Japan
Dolphin hunting challenged
A court yesterday began hearing arguments over whether dolphin hunting breaks animal cruelty laws. The plaintiffs are asking the district court in Wakayama Prefecture to stop the permits from being issued. Wakayama Governor Yoshinobu Nisaka issues the permits for the village of Taiji, where the hunts have drawn protests. The 2009 Oscar-winning documentary The Cove showed the village’s hunts, where dolphins were chased into a cove and bludgeoned to death, turning the waters blood red. In the past few years, the hunting method has changed to suffocation. The plaintiffs, a former Taiji resident and activist Ren Yabuki have said that the killings remain traumatic and painful, despite the new method. Taiji officials and fishermen have defended the hunt as tradition and have said that eating dolphin meat is no different from eating beef or chicken.
SOUTH KOREA
Ex-justice official arrested
A former vice justice minister has been arrested on allegations of bribery, including being provided with prostitutes by a construction contractor. Kim Hak-ui, a former prosecutor who briefly served as the No. 2 at the Ministry of Justice in 2013, has been accused of accepting bribes totaling 130 million won (US$108,722) and sexual entertainment on more than 100 occasions from businessman Yoon Jung-cheon. Kim was late on Thursday taken into custody after the Seoul Central District Court granted an arrest warrant, citing the possibility of “fleeing and tampering with evidence,” Yonhap news agency reported. Kim was appointed by ousted former president Park Geun-hye in March 2013, but resigned a week later in a storm of controversy. He was investigated on allegations including rape and bribery, but was cleared due to a lack of evidence. Prosecutors earlier this year launched a new probe and Kim was in March stopped at Incheon International Airport as he sought to fly to Bangkok.
VIETNAM
Traffickers to be executed
A total of 10 people have been sentenced to death for smuggling methamphetamine, ketamine and ecstasy across the country by train, state media reported yesterday. The alleged gang shifted 300kg of drugs from the north to the southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City between 2015 and 2016, state-run media said. Five men and five women were given the death penalty after the trial this week in Hanoi, while two others got life in prison. “The two ringleaders were paid hundreds thousands of dollars” to traffic the drugs, the state-run Vietnamnet news site said. Court officials could not be reached for comment. Anyone caught with more than 600g of heroin or more than 2.5kg of methamphetamine can face the death penalty.
FLYBY: The object, appears to be traveling more than 60 kilometers per second, meaning it is not bound by the sun’s orbit, astronomers studying 3I/Atlas said Astronomers on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of an interstellar object racing through the solar system — only the third-ever spotted, although scientists suspect many more might slip past unnoticed. The visitor from the stars, designated 3I/Atlas, is likely the largest yet detected, and has been classified as a comet, or cosmic snowball. “It looks kind of fuzzy,” said Peter Veres, an astronomer with the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center, which was responsible for the official confirmation. “It seems that there is some gas around it, and I think one or two telescopes reported a very short tail.” Originally known as A11pl3Z before
Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting “gringos out!” The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store. Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called “xenophobic expressions” similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries. “We are a city of open arms... there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,” Cravioto told Milenio television. Neighborhoods like Roma-Condesa
‘CONTINUE TO SERVE’: The 90-year-old Dalai Lama said he hoped to be able to continue serving ‘sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma’ for decades to come The Dalai Lama yesterday said he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday. Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution would continue after his death. Many exiled Tibetans
Dozens of residents have evacuated remote islands in southern Japan that have been shaken by nearly 1,600 earthquakes in recent weeks, the local mayor said yesterday. There has been no major physical damage on hardest-hit Akuseki island, even after a magnitude 5.1 quake that struck overnight, said Toshima Mayor Genichiro Kubo, who is based on another island. However, the almost nonstop jolts since June 21 have caused severe stress to area residents, many of whom have been deprived of sleep. Of the 89 residents of Akuseki, 44 had evacuated to the regional hub of Kagoshima by Sunday, while 15 others also left another
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