Maori chiefs crown queen for only second time in history

New Zealand’s Maori chiefs have anointed Nga Wai hono i te po as their new queen and eighth monarch, to succeed her father King Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII who passed away at 69 after a heart surgery.

Ms Nga Wai, 27, is only the second Maori queen after her grandmother Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu.

She was chosen as Kuini by a council of Maori chiefs at Turangawaewae Marae on North Island on Thursday, and hailed as a “new dawn”.

King Tuheitia was laid to rest at Mount Taupiri after lying in state for six days.

Ms Nga Wai, a University of Waikato graduate groomed to succeed her father, is set for a potentially lengthy reign.

“This is more than a generational shift,” New Zealand First MP Shane Jones said.

“She’ll be the face of renewal. Given the extent of Maori youth, I suspect she will personify their aspirations.”

The Maori crown is not automatically passed down. The late king leaves two sons behind, Te Ariki Tamaaroa Whatumoana Paki and Te Ariki Turuki Korotangi Paki, but neither was chosen as the successor.

Maori leaders and politicians agreed that Ms Nga Wai’s appointment was essential for the Kiingitanga – or Maori king movement – with her influence expected to be profound across New Zealand for many years to come.

The Kiingitanga was launched in 1858 to unite New Zealand’s indigenous tribes under one leader in a bid to strengthen their resistance against colonialism. The role of the Maori monarch, although largely ceremonial and without legal authority, holds significant influence as they are regarded as the paramount chief of several tribes.

Annette Sykes, a lawyer and Maori rights advocate, said the queen embodied the future she had been striving for. “She’s inspiring, the revitalisation and reclamation of our language has been a 40-year journey for most of us and she epitomises that, it is her first language, she speaks it with ease,” she said.

“Political, economic and social wellbeing for our people is at the heart of what she wants and in many ways she is like her grandmother, who was adored by the nation,” Ms Sykes was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

“We have all watched her grow up, she’s very humble, I have watched her mature into this woman who has this thirst for authentic knowledge and brings this into the modern world. She’s someone who wears Gucci and she wears moko kauae,” Ms Sykes added, referring to a traditional Maori chin tattoo.

“She is leading us into uncharted and turbulent waters, and she will do it with aplomb.”

Ms Nga Wai was enthroned at a ceremony on Thursday morning in the small town of Ngaruawahia. She was escorted to the throne by the Kiingitanga advisory council of 12 elders from various tribes who chose her as the queen.

“The Maori world has been yearning for younger leadership to guide us in the new world of AI, genetic modification, global warming and in a time of other social changes that question and threaten us and Indigenous Peoples of New Zealand,” Maori cultural advisor Karaitiana Taiuru told AFP news agency.

“It is certainly a break from traditional Maori leadership appointments which tend to succeed to the eldest child, usually a male.”

Ms Nga Wai, draped in a wreath of leaves, a cloak and a whalebone necklace, sat next to her father’s coffin as ceremonial rites were performed.

Since the new conservative government led by the National Party took over last October, the Kiingitanga has become more active in uniting the Maori against proposed policies seen as a setback for their rights.

The Maori are about 17 per cent of New Zealand’s population.

Ms Nga Wai, who has a Master’s degree in Maori cultural practices and traditions, began teaching kapa haka during her second and third years at the University of Waikato, New Zealand Herald reported. Kapa haka is a ceremonial dance of the Maori tribe.

In a university interview, she said kapa haka was a central part of her life. “I go home to my parents’ house and my little nephew is there and he’s trying to do the haka. So it is just everywhere. I’ve been brought up in it, I am it. A lot of people are kapa haka. It’s the embodiment of Maoritanga,” she said.

Police bust baby trafficking ring that sold newborns to foreigners

Police in Indonesia busted a baby-trafficking ring that bought newborns on Facebook and sold them to foreigners in Bali.

Police said the “well-organised” syndicate operated in Depok city of West Java, about 27km from capital Jakarta.

The infants were bought from parents for less than £800 on Facebook and sold to foreigners in Bali at four times the price, police said, adding the traffickers also worked on “pre-orders”.

Eight people have been arrested so far and are facing charges of human trafficking and child protection violations, police said. They include two sets of parents, two people who acted as scouts and buyers, an intermediary and a broker who managed the transactions.

