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<title>After ‘really shocking’ LDP losses in Japan’s special elections, can Fumio Kishida survive as PM?</title>
<description><ul><li>Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered heavy defeats in weekend by-elections, signalling deep public discontent with Kishida’s leadership</li>
<li>The prime minister now faces mounting pressure amid calls for him to resign immediately – and a looming LDP presidency vote later this year</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/8d91f7d6-081c-459a-9e27-8a4f35ed1b51_46d28ae8.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/8d91f7d6-081c-459a-9e27-8a4f35ed1b51_46d28ae8.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a news conference in Tokyo last year. After a tumultuous year of scandals and poor election results over the weekend, his rivals look to be circling. Photo: AFP</figcaption></figure><p>A disastrous showing by <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/japan" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="73990659-b9b2-48a9-b582-fdf28ced9714" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Japan</a>’s ruling party in three special elections at the weekend has reignited doubts over Prime Minister <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/fumio-kishida" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="70bdf1fb-5d77-4b31-83b8-e5ad0fd699ad" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Fumio Kishida</a>’s tenuous grip on power, with the country’s leader expected to need a political miracle to remain in office.</p><p>Observers say the elections results were a resounding demonstration of how little faith the Japanese people have in their leaders, after a tumultuous year of scandals for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), including revelations about its <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3251735/calls-grow-japans-kishida-fire-minister-unification-church-saga-weighs-potential-election" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="f2e496dc-d706-4c4e-8037-277e1153de24" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">links to the controversial Unification Church</a> and ongoing fallout from the extensive <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3257867/japans-ruling-ldp-punishes-39-members-over-political-funds-scandal-urges-2-quit-party" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="c84ceabc-8a8e-4b27-a013-89a0ed00ffad" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">slush-funds scandal</a>.</p><h3><a title="" href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3251735/calls-grow-japans-kishida-fire-minister-unification-church-saga-weighs-potential-election" data-entity-uuid="f2e496dc-d706-4c4e-8037-277e1153de24" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">Calls grow for Japan’s Kishida to fire minister over Unification Church ties</a></h3><p>Kishida, the current LDP president, may not have been directly implicated in the misappropriation of funds, but his inability to get the party in order has given voters the distinct impression that he is weak. With an election for the party’s presidency set for September, analysts believe his rivals may begin to circle.</p><p>“He is in a very tough situation, and he is going to find it difficult to hang on,” said Hiromi Murakami, a political-science professor at the Tokyo campus of Temple University.</p><p>“The election result in Shimane prefecture was really shocking because that is meant to be one of the LDP’s heartlands,” she told This Week In Asia. “If the party cannot keep those sorts of seats, then you have to ask how he is going to turn this around.”</p><p>However, the party was more confident about retaining Shimane’s No. 1 district, a long-standing conservative bastion, where the special election was triggered by the death of Hiroyuki Hosoda, the former speaker of the lower house.</p><div class="methode-html-wrapper oembed-wrapper">
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" class="c1" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zhk_Saj6znE?wmode=transparent&amp;jqoemcache=UdCOW&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;playsinline=1" title="Japanese PM Kishida orders investigation into Unification Church as his approval ratings plummet " data-poster-sm="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/768x768/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2022/10/18/CLEAN - Unification church investigation.jpg?itok=pKke0PFM" data-poster-lg="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/wide_landscape/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2022/10/18/CLEAN - Unification church investigation.jpg?itok=qbw3cYto" data-poster="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/video/thumbnail/2022/10/18/CLEAN - Unification church investigation.jpg" data-duration="01:47" data-video-source="SCMP" data-nid="3196380" data-youtube-id="zhk_Saj6znE" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"></iframe></div><p>Unfortunately for the LDP, Hosoda was under the microscope for failing to give clear answers about his links to the <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3187140/church-or-cult-abe-murder-spotlights-unification-church" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="1bdd31c5-8452-410a-8c7c-2c45a9ff4f27" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">Unification Church</a>, and his faction within the party has benefited the most from the slush-fund scandal.</p><p>With the ruling party deeply unpopular, the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan took advantage and won all three seats. It then immediately demanded that the LDP call a general election on the grounds that it is impossible for it to bring about the political reforms that the nation requires.</p><p>Even more worrying for Kishida are the exit polls conducted by the Jiji Press news agency indicating 40 per cent of voters want him to step down immediately.</p><p>“It’s pretty clear that the public is very angry about these scandals, but also Kishida’s inability to decisively solve the party’s problems,” Murakami said, pointing out that while there had been some resignations from the party, other politicians caught up in the scandal had not been held accountable.</p><p>“Kishida’s public support rate is around 30 per cent now, and he is just being dragged down by everything that is happening, so it is up to him to do something if he wants to turn it around,” she said.</p><div class="image-inline-container"><figure><img class="image-inline caption" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/29/97fd45ae-e439-41c7-85ba-39b35f23521b_8652fbe8.jpg" data-fid="14995881" data-resolution="1" width="2000" height="1332" title="Kishida (centre) delivers a statement to parliament last month. Exit polls over the weekend indicated 40 per cent of voters want him to step down immediately. Photo: AFP" alt="Kishida (centre) delivers a statement to parliament last month. Exit polls over the weekend indicated 40 per cent of voters want him to step down immediately. Photo: AFP" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Kishida (centre) delivers a statement to parliament last month. Exit polls over the weekend indicated 40 per cent of voters want him to step down immediately. Photo: AFP</figcaption></figure></div><p>Kishida does not have to call a general election until next year, but he will have to navigate the LDP presidency vote in the autumn. Potential challengers are currently keeping a low profile as they do not wish to be associated with the problems plaguing the party but, as September nears, they are likely to become increasingly visible.</p><p>Murakami explained that the ultimate goal would be for a potential successor to position themselves as a reformer intent on eliminating misconduct within the party. A <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3221394/will-japans-kishida-call-snap-election-amid-g7-success-improved-south-korea-ties" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="8c62c9bf-2359-401e-9fa2-70c3ef0f2fdb" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">snap general election</a> could then be called to leverage any increase in support for this new leadership approach.</p><p>Kishida is certainly in deep trouble, but a challenge in September is by no means inevitable, according to Toshimitsu Shigemura, a politics professor at Tokyo’s Waseda University.</p><blockquote>Kishida’s best hope is that he is able to pull a political surprise – a rabbit out of the hat, if you likeToshimitsu Shigemura, politics professor</blockquote><p>“I think it’s possible that he may survive because I believe he wants to remain in power but, more importantly, I do not believe that anyone else in the party wants the position at the moment,” he said.</p><p>“Things are so bad with the party that whoever comes in next will have a difficult time fixing the problems … Kishida’s best hope is that he is able to pull a political surprise – a rabbit out of the hat, if you like – that is widely supported,” he added.</p><p>“If that is not possible, then he has to hope that in six months’ time people have mostly forgotten about all the scandals.”</p><p>There are signs that Kishida has been looking for a political victory – he travelled to Washington <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3258710/japanese-pm-kishida-supports-indispensable-global-role-us-citing-threat-china" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="74e6b0b7-2d04-4f47-ad65-ba8d74061931" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">to address the US Congress</a> earlier this month, and has reportedly authorised behind-the-scenes negotiations with <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/north-korea" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="621a3811-ffd3-4e85-b51a-8b5aece17db0" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">North Korea</a> to bring home <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3243067/why-japans-bid-talks-north-korean-abductions-will-be-political-suicide-kishida" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="9ea151f7-262e-4666-89ca-554cab69901d" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">Japanese abductees</a> – but none of it appears to be swaying public opinion much.</p><h3><a title="" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3245412/japans-kishida-disliked-nearly-4-5-people-polls-show-putting-him-among-most-unpopular-prime" data-entity-uuid="855496e7-edc4-44af-be46-04b129e411fc" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">Kishida among most unpopular Japanese prime ministers ever, polls show</a></h3><p>Another tactic he may also attempt is forming a political alliance with Nippon Ishin No Kai, a conservative party from Osaka that has gained increasing political influence lately. However, this move would likely antagonise the LDP’s current electoral partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito, and could trigger a rift within that alliance.</p><p>Yet the LDP looks likely to cling onto power regardless, Shigemura said, as even if it loses 50 seats in the next general election, a firm alliance with either Komeito or Ishin No Kai would almost certainly be enough for it to retain control.</p></description>
<link>https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3260805/after-really-shocking-ldp-losses-japans-special-elections-can-fumio-kishida-survive-pm?utm_source=rss_feed</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 05:30:14 GMT</pubDate>
<author>Julian Ryall</author>
<category>Japan</category>
<category>Fumio Kishida</category>
<category>Asia elections</category>
<category>This Week in Asia</category>
<category>Politics</category>
<category>News</category>
<category>Asia</category>
<category>East Asia</category>
</item>
<item>
<title>Holiday in Afghanistan? The Taliban are working to woo tourists</title>
<description><ul><li>Though still small in number, more foreign tourists are coming to Afghanistan</li>
