministry said it had put more than 38,000 troops on standby.  

The north-south high speed rail line stayed open, but scaled back services.  

TSMC2330.TW, the world’s largest contract chipmaker and a major Apple AAPL.O and Nvidia NVDA.O supplier, said on Tuesday it did not expect the typhoon would have a significant impact on operations.  

TSMC’s factories are along the west coast, some in the city of Tainan. 

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South Korea’s Yoon, Japan’s Ishiba agree united response needed against North Korea 

SEOUL — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held his first telephone call with Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday and agreed a united response together with the United States is needed to counter North Korea’s threats, his office said. 

South Korea last week welcomed Ishiba’s election as the head of Japan’s ruling party, saying it looked forward to the two countries continuing to improve ties and working together on security and economic issues under his leadership.  

Yoon told Ishiba during their call the neighbors are important partners who share values and interests and invited him to continue to communicate closely and enhance cooperation, Yoon’s office said. 

“The two leaders agreed that South Korea and Japan, South Korea, the United States and Japan need to unite to respond to North Korea’s continued provocations,” it said. 

Ishiba, who was confirmed as prime minister on Tuesday, pledged to seek deeper ties with friendly nations to counter the gravest security threats his country has faced since World War Two. 

Yoon has made it a diplomatic priority to improve ties with Tokyo and build trilateral security cooperation together with the United States by putting years of animosity stemming from Japan’s wartime history behind. 

Ishiba’s predecessor Fumio Kishida and Yoon oversaw a newfound partnership after orchestrating an about-face in ties that had sunk to their lowest level in decades before Yoon came to office, prodded by U.S. President Joe Biden. 

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Thai police arrest driver, try to identify victims of school bus fire that killed 23

Bangkok — Thai police have arrested the driver of a bus carrying young students and teachers that caught fire and killed 23 in suburban Bangkok, as families arrived in the capital Wednesday to help identify their loved ones.

The bus carrying six teachers and 39 students in elementary and junior high school was traveling from Uthai Thani province, about 300 kilometers north of Bangkok, for a school trip in Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces Tuesday. The fire started while the bus was on a highway north of the capital and spread so quickly many were unable to escape.

Trairong Phiwpan, head of the police forensic department, said 23 bodies were recovered from the bus. The recovery work and confirmation of the total dead had been delayed earlier because the burned vehicle, which was fueled with natural gas, remained too hot to enter for hours.

The families were driven from Uthai Thani in vans to the the forensic department at the Police General Hospital in Bangkok on Wednesday to provide their DNA samples for the identification process. Kornchai Klaiklung, assistant to the Royal Thai Police chief, told reporters the forensics team was working as fast as it could to identify the victims.

The driver, identified by the police as Saman Chanput, surrendered Tuesday evening several hours after the fire. Police said they have charged him with reckless driving causing deaths and injuries, failing to stop to help others and failing to report the accident.

The driver told investigators he was driving normally until the bus lost balance at its front right tire, hit another car and scraped a concrete highway barrier, causing the sparks that ignited the blaze, Chayanont Meesati, deputy regional police chief, told reporters.

The driver said he ran to grab a fire extinguisher from another bus that was traveling for the same trip but he could not put out the fire, and ran away because he panicked, Chayanont said.

Police said they are also investigating whether the bus company followed all safety standards.

In an interview with public broadcaster Thai PBS, bus company owner Songwit Chinnaboot said the bus was inspected for safety twice a year as required and that the gas cylinders had passed the safety standards. He also said he would compensate the victims’ families as best as he could.

Three students are hospitalized, and the hospital said two of them were in serious condition. A 7-year-old girl suffered burns on her face, and a surgeon said doctors were doing their best to try to save her eyesight.

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Australia’s online dating industry agrees to code of conduct to protect users

MELBOURNE, Australia — A code of conduct will be enforced on the online dating industry to better protect Australian users after research found that three-in-four people suffer some form of sexual violence through the platforms, Australia’s government said on Tuesday.

Bumble, Grindr and Match Group Inc., a Texas-based company that owns platforms including Tinder, Hinge, OKCupid and Plenty of Fish, have agreed to the code that took effect on Tuesday, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said.

The platforms, which account for 75% of the industry in Australia, have until April 1 to implement the changes before they are strictly enforced, Rowland said.

The code requires the platforms’ systems to detect potential incidents of online-enabled harm and demands that the accounts of some offenders are terminated.

Complaint and reporting mechanisms are to be made prominent and transparent. A new rating system will show users how well platforms are meeting their obligations under the code.

The government called for a code of conduct last year after the Australian Institute of Criminology research found that three-in-four users of dating apps or websites had experienced some form of sexual violence through these platforms in the five years through 2021.

“There needs to be a complaint-handling process. This is a pretty basic feature that Australians would have expected in the first place,” Rowland said on Tuesday.

“If there are grounds to ban a particular individual from utilizing one of those platforms, if they’re banned on one platform, they’re blocked on all platforms,” she added.

