Russian defence minister makes unannounced visit to North Korea
Russian defence minister Andrey Belousov arrived in North Korea for a meeting with his counterpart on Friday, deepening concerns about their expanding strategic and military cooperation in the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
Mr Belousov was received at the Pyongyang airport by defence minister No Kwang-chol and greeted him with a ceremony featuring a military band.
Photos showed North Korean military officials clapping as a banner in the background read: “Complete support and solidarity with the fighting Russian army and people.”
The visit, kept under the wraps until the last minute, coincided with South Korea scrambling fighter aircraft to intercept six Russian and five Chinese warplanes.
“Today, friendly ties between Russia and North Korea are expanding across all areas, including military collaboration. We are committed to implementing all agreements reached at the highest level,” Mr Belousov told Mr No during their meeting, news agency Tass reported.
“We look forward to close and fruitful cooperation with our Korean comrades,” the Russian minister said. “Today’s discussions will further strengthen the Russian-Korean strategic partnership in the defence industry.”
Strategic analysts said the visit was meant to signal that Russian president Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had deepened their partnership to break out of isolation and strengthen their international footing.
The US, Ukraine and South Korea have accused Pyongyang of sending more than 10,000 soldiers to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine as well as artillery systems, missiles and other military equipment.
“The Russian defence minister doesn’t visit North Korea just to celebrate bilateral ties,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “This visit indicates Putin and Kim’s military cooperation in violation of international law is about to increase further.”
Mr Belousov praised the strategic partnership agreement signed by Mr Putin and Mr Kim in June. The agreement underlined the “highest level of mutual trust” between the two leaders, the Russian minister said, and “also the mutual desire of our countries to further expand mutually beneficial cooperation in a complex international environment”.
Mr No praised the expanding military cooperation between the two countries and reiterated North Korea’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, describing it as a “just struggle to protect the country’s sovereign rights and security interests”.
The Russian minister’s visit came soon after South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol met with Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov in Seoul. Mr Yoon pushed for responding to North Korea’s support of Russia by formulating countermeasures.
South Korea’s military said on Friday that it launched warplanes after 11 Chinese and Russian military jets entered its air defence identification zone. The aircraft lingered for a period of four hours before leaving without incident.
Chinese state media said Chinese and Russian militaries organised and carried out the ninth joint strategic air patrol in “relevant airspace” over the Sea of Japan.
Additional reporting by agencies.
Veteran Chinese journalist jailed for seven years for ‘espionage’
A Beijing court has sentenced former Guangming Daily journalist Dong Yuyu to seven years in prison on espionage charges, his family confirmed on Friday.
Dong, 62, was detained in February 2022 while dining with a Japanese diplomat.
Press freedom groups condemned his conviction as “baseless and deeply unjust”.
“Yuyu is being persecuted for the independence he has demonstrated during a lifetime spent as a journalist,” his family said in a statement quoted by NPR.
They called Dong’s sentencing a “grave injustice”, not only to him and his family but to the broader community of “freethinking” Chinese citizens and journalists.
“Sentencing Yuyu to seven years in prison on no evidence declares to the world the bankruptcy of the justice system in China,” the family said in a statement to Reuters.
According to court records, the Japanese diplomat Dong was found dining with had been identified as a member of an “espionage organisation”.
A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said the diplomat had been involved in activities “inconsistent with their capacity” while in the country, the Strait Times reported. The diplomat was subsequently released.
Dong’s family warned that his conviction would set a chilling precedent as Chinese citizens could now be accused of espionage for maintaining international ties.
The trial was held behind closed doors in July 2023 and journalists were barred by police from entering the court on the day of his sentencing. An American diplomat attempting to observe the proceedings was also denied entry.
Dong’s lawyers and family were allowed to attend the sentencing judgment which was pronounced in court. They were not given the written order, however, NPR reported.