<li>Head of the Tourism Directorate said the biggest foreign visitor market is China</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/581b6308-891a-4467-8f09-4ad8b09118d3_1e3164d7.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/581b6308-891a-4467-8f09-4ad8b09118d3_1e3164d7.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Taliban fighters take selfies by the tomb of Afghan King Nadir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo: AP</figcaption></figure><p>Afghanistan’s rulers are pariahs on the global stage, largely because of their restrictions on women and girls. The economy is struggling, infrastructure is poor, and poverty is rife.</p><p>And yet, foreigners are visiting the country, encouraged by the sharp drop in violence, increased flight connections with hubs like Dubai, and the bragging rights that come with holidaying in an unusual destination.</p><p>The numbers aren’t huge – they never were – but there’s a buzz around Afghan tourism.</p><p>In 2021, there were 691 foreign tourists. In 2022, that figure rose to 2,300. Last year, there were 7,000.</p><div class="image-inline-container"><figure><img class="image-inline caption" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/210c3940-9e83-4b8b-ac7f-017b92c008b3_5ee65197.jpg" data-fid="14999044" data-resolution="1" width="2000" height="1333" title="A view of Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo: AP" alt="A view of Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo: AP" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>A view of Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo: AP</figcaption></figure></div><p>Mohammad Saeed, the head of the Tourism Directorate in Kabul, said the biggest foreign visitor market is China because of its proximity and large population. Afghanistan also has advantages over some of its neighbours.</p><p>“They’ve told me they don’t want to go to Pakistan because it’s dangerous and they get attacked. The Japanese have said this to me also,” Saeed said. “This is good for us.”</p><h3><a title="" href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3258846/pakistan-police-link-deadly-attacks-chinese-workers-taliban-affiliates-broken-switch-terror-cell" data-entity-uuid="d6aa6cdb-ca09-41ae-959b-77a784161829" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">Pakistan police link attacks on Chinese to TTP’s ‘broken switch’ terror cell</a></h3><p>But there are disadvantages, too.</p><p>Visas are difficult and expensive to access. Many countries severed ties with Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power, and no country recognises them as the legitimate rulers of the country.</p><p>Afghan embassies either closed or suspended their operations. There’s an ongoing power struggle between Afghanistan’s embassies and consulates staffed by people from the former Western-backed administration, and those under the Taliban administration’s full control.</p><p>Saeed concedes there are obstacles for Afghan tourism to develop but said he was working with ministries to overcome them.</p><p>His ultimate aim is to have a visa on arrival for tourists, but that could be years away. There are problems with the road network, which is half-paved or non-existent in some parts of the country, and airlines largely avoid Afghan airspace.</p><p>The capital Kabul has the most international flights, but no Afghan airport has direct routes with major tourist markets like China, Europe, or India.</p><div class="image-inline-container"><figure><img class="image-inline caption" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/816f5541-bbdd-4392-acfb-3f3e674bfc6a_ed18453d.jpg" data-fid="14999045" data-resolution="1" width="2000" height="1333" title="The renovated Darul Aman Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo: AP" alt="The renovated Darul Aman Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo: AP" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>The renovated Darul Aman Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo: AP</figcaption></figure></div><p>Despite the challenges, Saeed wants Afghanistan to become a tourism powerhouse, an ambition that appears to be backed by the Taliban’s top leaders.</p><p>“I have been sent to this department on the instructions of the elders (ministers). They must trust me because they’ve sent me to this important place.”</p><p>In a sign that the country is preparing for more overseas visitors, the country’s only five-star hotel, the Serena, has reopened its women’s spa and salon for foreign females after a months-long closure.</p><p>Foreigners must show their passport to access services. Women with “born in Afghanistan” on their ID are barred.</p><p>The restrictions on Afghan women and girls weigh on overseas travel companies, who say they try to focus on the positive aspect of cultural interactions by making donations, supporting local projects or only visiting family-run businesses.</p><p>Shane Horan, the founder of Rocky Road Travel, said visiting Afghanistan should not be seen as an endorsement of any particular government or political regime.</p><p>“Ultimately, the goal should be to support responsible tourism practices that contribute positively to the local economy and foster mutual respect and understanding, while also remaining cognisant of the broader political context in Afghanistan.”</p></description>
<link>https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3260885/holiday-afghanistan-taliban-are-working-woo-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 05:14:04 GMT</pubDate>
<author>Associated Press</author>
<category>Afghanistan</category>
<category>Afghanistan after the US withdrawal</category>
<category>Tourism</category>
<category>News</category>
<category>World</category>
<category>Russia & Central Asia</category>
</item>
<item>
<title>China’s most powerful space engine configuration is ‘ready for flight’</title>
<description><ul><li>Four YF-100K engines pass ignition test to ‘fully verify’ their compatibility and individual reliability, chief designer said</li>
<li>Combined powerhouse delivers more than 500 tonnes of thrust and could be used to propel Long March 12 rocket’s maiden flight</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/1e1c6924-a4c3-4d18-9c6f-f7d66e63b738_0ee90336.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/1e1c6924-a4c3-4d18-9c6f-f7d66e63b738_0ee90336.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said four YF-100K engines passed the ignition test on Sunday. Photo: CASC</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/chinas-space-programme" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="14c48f6f-ca94-42c3-8caa-565f90e64c8c" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">China</a> has completed ignition testing for the most powerful and complex engine configuration in its <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3221831/china-supersizing-its-rocket-industry-and-its-coming-starlink" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="fdbb801b-c624-4c7b-81cf-48dfc8ee0d30" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">Long March</a> rocket programme, with the array ready for flight tests, according to the aerospace authority.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3255643/china-names-new-chief-lead-rocket-maker-and-spacex-rival-casc-after-predecessor-stripped-political" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="37bc2d63-fd64-4afc-b654-2b33373c5466" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation</a> (CASC) said the four parallel liquid oxygen kerosene (kerolox) engines generated a total thrust of more than 500 tonnes in a test on Sunday at the Tongchuan Test Centre in the northwestern province of Shaanxi.</p><p>Chief designer Li Bin, from the CASC-affiliated Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology in Xian, said that Sunday’s test “fully verified” the engines’ compatibility as well as their individual reliability.</p><p>“The new engine is now ready to move to the flight test phase,” he told state broadcaster CCTV on Monday.</p><p>The YF-100K engines, which each produced 130 tonnes of thrust, were designed with a pump back swing technology, which effectively reduces the size and weight of the engine structure compared to the traditional front pump swing design.</p><div class="methode-html-wrapper oembed-wrapper">
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" class="c1" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y9YTkmkq0Is?wmode=transparent&amp;jqoemcache=UdCOW&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;playsinline=1" title="Look out Starlink: China is supersizing its rocket industry" data-poster-sm="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/768x768/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/05/26/clean-thumb_5.jpg?itok=Z9SjMh7W" data-poster-lg="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/wide_landscape/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/05/26/clean-thumb_5.jpg?itok=DqboDM_J" data-poster="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/05/26/clean-thumb_5.jpg" data-duration="01:46" data-video-source="SCMP" data-nid="3221914" data-youtube-id="y9YTkmkq0Is" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"></iframe></div><p>“Engines built with the pump back swing technology are typically more compact. For instance, we can fit four of them into a 3.8m-wide first-stage rocket, and seven into a 5m-wide first-stage,” Li said.</p><p>The engines are the latest variant of the YF-100 kerolox engine, which powers the side boosters of China’s largest and most powerful launch vehicle, the Long March 5.</p><p>While the CASC did not specify which rocket will be powered by the four parallel YF-100K engines, it said they will be used for a Long March model that will make its debut this year.</p><p>CCTV reported in February that the two-stage Long March 12 – China’s first rocket with a 3.8 metre (12ft 5in) diameter – is expected to make its maiden flight in 2024, from one of the new commercial launch pads at the Wenchang spaceport in Hainan province.</p><p>The 59-metre (nearly 7ft) Long March 12 will be a medium-lift launch vehicle capable of carrying a 10-tonne payload to low Earth orbit and six tonnes to a 700km (435 miles) sun-synchronous orbit.</p><p>In September, CCTV said that YF-100K engines will be used for Long March 10 – the superheavy carrier rocket China is developing to put its astronauts on the Moon before 2030 – which is expected to make its maiden flight in 2027.</p><h3><a title="" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3248637/us-china-space-race-success-depends-lunar-landings-and-orbital-parking-spots" data-entity-uuid="178dea28-2198-41e7-b996-88e09166fd91" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">US-China space race fuelled by lunar landings and orbital ‘parking spots’</a></h3><p>At 92 metres (300ft) tall and with a diameter of 5 metres (16ft 5in), the moon rocket’s first-stage core and two boosters will each be powered by seven YF-100K engines to create an enormous 2,600 tonnes of thrust at lift-off, the report said.</p><p>The Long March 10 will be able to deliver 70 tonnes to low Earth orbit and 27 tonnes into trans-lunar injection orbit, the critical step towards putting a spacecraft on a trajectory for a moon landing.</p></description>
<link>https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3260874/chinas-most-powerful-space-engine-configuration-ready-flight?utm_source=rss_feed</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 05:02:22 GMT</pubDate>
<author>Ling Xin</author>
<category>Science</category>
<category>News</category>
<category>China</category>
</item>
<item>
<title>Southeast heatwave: Thailand’s heat index tops 52 degrees as Philippines risks ‘overloaded’ power systems</title>
<description><ul><li>Bangkok’s heat index – a measure of how hot it feels like when humidity is taken into account – was listed as above 52 degrees Celsius on Tuesday</li>
<li>It comes as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr warned of possible brownouts as intense heat sears Southeast Asia, fuelling cooling demand</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/a7af44f8-7db6-4dda-9e32-489353b7f95b_4fd1949f.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/a7af44f8-7db6-4dda-9e32-489353b7f95b_4fd1949f.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Chinese tourists use a parasol to shield themselves from the sun as they visit the Grand Palace in Bangkok on Monday. Deaths related to heat have risen to about 30 in Thailand this year. Photo: EPA-EFE</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/thailand" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="57af2070-a9c4-4414-915a-979b0bf62eb7" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Thailand</a> is reeling under the grip of <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3260775/southeast-asia-heat-wave-closes-philippine-schools-increases-power-demand-thailand" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="530681ca-97ff-48a8-84bc-5bc7bbb8f463" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">a severe heatwave</a> with temperatures soaring to record highs in some areas and authorities warned of harsher weather in the coming days.</p><p>More than three dozen districts across Thailand’s 77 provinces have seen record temperatures in April, generally the hottest month of the year, with new highs beating records held as far back as 1958, according to data from the Thai Meteorological Department.</p><h3><a title="" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3260775/southeast-asia-heat-wave-closes-philippine-schools-increases-power-demand-thailand" data-entity-uuid="530681ca-97ff-48a8-84bc-5bc7bbb8f463" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">Southeast Asia heat shuts schools, boosts power demand, as Myanmar hits 48 degrees</a></h3><p>Temperatures have topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in 26 provinces this month, according to the agency. The northern province of Lampang has seen the highest temperature so far this year at 44.2 degrees, just shy of the highest temperature ever recorded in Thailand – 44.6 degrees – that was last seen in 2016 and 2023.</p><p>Thailand’s power usage surged to another record of 36,699 megawatts on Monday amid soaring temperatures, according to data on the state energy regulator’s website. That was the third time demand hit a new peak in about one week.</p><p>The weather bureau advised people to avoid outdoor activities for a long period of time with maximum temperatures in most regions expected to top 40 degrees on Tuesday. Deaths related to heat have risen to about 30 nationwide this year, the Ministry of Public Health said last week.</p><div class="image-inline-container"><figure><img class="image-inline caption" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/a4760c8f-79ab-40de-9ffb-ddfdf0ab1c5e_cb35b61f.jpg" data-fid="14998998" data-resolution="1" width="2000" height="1458" title="A woman uses an electric fan to cool down in Bangkok on Monday, as temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius. Photo: EPA-EFE" alt="A woman uses an electric fan to cool down in Bangkok on Monday, as temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius. Photo: EPA-EFE" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>A woman uses an electric fan to cool down in Bangkok on Monday, as temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius. Photo: EPA-EFE</figcaption></figure></div><p>Bangkok’s heat index – a measure of how hot it feels like when humidity is taken into account – was listed as above 52 degrees and “very dangerous” on Tuesday, according to a Facebook post by the metropolitan administration.