Ex-Tokyo Games exec Takahashi arrested again over fresh bribery allegations
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
A former executive board member of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee was arrested again on Tuesday over fresh bribery allegations linked to an advertising agency.
The special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office believes Daiko Advertising Inc. paid about ¥14 million to a company run by an acquaintance of the former Games executive Haruyuki Takahashi, who in turn is alleged to have helped the company secure a deal linked to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
The major advertising agency Dentsu Inc. was responsible for seeking sponsors for Tokyo 2020 and Dentsu recommissioned part of the solicitation operations to Daiko. According to sources, Takahashi allegedly asked Dentsu to select the company to fulfil the role at the request of Daiko.
After Daiko was selected, the company is alleged to have paid a total of about ¥14 million from January 2019 to January 2020 to Commons2 Inc., a consulting firm run by Kazumasa Fukami, 73, an acquaintance of Takahashi.
Takahashi was arrested on suspicion of receiving bribes of ¥51 million from business clothing retailer Aoki Holdings Inc. Takahashi was also arrested on suspicion of conspiring with Fukami to receive bribes totalling about ¥76 million from the major publisher Kadokawa Corp.
Putin grants Russian citizenship to US whistleblower Snowden
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
President Vladimir Putin on Monday granted Russian citizenship to former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, nine years after he exposed the scale of secret surveillance operations by the National Security Agency (NSA).
Snowden, 39, fled the United States and was given asylum in Russia after leaking secret files in 2013 that revealed vast domestic and international surveillance operations carried out by the NSA, where he worked.
U.S. authorities have for years wanted him returned to the United States to face a criminal trial on espionage charges.
There was no immediate reaction from Snowden, whose name appeared without Kremlin comment in a Putin decree conferring citizenship on a list of 72 foreign-born individuals.
The news prompted some Russians to jokingly ask whether Snowden would be called up for military service, five days after Putin announced Russia’s first public mobilisation since World War Two to shore up its faltering invasion of Ukraine.
“Will Snowden be drafted?” Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the state media outlet RT and a vocal Putin supporter, wrote with dark humour on her Telegram channel.
Snowden’s lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told RIA news agency that his client could not be called up because he had not previously served in the Russian army.
He said that Snowden’s wife Lindsay Mills, who gave birth to a son in 2020, would also apply for citizenship.
Russia granted Snowden permanent residency rights in 2020, paving the way for him to obtain Russian citizenship.
That year a U.S. appeals court found the program Snowden had exposed was unlawful and that the U.S. intelligence leaders who publicly defended it were not telling the truth.
Putin, a former Russian spy chief, said in 2017 that Snowden, who keeps a low profile while living in Russia, was wrong to leak U.S. secrets but was not a traitor.
Japanese prepare to bid farewell to slain Abe with controversial state funeral
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
People in Tokyo queued early on Tuesday morning to offer flowers and pay their last respects to assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as Japan prepares to hold a rare state funeral for the slain politician.
Long lines of people, both young and old, streamed steadily outside Nippon Budokan in the capital city, bowing and praying in front of Abe’s portrait at an altar. A man was also seen holding up a Taiwan flag to the large portrait draped with black ribbon hung over a bank of green, white and yellow flowers.
Later on Tuesday, Japan will honour Abe, a polarizing figure who dominated modern-day politics as its longest-serving leader, with a rare state funeral that has become nearly as divisive as he was.
Abe’s killing at a July 8 campaign rally set off a flood of revelations about ties between lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) he once ran and the Unification Church, which critics call a cult, sparking a backlash against current premier Fumio Kishida.
Do Kwon, the man behind cryptocurrency wipe-out in South Korea, insists he is not hiding
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
THE NATION
Do Kwon, the co-founder of Terraform Labs who is wanted in South Korea for charges over the US$60 billion wipe-out of cryptocurrencies and considered missing, said he is not hiding.
The Seoul prosecutors’ office said on Monday that it had called on Interpol to issue a Red Notice against Do Kwon early last week. The office has accused Kwon and five others of crimes, including breaches of capital-market laws related to the wipe-out of currencies he created.