Dong’s case has drawn international criticism. Beh Lih Yi, Asia programme manager for the Committee to Protect Journalists, called for immediate action. “Chinese authorities must reverse this unjust verdict, and protect the right of journalists to work freely and safely in China. Dong Yuyu should be reunited with his family immediately.”
Dong, former Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and visiting scholar at Japan’s Keio and Hokkaido universities, spent decades in journalism.
He joined Guangming Daily in 1987 and rose to become the deputy editor of its commentary section, where he wrote about legal reforms and social issues.
While advocating for moderate changes, he avoided direct criticism of president Xi Jinping.
His family initially kept his detention private, hoping for leniency, but went public after learning in March 2023 that he would face trial. More than 700 journalists, academics and NGO workers have since signed a petition for his release.
Ann Marie Lipinski, curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism, expressed admiration for his contributions, stating: “Dong Yuyu is a talented reporter and author whose work has long been respected by colleagues. We stand with many in hoping for his release and return to his family.”
The Washington-based advocacy group National Press Club called Dong “the epitome of people-to-people exchanges China has fostered for 30 years”.
Dong’s case has drawn comparisons to other recent convictions on espionage charges in China. Australian writer Yang Hengjun received a suspended death sentence on similar charges earlier this year.
How £55 funeral wreaths sent by disgruntled K-pop fans became a menace
Earlier this year, one of South Korea’s biggest entertainment companies, SM Entertainment, found the plaza outside their headquarters in Seoul filled with hundreds of funeral wreaths. Sent by fans of one of the K-pop groups the company manages, the floral tributes lined the street not in mourning, but as a form of protest at the return of a boy band member they deemed controversial.
Once a solemn symbol of mourning, funeral wreaths have taken on a new role in South Korea—as a symbol of protest.
Korean media reports suggest funeral wreaths started being used as a form of protest first in 2006, after residents who opposed the development of a lake park in South Chungcheong Province sent them to local government offices. Similar protests in 2021 over the death of 16-month-old Jung-in, who was fatally abused by her adoptive parents, brought widespread attention to the systemic negligence in South Korea’s adoption process, prompting national outrage and demands for reform.
However, what began as a form of protest aimed at holding government institutions and public servants accountable has now devolved into a tool for K-pop fans to target young artists for personal choices, turning what was once a means of demanding justice into a weapon for enforcing toxic fandom standards and engaging in public shaming.
RIIZE, a boy band managed by SM Entertainment, was embroiled in controversy after private photos of member Seunghan which showed him kissing an unidentified woman in a bed and smoking a cigarette were leaked in August 2023. Seunghan was put on an indefinite hiatus following outrage by some fans at what they considered inappropriate behaviour for a K-pop idol.
In October this year, SM Entertainment’s announcement that Seunghan would be returning to the band was met with disapproval by fans, who chose to flood the company’s headquarters with funeral wreaths carrying messages for the 21-year-old to leave the group.
According to Korean media, over 1,000 funeral wreaths were sent, with messages reading, “Who Are You, Hong Seunghan?’ and “Seunghan, Leave”.
The often elaborate wreaths, which cost between $70 and $170 (£55 and £134), have become an increasingly common symbol of the extreme parasocial relationships between idols and fans that entertainment companies in South Korea heavily promote.
Shortly after the wreaths started to arrive, Park Jae-hyung, a former member of the South Korean rock band Day6, called them “attempted murder”, echoing many others who described the wreaths addressed to individuals as bullying.
“The funeral flowers were disgusting. The same people who sent them will be the first ones online mourning the tragic outcome they fought for. God forbid tragedy occurs but I’ve been on that side before and It was close. I can’t imagine the trauma it would cause someone that young,” he posted.
“Anyone involved in the flowers should be tried for attempted murder because that is what that was.”
Hybe, the multinational entertainment company that manages some of the biggest bands in Korea, including BTS, Seventeen, New Jeans, and Le Sserafim, saw funeral wreaths several times in 2024.