</p><p>Meanwhile, parts of <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/philippines" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="3a83a0e4-5306-449f-82e7-7e069dc9e7f3" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">the Philippines</a> face potential disruption to electricity supplies as <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3260173/philippines-its-so-hot-you-cant-breathe-heat-index-touches-47-degrees-celsius" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="2bb3b5bc-2444-4660-9237-8e439f775c25" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">an intense heatwave</a> fuels cooling demand and leaves power systems “overloaded”, according to President <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/ferdinand-bongbong-marcos-jnr" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="4f6c1d93-a184-4660-84c6-210cf20e52d4" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Ferdinand Marcos Jnr</a>.</p><p>“Our consumption has suddenly increased because it’s very hot,” Marcos told reporters on Monday. “We’re continuing to monitor the power supply.”</p><p>The nation will implement strategies intended to prevent any jump in electricity prices “at least for now”, he said.</p><p>The nation’s grid operator issued yellow alert warnings on Monday for potential disruptions to supply to the main Luzon island and Visayas. Power demand in Luzon is forecast to peak at 13,893 megawatts, only around 1,000MW below available capacity.</p><h3><a title="" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3260173/philippines-its-so-hot-you-cant-breathe-heat-index-touches-47-degrees-celsius" data-entity-uuid="2bb3b5bc-2444-4660-9237-8e439f775c25" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">‘So hot you can’t breathe’: heat index touches 47 degrees in the Philippines</a></h3><p>Schools <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3260682/we-need-free-air-con-philippines-suspends-person-classes-due-heatwave-jeepney-strike" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="d9e82909-c90b-4993-a3c3-06765f6b1114" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">have been ordered to close</a> on Monday and Tuesday amid a transport strike and the stifling heat.</p><p>Temperatures reached a record 38.8 degrees in the capital Manila on Saturday, and were as high as 39.2 degrees in the northern Philippines on Sunday, according to the nation’s weather forecaster.</p></description>
<link>https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3260883/southeast-heatwave-thailands-heat-index-tops-52-degrees-philippines-risks-overloaded-power-systems?utm_source=rss_feed</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 05:02:11 GMT</pubDate>
<author>Bloomberg</author>
<category>Thailand</category>
<category>The Philippines</category>
<category>Extreme weather</category>
<category>Weather</category>
<category>Climate change</category>
<category>News</category>
<category>Asia</category>
<category>Southeast Asia</category>
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<title>Israel’s allies warn ICC action would hurt Gaza ceasefire chances</title>
<description><ul><li>International Criminal Court arrest warrants could jeopardise peace talks, people said</li>
<li>Gap between Israel and Hamas in talks for a new ceasefire has narrowed recently</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/e6e81e10-646e-4c7a-b97e-c22f4185ecfe_32cbefa2.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/e6e81e10-646e-4c7a-b97e-c22f4185ecfe_32cbefa2.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>A Palestinian mourns relatives killed in Israeli bombardment, at the al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: AFP</figcaption></figure><p>The United States and its allies are concerned that the International Criminal Court may issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials just as the country is getting closer to a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, potentially jeopardising a deal, people familiar with the matter said.</p><p>The worry is that Israel would back out of a truce if the ICC proceeds with the warrants, according to two of the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.</p><p>Group of Seven nations have begun a quiet diplomatic effort to convey that message to the Hague-based court, the people said.</p><p>The ICC is weighing arrest warrants targeting both senior Israeli officials as well as the leadership of Hamas over the two sides’ conduct of the war in Gaza, the people said.</p><div class="image-inline-container"><figure><img class="image-inline caption" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/09696587-2361-4504-8968-91a1d78d56fa_861fd12e.jpg" data-fid="14998950" data-resolution="1" width="2000" height="1333" title="Destruction after an Israeli air strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip. Photo: AP" alt="Destruction after an Israeli air strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip. Photo: AP" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Destruction after an Israeli air strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip. Photo: AP</figcaption></figure></div><p>The New York Times previously reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be among those singled out.</p><p>Two of the people said that the gap between Israel and Hamas on an agreement to release hostages had narrowed in recent weeks and that a deal was now close. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US and European Union.</p><h3><a title="" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3259832/israel-will-fight-any-sanctions-idf-army-battalions-says-pm-netanyahu" data-entity-uuid="9e1e0246-e908-44cd-893a-42f897a288df" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">Israel’s Netanyahu says will fight any sanctions on army battalions</a></h3><p>“We’ve been really clear about the ICC investigation – we do not support it,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday. “We don’t believe that they have the jurisdiction.”</p><p>The potential arrest warrants have become a major concern for Israel and the country is talking to international partners about it, one person said.</p><p>Another said Netanyahu had asked Biden for help in a conversation Sunday to make sure the warrants aren’t issued. Axios reported that request earlier Monday.</p><p>An ICC spokesperson declined to comment.</p><p>US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged leaders of the militant group to quickly reach a decision on Israeli conditions for a temporary ceasefire.</p><p>Israel has been “extraordinarily generous” with proposals made during talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, Blinken said at a special event of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh on Monday.</p><div class="image-inline-container"><figure><img class="image-inline caption" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/fe9ab876-d332-4cb9-97d8-a361417bcf2e_71369795.jpg" data-fid="14998951" data-resolution="2" width="2000" height="1332" title="Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with troops in the northern Gaza Strip in December. File photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO via Xinhua" alt="Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with troops in the northern Gaza Strip in December. File photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO via Xinhua" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with troops in the northern Gaza Strip in December. File photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO via Xinhua</figcaption></figure></div><p>“The eyes of the world should be on Hamas saying ‘take this deal’,” UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron told the gathering. “We’re in a better place potentially than we’ve been for a while.”</p><p>The New York Times reported Monday that Israel was ready to accept the release of 33 hostages, down from at least 40, during the first phase of a new truce.</p><p>Hamas has said it can’t free 40 women, elderly or sick captives as demanded in return for a six-week ceasefire because it doesn’t have enough hostages in that category.</p><p>Group of Seven allies have been pushing Israel to put off an incursion into Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge. An agreement could help bring an end to fighting in Gaza and put off the assault on the city, one of the people said.</p><p>On October 7, Hamas attacked Israel in surprise raids, killing more than 1,200 people and taking around 250 as hostages.</p><p>More than 34,000 Palestinians were killed in the ensuing Israeli campaign, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.</p><div class="methode-html-wrapper oembed-wrapper">
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</div><p>The US and other G7 nations have repeatedly urged Netanyahu to do more to protect civilians in Gaza, while remaining staunch allies and suppliers of arms.</p><p>The US has never been a party to the ICC, which began its work in 2002 as a “court of last resort” for victims of genocide, war crimes and other atrocities.</p><p>US President Joe Biden revoked sanctions imposed on the court during the Trump administration and has cooperated in some cases, especially around allegations of Russian war crimes in Ukraine.</p><p>The court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, said in February that he was deeply concerned about the conduct of Israeli forces, as well as of Hamas fighters holding Israeli hostages.</p><p>“Those who do not comply with the law should not complain later when my office takes action pursuant to its mandate,” he said at the time.</p><p>The ICC works separately from the International Court of Justice, the UN’s main judicial body, which can’t try or punish individuals. That court ruled in January that Israel must act to prevent Palestinians from being killed or injured in response to a genocide case brought by South Africa.</p><p>Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Sunday instructed all his country’s missions worldwide to prepare for a wave of antisemitism, anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli outbreaks, following reports of the possible warrants.</p><p>He said issuing the warrants would harm Israel forces and “provide a morale boost to the terrorist organisation Hamas and the axis of radical Islam led by Iran against which we are fighting”.</p></description>
<link>https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3260879/israels-allies-warn-icc-action-would-hurt-gaza-ceasefire-chances?utm_source=rss_feed</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 04:46:30 GMT</pubDate>
<author>Bloomberg</author>
<category>Israel-Gaza war</category>
<category>Israel</category>
<category>Middle East</category>
<category>War and conflict</category>
<category>International Criminal Court</category>
<category>News</category>
<category>World</category>
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<title>Hong Kong’s Executive Council approves new mechanism that blocks cuts to minimum wage</title>
<description><ul><li>Source says Executive Council has agreed to annual review of minimum wage as well as introduction of formula which will not allow future pay cuts</li>
<li>But new mechanism is expected to take effect next year, with review to become annual exercise from 2026</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/7e233068-5120-4919-bf2e-2dd8fd7b1cee_632e4078.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/7e233068-5120-4919-bf2e-2dd8fd7b1cee_632e4078.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>The changes to the review are the first since the city introduced the statutory minimum wage in 2011 to provide protection for low-paid workers. Photo: Sam Tsang</figcaption></figure><p>Hong Kong’s key decision-making body has approved the introduction of a mechanism to review the per-hour minimum wage which will not allow pay cuts in future, the Post has learned.</p><p>A source on Tuesday said the Executive Council also agreed to a proposal to review the minimum wage annually, instead of once every two years, confirming the Post’s earlier report.</p><p>The changes made to the review are the first in 13 years since Hong Kong introduced the statutory minimum wage in 2011 to provide protection for low-paid workers.</p><p>The new mechanism is expected to take effect next year, when the rate is due for review, instead of this year as earlier predicted by some insiders close to the Minimum Wage Commission.</p><p>The review would become an annual exercise in 2026, the source said.</p><h3><a title="" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3260834/hong-kong-business-sector-lawmakers-hail-minimum-wage-formula-economist-warns-over-risks-potential" data-entity-uuid="5ad97512-cffb-48c8-95ab-cf24e167d05d" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">Hong Kong business sector hails minimum wage formula as economist sounds alarm</a></h3><p>Under the mechanism, the formula deciding the wage level each year will include factors such as the consumer price index (A), current gross domestic product growth and average GDP growth in the past 10 years.</p><p>If the formula produces a negative number, the minimum wage will not be reduced but frozen.</p><p>For example, if the level was reviewed this year, the minimum wage per hour would increase from the current HK$40 to HK$41.80, representing a 4.5 per cent increase.</p></description>
<link>https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3260877/hong-kongs-executive-council-approves-new-mechanism-blocks-cuts-minimum-wage?utm_source=rss_feed</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 04:45:27 GMT</pubDate>