Match Group said it had already introduced new safety features on Tinder, including photo and identification verification to prevent bad actors from accessing the platform while giving users more confidence in the authenticity of their connections.

The platform used artificial intelligence to issue real-time warnings about potentially offensive language in an opening line and advising users to pause before sending.

“This is a pervasive issue, and we take our responsibility to help keep users safe on our platform very seriously,” Match Group said in a statement on Wednesday.

Match Group said it would continue to collaborate with the government and the industry to “help make dating safer for all Australians.”

Bumble said it shared the government’s hope of eliminating gender-based violence and was grateful for the opportunity to work with the government and industry on what the platform described as a “world-first dating code of practice.”

“We know that domestic and sexual violence is an enormous problem in Australia, and that women, members of LGBTQ+ communities, and First Nations are the most at risk,” a Bumble statement said.

“Bumble puts women’s experiences at the center of our mission to create a world where all relationships are healthy and equitable, and safety has been central to our mission from day one,” Bumble added.

Grindr said in a statement it was “honored to participate in the development of the code and shares the Australian government’s commitment to online safety.”

All the platforms helped design the code.

Platforms that have not signed up include Happn, Coffee Meets Bagel and Feeld.

The government expects the code will enable Australians to make better informed choices about which dating apps are best equipped to provide a safe dating experience.

The government has also warned the online dating industry that it will legislate if the operators fail to keep Australians safe on their platforms.

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Australia’s online dating industry agrees to code of conduct to protect users

MELBOURNE, Australia — A code of conduct will be enforced on the online dating industry to better protect Australian users after research found that three-in-four people suffer some form of sexual violence through the platforms, Australia’s government said on Tuesday.

Bumble, Grindr and Match Group Inc., a Texas-based company that owns platforms including Tinder, Hinge, OKCupid and Plenty of Fish, have agreed to the code that took effect on Tuesday, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said.

The platforms, which account for 75% of the industry in Australia, have until April 1 to implement the changes before they are strictly enforced, Rowland said.

The code requires the platforms’ systems to detect potential incidents of online-enabled harm and demands that the accounts of some offenders are terminated.

Complaint and reporting mechanisms are to be made prominent and transparent. A new rating system will show users how well platforms are meeting their obligations under the code.

The government called for a code of conduct last year after the Australian Institute of Criminology research found that three-in-four users of dating apps or websites had experienced some form of sexual violence through these platforms in the five years through 2021.

“There needs to be a complaint-handling process. This is a pretty basic feature that Australians would have expected in the first place,” Rowland said on Tuesday.

“If there are grounds to ban a particular individual from utilizing one of those platforms, if they’re banned on one platform, they’re blocked on all platforms,” she added.

Match Group said it had already introduced new safety features on Tinder, including photo and identification verification to prevent bad actors from accessing the platform while giving users more confidence in the authenticity of their connections.

The platform used artificial intelligence to issue real-time warnings about potentially offensive language in an opening line and advising users to pause before sending.

“This is a pervasive issue, and we take our responsibility to help keep users safe on our platform very seriously,” Match Group said in a statement on Wednesday.

Match Group said it would continue to collaborate with the government and the industry to “help make dating safer for all Australians.”

Bumble said it shared the government’s hope of eliminating gender-based violence and was grateful for the opportunity to work with the government and industry on what the platform described as a “world-first dating code of practice.”

“We know that domestic and sexual violence is an enormous problem in Australia, and that women, members of LGBTQ+ communities, and First Nations are the most at risk,” a Bumble statement said.

“Bumble puts women’s experiences at the center of our mission to create a world where all relationships are healthy and equitable, and safety has been central to our mission from day one,” Bumble added.

Grindr said in a statement it was “honored to participate in the development of the code and shares the Australian government’s commitment to online safety.”

All the platforms helped design the code.

Platforms that have not signed up include Happn, Coffee Meets Bagel and Feeld.

The government expects the code will enable Australians to make better informed choices about which dating apps are best equipped to provide a safe dating experience.

The government has also warned the online dating industry that it will legislate if the operators fail to keep Australians safe on their platforms.

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New leader of Japan says security environment ‘most severe since end of WWII’

Tokyo — Japan’s new prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, said Tuesday that his nation faces its “most severe” regional security situation in the post-WWII era, without naming any specific threats.

“The security environment surrounding our country is the most severe since the end of World War II,” he said in his first press conference after being approved as prime minister by parliament earlier in the day.

Ishiba, 67, is a former defense minister who has previously called for the creation of an Asian NATO to counter China’s rapid military build-up, North Korean missile launches and other security threats.

“With the Japan-US alliance as a foundation, we will expand the circle of friendly and like-minded countries, using diplomacy and defense to realize the peace of Japan and the region,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

He also said he would focus on cybersecurity and the safety of Japanese people abroad and would work to fix a shortage of new troops for Japan’s military.