Depok police chief Arya Perdana said the children were advertised on Facebook with prices ranging from 10m to 15m rupiah (£493 to £740). The traffickers then transported the babies to the tourist hub of Bali where they were sold to foreigners for as much as 45m rupiah (£2,220).

The trafficking ring was uncovered after authorities acted on a public tip-off.

Mr Perdana said they were able to halt the sale of two infants, a girl and a boy, who were intended for sale in Bali. The syndicate had already completed five such orders in Bali, he added.

“They made arrangements with expectant parents before the babies were born, ensuring immediate transport to Bali right after birth,” the police chief told news outlet Kompas.

“So if a foreigner needed a baby, they would sell to them.” Police said that a woman sold her baby for 10m rupiah after her husband refused to raise the child.

Police suspect that the syndicate’s illegal activities extended far beyond Bali and have expanded their investigation into other areas.

“What we have discovered so far is limited to Bali, but organised international crime can occur anywhere, and the perpetrators could be from anywhere,” Mr Perdana said.

According to an UN estimate, around 56 per cent of the world’s human trafficking victims are in the Asia Pacific region, with Southeast Asia and South Asia the key hubs for supplying victims.

In Indonesia, a person convicted of human trafficking can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison and fined 600m rupiah.

Violations of the child protection law carry the same maximum prison sentence, along with a fine of 300m rupiah.

Thai woman rescued after falling into 2m-deep manhole

A harrowing ordeal unfolded in Thailand after a 54-year-old woman fell into a drainage manhole.

The incident occurred on 2 September in Samut Sakhon’s city centre when Wiparat Yonnawa stepped on a seemingly secure concrete cover, only to see it collapse under her feet, sending her two metres below ground into waist-deep water.

Trapped for nearly half an hour, Ms Wiparat’s desperate situation only came to an end when a passerby spotted her and alerted her daughter and authorities.

The incident came just days after a similar tragedy in Malaysia, where an Indian tourist, Vijaya Lakshmi Gali, 48, vanished into an 8m-deep sinkhole on 23 August while walking to a temple in Kuala Lumpur. Despite a nine-day search and rescue operation, authorities were unable to locate her.

Ms Wiparat’s daughter told Thaiger that she was unaware of the accident till a good Samaritan rang her doorbell to alert her. She rushed to the scene and sought assistance from a hospital rescue team.

Recounting her traumatic experience, Ms Wiparat told English daily The Nation that she was out shopping and had walked over the manhole cover, which is near her home, without incident only moments before it gave way beneath her feet.

Ms Wiparat reported feeling pain, helplessness, and fear of drowning. She said that if the water level had been higher, her situation could have been worse.

Arriving at the scene, the rescuers found Ms Wiparat submerged in the wastewater, sitting in a manhole about one metre in diameter and two metres deep.

She was unable to stand or climb out on her own due to extreme fatigue and shock, reported Thaiger. One rescuer entered the manhole and positioned a chair for Wiparat to sit on. A rope was secured to the chair, allowing the rescue team to safely pull Ms Wiparat out of the pit.

Ms Wiparat was taken to a local hospital for treatment of bruises and scratches. Her bruises were severe but did not result in internal bleeding, reports said.

Ms Wiparat, who was visited in hospital by the deputy mayor of Samut Sakhon, called on the city’s authorities to take measures to prevent similar accidents in the future.

In an interview with The Nation, she emphasised the potential severity of such incidents. “If a child had fallen in, they may not have survived. Proper signs or barriers should be put in place if there is any work being done that may pose a danger to the public.”

Sakchai Nimitpanya, the deputy mayor, suspected that municipal officials failed to secure the manhole cover properly after inspection or left it open for garbage removal. Municipal staff had been tasked with inspecting drainage manholes in preparation for high tide in the province, located along the Gulf of Thailand coast.

Bangladesh students ousted Sheikh Hasina a month ago – what we know

A month ago, a student-led movement ousted Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, after weeks of protests and clashes that killed over 600 people and pushed the country to the brink of chaos.

What began as student protests over government jobs became a large-scale revolt against the country’s longest-serving prime minister.

Hasina, 76, fled to India on August 5 as anger against her government swelled. But the ouster triggered more violence. Police went on strike and mobs rampaged across the country until a new interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in.