<author>Willa Wu,Lilian Cheng</author>
<category>Hong Kong workers and labour rights</category>
<category>Hong Kong economy</category>
<category>Hong Kong</category>
<category>Executive Council of Hong Kong</category>
<category>Hong Kong politics</category>
<category>News</category>
<category>Society</category>
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<title>HSBC boss Noel Quinn steps down as bank reports first-quarter profit that beat estimates thanks to sale of Canadian business</title>
<description><ul><li>Announcing his retirement after five years at the helm, Quinn said it was the ‘right time’ to look for a better work-life balance</li>
<li>The lender’s net profit slipped 1 per cent from a year ago to US$10.2 billion, surpassing the US$9.24 billion profit expected by analysts polled by Bloomberg</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/bdefdc35-6bab-4051-b7c1-d48af539e7cc_965b0897.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/bdefdc35-6bab-4051-b7c1-d48af539e7cc_965b0897.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>HSBC surpassed first-quarter profit estimates thanks to a one-off gain from the sale of its Canadian business. Photo: Eugene Lee</figcaption></figure><p>Noel Quinn said he would retire as chief executive of HSBC after pushing Europe’s biggest bank to pay a larger dividend to its most important customers on the back of a US$10.2 billion first-quarter profit that easily beat estimates.</p><p>Quinn said it had been a “privilege” to lead the London-based lender for the last five years as it reported net profit down 1 per cent from a year ago at <a href="https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3258539/hsbc-host-next-investment-summit-early-2025-after-resounding-success-hong-kong-back-pitch" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="3f5cf865-a422-4aa1-aeda-e06358582336" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">US$10.2 billion,</a> or US$0.54 per share.</p><p>That surpassed the US$9.24 billion profit expected by analysts polled by Bloomberg, thanks to a one-off gain from the sale of its Canadian business.</p><p>Pre-tax profit fell 1.7 per cent from a year ago to US$12.65 billion, which was much better than the consensus estimate of US$7.9 billion.</p><p>The impressive numbers came on the back of a US$4.8 billion gain following the sale of HSBC’s banking business in Canada to Royal Bank of Canada, though this was partly offset by a US$1.1 billion impairment following the sale of its Argentina business.</p><p>“I’m pleased with our start to 2024. We completed the sale of our Canada business and agreed the sale of our Argentina business, both of which allow us to focus on markets with higher value international opportunities,” said CEO Noel Quinn in an earnings statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Tuesday.</p><p>In a separate statement, he said it was the “right time” to look for a better work-life balance and that he intends to “pursue a portfolio career”.</p><p>“It has been a privilege to lead HSBC,” Quinn added. “I never imagined when I started 37 years ago that I would have the honour of becoming group chief executive of this great bank.</p><p>“I am proud of what we have achieved, and it has only been possible because of the talent, dedication, and commitment of the people at HSBC.”</p><p>The bank said it is in the process of finding a successor and that Quinn will continue in his role during this process to ensure “a smooth and orderly transition.”</p><p>HSBC announced a new US$3 billion share buy-back programme that will commence soon, and a first-quarter dividend of US$0.10 per share, up slightly from US$0.09 in the first quarter 2023.</p><p>The lender announced a special dividend of US$0.21 per share in the first half of this year after completing the sale of its Canadian business.</p><p>The London-based bank generates much of its revenue in Asia.</p><p>Overall, the bank’s Asian business reported a first-quarter pre-tax profit decrease of 6.9 per cent from a year earlier to US$5.4 billion. Revenue rose by 3 per cent to US$20.8 billion, which was higher than estimates of US$16.53 billion.</p><p>Revenue growth was driven by the sales of the Canadian and Argentine units but also reflected growth in demand for wealth management products, HSBC said in its statement.</p><p>Net interest income fell by 3.3 per cent to US$8.7 billion, compared with US$9 billion a year earlier. The bank’s net interest margin, an important measure of profitability, fell 6 basis points to 1.63 per cent.</p><p>The bank said it expects to complete the sale of its Russian business sometime in the second quarter.</p><p>HSBC’s shares remained unchanged at HK$65.55 at the noon break on Tuesday, before the announcement.</p></description>
<link>https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3260875/hsbc-first-quarter-profit-beats-estimates-thanks-sale-canadian-business?utm_source=rss_feed</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 04:30:53 GMT</pubDate>
<author>Mia Castagnone</author>
<category>Banking & finance</category>
<category>HSBC</category>
<category>Hong Kong company reporting season</category>
<category>Hong Kong</category>
<category>Hong Kong economy</category>
<category>Business</category>
<category>Banking & Finance</category>
<category>China Business</category>
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<title>KFC closes outlets in Muslim-majority areas of Malaysia as anti-Israel boycott begins to bite</title>
<description><ul><li>The US chicken franchise, fast-food rival McDonald’s and coffee chain Starbucks are all being targeted by boycotts triggered by Israel’s war on Gaza</li>
<li>Online checks showed more than two dozen KFC outlets marked as temporarily closed, most in the Muslim-majority states of Kelantan, Kedah and Terenggan</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/7d2a2260-f99d-490d-8b33-57716a114343_c572f5e8.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/7d2a2260-f99d-490d-8b33-57716a114343_c572f5e8.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>A commuter train displaying prominent KFC advertising in downtown Kuala Lumpur. The company that owns the KFC franchise in Malaysia said it had temporarily closed outlets “to manage increasing business costs and focus on high-engagement zones”. Photo: AFP</figcaption></figure><p>In <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/malaysia" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="11478fe5-adc5-45f1-8f05-f686cd7f9999" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Malaysia</a>, the franchise holder for American fast-food giant <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/kfc" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="6bf5a648-fb39-4d9c-a68f-16624654859a" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">KFC</a> says it has been forced to temporarily close numerous outlets, citing “challenging economic conditions”, as consumers in the Muslim-majority nation persist with <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3259184/after-starbucks-and-mcdonalds-asias-anti-israel-boycotts-find-new-target-western-beauty-products" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="72817f4a-9f1b-45be-841c-de56d99d9912" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">a months-long boycott</a> against brands perceived to have links with <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/israel" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="e34023e9-8741-4819-89f9-1cec4195aa29" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Israel</a>.</p><p>KFC has joined the ranks of fast-food rival <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/mcdonalds" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="48a520d4-17e8-488d-8014-1148b4c425ee" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">McDonald</a>’s and coffee franchise <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/starbucks" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="23bdfdd2-77d6-48bd-ad43-2f96695b5f4a" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Starbucks</a> – all American chains – in becoming targets of a nationwide boycott movement in Malaysia triggered by Israel’s <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/israel-gaza-war" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="873b75f0-a88e-4c91-884f-415cd1df488f" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">war on Gaza</a>, which has received backing from Washington in the form of military aid.</p><h3><a title="" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3259018/israel-wants-irans-attack-deflect-attention-palestinians-plight-malaysia-says" data-entity-uuid="5747a8ac-b21e-4264-bd09-534247e445eb" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">‘What Israel wants’: Malaysia stresses Palestinians’ plight after Iran’s attack</a></h3><p>The ongoing conflict has resulted in nearly 35,000 Palestinian deaths – the majority of them civilians – according to health authorities in the Hamas-controlled enclave, with many of its 2.3 million residents also displaced.</p><p>QSR Brands, the company that has held the KFC franchise in Malaysia since 1973, said it had taken proactive measures to temporarily close outlets “to manage increasing business costs and focus on high-engagement zones”.</p><p>“Employees from affected outlets were offered the opportunity to relocate to busier operating stores as part of the company’s re-optimisation efforts,” the company said in a statement released late on Monday. It did not say how many outlets had been shut.</p><p>Checks on Google for KFC restaurants operating in Malaysia showed more than two dozen outlets marked as temporarily closed, mostly in the Muslim-majority states of Kelantan, Kedah and Terengganu in the Malay Peninsula’s north.</p><div class="image-inline-container"><figure><img class="image-inline caption" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/04/30/95a63f72-f1b8-4df2-8c8c-2951de7435ec_1126e908.jpg" data-fid="14998837" data-resolution="1" width="2000" height="1333" title="Protesters march towards the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month at a rally held in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Photo: EPA-EFE" alt="Protesters march towards the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month at a rally held in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Photo: EPA-EFE" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Protesters march towards the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month at a rally held in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Photo: EPA-EFE</figcaption></figure></div><p>KFC Malaysia employs around 18,000 people, with 85 per cent of them being Muslim, according to company figures.</p><p>The boycott movement, driven by social media and growing Islamist sentiment in the country, has hit Malaysian businesses hard in recent months.</p><p>In March, the wealthy owner of Malaysia’s Starbucks franchise <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3254180/israel-gaza-war-malaysians-mock-starbucks-franchisee-vincent-tans-calls-end-boycott" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="a6c84301-f272-4615-99d7-d499f555622c" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">pleaded with Malaysians</a> to stop boycotting the brand, stressing that it is wholly locally owned and run and that more than 80 per cent of its staff are Muslim.</p><p>The Malaysian franchisee for McDonald’s, meanwhile, filed a lawsuit against a pro-Palestinian boycott movement in January for inciting public hatred against the brand and damaging its business. It had originally sought US$1.3 million in damages, but the case has since <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3255812/mcdonalds-malaysia-pro-palestinian-group-bds-seek-mediation-over-boycott-israel-campaign" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="5afc1464-ce80-4407-ad4f-c1b8b18737e1" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">gone into arbitration</a>.</p><div class="methode-html-wrapper oembed-wrapper">
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" class="c1" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8fxJBs53rl4?wmode=transparent&amp;jqoemcache=UdCOW&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;playsinline=1" title="Malaysia’s leader condemns Israel over Gaza strikes as thousands attend pro-Palestinian rally" data-poster-sm="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/768x768/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/10/25/clean-thumb_2.jpg?itok=m_tWRNAz" data-poster-lg="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/wide_landscape/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/10/25/clean-thumb_2.jpg?itok=heIMkYUO" data-poster="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/10/25/clean-thumb_2.jpg" data-duration="03:01" data-video-source="SCMP" data-nid="3239092" data-youtube-id="8fxJBs53rl4" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"></iframe></div><p>The government has also joined the fray, warning in March during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan that “strict action” would be taken against anyone who misleads consumers by <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3255423/consumer-boycott-widens-include-israeli-dates-muslims-malaysia-indonesia-observe-ramadan" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="3c8750d3-d7a3-4437-a5b3-ce69f7ebbb8f" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">selling dates from Israel</a>. This came after authorities arrested a man for allegedly mislabelling a batch of |
TonyRL
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Apr 30, 2024
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There was a problem hiding this comment.