On the economy, Ishiba — who backs the Bank of Japan’s exit from its maverick ultra-loose policies — said he would broadly continue the work of his predecessor, Fumio Kishida.

“The Japanese economy stands on the brink of whether to emerge from deflation. I will navigate our economy and fiscal policies by prioritizing ending deflation,” he said.

Ishiba, who won a ruling party leadership vote last week, has said he intends to call a general election for October 27 to shore up his mandate.

On Tuesday, he said the public and private sectors will have a shared goal for “female participation in all decision-making scenarios at all organizations.”

However, his own 20-strong cabinet announced earlier in the day includes just two women.

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North Korean defector in South stole bus in bid to return home, media reports say 

SEOUL — A North Korean defector living in South Korea was detained on Tuesday after ramming a stolen bus into a barricade on a bridge near the heavily militarized border, in an apparent attempt to get back to the North, Yonhap news agency reported. 

The incident took place at around 1:30 a.m. (16:30 GMT on Monday) at the Tongil Bridge in Paju, northwest of the capital Seoul, after the man ignored warnings from soldiers guarding the bridge and attempted to drive through, Yonhap said, citing city police.  

Paju police referred queries on the incident to provincial police authorities. The northern Gyeonggi police agency could not be reached for comment.  

The man aged in his 30s who had defected more than a decade ago told police that he was trying to return to North Korea after struggling to settle in the South, the report said. 

It is highly unusual for North Koreans who have fled their isolated country to try to return, though many struggle to adapt to life in their democratic, capitalist neighbor.  

As of June, around 34,200 North Koreans had resettled in South Korea, mostly after arduous, sometimes life-threatening journeys, usually via China, to escape poverty and oppression at home, according to Seoul’s unification ministry.  

The ministry, which handles cross-border affairs and provides resettlement support for defectors, said in 2022 that about 30 defectors were confirmed to have returned to the North since 2012, but defectors and activists say there could be many more unreported cases.  

In early 2022, a defector in his 30s made a rare, risky return to North Korea across the heavily fortified border after struggling to cope in the South, igniting fresh debate over how such escapees are treated in their new home country.  

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School bus catches fire outside Bangkok and more than 20 are feared dead, officials say  

BANGKOK — A bus carrying young students with their teachers caught fire in suburban Bangkok on Tuesday, with more than 20 of those on board feared dead, officials and rescuers said. 

The bus was carrying 44 passengers from central Uthai Thani province for a school trip in Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces, Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungruengkit told reporters at the scene. 

Videos posted on social media showed the entire bus engulfed in fire with huge plumes of black smoke pouring out as it stood on the side of the road. Bodies were still inside the bus hours after the fire. 

The students on the bus were reported to be in elementary and junior high school. 

Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said officials could not yet confirm the number of fatalities because they had not finished investigating the scene. He said the driver survived but appeared to have fled and could not yet be found. 

Anutin had earlier said 25 were feared dead, but Piyalak Thinkaew, a rescuer of the Ruamkatanyu Foundation told reporters later that two more survivors had been found, reducing the number of those still missing to 23 — three teachers and 20 students. 

Rescuers and officials were able to access the bus hours after the fire was put out. Piyalak said they were still unable to identify the bodies, most of which were found in the middle and back seats, leading them to assume that the fire started at the front of the bus. 

Thai media reports and rescuers said the bus was heading to Nonthaburi when the fire started around noon in Pathum Thani province, a northern suburb of the capital. 

A rescuer at the scene told Suriya that the fire likely started after one of the tires exploded and the vehicle scraped against a road barrier. 

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra offered her condolences in a post on social media platform X, saying the government would take care of medical expenses and compensate the victims’ families. 

The Patrangsit Hospital, which is located near the scene, said in a news conference that it admitted three young girls, one of whom suffered burns to the face, mouth and eye. 

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Shanghai knife attack kills three, wounds 15 others, Xinhua reports

BEIJING — Three people were killed and 15 others injured in a knife attack at a supermarket in Shanghai on Monday, state-run Xinhua news agency reported, extending a series of stabbing incidents across China this year.

The victims were immediately rushed to hospital for treatment, according to Xinhua on Tuesday, but three died.

The assailant, a 37-year-old man surnamed Lin, was detained by the police who received a report of the incident at 9:47 p.m. local time (1447 GMT), Xinhua said.

An investigation is underway.

Public stabbing incidents have risen over the years in China, with authorities often putting the blame on mental illness. Children at schools are a common target.

In September, a 10-year-old Japanese student was fatally stabbed by an attacker meters from his school in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

That incident along with a June knife attack on two Japanese nationals in Suzhou, a major city in eastern China, have stoked security concerns among members of the Japanese community in China.

Stabbing incidents are rare in Shanghai but not unprecedented.

In 2022, a man went on a stabbing spree at a major hospital in the Chinese financial hub, injuring 15 people.

The man, whom authorities said was “resentful of society” after an investment fell through, was sentenced to death a year later.

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