Here is where things stand now, a month after the country was roiled by its worst bloodshed in decades:

What is the interim government focused on?

Since he was sworn in, Yunus declared that his key tasks would be to restore peace and law and order, fight corruption, and prepare for new elections.

His Cabinet, which includes two student leaders who spearheaded the protests, has fixed its sights on overhauling and reforming Bangladesh’s institutions, from its courts and police to the Election Commission. To do this, it’s also seeking support from the United Nations Development Program.

Reforms have been a key priority as demonstrations against Hasina quickly escalated into anger against her increasingly autocratic rule. Her government had jailed opposition members, curbed independent media and curtailed civil society.

Protesters also accused Hasina’s Awami League of corruption and said that public institutions, including the Election Commission, had been eroded under her 15-year rule.

What Yunus needs is time.

The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who pioneered microcredit to help impoverished people, especially women, asked for patience in an address to the nation. He said his Cabinet has worked hard to curb the violence and lawlessness that set in after Hasina was ousted.

“I request everyone to be patient,” he said. “It is one of our objectives that public institutions regain public trust.”

What is the mood in Bangladesh?

Unrest persists. Garment workers demanding better wages have forced about 100 factories to shut down and tensions are simmering, with lingering but widespread anger against Hasina and her Awami League.

Hasina, now in self-imposed exile, is facing murder charges in more than 100 cases. Key officials perceived as close to her resigned after mass protests.

Many cases have also been registered against those associated with Hasina, her party or her government — from former ministers and judges to journalists and even a prominent cricket player. They’ve been attacked, stopped from leaving the country and even jailed. Rights groups have also condemned these lump charges.

Most of the cases are legally weak and politically driven, said Zillur Rahman, executive director of the Center for Governance Studies, a Dhaka-based think tank.

This form of “vigilante justice” has sparked fears that “the system that Hasina perpetuated is still alive, just the victims have changed,” Rahman said.

What about the students?

Within a week of unseating Hasina, the students who drove her out were directing traffic in the capital, Dhaka.

Some schools and universities have since reopened, including Dhaka University, which became the epicenter for the protests against Hasina. But things are not back to normal yet.

Many heads of educational institutions have been forced to resign and in some cases, even though classes have formally restarted, few students are attending them.

Still, many students remain optimistic about the interim government’s potential to bring about real change.

Sneha Akter, a student at Dhaka University, believes the removal of those who were previously in power is the first step.

“By replacing them, we are correcting past mistakes,” she said. “It is not possible to change the entire country in one month. … We need to give the government some time.”

There are those who say the Yunus-led temporary government should remain in power until meaningful reforms are enacted, “whether that takes three months, three years or even six years,” said Hafizur Rahman, another Dhaka University student.

What’s next?

There is a sense that normalcy is slowly returning — Dhaka’s streets are no longer a battleground between security forces and students. Internet is back on and a nationwide curfew with a shoot-on-sight order has been lifted.

With much of the violence eased, there is hope for a new chapter. Shops, banks, hotels and restaurants are open, and police — who went on strike over fears for their own safety — are back at work.

However, their morale is low. Officers are less visible on the streets and seemingly unwilling to tackle disturbances as their crackdown against the students remains fresh in the minds of many Bangladeshis.

Dozens of police were killed during the uprising, their stations torched and looted.

Another challenge is restoring the economy, which was disrupted by the weekslong shutdown during the uprising, sending prices of food and commodities soaring.

The biggest question is: When will the new elections be held?

Some experts say the interim government doesn’t have the mandate to enact major reforms and that it should focus on building consensus among political parties on reforms — and schedule the polls.

Hasina’s Awami League has remained under the radar so far.

Yunus is banking on the support he enjoys among the country’s youth, but Michael Kugelman, director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute, says that support may have an expiration date.

“If security continues to be a problem and economic relief is slow to come … young people could grow impatient and anxious,” Kugelman said.

Hasina’s chief opposition — the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP — is seen as having the greatest chance of winning the polls and has been pushing for the elections to happen soon.

“That raises an unsettling question: What happens if the BNP, which has no formal role in the interim government, doesn’t get the elections it wants to see soon?” Kugelman said. “Will it launch a movement? Will it trigger unrest?”

