A China-born accused scam boss was extradited from Cambodia, Chinese state media said yesterday, linking him to an alleged kingpin indicted by the US for running a multibillion-dollar cyberscam network from the Southeast Asian nation.
“Investigations found that Li Xiong (李雄), the former chairman of Huione Group under Prince Group, is suspected of multiple crimes,” state-run China Central Television (CCTV) said, with the report calling Li “a core member of Chen Zhi’s (陳志) criminal gang.”
Chen, the founder of Prince Group, was extradited to China from Cambodia in January.
Photo: AFP
Also Chinese-born, Chen had served as an adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father, former leader Hun Sen.
Chen and Li had been granted Cambodian citizenship, which was later revoked by Phnom Penh.
“At present, Li Xiong has been placed under coercive measures according to the law, and the relevant case is under further investigation,” CCTV said.
Across Southeast Asia, organized criminal gangs have used casinos, hotels and fortified compounds as bases to carry out sophisticated online scams, defrauding people around the world through fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investment schemes, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said.
Cambodia hosts dozens of scam centers with tens of thousands of people perpetrating online scams, some willingly and others trafficked, rights monitors say.
Young Chinese, many who fear age discrimination in their workplace after turning 35, are increasingly starting “one-person companies” that have artificial intelligence (AI) do most of the work. Smaller start-ups are already in vogue in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, with rapidly advancing AI tools seen as a welcome teammate even as they threaten layoffs at existing firms. More young people in China are subscribing to the model, as cities pledge millions of dollars in funding and rent subsidies for such ventures, in alignment with Beijing’s political goal of “technological self-reliance.” “The one-person company is a product of the AI era,” said Karen Dai
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
About 240 Indians claiming descent from a Biblical tribe landed at Tel Aviv airport on Thursday as part of a government operation to relocate them to Israel. The newcomers passed under a balloon arch in blue and white, the colors of the Israeli flag, as dozens of well-wishers welcomed them with a traditional Jewish song. They were the first “bnei Menashe” (“sons of Manasseh”) to arrive in Israel since the government in November last year announced funding for the immigration of about 6,000 members of the community from the states of Manipur and Mizoram in northeast India. The community claims to descend from
‘TROUBLING’: The firing of Phelan, who was an adviser to a nonprofit that supported the defense of Taiwan, was another example of ‘dysfunction’ under Trump, a US senator said US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan has been fired, a US official and a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, in another wartime shakeup at the Pentagon coming just weeks after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ousted the Army’s top general. The Pentagon announced his departure in a brief statement, saying he was leaving the administration “effective immediately,” but it did not provide a reason or say whether it was his decision to go. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Phelan was dismissed in part because he was moving too slowly to implement reforms to
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