First, in May, when fans sent them to protest what they saw as inaction by the company over “baseless allegations and defamation against BTS”. In October, when BTS member Suga had his licence revoked after he was found riding an electric scooter back home while intoxicated, fans sent in wreaths with his name to the company demanding that he be removed from the band.
Kim Seung Jin, who has lived in the area near the SM headquarters for over 20 years, described the wreaths and protests as a public nuisance.
“At first, the SM building brought a nice vibe, but lately it feels like there’s a protest whenever something goes wrong. Trucks with signs demanding idols to leave or return are a regular sight,“ he said.
Another resident, Lee Jung-Eun, said seeing the wreaths was unsettling. “I understand fans are upset, but seeing these wreaths at night can be eerie. It feels like they’re starting to affect the entire neighborhood’s appearance.”
South Korean police have begun to treat the wreaths as symbolic expressions of outrage, routinely classifying them as public civil protests. In some cases, authorities are allowed to and even expected to ensure these displays are protected, since they are considered a legal form of protest under South Korea’s public demonstration laws.
Citizens are allowed to send in funeral wreaths as long as they submit an application 48 hours in advance and list the items being used in the protest as well as how many there will be.
“Funeral wreaths are now considered protest materials, so the number intended for use must be declared in advance,” a police official told The Korea Times.
However, there is now growing concern that the wreaths are crossing ethical lines, especially when they carry messages aimed at individuals instead of entities like government institutions or corporations.
Some experts have argued that if wreaths constitute targeted personal attacks, or even perceived death threats, they may breach defamation, harassment, or intimidation laws under South Korea’s Criminal Act.
Enforcing penalties for unauthorised funeral wreath protests is challenging due to a combination of legal and logistical hurdles. A significant issue is the difficulty of tracing the buyers of the wreaths, since they are often delivered by third-party vendors, making it nearly impossible to identify the individuals or groups responsible. A Seongdong District Office official noted that only delivery personnel are visible during these protests, limiting corrective police action.
Police say that unlike dangerous objects that pose immediate threats to public safety, wreaths do not warrant swift removal on these grounds.
Moreover, the legal status of the wreaths complicates matters. Even when they obstruct public spaces, wreaths are considered private property, preventing authorities from easily removing them without risking legal disputes.
Taiwanese president set for first overseas trip despite Chinese outcry
Lai Ching-te is set to make his first overseas trip as Taiwan’s president to Guam and Hawaii in a move that has prompted China to warn the US to exercise “utmost caution”.
Mr Lai, who is considered a separatist by China, is leaving for a week-long Pacific tour on Saturday. After a stopover in Hawaii, US, he will travel to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau, three of the dozen countries that have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
He will also stop over on the US territory of Guam.
China opposes any foreign interaction or visit by the self-governed island’s leaders, especially with the US. Beijing regards Taiwan as its territory that it can bring under control by force if required.
“If the US wants to maintain peace in the Taiwan Straits, it’s crucial for it to recognise the independence nature of Lai Ching-te and the Democratic Progressive Party authorities,” Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, said.
The spokesperson reiterated the comments made by Chinese president Xi Jinping to US counterpart Joe Biden at the Asia Pacific summit in Peru this month that “separatist acts” were incompatible with peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Washington must “handle the Taiwan issue with utmost caution, unequivocally oppose the independence of Taiwan, and support the peaceful reunification of China,” Ms Mao said at a daily press briefing in Beijing.
She said China opposed any “scurrying to the United States” of Taiwan’s leaders or any American support for separatist activities.
“China’s determination to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity and oppose interference in its internal affairs by external forces is unwavering,” she said.
The Taiwanese president and his government reject China’s claims of sovereignty over the island.
Mr Lai said he was looking forward to meeting Taiwan’s three Pacific allies. He would also keep deepening Taipei’s partnership with other countries and “keep Taiwan going out into the world”, according to a statement by his office that excluded mention of the US stopovers.
His foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, told lawmakers on Thursday that China could launch military drills near Taiwan in the coming days in response to Mr Lai’s Pacific tour.
Pakistan forces accused of pushing praying man off 25ft container wall
Security forces in Pakistan were seen pushing a protester off a 25ft-tall tower of shipping containers during a demonstration that saw nearly 1,000 people arrested.
The incident captured on camera and widely circulated on social media happened as thousands of supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan converged in Islamabad to demand his release from prison.
Top aides of Mr Khan claimed security forces launched a brutal crackdown on protesters and opened live fire, leading to the deaths of dozens of people and scores were injured as war-like scenes emerged from the heart of the capital.
One of the dramatic videos showed a man seemingly praying on top of a huge wall of containers erected to block protesters from reaching their destination.
Forces in riot gear are seen following him to the top, surrounding him, and then pushing him off the edge. The man is seeing hanging on to the edge of the container before falling.
Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said: “An innocent, unarmed protester was seen praying on a container when an armed paramilitary officer brutally pushed him off from a height equivalent to three stories.”
The condition of the man after his fall from the containers remains unknown. A PTI source said the party was still investigating what happened to him, and eyewitness reports that he died at the scene could not be verified.
The Independent has reached out to the Ministry of Interior for a comment.
On Wednesday, police in Islamabad said 600 protesters had been arrested following Tuesday’s operation, bringing the total since the protest sit-in began on Sunday to 954.
Mr Khan’s aides alleged, without providing evidence, that hundreds had suffered gunshot wounds during chaotic scenes overnight in the heart of Islamabad as police dispersed protesters led by Mr Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi who had broken through security barricades.
However, Islamabad’s police chief, Ali Rizvi, denied that live ammunition had been used during the operation, which he said police had conducted alongside paramilitary forces.
He added that the police seized weapons, including automatic rifles and tear gas guns, from the protest site where thousands had gathered.
Ali Amin Gandapur, a top Khan aide and chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, who was a part of the protests, accused the authorities of using excessive force against protesters who he said were peaceful.
Mr Gandapur who was part of the convoy that had Bushra Bibi said they were directly attacked. The PTI officials said the truck in which she was travelling was set on fire but both Bushra Bibi and Mr Gandapur were removed from the convoy and taken to the PTI stronghold Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Both Imran Khan’s wife and I were attacked directly,” Mr Gandapur told a press conference in the city of Mansehra, in the province he rules.
PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari said earlier that the protest seeking Mr Khan’s release had been called off, citing what he called “the massacre”. But Mr Gandapur said the protest would continue until Mr Khan himself called it off.
Mr Khan who has been in jail for the last year has called his supporters to “fight till the end” in what he dubbed as “final call” for his release.
The former leader is facing more than 150 cases many of which have been overturned or scrapped. He has called the charges against him a political vendetta after he accused the army of his ouster in 2022 in a no-confidence vote at the behest of the US. The army and the US have both denied the allegations.
India investigates Google Maps after car plunges off bridge killing 3
Indian authorities are investigating Google Maps and local government officials following the deaths of three men whose car fell off a broken bridge in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
The men, identified as Amit Kumar, Vivek Kumar and Ajit Kumar were reportedly using the navigation app while driving to a wedding when their vehicle plunged into the Ramganga River, according to police reports.
The accident occurred in Badaun district around 10am on Sunday, when the group was travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj. According to police, the GPS displayed the route as operational near Dataganj in Badaun, as the bridge had been in use until a section collapsed during floods in 2023.
However, the route was neither closed, nor were any signs installed.
“Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system,” officer Ashutosh Shivam said at the time.
Mr Shivam noted that the absence of safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the bridge contributed to the fatal accident. The driver, relying on navigation, was unaware of the danger and drove off the damaged section.
Authorities have since questioned a representative from Google Maps and interviewed officials from the Public Works Department. Police in Dataganj have booked four engineers of the public works department as well as some unknown person, police officer Gaurav Bishnoi told the Press Trust of India.