“That could pose new risks to law and order and deepen political uncertainty and volatility,” he said.

Why are wolves wreaking havoc in India? Experts are blaming sugarcane

A pack of wolves has unleashed terror among villagers in northern India as the animals emerge from tall sugarcane grasses at night and pull away children sleeping out in the open during the humid monsoon season.

At least 10 children have been killed by a single pack in Bahraich in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, marking the latest human-animal conflict that experts say has its roots in factors including loss of habitat and the climate crisis.

Forestry officials told The Independent that a sense of nightly terror is palpable in around 100 villages where the pack has been roaming, as children are picked off and their mutilated bodies are found hours later.

More than 35 villages, mired in rural poverty, offer little to no protection for these children who sleep in doorless, thatched-roof houses in the monsoon heat of above 30C.

Stumped by the fast-escalating problem, authorities are struggling to come up with solutions. Their main advice to scared locals has been for parents to keep their children indoors, especially during the night when the pack is most likely to be out hunting.

“We first heard of a child being reported missing on 18 March, but we did not find any pugmarks. In March, we saw a couple of mysterious ‘abductions’ but it was quiet for the next three months. On 17 July, the horror repeated with another child being attacked,” Ajeet Singh, the district forest official of Bahraich, said.

“We realised that these wolves have developed a taste for human flesh and that we are in deep trouble,” he sys.

The attacks are led by a pack of six wolves, including males who are actively seen hunting and prowling through the fields, Mr Singh says. Four of the animals have been captured, while two are still being tracked.

“Thermal drones, cameras, nets and dozens of men are on foot every night and day, combing sugarcane fields, tracking the wolves and capturing them. We’re using the best available technology to take them away from the village,” he says.

The dense thickets of sugarcane in Bahraich allow wolves to rest and hide completely and makes it difficult for officials to dart them with precision. “Around 80 per cent of the fields in Bahraich are of sugarcane,” he adds.

Additionally, climate related factors such as flooding of the nearby Ghaghra River have pushed the wolves deeper inside the villages, leaving them hungry for prey, which is not easy to locate in these places, he says.

Local government official Monika Rani and forest department rangers have started patrolling the area on foot and asking villagers to sleep indoors at all costs, despite the heat.

“People should not sleep in the open, they should sleep inside their homes or on the roofs, and should be careful for a few days. The pack of wolves is attacking new villages,” she told the villagers last week when an infant was attacked.

“We have deployed a significant force against the wolves in the villages where incidents occurred or people were injured but our challenge is that the wolves are very clever and keep changing their locations,” she said on Monday, just hours before another child was killed by the pack.

Villagers are taking their own set of precautions. “We walk in groups whenever we leave the house, we avoid going anywhere alone at night because many such incidents of wolf attacks have taken place recently,” one unnamed villager told Reuters.

Akash Deep Badhawan, a senior forest official who led the search and capture of one of the bigger wolves from the pack, says he is going by the animal’s primal instinct in order to locate them. Loudspeakers, flood lights, elephant dung and urine are being used to deter the wolves from coming near villagers.

“We used elephant dung and urine to keep the pack of wolves at bay from residential areas. The burning of the dung cake would create an illusion of elephant presence in the area. They’re by nature shy animals and avoid confrontations, so we are using that to our advantage, but the sugarcane fields are very dense, interfering with the thermal readings,” he says.

This is not a common event. There are only three other documented cases where people had to take such protective measures against wolves – all three between 1997 and 1999, and all in Uttar Pradesh.

Bilal Habib, a senior scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India who has studied wolves for 24 years, says the animals are merely reacting to circumstances.

“The [long grass] cover around their houses gives an opportunity to the wolves to be as close as possible, which gives rise to these types of circumstances or events. Once a wolf realises that it’s very easy to take your children, they can become habitual after that,” Mr Habib says.

“It is not like she has decided to kill humans. No, it’s the circumstances which have come together, giving them this opportunity to exploit the young ones,” he says.

Once the wolves are captured, and only after authorities establish that they were behind the deaths, the animals should be released far away from human habitation, Mr Habib warns.

“More than 90 per cent of Indian wolves live with humans. But if the human-animal conflict rises, villages will likely poison carcasses and kill all the nearby wolves in their villages. We must prevent that from happening.”