This also remove the abilities to return enclosures and Media RSS.
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Aren't enclosures included in the parsed rss feed?
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Please take a look at the content of #15415 (comment)
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The enclosure field is fixable. However in terms of media, the upstream rss-parser package does not support extracting it. It seems that this is fixed in the codebase in rbren/rss-parser@eb8a4ee , but it hasn't been made into a release.
So... Wait for upstream?
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<title>Meaningless: fewer Hong Kong employers resorting to inflated job titles to attract talent, survey finds</title>
<description><ul><li>Less than 30 per cent of Hong Kong businesses use senior job titles to attract talent, though 60 per cent of young workers expect rapid promotions: Robert Walters poll</li>
<li>Experts say the trend is mostly limited to digital businesses and client-facing roles</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/d2927eed-26fa-422b-8357-a6729bb73cdd_23c58862.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/d2927eed-26fa-422b-8357-a6729bb73cdd_23c58862.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Hong Kong’s job market has been weak this year, with hiring in the property and financial sectors hit by the economic slowdown in China. Photo: Shutterstock</figcaption></figure><p>Hong Kong businesses are realising that job inflation – offering employees grandiose job titles, often without the experience or pay to match – has diminishing returns, according to a survey by recruitment specialist Robert Walters.</p><p>Less than 30 per cent of companies are relying on senior titles to attract or retain talent this year, having found the tactic to have limited success, according to the study, which polled about 3,300 Hong Kong employers and employees in March on LinkedIn.</p><p>“Inflated job titles used to be a tool used by weaker companies who struggled to retain staff,” said John Mullally, managing director of Robert Walters Hong Kong, on Thursday. He attributed the trend to the local job market being disrupted by a hiring boom and talent crunch in 2021 and 2022, leading to firms adding more titles rather than focusing on career growth.</p><p>But the job market has been weak this year, with hiring in the property and financial sectors hit by the economic slowdown in China. Vacancies in financial services, professional services and technology firms plummeted 35 to 38 per cent year on year in 2023, according to a report released in January by Hudson, another professional recruitment firm.</p><div class="image-inline-container"><figure><img class="image-inline caption" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/2aa7461d-0677-4625-8156-3f83963647ef_a596427f.jpg" data-fid="15010513" data-resolution="1" width="2000" height="1291" title="Job seekers line up to enter a recruitment fair hosted by the Hong Kong Top Talent Services Association in Sheung Wan in March this year. Photo: May Tse" alt="Job seekers line up to enter a recruitment fair hosted by the Hong Kong Top Talent Services Association in Sheung Wan in March this year. Photo: May Tse" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Job seekers line up to enter a recruitment fair hosted by the Hong Kong Top Talent Services Association in Sheung Wan in March this year. Photo: May Tse</figcaption></figure></div><p>Leading banks such as UBS, Morgan Stanley, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase have made unprecedented cuts to their investment banking teams in Hong Kong due to a slowdown in mergers and acquisitions and a dearth of initial public offerings.</p><p>Recruitment specialists cautioned that job title inflation was generally limited to certain sectors and roles, predominantly client-facing and sales positions and newer, digital-wave businesses like virtual banks and e-commerce platforms.</p><p>“It’s the infusion of fintech into banking, especially in B2C [business-to-consumer] businesses,” said Sid Sibal, vice-president of Greater China and head of Hong Kong at Hudson, adding that most industries had not seen a material change.</p><p>He cited an example of a tech firm client where an account director position – a role that typically asks for eight to 12 years’ experience – was held by someone with under five years’ experience.</p><p>“Five years ago, this wouldn’t have happened,” said Sibal. “People used to have to earn the title of manager, now it gets thrown around in some sectors more easily.”</p><p>Others said that job title inflation was most visible at tech-related organisations, but the trend has also started to seep into traditional banking.</p><p>“Some of these new roles, I’m not even sure what they do,” said Benjamin Quinlan, CEO of strategy consultancy Quinlan &amp; Associates and a former banker, joking that in some newer firms, “you can have a head of something in a department of one.”</p><div class="methode-html-wrapper oembed-wrapper">
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" class="c1" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FxzodxVr3mg?wmode=transparent&amp;jqoemcache=UdCOW&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;playsinline=1" title="What happens when China’s most-educated can’t find work" data-poster-sm="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/768x768/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/07/20/clean_3.jpg?itok=--NMwqHu" data-poster-lg="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/wide_landscape/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/07/20/clean_3.jpg?itok=IdLMNkbY" data-poster="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/07/20/clean_3.jpg" data-duration="28:19" data-video-source="SCMP" data-nid="3228335" data-youtube-id="FxzodxVr3mg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"></iframe></div><p>At banks, underlying functions and salary bands in the traditional analyst, associate-vice president, managing director hierarchy have not changed.</p><p>“There’s definitely some title inflation, as more junior [employees] step into roles that require titles to be effective, especially in Asia,” said Quinlan, citing the creation of roles like head of partnership, head of innovation, head of data and regional head as examples.</p><p>But less flashy titles may be at odds with young workers’ expectations, with 60 per cent of younger Hong Kong workers expecting to be promoted within 12 to 18 months, according to the Robert Walters survey. It also found that 50 per cent of young employees consider managing a team to be the biggest factor in determining seniority.</p><p>In the case of traditional banks, it had become more common for promotion timelines to get strung out, said Quinlan.</p><p>There were more “career vice-presidents”– an upper-middle tier role – as banks delay employees’ progression to preserve cost structures and prevent the organisation from becoming too top-heavy, while trying to appease employees, he added.</p><div class="methode-html-wrapper oembed-wrapper">
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" class="c1" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KQr9X4GDCzY?wmode=transparent&amp;jqoemcache=UdCOW&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;playsinline=1" title="Chinese airlines on biggest hiring drive in more than 3 years as travel demand rebounds" data-poster-sm="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/768x768/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/04/11/clean-thumb_0.jpg?itok=qdi3O7Hm" data-poster-lg="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/wide_landscape/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/04/11/clean-thumb_0.jpg?itok=NYnC4iwB" data-poster="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/04/11/clean-thumb_0.jpg" data-duration="02:56" data-video-source="SCMP" data-nid="3216655" data-youtube-id="KQr9X4GDCzY" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"></iframe></div><p>Employees used to be able to spend three years on average at each tier, and become a managing director by 35. “That’s more like late 30s to early 40s now,” he said.</p><p>There is a consensus on one point, however: exaggerating job titles is a poor long-term move for businesses.</p><p>“Titles must match compensation and length of experience, or it hurts jobseekers,” said Hudson’s Sibal.</p><p>Robert Walters warned that inflated titles could also lead to organisational inefficiencies and inequality.</p><p>“When employees realise that these titles hold no intrinsic value or external status, they can quickly become disenfranchised, especially if their compensation package does not match up to the title,” said Robert Walters’ Mullally.</p></description>
<link>https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3261332/meaningless-fewer-hong-kong-employers-resorting-inflated-job-titles-attract-talent-survey-finds?utm_source=rss_feed</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 08:35:49 GMT</pubDate>
<author>Sophie Chew</author>
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<title>Hush money trial: Trump denies sleeping in court, says he closes his eyes to ‘listen intensely’</title>
<description><ul><li>Donald Trump responds to reports that said he appeared to doze off during his Manhattan trial</li>
<li>Former US president says he closes his ‘beautiful blue eyes, sometimes’ so that he can ‘listen intensely’</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/2902708e-ee49-4b1a-ab57-a9ab89da4fd2_314af416.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/2902708e-ee49-4b1a-ab57-a9ab89da4fd2_314af416.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Donald Trump closing his eyes in court during his hush money trial on April 30. Photo: Reuters</figcaption></figure><p>Former US president Donald Trump says he didn’t fall asleep during his hush money trial.</p><p>Multiple reporters from outlets such as The New York Times, CNN, and The Washington Post have published reports noting that Trump appeared to doze off during his first criminal trial.</p><p>Trump has been regularly appearing in a Manhattan court since the trial kicked off on April 15. He is accused of falsifying business records to cover up a sexual affair with the porn star Stormy Daniels.</p><p>But the reports of him snoozing, Trump says, aren’t true at all.</p><p>“Contrary to the FAKE NEWS MEDIA, I don’t fall asleep during the Crooked D.A.’s Witch Hunt, especially not today,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Thursday. “I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!”</p><p>Trump’s remarks come just a day after The Times’ Maggie Haberman told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that it is “100 per cent true” that he was sleeping at some points during his trial.</p><p>Haberman, however, did acknowledge that there were times where Trump really was just closing his eyes.</p><p>“That is how he tries to just basically stay calm and deal with it. And whether that then leads to sleep or whatever, who knows?” Haberman said. “But he is sitting there with his eyes closed for long periods of time. It’s not always sleeping.”</p><div class="scmp-code-block methode-html-wrapper">
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</div><p>This isn’t the first time the Trump campaign has refuted reports of him catching some shut-eye while in court. A representative for his campaign said in a statement to The Independent last month that the reports are “100% Fake News”.</p><p>But that hasn’t deterred people from cracking jokes at Trump’s expense.</p><p>“Imagine committing so many crimes, you get bored at your own trial,” Jon Stewart, the host of <em>The Daily Show</em>, said of Trump during an episode that aired on April 15.</p><p>Besides the case in Manhattan, Trump has been charged in three other criminal cases, including a state criminal case in Georgia over accusations that he attempted to overturn the 2020 election results.</p><p>The former president is also on the line for two federal cases: one relating to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and another where he’s accused of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after leaving office.</p><p>None of the three cases have firm trial dates set yet.</p><p><strong>Read the original article on</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-denies-sleeping-in-court-closes-eyes-sometimes-2024-5" title="" target="_self"><strong>Business Insider</strong></a></p></description>
<link>https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3261333/hush-money-trial-trump-denies-sleeping-court-says-he-closes-his-eyes-listen-intensely?utm_source=rss_feed</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 08:24:40 GMT</pubDate>
<author>Business Insider</author>
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<title>5-year-old becomes youngest Singaporean to conquer Everest base camp through ‘hard work and faith’</title>
<description><ul><li>Abyan Imtiaz Irkiz, 5, has become the youngest Singaporean to reach the Mount Everest base camp, completing the feat with his father, Zikri Ali, on Monday</li>