In a tweet on Monday, Kwon said members of Crypto Twitter had likely seen him walking on the street or around shopping malls over the “past couple of weeks”. However, he did not mention the city or country he is in.
Kwon told his more than a million followers that he had not seen his name on Interpol’s list of individuals to “locate and provincially arrest pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action”. Though he admitted that not all names are made public.
“I’m making zero effort to hide,” Kwon wrote.
Kwon is rumoured to have shifted to Singapore after the collapse of Terraform Lab, its TerraUSD algorithmic stablecoin and sister token Luna. Both coins imploded in May, sparking huge losses in crypto markets.
However, a September 17 report from Reuters suggested he may no longer be in Singapore. South Koreans are generally not allowed dual citizenship, though it is unclear if Kwon holds more than one country’s passport.
South Korean financial authorities began investigating Kwon, Terra and other company employees in July by raiding offices of crypto exchanges like Gopax, Coinone, Upbit, Bithumb, and Korbit. The investigation reportedly led to a South Korean court later issuing an arrest warrant for Kwon and five others connected to Terra and requesting a Red Notice from Interpol.
South Korea has no extradition agreement with Singapore and Interpol can only request local law-enforcement authorities to detain Kwon if he is located.
Nasa’s DART spacecraft hits target asteroid in test of planetary defense system
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
Nasa’s DART spacecraft successfully slammed into a distant asteroid at hypersonic speed on Monday in a test of the world’s first planetary defence system, designed to prevent a potential doomsday meteorite collision with Earth.
Humanity’s first attempt to alter the motion of an asteroid or any celestial body played out in a NASA webcast from the mission operations centre outside Washington, D.C., 10 months after DART was launched.
The live stream showed images taken by DART’s camera as the cube-shaped “impactor” vehicle, no bigger than a vending machine with two rectangular solar arrays, streaked into the asteroid Dimorphos, about the size of a football stadium, at 7:14 p.m. EDT (2314 GMT) some 6.8 million miles (11 million km) from Earth.
The mission was devised to determine whether a spacecraft is capable of changing the trajectory of an asteroid through sheer kinetic force, nudging it off course just enough to keep our planet out of harm’s way.
Whether the experiment succeeded beyond accomplishing its intended impact will not be known until further ground-based telescope observations of the asteroid next month. But NASA officials hailed the immediate outcome of Monday’s test, saying the spacecraft achieved its purpose.
DART, launched by a SpaceX rocket in November 2021, made most of its voyage under the guidance of NASA’s flight directors, with control handed over to an autonomous onboard navigation system in the final hours of the journey.
Monday evening’s bullseye impact was monitored in near real-time from the mission operations centre at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.
Cheers erupted from the control room as second-by-second images of the target asteroid, captured by DART’s onboard camera, grew larger and ultimately filled the TV screen of NASA’s live webcast just before the signal was lost, confirming the spacecraft had crashed into Dimorphos.
DART’s celestial target was an oblong asteroid “moonlet” about 560 feet (170 meters) in diameter that orbits a parent asteroid five times larger called Didymos as part of a binary pair with the same name, the Greek word for twin.
Neither object presents any actual threat to Earth, and NASA scientists said their DART test could not create a new hazard by mistake.
Dimorphos and Didymos are both tiny compared with the cataclysmic Chicxulub asteroid that struck Earth some 66 million years ago, wiping out about three-quarters of the world’s plant and animal species including the dinosaurs.
Smaller asteroids are far more common and present a greater theoretical concern in the near term, making the Didymos pair suitable test subjects for their size, according to NASA scientists and planetary defence experts. A Dimorphos-sized asteroid, while not capable of posing a planet-wide threat, could level a major city with a direct hit.
Also, the two asteroids’ relative proximity to Earth and dual configuration make them ideal for the first proof-of-concept mission of DART, short for the Double Asteroid Redirection Test.
Foreign Affairs Minister Don delivers statement at UNGA77 in New York
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
THE NATION
On Saturday (September 24), Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pradmudwinai delivered statement at the General Debate of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA77) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Don stressed the urgent need to strengthen multilateral cooperation to address current global crises, both from nature and man-made such as food and energy crisis, pandemic, conflict, and climate change. He urged the international community to reaffirm the commitment to multilateral system and called for collective efforts to drive forward collaborations during this crucial time in support of the Secretary-General’s initiatives outline in the Our Common Agenda report.