Sultan of Brunei: Longest-reigning and most extravagant monarch

With his fleet of 7,000 cars and £15,000 haircuts, the Sultan of Brunei couldn’t be more different than India’s Narendra Modi, who has made much over the years of his modest upbringing.

Modi is making the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to the tiny, oil-rich nation in Southeast Asia this week, and his talks with the sultan underscore the growing importance of Brunei for India’s geopolitical ambitions in the region.

Modi, who is said to have sold tea at a railway station as a boy, has expressed his intention to strengthen India’s ties with the small country on the northern coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia.

Brunei is an important partner in India’s Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific Vision – policies meant to serve stronger trade and business ties with South East Asia and other Indo Pacific countries.

The Sultan of Brunei, whose wealth is estimated at $30bn, is known for his lavish lifestyle. His car collection is reportedly valued at $5bn and has 7000 vehicles, including a gold Rolls-Royce that he acquired for his daughter’s wedding.

He was crowned the 29th Sultan of Brunei in 1968 and is the second-longest reigning monarch after the late Queen Elizabeth II. He resides in the Istana Nurul Iman, the world’s largest residential palace with 1,788 rooms.

The power of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who is also the prime minister of Brunei, extends far beyond that of a typical monarch. According to his official biography, he holds multiple high-ranking positions, including the portfolios of defence, finance, and external affairs.

He was named crown prince at 15 in 1961 and six years later his father Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddin abdicated. Although Brunei was still a British protectorate at the time, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah had already received military training in Britain and studied in Malaysia.

The sultan trained as an officer at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst in the UK between 1966 and 1967, the official website noted.

He is also a qualified pilot and can fly both aeroplanes and helicopters.

Under his rule, Brunei solidified its status as one of the world’s richest nations based on its vast oil wealth with a high per-capita income upon gaining independence in 1984.

The last parliamentary elections in Brunei, a country roughly the size of Delaware in the US, were held in 1968.

The sultan’s extravagant spending has fascinated outsiders for decades. His palace has an extensive polo complex, complete with around 100 ponies and a stud farm. He reportedly paid Michael Jackson $17m to perform at his 50th birthday party, attended by Britain’s then Prince Charles. The celebrations went on for over two weeks.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is believed to have a private collection of around 500 Rolls-Royces and during the 1990s, the Bolkiah family was reportedly responsible for nearly half of all the luxury car purchases worldwide.

Prince Abdul Mateen, one of the Sultan’s 12 children, frequently posts images of his lavish lifestyle on Instagram. Prince Mateen is the sixth in line to Brunei’s throne and a pilot and polo player with over 2.4 million followers on Instagram. The Instagram posts of the prince, who has often drawn comparisons in the past with Britain’s Prince Harry, show a mix of official duties with yachting, travelling in private jets and stays at world-class hotels.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah’s younger brother, Prince Jefri Bolkiah, was accused by the state of Brunei on behalf of the sultan of misappropriating some $40bn in state funds, in one of Asia’s most sensational royal scandals. The sultan sued his younger sibling in 2000 leading to a long-running feud between the two.

Brunei, a small country of about 463,000 people with a predominantly Muslim population, bans liquor, dancing, gambling and homosexuality. The sultan faced increasing international scrutiny, especially after 2019, when Brunei rolled out its interpretation of Islamic laws, or sharia, allowing whipping and stoning to death for those found guilty of adultery, sodomy and rape.

The new measures were met with global outcry and caused alarm and fear among Brunei’s gay community. Even though homosexuality was already illegal in the country, the enforcement of these harsher penalties led to calls to boycott luxury hotels owned by the sultan, including the Dorchester in London, the Beverly Hills Hotel, and the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles.

The US, Britain, France, Germany, and other nations, along with several celebrities such as George Clooney, Ellen DeGeneres, and Elton John, protested the law. Seeking to temper the backlash led by celebrities, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah extended a moratorium on the death penalty but critics said other harsh punishments, including whipping and maiming, remained and called for stricter revisions to the law.