<li>Before this, the youngest Singaporean to reach Everest base camp was Om Madan Garg, a six-year-old boy who did so in October 2022</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/6f203620-ea39-4b4c-89dc-1cd99f9a896e_324a3791.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/6f203620-ea39-4b4c-89dc-1cd99f9a896e_324a3791.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Zikri Ali and his son Abyan at Mount Everest base camp on April 29. Photo: Instagram/abyan.irkiz</figcaption></figure><p>At just five years old, Abyan Imtiaz Irkiz has become the youngest Singaporean to reach Mount Everest base camp.</p><p>Abyan achieved the feat with his father, Zikri Ali, 41, on Monday – two days earlier than they had planned.</p><p>It took the pair eight days to reach the base camp, which sits at an altitude of 5.36km above sea level. It serves as a home base for mountaineers attempting to climb <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/mount-everest" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="215a2a7c-cd89-4c1e-b2b1-ec7f91ab5b81" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Mount Everest</a> in Nepal.</p><p>The father and son duo, who have been documenting their journey on an Instagram account under the handle “abyan.irkiz”, recalled the six gruelling months of training that led to this moment.</p><p>“All the sweat, tears, and dedication over the last six months, including training during <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/ramadan" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="73ba5ffa-679a-4c92-a902-7f74142376b2" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Ramadan</a>, have led to this incredible achievement,” they wrote in an <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/instagram" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="02df78d6-854b-43eb-a698-eb313192d707" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Instagram</a> post.</p><div class="image-inline-container"><figure><img class="image-inline caption" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/6f203620-ea39-4b4c-89dc-1cd99f9a896e_03e2722f.jpg" data-fid="15010504" data-resolution="2" width="2000" height="1232" title="Zikri Ali and his son Abyan at the Mount Everest base camp on April 29. Photo: Instagram/abyan.irkiz" alt="Zikri Ali and his son Abyan at the Mount Everest base camp on April 29. Photo: Instagram/abyan.irkiz" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Zikri Ali and his son Abyan at the Mount Everest base camp on April 29. Photo: Instagram/abyan.irkiz</figcaption></figure></div><p>It was accompanied by a picture of the pair holding up a Singapore flag before a signboard welcoming visitors to Everest base camp.</p><p>“From countless climbs up and down 27 storeys to trekking through rain and thunderstorms for training sessions – every challenge has been worth it.</p><p>“This day, exactly two months before Abyan turns six years old, marks such a great achievement, and I’m sure we will never forget this day.”</p><p>In a Facebook post published on Monday, the <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/singapore" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="b0fa9be9-b201-461e-9513-15725bcc53dc" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Singapore</a> Book of Records confirmed that Abyan is the youngest Singaporean to reach Everest base camp.</p><p>This Singapore record was previously held by Om Madan Garg, a six-year-old boy who reached the Everest base camp on October 7, 2022.</p><p>Speaking to TODAY on April 19, on the eve of their trip, Zikri said that the idea for the climb occurred to him as he was reading about Om’s climb.</p><p>Incidentally, he and his family were in Nepal, where they just finished a 12km panoramic hike.</p><div class="image-inline-container"><figure><img class="image-inline caption" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/b0e155e0-0ab0-4d2d-acf8-57692b12ab46_34c8daee.jpg" data-fid="15010505" data-resolution="2" width="2000" height="1672" title="Zikri Ali and his son Abyan on a video call. Photo: Instagram/abyan.irkiz" alt="Zikri Ali and his son Abyan on a video call. Photo: Instagram/abyan.irkiz" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Zikri Ali and his son Abyan on a video call. Photo: Instagram/abyan.irkiz</figcaption></figure></div><p>“[Abyan] managed to do quite well. And I was quite impressed actually,” said Zikri, who owns and runs a yoga studio with his wife.</p><p>“I was thinking to myself: Hmm, I think maybe he can do it [Everest base camp hike]. With some training, he can definitely do it.”</p><p>The father of three said that Abyan had, in a sense, learned to climb before he could even walk.</p><p>While the little one learned to walk properly without support at about age 13 or 14 months, he was already crawling up playground slopes at nine months old.</p><div class="methode-html-wrapper oembed-wrapper">
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" class="c1" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U_CIxF9xTOo?wmode=transparent&amp;jqoemcache=UdCOW&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;playsinline=1" title="Double amputee reaches top of Mount Everest in historic first" data-poster-sm="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/768x768/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/05/24/clean---Mount-Everest.jpg?itok=_hc1DSgZ" data-poster-lg="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/wide_landscape/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/05/24/clean---Mount-Everest.jpg?itok=W35RFAjv" data-poster="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/video/thumbnail/2023/05/24/clean---Mount-Everest.jpg" data-duration="03:02" data-video-source="SCMP" data-nid="3221633" data-youtube-id="U_CIxF9xTOo" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"></iframe></div><p>“At almost one-year-old, we’ve got him to this kid climbing gym, and then it just came naturally to him, he was able to climb up. And the operator was impressed,” Zikri said.</p><p>It helps that the family likes to go on hikes together, an activity they do both locally and whenever they go on holidays.</p><p>Proper training for the father and son duo began sometime in November with 4km walks. Zikri gradually added length and incline to their training.</p><p>“Then, in December, we also went to <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="08925cfe-01ce-4932-b9e2-be5b255efe63" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="section">China</a>. At that time, he managed to get some experience hiking in the cold, in single-digit temperatures,” he added.</p><p>In an Instagram post published on Tuesday, Abyan’s mother, War War Lwin Tun, 41, said it was surreal to see how much her eldest son has grown – physically and mentally – over the last few months.</p><blockquote>This achievement is not a miracle. It is an honest testimony of hard work and faithWar War Lwin Tun, Abyan’s mother</blockquote><p>“Back in December, he boldly declared his goal to be the youngest Singaporean to reach Everest Base Camp.</p><p>“Now, he’s not only shown the world but also himself that nothing is impossible when you have the courage to try!</p><p>“Quoting what a good friend told me yesterday – this achievement is not a miracle. It is an honest testimony of hard work and faith.”</p><p>TODAY has reached out to Abyan and Zikri for comment.</p><p><em>This story was first published by</em> <a href="https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/youngest-singaporean-mount-everest-base-camp-2414146" title="" target="_self"><em>Today Online</em></a></p></description>
<link>https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3261331/5-year-old-becomes-youngest-singaporean-conquer-everest-base-camp-through-hard-work-and-faith?utm_source=rss_feed</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 08:21:11 GMT</pubDate>
<author>TODAY</author>
<enclosure url="https://storage.scmp.com/d8/cors_uploads/2023/05/24/WEB%20-%20Mount%20Everest.mp4" length="182" type="video/mp4"></enclosure>
<category>Singapore</category>
<category>Nepal</category>
<category>Climbing and mountaineering</category>
<category>Today Online</category>
<category>Mount Everest</category>
<category>News</category>
<category>Asia</category>
<category>Southeast Asia</category>
</item>
<item>
<title>Key prosecution witness hoped Jimmy Lai’s assistant would help him escape from Hong Kong, trial told</title>
<description><ul><li>Paralegal Wayland Chan says after his first arrest in October 2020, he believed he could still convince police that he was not affiliated with Lai or his associates</li>
<li>Chan says he was hopeful Lai’s right-hand man Mark Simon would be able to ‘find some ways’ to get him out of Hong Kong after police released him on bail</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/3407bbd9-99f2-4422-bfa7-1ba96a049e8c_0fe663e5.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/3407bbd9-99f2-4422-bfa7-1ba96a049e8c_0fe663e5.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>A key prosecution witness in Jimmy Lai’s trial has revealed he harboured hope that the mogul’s assistant would help him escape from Hong Kong. Photo: Felix Wong</figcaption></figure><p>A key prosecution witness in <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/jimmy-lai" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="ccc84865-5a60-4492-bcd8-2e833152aa73" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics"><u>Jimmy Lai Chee-ying</u></a>’s national security trial has testified to harbouring hope that the tycoon’s assistant would help him escape from Hong Kong after his arrest by national security police four years ago.</p><p>Paralegal Wayland Chan Tsz-wah told West Kowloon Court on Friday he believed that after his first arrest in October 2020, he could still convince police that he was not affiliated with Lai or his associates.</p><p>Chan said he had thought that Lai’s right-hand man Mark Simon, who previously worked for US naval intelligence, would be able to “find some ways” to get him out of Hong Kong after police released him on bail.</p><p>“I thought that luck was still on my side,” the defendant turned witness added.</p><p>He also denied fabricating his court testimony to suit prosecutors’ needs in exchange for a more lenient sentence on a count of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, to which he pleaded guilty in August 2021.</p><p>Chan earlier revealed he had linked up Lai to activists of the “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” (SWHK) campaign group to facilitate the tycoon’s political agenda and trigger China’s “<a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3259588/jimmy-lai-plotted-trigger-chinas-collapse-and-install-us-style-democracy-hong-kong-court-hears" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="83804675-db91-470b-b15f-6216311eac93" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article"><u>implosion</u></a>” through lobbying for economic sanctions and other hostile acts abroad.</p><p>The 76-year-old <a href="https://www.scmp.com/video/hong-kong/3138534/hong-kong-tabloid-apple-daily-ceases-operations-after-top-executives" title="" target="_self"><em><u>Apple Daily</u></em></a> founder has denied two conspiracy charges of collusion with foreign forces and a third of conspiracy to print and distribute <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3184104/1-5-arrests-hong-kongs-national-security-police-made" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="88274233-56fc-4225-8cf0-c08743145573" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article"><u>seditious publications</u></a>.</p><p>Chan was first <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3104952/hong-kong-police-arrest-smuggling-gang-suspicion" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="3f914d36-0a14-11eb-afc8-92e0da0ef1c3" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article"><u>arrested</u></a> for allegedly assisting the <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3258659/jimmy-lai-trial-hong-kong-activist-told-flee-taiwan-then-uk-after-going-bail-2020-court-hears" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="a7ca669f-a79e-494d-b829-c19c2bca310d" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article"><u>thwarted escape bid</u></a> of activist Andy Li Yu-hin, a core SWHK member who was caught with 11 others at mainland waters while en route to Taiwan by boat in August 2020.</p><div class="image-inline-container"><figure><img class="image-inline caption" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/24397739-a92f-48a9-b57c-2fab0bb95508_a3d4997c.jpg" data-fid="15010476" data-resolution="1" width="1571" height="2247" title="Wayland Chan has said he was hopeful Lai’s right-hand man Mark Simon (pictured) would be able to ‘find some ways’ to get him out of Hong Kong. Photo: May Tse" alt="Wayland Chan has said he was hopeful Lai’s right-hand man Mark Simon (pictured) would be able to ‘find some ways’ to get him out of Hong Kong. Photo: May Tse" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Wayland Chan has said he was hopeful Lai’s right-hand man Mark Simon (pictured) would be able to ‘find some ways’ to get him out of Hong Kong. Photo: May Tse</figcaption></figure></div><p>He was <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3122044/hong-kong-media-tycoon-jimmy-lai-arrested-connection" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="be16a7a4-70f4-11eb-ba58-f8f0a43119e3" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article"><u>arrested</u></a> again for alleged collusion in February 2021 before agreeing to help the prosecution the following month.