CHINA
Astronauts head to station
A pair of astronauts have launched into space on a mission to dock with an experimental space station and remain aboard for 30 days. The Shenzhou 11 mission took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert at 7:30am yesterday aboard a Long March-2F carrier rocket. It is to dock with the Tiangong-2 space station precursor facility within two days, conduct experiments in medicine and various space-related technologies, and test systems and processes in preparation for the launching of the station’s core module in 2018. Following the attachment of two experiment modules, the entire station is designed to begin full operations in 2022 and is to operate for at least a decade.
JAPAN
Abdication panel to meet
Experts on a government-commissioned panel were yesterday to hold their first meeting to study how to accommodate Emperor Akihito’s apparent abdication wish. Modern imperial law does not allow abdication. Allowing Akihito to do so raises legal and logistical questions, ranging from laws subject to change to the emperor’s post-abdication role, his title and residence. The six panel members — five academics and a business organization executive — are to compile a report early next year after interviewing specialists on the constitution, monarchy and history. Akihito, 82, suggested his wish in August, citing concern about his age. The government reportedly wants to allow Akihito’s abdication as an exception and enact a special law to avoid dealing with divisive issues, such as possible female succession and a lack of successors.
JAPAN
Fans celebrate ghost cats
Scores of cat enthusiasts painted their faces and dressed up in elaborate and colorful feline costumes to celebrate an annual festival celebrating bakeneko, ghost cats. Cat lovers on Sunday danced and played music as they paraded through Tokyo’s Kagurazaka neighborhood for the festival, which traditionally precedes Halloween. The neighborhood is the main location in the satirical novel I Am a Cat by popular author Natsume Soseki. “Kagurazaka is a town known for cats and, because Halloween is getting close, we decided to celebrate Halloween, autumn and cats all together in one parade,” said designer Okameya Yuko, who organized the festival.
PAKISTAN
Two buses crash, kill 25
Two passenger buses yesterday collided head-on, killing 25 people and injuring 69, officials said. The accident, which occurred on a dangerous curve in the city of Khanpur in Rahim Yar Khan District, was likely caused by speeding, police official Jamshid Shah said. Several children, college students and women were among the victims, Shah said, adding that police and rescue officials were using cutters to retrieve bodies trapped inside the two buses. Tasleem Kamran, a physician at a government hospital, said the injured were being treated and that several were reported to be in a critical condition. “We have declared an emergency. We desperately need blood,” she said. Local TV footage showed ambulances and rescue officials rushing the injured persons to hospitals. Before the rescuers and police arrived, resident Waqar Ahmad said townspeople, who heard the sound of the crash, arrived at the scene and started pulling the victims out of the wreckage. “We thought some bomb had exploded,” Ahmad said.
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
CYBERSCAM: Anne, an interior decorator with mental health problems, spent a year and a half believing she was communicating with Brad Pitt and lost US$855,259 A French woman who revealed on TV how she had lost her life savings to scammers posing as Brad Pitt has faced a wave of online harassment and mockery, leading the interview to be withdrawn on Tuesday. The woman, named as Anne, told the Seven to Eight program on the TF1 channel how she had believed she was in a romantic relationship with the Hollywood star, leading her to divorce her husband and transfer 830,000 euros (US$855,259). The scammers used fake social media and WhatsApp accounts, as well as artificial intelligence image-creating technology to send Anne selfies and other messages
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