The sultan’s “flying palace” is a private aviation fleet of ultra-luxurious planes, including a Boeing 747-8 (V8-BKH), a luxurious, long-range aircraft, a Boeing 767-200 (V8-MHB), another high-end aircraft for long-haul flights, a Boeing 787-8 (V8-OAS), a modern and spacious jet designed for comfort, apart from Sikorsky S70 and S76, helicopters used for shorter journeys and local travel.

The sultan reportedly spends approximately £15,000 for a haircut and arranges for his favourite barber, who works at London’s Dorchester Hotel, to fly first class to Brunei.

The 78-year-old also owns a private zoo with 30 Bengal tigers and a range of exotic birds like falcons, flamingos and cockatoos which can reportedly ride miniature bicycles, play with a ball, sing, and imitate other animals, according to a GQ report.

Observers say the sultan’s lavish lifestyle contrasts sharply with the lives of commoners, who live in a nation where strict Islamic laws and a state of emergency have long restricted personal freedoms. The sultan is also criticised for promoting a conservative interpretation of Islam that contrasts sharply with the lifestyles of those from the royal family.

The sultan is currently married to Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha. He has 12 children from three spouses. In 2020, Prince Abdul Azim, the sultan’s 38-year-old son and fourth in line to the throne, passed away. Azim was known for his work as a movie producer in Hollywood.

Azim was also known for his prominent presence on the international party scene, often seen with celebrities such as Pamela Anderson, Janet Jackson, and Mariah Carey.

In a 2017 CNN report, Michael Auslin of the Hoover Institution was quoted as saying: “They’re [the royal family] probably fairly well insulated from criticism, as the Bruneians are living better than almost anyone else in Asia. Here you’re talking about oil wealth that has been spread throughout society, the majority are benefiting.

“Their lifestyle is literally inconceivable for the vast majority of humanity. It’s lavish beyond belief. Take everything you can imagine in the lifestyles of the rich and famous and multiply it.”

North Korea reportedly executes 30 officials over flood response

North Korea reportedly executed 30 officials last month for their alleged failure to mitigate the devastation caused by floods and landslides that killed over 4,000 people.

The officials were charged with corruption and dereliction of duty, South Korean outlet TV Chosun reported.

The catastrophic flooding hit the Chagang province in July and also displaced more than 15,000 people.

According to North Korean news reports, the flooding caused widespread destruction in the northwestern city of Sinuiju and neighbouring Uiju, with over 4,100 homes, 7,410 acres of farmland, and many roads, buildings and railway lines affected.

The country’s leader Kim Jong-un ordered authorities to “strictly punish” the officials responsible, the North Korean Central News Agency reported.

An unnamed official in the Kim regime told TV Chosun that 20 to 30 cadres in the flood-stricken area were executed late last month. The report could not be independently verified.

After the floods struck, Mr Kim declared that North Korea would not take any international aid, Associated Press reported.

Instead, he asked officials to relocate thousands of displaced residents to the capital city of Pyongyang, where they would receive better care and support. The rebuilding efforts were expected to take around two to three months, during which time the government planned to provide for nearly 15,400 vulnerable people in facilities within Pyongyang.

Mr Kim also dismissed a senior official, Kang Bong-hoon, from his position as Chagang province provincial party committee Secretary, TV Chosun claimed.

In 2019, Chosun reported that Kim Hyok Chol, North Korea’s nuclear envoy to America, had been executed for his inability to secure a summit between Mr Kim and then president Donald Trump.

It was later revealed that Kim Hyok Chol was alive and well, CNN noted.

North Korea has a history of public executions, with an average of 10 taking place annually before the Covid pandemic, according to the Korea Times, a South Korean media outlet. The number has since increased to an estimated 100 or more, the outlet claimed.

“North Korea’s unstable economy, international sanctions, and the impact of natural disasters have likely contributed,” Yang Moo-jin, president of University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said.

Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Reunification Strategy Studies department at the Sejong Institute, told Korea Times: “North Korea public executions occur relatively frequently. The executions cover a wide range of cases, including heinous crimes, drug smuggling, and, in rare instances, individuals caught producing and selling prohibited content, including South Korean dramas.”

The 2023 North Korean Human Rights Report, compiled from testimonies of 508 defectors, claims a pattern of severe human rights abuses and brutal living conditions endured by citizens.

The report notes that executions are often carried out in public, with residents forced to attend. This practice is designed to intimidate and control the population, experts said.