Don further highlighted Thailand’s support for Black Sea Grain Initiative initiated by the United Nations and stressed the importance of this initiative to help keep global supply chains open. Apart from food insecurity, it is vital to strengthen healthcare system through Universal Health Coverages or UHC while reforming the global health architecture in order to address the current shortcomings of health systems.
On climate change, Don demonstrated Thailand’s readiness to submit Nationally Determined Contributions: NDCs and long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies (LT-LEDS) at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27). He also emphasised the need for the international community to restore confidence in the multilateral system and working closely on the issues of mutual interest, which also includes providing humanitarian assistance to countries in need and the promotion human rights. To this end, Thailand presents its candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) membership for the term 2025-2027.
The Foreign Affairs Minister pointed out that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could be achieved only through international cooperation and Thailand considers the Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model (BCG) as a mean to drive forward a more balanced development. He stressed that regional cooperation such as Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) can complement the multilateral system. This year, Thailand plays host to APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting under the main theme of “Open. Connect. Balance.”
On this occasion, Don proposed that key stakeholders of the Ukraine crisis to assemble at three venues in Southeast Asia – ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, G20 Summit in Bali and APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok – to use the opportunities to talks towards exit to the crisis with possible participation of the UN. He also encouraged the international communities to respond to global crises with a mindful and positive outlook in order to overcome challenges and to achieve global peace to all mankind.
Swastika-wearing gunman kills 13 at Russian school
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
A gunman with a swastika on his teeshirt killed 13 people, including seven children, and wounded more than 20 at a school in Russia on Monday before committing suicide, investigators said.
The identity of the attacker and the motive for the shooting in Izhevsk, about 970 km (600 miles) east of Moscow, were not clear.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, which handles major crimes, said the gunman was wearing a balaclava. It released a short video showing his body lying on the floor of a classroom with overturned furniture and papers strewn on the floor. He was dressed all in black, with a red swastika in a circle drawn on his teeshirt.
The committee said the six adult victims included teachers and security guards. It said 21 people, including 14 children, were wounded.
Tass news agency quoted investigators as saying the attacker was armed with two pistols and a large supply of ammunition.
Russia has seen several school shootings in recent years.
In May 2021, a teenage gunman killed seven children and two adults in the city of Kazan. In April 2022, an armed man killed two children and a teacher at a kindergarten in the central Ulyanovsk region before committing suicide.
Speculation mounts over Kim Jong Un’s alleged daughter on state media
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
Seoul said on Monday it is analysing recent North Korean state-run television footage of a girl whom South Korean media reported as could be Kim Jong Un’s daughter.
The girl, whom North Korea’s KRT showed on Sept. 8 performing with other children at an event celebrating the country’s founding anniversary, fuelled speculations she was allegedly the North Korean leader’s daughter after reports by South Korean local media on Sunday, citing Chinese experts.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry acknowledged the reports and said it is analysing the footage, spokesperson Cho Joong-hoon said at a news conference. The possibility of the girl being Kim’s daughter is low and there was no way to confirm the reports, the ministry said.
South Korean media reports said the KRT footage focused heavily on the child and she was the only girl who did not tie her hair, claiming it was a form of special treatment. It also said Kim Jong Un’s wife Ri Sol Ju was seen approaching the girl to talk to her while patting her back after the performance. Reuters cannot independently verify the reports.
South Korean media reports said the KRT footage focused heavily on the child and she was the only girl who did not tie her hair, claiming it was a form of special treatment. It also said Kim Jong Un’s wife Ri Sol Ju was seen approaching the girl to talk to her while patting her back after the performance. Reuters cannot independently verify the reports.
Vietnam’s northern and central provinces prepare for arrival of typhoon Noru
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
Northern and central provinces have been told to prepare for super typhoon Noru, which is heading in a northwest direction with wind speeds of up to 183km per hour.
The typhoon is set to enter Vietnam’s East Sea later today, becoming the fourth to hit the country in 2022.