</p><p>Chan said he made numerous false claims in a cautioned interview in October 2020 to distance himself from the tycoon’s anti-China conspiracy.</p><p>Lai’s defence counsel <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3245665/hong-kong-tycoon-jimmy-lais-legal-team-joined-specialist-new-zealand-lawyer-seen-replacement-barred" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="490a2832-b4e9-4527-b241-502612739d3e" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article"><u>Marc Corlett</u></a> drew the court’s attention to 14 categories of incriminating remarks Chan previously made in court and suggested they were nowhere to be found in the transcripts of the witness’s video interviews with police in April 2021.</p><p>Chan insisted some of those claims were corroborated by the written records, but agreed he did not repeat them in court with the same wording he previously used.</p><p>Chan acknowledged he was not accusing Lai of supporting the “valiant” camp during the 2019 <a href="https://www.scmp.com/video/hong-kong/3088183/year-anti-government-protests-hong-kong" title="" target="_self"><u>anti-government protests</u></a> when he said in the interviews that the mogul wanted every political thought to blossom, be it supportive of Hong Kong independence or the status quo.</p><p>The witness also agreed he had never mentioned to police that he had ever told Lai anything about Li or SWHK.</p><p>Corlett suggested many of Chan’s assertions were lies made up in the witness stand.</p><p>The lawyer referred to Chan’s remarks recorded in October 2020, where he claimed he “hate people who use lies to benefit themselves”.</p><p>“Isn’t that what you’ve done yourself when you made up a number of statements for the first time to try to benefit yourself at sentencing?” Corlett asked.</p><p>But the paralegal insisted he was telling the truth exactly because he loathed dishonesty.</p><p>He also said his memory of past events might improve over time.</p><p>The prosecution will put their final questions to Chan when the trial resumes on Monday.</p></description>
<link>https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3261328/key-prosecution-witness-jimmy-lai-trial-admits-harbouring-hope-moguls-assistant-would-help-him?utm_source=rss_feed</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 08:13:55 GMT</pubDate>
<author>Brian Wong</author>
<enclosure url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1280x720/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/3407bbd9-99f2-4422-bfa7-1ba96a049e8c_0fe663e5.jpg?itok=h0HgxiTr" length="1280" type="image/jpeg"></enclosure>
<category>Hong Kong courts</category>
<category>Jimmy Lai</category>
<category>Hong Kong</category>
<category>Hong Kong national security law (NSL)</category>
<category>Law</category>
<category>News</category>
<category>Law and Crime</category>
<category>Society</category>
</item>
<item>
<title>How a translation app helped scammed Malaysians escape to freedom in Peru</title>
<description><ul><li>Forty-three people were trafficked to Peru and imprisoned in a bungalow, where a gang forced them to call the scam targets in Malaysia</li>
<li>Two of the victims managed to flee and spoke to a neighbour about their plight using a translation app, prompting a police raid that freed the captives</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/cc39b739-38aa-4236-8826-2b92588474e6_8a60b2f8.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/cc39b739-38aa-4236-8826-2b92588474e6_8a60b2f8.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>Forty-three Malaysians were trafficked to Peru, where a syndicate forced them to call and scam their compatriots. Photo: Shutterstock</figcaption></figure><p>The 43 Malaysians rescued from a scam syndicate in Peru owe their freedom to the determination of two of their number – and also partly to a smartphone translation application.</p><p>It was one such app that helped them communicate their plight to a neighbour after the two victims climbed over the wall of the compound where they were imprisoned.</p><p>Furthermore, Peruvian police who raided the bungalow where they were imprisoned had never faced such a situation before, foreign ministry Sarawak regional office director Fenny Nuli said.</p><p>It was thanks to the ministry’s efforts that the rescued Malaysians were classified as victims, and not criminals, or they would have been jailed, she added.</p><h3><a title="" href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3260532/forget-macaus-junket-launderers-dirty-chinese-cash-has-new-home-southeast-asias-casino-scam-hubs" data-entity-uuid="3a6612fc-6ca5-4de1-bb36-ee12ee4229ef" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">Forget Macau, dirty Chinese cash has a new home: Southeast Asia’s scam hubs</a></h3><p>Fenny said the victims told her they were locked in with all the windows closed and did not know if it was day or night.</p><p>“So these two victims got out and managed to get to a neighbour’s house.</p><p>“However, it was difficult for them to communicate in English, so what they did was to communicate using a translation app.</p><p>“Immediately after that, the police came and [informed the Malaysian embassy] about the situation,” she said in an interview on the TV Sarawak show “Dialog” on Thursday.</p><p>Of the 43 victims – 26 women and 17 men, mostly young people – 16 were from Sarawak, she added.</p><p>She said some of the victims told her that the syndicate assigned them to call Malaysians at night.</p><p>“So they would sleep during the day and work at night to call the scam targets in Malaysia (where it would be daytime).</p><div class="methode-html-wrapper oembed-wrapper">
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" class="c1" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lnZZ064Y6Kg?wmode=transparent&amp;jqoemcache=UdCOW&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;playsinline=1" title="‘It’s scary’: Asian cryptocurrency scams bilk tens of thousands of ‘brainwashed’ victims" data-poster-sm="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/768x768/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2024/02/29/CLEAN-THUMB.jpg?itok=mvWxbULb" data-poster-lg="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/wide_landscape/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2024/02/29/CLEAN-THUMB.jpg?itok=FtP58PwA" data-poster="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/video/thumbnail/2024/02/29/CLEAN-THUMB.jpg" data-duration="06:18" data-video-source="SCMP" data-nid="3253607" data-youtube-id="lnZZ064Y6Kg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"></iframe></div><p>“Two of them climbed the wall to save themselves because they couldn’t take it any more.</p><p>“When the raid was carried out, the Peruvian police had never faced a case like this.</p><p>“So I explained to them (the police) what was taking place and also worked closely with the public prosecutor to classify [the Malaysians] as victims.</p><p>“This is because if they were classified as criminals, they would have been imprisoned in Peru,” she added.</p><p>In October, the ministry had said in a statement that Peruvian police raided a house in La Molina, where Malaysian victims were identified and rescued.</p><p><em>This story was first published by</em> <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/05/03/victims039-grit---and-translation-app---to-the-rescue-of-43-m039sians-trafficked-in-peru" title="" target="_self"><em>The Star</em></a></p></description>
<link>https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3261327/how-translation-app-helped-scammed-malaysians-escape-freedom-peru?utm_source=rss_feed</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 08:07:08 GMT</pubDate>
<author>The Star</author>
<enclosure url="https://storage.scmp.com/d8/cors_uploads/2024/02/29/WEB%20VER.mp4" length="378" type="video/mp4"></enclosure>
<category>Malaysia</category>
<category>Scams and swindles</category>
<category>Peru</category>
<category>News</category>
<category>Asia</category>
<category>Southeast Asia</category>
</item>
<item>
<title>US support for Taiwan spot at World Health Authority ‘violates’ one-China principle: Beijing</title>
<description><ul><li>The Chinese foreign ministry has deplored Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s call for reinstatement of Taipei’s observer status at this year’s meeting</li>
<li>DPP’s ‘separatist position’ means political foundation for the island’s participation ‘no longer exists’, according to the ministry’s statement</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/f880dd70-0c8a-4161-8f8f-e269d8574676_9e56cf86.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/f880dd70-0c8a-4161-8f8f-e269d8574676_9e56cf86.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>China has opposed observer status for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly’s annual meeting since 2017 when the DPP came to power in Taipei. Photo: AFP</figcaption></figure><p>Beijing has slammed Washington’s support for Taipei to take part in the World Health Organization’s highest-level <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3175568/taiwan-banking-growing-global-support-regain-who-observer-seat" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="8d874565-a35d-474f-b8e3-49468c7028d1" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">annual meeting</a>, opposing the island’s observer status for the eighth time since Taiwan’s outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen took office.</p><p>US Secretary of State <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/antony-blinken" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="add21159-bda1-46f6-ba47-f8b29db11289" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Antony Blinken</a> – who <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3260246/us-secretary-state-antony-blinken-arrives-china-hours-after-senate-tiktok-ban-vote-new-funding" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="b742cf70-0e35-4330-9708-277294dc6f8f" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">visited China</a> last week – issued a statement on Wednesday to “strongly encourage” the <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/world-health-organisation" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="eea0e8e6-0fc6-4496-8599-09581332d7b2" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">WHO</a> to reinstate an invitation to <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/taiwan-0?" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="173e4fc8-3d56-4b88-8e2a-a3822b58ce27" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Taiwan</a> to participate as an observer at this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA).</p><p>Blinken said Taiwan has “exceptional capabilities and approaches” to offer on public health and its “continued exclusion” from the forum undermines “inclusive global public health cooperation and security, which the world demands and urgently needs”.</p><p>The Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday that it “strongly deplores and firmly opposes” Blinken’s statement, which “seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques”.</p><p>The ministry blamed Tsai’s Democratic People’s Party (DPP) for “stubbornly sticking to the separatist position of ‘Taiwan independence’, which means that the political foundation for Taiwan region’s participation in the WHA no longer exists”.</p><h3><a title="" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3260454/china-us-relationship-more-stable-still-risk-if-red-lines-are-crossed-wang-tells-blinken-beijing" data-entity-uuid="a7b71377-ba7b-4add-bf9b-ae4999a58f92" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">US cannot ‘say one thing and do another’, Chinese leader tells Blinken</a></h3><p>“The US statement presents this matter in a misleading way, essentially to connive at and support ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities,” the ministry’s statement continued.</p><p>Beijing regards the island as part of its territory that must be brought under mainland control, by force if necessary. The US, like most countries, does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state but opposes any unilateral attempt to change the status quo.</p><p>Taiwan had observer status at the UN health agency under the name Chinese Taipei from 2009 to 2016, during the presidency of Ma Ying-jeou from the mainland-friendly Kuomintang party.</p><p>That changed in 2017 after Tsai came to power and refused to recognise the 1992 consensus – an understanding that there is only one China but each side has its own interpretation of what that means.</p><p>Since then, Beijing has blocked Taipei from attending the WHA – which this year meets in Geneva from 27 May to 1 June – on the grounds that the DPP does not agree that the island and the mainland are “one China”.</p><p>The Covid-19 pandemic amplified support for the WHO to reinstate Taiwan’s observer status, following international praise for its handling of infection outbreaks and related aid efforts.</p><div class="methode-html-wrapper oembed-wrapper">
<iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/whOPiW3myok?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="no-referrer" allowfullscreen="" title="Why Taiwan is a ‘life-or-death question” for China | Talking Post with Yonden Lhatoo"></iframe></div><p>All 27 EU member states and six of Taipei’s allies either wrote or spoke to support Taiwan’s participation as a WHA observer during the WHO’s 150th executive board meeting in 2022, but in vain.</p><p>Last year, after the assembly again formally rejected Taiwan’s proposed observer status, Beijing’s representative to the UN Chen Xu said the DPP had “unilaterally abandoned the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA”.</p><p>The Taiwanese foreign minister Joseph Wu admitted on Thursday that there were “some difficulties” surrounding Taiwan’s attendance at this year’s WHA and said the island hoped for more international support.</p><p>Wu’s ministry also released a statement expressing appreciation for Blinken’s public support of Taiwan’s attendance at the assembly, which takes place one week after Tsai’s successor William Lai Ching-te takes over the presidency.</p><p>Lai’s victory in Taiwan’s January election secured an unprecedented third term for the DPP. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after the result was announced that it did not change “the basic fact” that there is only one China.</p></description>
<link>https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3261308/us-support-taiwan-spot-world-health-authority-violates-one-china-principle-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 08:00:17 GMT</pubDate>
<author>Hayley Wong</author>
<enclosure url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1280x720/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/f880dd70-0c8a-4161-8f8f-e269d8574676_9e56cf86.jpg?itok=xO8fc4EE" length="1280" type="image/jpeg"></enclosure>
<category>Taiwan</category>
<category>News</category>
<category>China</category>
<category>Diplomacy</category>
</item>
<item>
<title>Unusual terror alert for South Korea’s embassies fuels tensions with North, offers distraction from Yoon’s election loss</title>
<description><ul><li>The sudden two-tier rise of the warning despite no major events for Seoul could signal precautions against a retaliation over a row on defected diplomats</li>
<li>Power holders on both sides could also be taking advantage of mounting hostilities to extend their rule</li>
</ul><figure><img url="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/3efec068-0cf2-4748-a317-19a9c9ff34b6_975cd393.jpg" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/3efec068-0cf2-4748-a317-19a9c9ff34b6_975cd393.jpg" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>A US soldier and South Korean soldiers stand guard in the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarised Zone separating North and South Korea. Photo: AFP</figcaption></figure><p>A rare <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/terrorism" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="bed29c47-8594-4ddb-b00b-862d14127345" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">terrorism</a> alert for <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/south-korea" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="47e80df1-f349-4847-b590-5cdaed53d0cf" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">South Korea</a>’s diplomats this week is fuelling tensions with Pyongyang while allowing a welcome respite for the South’s ruling conservatives who are still in shock from an election loss, observers say.</p><p>Five overseas missions put on the alert comprise Seoul’s embassies in <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/cambodia" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="5adeba9a-27ac-4555-8f3c-f32ddaaaaa30" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Cambodia</a>, <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/laos" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="a5d29573-64da-4156-9140-10746abeffd5" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Laos</a> and <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/vietnam" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="bc44aff6-67d5-4953-8140-0ed25095d409" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Vietnam</a> as well as its consulates in the northeastern Russian city of Vladivostok and the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang.</p><p>Analysts say Pyongyang’s agents would be “freer” to operate in the countries identified as they were known to be friendly to <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/north-korea" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="621a3811-ffd3-4e85-b51a-8b5aece17db0" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">North Korea</a>, while Seoul could also be taking precautions against retaliation from its rival over defected diplomats.</p><p>Citing intelligence indicating a potential terror threat from Pyongyang, Seoul on Thursday raised its terrorism alert by two levels from the lowest to the third-highest on a four-tier scale.</p><p>“The adjustment comes in response to recent intelligence gathered by our agencies, indicating attempts by North Korea to threaten diplomatic staff,” the foreign ministry and the Office for Government Policy Coordination jointly said in a statement.</p><div class="image-inline-container"><figure><img class="image-inline caption" src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/05/03/82cfb0de-d49a-49cc-8c25-30aaac8606ee_4a8df8ea.jpg" data-fid="15010079" data-resolution="1" width="2000" height="1372" title="State flags of Russia and North Korea fly in a street in Vladivostok during the 2019 visit of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un to the Russian city. South Korea has a consulate in the city. Photo: Reuters" alt="State flags of Russia and North Korea fly in a street in Vladivostok during the 2019 visit of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un to the Russian city. South Korea has a consulate in the city. Photo: Reuters" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"><figcaption>State flags of Russia and North Korea fly in a street in Vladivostok during the 2019 visit of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un to the Russian city. South Korea has a consulate in the city. Photo: Reuters</figcaption></figure></div><p>The terror alert level was raised from “attention” to “alert” for five overseas diplomatic missions. The “alert” level is issued when there is a “high likelihood” of terror attacks taking place, according to the statement.</p><p>South Korea’s terrorism alert is classified under four levels: attention, caution, alert and severe.</p><p>This is the first time the alert level has been raised by two notches since 2009, when the warning was enhanced from “caution” to the highest “severe” level as the country prepared for the Asean-Korea Special Summit in the southern island of Jeju.</p><p>Terrorism alerts at the highest level were issued during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2019 Asean-South Korea Summit in the southern city of Busan.</p><p>According to the South Korean spy agency the National Intelligence Service (NIS) on the latest situation, the North has deployed agents to step up surveillance on Seoul’s diplomatic missions and identify targets for possible terror attacks.</p><h3><a title="" href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261060/south-korea-probes-pastor-over-alleged-stalking-yoons-wife-linked-handbag-scandal" data-entity-uuid="15f5f13c-38ec-48b3-9225-ff6be4791dd5" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">South Korea Dior bag scandal: pastor probed for allegedly stalking Yoon’s wife</a></h3><p>Many North Koreans including “a considerable number of diplomats” were said to have disappeared after Pyongyang last year lifted years of a pandemic lockdown and ordered them to return home.</p><p>North Korean officials in charge of their country’s expatriates are suspected of shifting the blame to the South to evade accountability for what Seoul says are “voluntary breakaways”.</p><p>The North Korean agents were believed to have falsely reported to Pyongyang that the exodus was orchestrated by the South, the NIS said, adding the North was also believed to be planning retaliations against Seoul’s diplomats.</p><p>“North Korean agents feel relatively freer in such countries that are friendly to Pyongyang”, Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher at state think tank the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), told This Week in Asia.</p><p>The terror threat from the North was in line with a change in its definition of inter-Korean relations from reunification-oriented, blood ties to those of “two belligerent states”, Cho said.</p><h3><a title="" href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3259070/south-koreas-china-ambassador-faces-abuse-probe-president-yoon-gets-no-respite-after-election-rout" data-entity-uuid="a88796cf-a29d-4859-a16d-c4854ffa0153" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-bundle="article">South Korea’s China ambassador and President Yoon’s ally faces abuse probe</a></h3><p>The North’s <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/kim-jong-un" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="2131a8b3-5262-4cff-ac46-68efd9cf79a6" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Kim Jong-un</a> in January this year declared that inter-Korean relations had plunged to “two states hostile to each other and the relations between two belligerent states, not the consanguineous or homogeneous ones any more”.</p><p>Cho warned: “Accordingly, the North Korean agents have to adapt to new operations that befit hostility with the South” including possible abductions and terror attacks against South Korean agents and diplomats.</p><p>The North’s diplomatic sphere has diminished over the past year.</p><p>It shut down embassies or consular offices in nine countries including Angola, Spain and Uganda and Hong Kong, apparently due to economic difficulties worsened by US-led sanctions.</p><p>The North’s long-term ally <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/cuba" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="df03b591-e24f-46eb-be61-ff3ccc2555b5" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Cuba</a> has meanwhile entered into full diplomatic ties with South Korea in February, to Pyongyang’s bafflement.</p><p>“The North would be tempted to fight back, attacking South Korean diplomats or abducting them to the North to present them as voluntary defectors for propaganda,” Cho said.</p><div class="methode-html-wrapper oembed-wrapper">
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" class="c1" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hwhWAvSWfIA?wmode=transparent&amp;jqoemcache=UdCOW&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;playsinline=1" title="‘The one who survives is victorious’: North Korean defector hopes to reunite with her sister" data-poster-sm="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/768x768/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2024/04/26/stp...00_00_26_06.Still002.jpg?itok=cRJt8vgY" data-poster-lg="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/wide_landscape/public/d8/video/thumbnail/2024/04/26/stp...00_00_26_06.Still002.jpg?itok=sVnO475b" data-poster="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/video/thumbnail/2024/04/26/stp...00_00_26_06.Still002.jpg" data-duration="05:09" data-video-source="SCMP" data-nid="3260511" data-youtube-id="hwhWAvSWfIA" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"></iframe></div><p>Political Science expert Lee Jun-han of Incheon National University noted that the rare upgrade of the terror alert in the absence of any key events hosted by Seoul came as the ruling conservatives were reeling from a crushing defeat at the April 10 National Assembly elections.</p><p>“This announcement will jolt conservative supporters into rallying” behind President <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/yoon-suk-yeol" title="" target="_self" data-entity-uuid="ce52158a-9e8d-4c7c-9a6e-ef5cf83e5ce1" data-entity-type="taxonomy_term" data-entity-bundle="topics">Yoon Suk-yeol</a> whose approval ratings were hovering around his all-time low of 23 per cent, Professor Lee said.</p><p>Jung Suk-koo, a former executive editor of the centre-left Hankyoreh daily, said power holders of both the North and the South were tempted to take advantage of threats on either side to extend their rule.</p><p>“News about growing threats from the North tends to benefit conservatives in this country which is still technically at war with the North” since the Korean War ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty in 1953, Jung said.</p><p>North Korea has repeatedly stated it is firmly against all forms of terrorism.</p><div class="image-inline-container"><figure><img class="image-inline caption" s |
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