“The North Korean regime uses public executions as a tool to maintain control and instil fear in its citizens,” said Julie Turner, US special envoy for North Korean human rights. “The international community must work together to expose these violations and bring about change.”

“In the global community, it is imperative that we unite our efforts to expose the regime’s grievous transgressions and institute tangible changes to enhance the lives of the North Korean people,” she said in October 2023, underlining that the human rights situation in the country remains “amongst the worst in the world”.

Pope tours Indonesia in ordinary family car as he begins Asia trip

Pope Francis kicked off his extensive 12-day tour of four Asian countries on a humble note by opting to use a family car and ditching a luxury hotel stay as he arrived in Muslim-majority Indonesia for the first leg.

The leader of the Catholic Church started the first full day of his trip on Wednesday, packed with meetings with political and religious leaders, with interfaith dialogue and climate change at the top of the agenda.

The packed schedule of the Pope’s farthest and longest trip to date would test the stamina of most people, let alone an 87-year-old suffering from myriad health problems.

The pontiff was chauffeured in a white Toyota Innova with the special SCV1 number plate, typically used by Vatican embassies for his appearances.

“The choice of vehicle was based on the Vatican’s specific request for an ordinary, commonly used car,” Major General Achiruddin, Presidential Security Force commander, was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Globe. “We were happy to accommodate this.”

The Indonesian government had arranged for the Pope to stay in a luxury hotel but he preferred to stay at the Vatican embassy in Jakarta instead.

However, he will be chauffeured in a custom-made bulletproof tactical vehicle with a detachable roof during the Mass service at Bung Karno Stadium on Thursday which is expected to draw more than 60,000 people.

The Maung MV3, was customised for Francis by the Indonesian state defence company Pindad.

“Pope Francis will use the Maung MV3 when greeting the faithful at the Bung Karno Stadium. We hope the vehicle provides the utmost comfort and safety for the Pope during his time in Indonesia,” defence ministry spokesman Edwin Adrian Sumantha said.

The vehicle, under construction since May, has been specifically tailored to suit the elderly pontiff’s needs.

The Pope arrived at the Merdeka Palace on Wednesday morning to meet with outgoing president Joko Widodo and his incoming successor Prabowo Subianto during the first papal visit to Indonesia in 35 years.

He was greeted with enthusiastic cheers by a crowd of people, including children, gathered at the presidential palace as he stepped out of the car and took to a wheelchair.

At a welcome ceremony marked by grandeur and tradition, cannons boomed in the palace grounds, sending a flock of white pigeons into the sky, symbolising peace.

In his address, the Pope urged the Indonesians, three per cent of whom are Catholics, to live with “harmony in diversity” and fight religious intolerance in the world’s largest Muslim country.

He noted that diversity could become a source of conflict in an apparent reference to episodes of religious intolerance in recent years in the country as well as a broader concern about geopolitical conflicts raging around the world.

“This wise and delicate balance between the multiplicity of cultures and different ideological visions, and the ideals that cement unity, must be continuously defended against imbalances,” he said.

Political leaders had an essential role to play, the Pope said, assuring Mr Widodo of the Catholic Church’s commitment to increasing inter-religious dialogue.

“War will not benefit anyone, war will only bring suffering and misery to the common people,” Mr Widodo said. “Therefore, let us celebrate the differences that we have. Let us accept each other and strengthen tolerance to realise peace, to realise a better world for all humanity.”

A major highlight of the pontiff’s Indonesia visit is set to be his meeting at Jakarta’s iconic Istiqlal mosque, which is connected by a tunnel to the city’s Catholic cathedral.

He is expected to meet Nasaruddin Umar, the imam of the mosque, as well as representatives of all six religions officially recognised in Indonesia – Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Protestantism and Catholicism.

The Pope’s visit comes amid rising concerns over incidents of intolerance in Indonesia. Amnesty International said there were at least 123 cases of intolerance, including the closure or destruction of places of worship, in the country between January 2021 and July 2024.

Amnesty said it hoped the Pope’s visit would encourage an end to acts of intolerance and discrimination against minority groups and promote respect for religious freedom that is enshrined in the constitution.

The Pope will depart for Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea after his final day of engagement in Indonesia on Friday, before travelling to East Timor and Singapore.