The typhoon was about 250km off Luzon Island in the Philippines at 10am on Sunday, with wind speeds of 167-183km per hour, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
By 10am on Monday, it will be about 740km off the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands with wind speeds slowing to 134-149km per hour.
All vessels working in the danger zone are at high risk of strong winds, high waves and tornadoes. The disaster risk level is at level three (five is the highest).
By 10am on Tuesday, the typhoon will be about 140km off the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands and its wind speed is forecast to be 134-140km per hour.
Parts of the South China Sea are already seeing the effects, with strong gusts and waves of between six to eight metres in height.
Thua Thien-Hue Province, home to more than 2,000 fishing ships with about 11,350 fishermen, on Sunday morning banned all vessels from going to sea. The provincial port authorities are working to ensure safety for ships anchored in Thuan An and Chan May ports. The province also asked localities to assign workers to be on duty all day to monitor the typhoon’s progress and arrange any response measures.
Residents are being moved to safety, with priority given to children, the elderly, pregnant women and disabled people. There are also plans to move 26,255 households with 99,424 people in case of flooding.
The provincial Department of Industry and Trade has prepared 100 tonnes of noodles and 100 tonnes of rice to serve people in need.
Thua Thien-Hue Province has 56 irrigation reservoirs and 12 hydropower reservoirs with a total capacity of about two billion cubic metres. Currently, the water level in the reservoirs is safe, and the reservoirs are ready to take on flood water.
Nghe An Province has witnessed heavy rain over recent days, causing flooding of agricultural and aquatic areas, and landslides in some mountainous areas.
In Phu Yen Province, the provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control on Sunday sent letters to localities and concerned organisations calling for preparations ahead of the typhoon. Heavy rain since Saturday evening submerged some low areas in Song Cau Town.
Localities have been told to closely monitor forecasts and bulletins while keeping search and rescue forces ready for deployment.
The Phu Yen Border Guard Command said that it had 396 fishing boats with 2,377 workers. Of which 294 fishing vessels with 1,799 seamen working offshore, 102 fishing boats with 578 workers working near shore. All of them have received information about the supertyphoon.
The Quang Tri Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said that all 2,397 boats with 6,569 crew members in the province had received information about typhoon Noru. The province has 126 dams with a total capacity of over 260 million cubic metres.
The province asked localities to reinforce houses, schools, healthcare centres, and offices and ensure the power grid system’s safety in strong winds.
Calls grow for legal measures to protect minors from metaverse sex crimes
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
Calls for measures to counter sex crimes in the metaverse are rising with an increasing number of predators targeting teenagers.
Huh Kyung-mi, a professor of police administration at Keimyung University, said that legal measures are essential to respond to sexual exploitation in the metaverse in a paper published on Sunday.
According to Huh, 70 per cent of metaverse service users are teenagers, and criminal attempts on the metaverse platform, especially those that target youthful avatars, have been increasing.
Perpetrators lure minors with virtual items and gradually lead the minors into having inappropriate conversations or filming and sending sexual content. Some cases are not even considered illegal under the current law, such as sexual harassment against virtual avatars.
In some cases, crimes within the metaverse evolve into crimes in the real world. A man in his 30s who forced 11 minors he met through Zepeto – Asia’s largest metaverse platform operated by Naver Z – to film and send sexually explicit content of themselves for about a year since April 2021 was sentenced to four years in prison on Sept. 11.
Amid continuing challenges, both the industry and the government are having difficulties in getting a detailed picture of the situation, as there is no efficient system for receiving reports about such crimes.
The Korea Communications Commission and the Ministry of Justice have been trying to analyze metaverse crime issues since early this year. The KCC is conducting a survey to specify the scope of actions that can be interpreted as a crime. The digital sex crime committee under the Justice Ministry commented on the limit of the current law in January, recommending that criminal acts against virtual avatars and personal accounts should be considered no less than criminal acts against real human users.
Professor Huh pointed out that the core of the controversy comes from the unfamiliar concept of the metaverse. “In order to curb sex crimes in the metaverse, social consensus on the nature of the metaverse should be made first — whether it is an extension of the real world or not. Discussion on a new legal structure to restrain the metaverse should follow,” said Huh said.
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