SOUTH KOREA
Reparation funds detailed
Seoul yesterday said that surviving “comfort women” who served the Japanese military in World War II will be eligible to receive 100 million won (US$90,000) each from a foundation that is to be funded by the Japanese government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the families of those killed will be able to receive 20 million won, adding that it expects the Japanese government to soon transfer ￥1 billion (US$9.9 million) to a foundation formally launched in Seoul last month. The two sides agreed to set up the foundation in December last year.
ISRAEL
Alleged attacker shot dead
A soldier on Wednesday shot dead a Palestinian motorist who allegedly stabbed him and threw rocks from his car at a military vehicle in the occupied West Bank, the army said. An army spokeswoman said the assailant hurled rocks from his moving car at an oncoming military patrol vehicle, which then gave chase, forcing the car to a standstill shortly afterward. When the soldier approached the vehicle, the assailant stabbed him, inflicting light wounds, she said. The soldier responded by pushing the assailant backward and shooting him, an army statement said. A picture of the dead assailant circulated on social media showed him sitting in the driver’s seat.
UNITED STATES
Prison officials attacked
Prison officials in Nebraska said that nine staff members at the Lincoln Correctional Center were assaulted by inmates who were refusing to return to their cells. Department of Correctional Services spokeswoman Dawn-Renee Smith told reporters in an e-mail on Wednesday night that all nine were taken to hospitals after the attack and were treated and released. The prison was placed on lockdown. It was not clear how many inmates were involved in the attack or whether any were hurt. The Lincoln Correctional Center is a medium-maximum security prison for adult males.
NEW ZEALAND
Police mull hiker case
Police were trying to figure out why a tourist from the Czech Republic ended up spending nearly a month in the wilderness after her partner died during a hike. The woman was found on Wednesday living in a park warden’s hut on the scenic Routeburn Track in the “highly unusual case,” police said in a statement yesterday. The couple began their winter hike on July 24 and the man fell down a steep slope four days later, police said. The woman was able to reach him, but he died soon after. Police said she then made her way to the hut where she has been living since. Police said they launched a search on Wednesday morning after finding out the couple were missing.
UNITED STATES
Arrest after pepper-spraying
Police say a woman has been arrested after pepper-spraying a crowd of students at a high school in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta Public Schools spokeswoman Kimberly Willis Green told local media that Shawanda Favors was apprehended after allegedly spraying a crowd of students on Wednesday morning during a fight to stop her son from being jumped at Carver High School. Green said four students were treated for injuries and one student was taken to hospital. Favors was charged with disorderly conduct. The school system’s police department was investigating the incident.
Tunisian President Kais Saied yesterday condemned a European Parliament resolution on human rights calling for the release of his critics as “blatant interference.” The EU Parliament resolution, voted by an overwhelming majority the day before, called for the release of lawyer Sonia Dahmani, a popular critic of Saied, who was freed from prison on Thursday, but remained under judicial supervision. “The European Parliament [resolution] is a blatant interference in our affairs,” Saied said. “They can learn lessons from us on rights and freedoms.” Saied’s condemnation also came two days after he summoned the EU’s ambassador for “failing to respect diplomatic rules.” He also
Tropical Storm Koto killed three people and left another missing as it approached Vietnam, authorities said yesterday, as strong winds and high seas buffeted vessels off the country’s flood-hit central coast. Heavy rains have lashed Vietnam’s middle belt in recent weeks, flooding historic sites and popular holiday destinations, and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Authorities ordered boats to shore and diverted dozens of flights as Koto whipped up huge waves and dangerous winds, state media reported. Two vessels sank in the rough seas, a fishing boat in Khanh Hoa province and a smaller raft in Lam Dong, according to the
Sri Lanka made an appeal for international assistance yesterday as the death toll from heavy rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 123, with another 130 reported missing. The extreme weather system has destroyed nearly 15,000 homes, sending almost 44,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. DMC Director-General Sampath Kotuwegoda said relief operations had been strengthened with the deployment of thousands of troops from the country’s army, navy and air force. “We have 123 confirmed dead and another 130 missing,” Kotuwegoda told reporters in Colombo. Cyclone Ditwah was moving away from the island yesterday and
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
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