A regional officer of Google Maps is also being investigated in the case. However, he is yet to be named in the police complaint.
Police are also investigating both the navigation system’s failure to provide accurate information and the lack of proper precautions at the site.
A Google spokesperson expressed their condolences, stating, “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families.
“We’re working closely with the authorities and providing our support to investigate the issue,” the company told AFP.
New Zealand PM escapes unhurt as police car crashes into his limousine
Authorities in New Zealand have opened an investigation after a police car collided with the official limousine transporting prime minister Christopher Luxon.
The prime minister was travelling with finance minister Nicola Wills when the crash took place in Cobham Driveere in the capital Wellington on Wednesday at about 3.30pm (local time).
Police said no one was hurt in the incident. The Department of Internal Affairs, which manages crown and official vehicles, said the crash damaged the rear end of the limousine.
Mr Luxon on Thursday said it was “a bit of a shock” but he was “all good” after the incident and that his team handled it professionally. “It’s all fine. A very minor incident, and [it’s] all good,” he told reporters in Auckland.
“These things happen”, he said, adding that he did not know if the car would be written off.
A police spokesperson was quoted by Stuff saying they had launched an investigation into the incident following standard protocol for incidents involving official vehicles.
The crash caused traffic snarls, a caller who identified himself as Craig told Newstalk ZB’s Wellington Mornings, adding that he’d been “held up” by the incident.
He said a “silver Mercedes had been rear-ended at the roundabout by the netball stadium there”. He said the backlog went all the way back to Mount Vic tunnel.
Japan’s to prosecute teen whose ‘suicide bid’ killed another woman
Japan is prosecuting a teenager who fell from the rooftop of a shopping centre and landed on a pedestrian below, resulting in the death of both people.
A 17-year-old high school student fell from the roof of a shopping mall in Yokohama on 31 August and hit a woman who was walking with three of her friends, reports said.
Both were rushed to a hospital, where the pedestrian, identified as 32-year-old Chikako Chiba, succumbed about three hours after the teenager’s death. An initial investigation suggested that the student died by suicide, although the motive was unclear.
The dead teenager has been charged with “gross negligence resulting in death”, according to state broadcaster NHK. Yokohama police said the teenager was old enough to understand that she could be at risk of hitting pedestrians walking below.
The law enforcement have reportedly pressed for an indictment to be officially recorded.
The decision to prosecute the dead teenager has triggered a debate, with some calling the move pointless and a “waste of resources”.
“Prosecuting a dead girl is peak government ridiculousness – bureaucrats so obsessed with following their rigid, outdated rules that they’ve completely lost touch with common sense and human decency,” read a comment on Japan Today.
Another person wrote: “It appears as though they are trying to discourage the behavior in a country known for a high suicide rate.”
Japan is the only G7 country where suicide is the leading cause of death for teenagers and records more suicides by minors on 1 September than on any other day in the calendar year. At least 513 children took their lives on this day in 2023, data released by the health ministry in March showed, while there were 514 in 2022.
Officials have connected the phenomenon to the impending start of the new academic year, with “school problems” recorded as being associated with 261 cases last year, followed by “health problems” with 147 cases, and “family problems” with 116 cases.
Legal experts believe the proceeding could help Chiba’s family with civil claims and prevent such incidents in the future.
Japan’s government and media organisations have been working to raise awareness about the challenges that students face, particularly at the start of the new school term. Last year, at least 21,800 people in Japan died by suicide, according to the government.
The government in 2021 appointed a minister for loneliness following a recent rise in the number of suicides and the coronavirus pandemic’s exacerbation of the issue.
Japan has made nationwide efforts to promote a comprehensive suicide prevention strategy. From 2006 to 2022, the suicide rate has fallen by more than 35 per cent “reflecting, in part, the impact of the national suicide prevention strategy”, the World Health Organisation said in September.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.