S Korean President Shrugs Off Opposition Push To Probe First Lady
BY LINE : THE KOREA HERALD
THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022
South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol Said On Thursday That He Was Not Paying Attention To The Main Opposition Party’s Push To Launch A Special Investigation Into Alleged Irregularities Involving First Lady Kim Keon-Hee.
Yoon’s comment came a day after the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) introduced a bill mandating a special counsel probe the first lady’s alleged involvement in stock manipulation and falsification of academic records.
“I have no particular stance,” Yoon said when a reporter asked him to comment on both the bill and a separate complaint the DP has filed with the prosecution, accusing the president of omitting the first lady’s high-end accessories from his public assets disclosure.
“I’m not in a situation to pay attention to my own issues. I’ll take care of them appropriately at a later date,” he added.
Yoon also declined to address the ongoing turmoil within his ruling People Power Party.
When asked what he thinks about former party chairman Lee Jun-seok’s suggestion that the president take the initiative to reconcile with him, Yoon replied, “I don’t have the mental space to think about what other politicians are saying and what their words mean.
“The only thing on my mind is the difficult global economic crisis and how we should take care of the people following the natural disaster we suffered,” he added, referring to the damage from Typhoon Hinnamnor.
Yoon recounted his trip to the typhoon-hit cities of Pohang and Gyeongju the previous day, saying he had no words to comfort those who had lost family members in floods brought on by the typhoon.
He said he felt solidarity and hope as he watched volunteers from across the nation working to restore wrecked villages and comforting victims.
With the Chuseok fall harvest holiday beginning on Friday, Yoon wished the people a happy holiday despite the economic challenges, noting that this year’s Chuseok will be the first without Covid-19 social distancing restrictions.
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Hun Manet Cautions Over Superstitions, Drastic Beliefs
BY LINE : THE PHNOM PENH POST
THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022
Hun Manet, A Prime Ministerial Candidate For The Ruling Cambodian People’s Party, Said Beliefs In Any Superstition Should Be Properly Considered, As Extremism Can Lead To Rifts In Families.
Manet – currently Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army – made the remarks in light of a recent large gathering fuelled by the doomsday predictions of League for Democracy Party (LDP) leader Khem Veasna.
Thousands of Veasna’s followers had gathered at his plantation in Siem Reap province’s Banteay Srey district to avoid the purported apocalypse. Veasna’s appeal drew not only his supporters in the country but also migrant workers abroad, in particular South Korea, Japan and Thailand.
Most of them have disbanded in compliance with the authorities’ September 5 ultimatum, though some have lingered on at a nearby farm belonging to one of Veasna’s associates.
“Beliefs are one thing, but excessive beliefs can disown brothers, sisters and parents. I think that although our beliefs differ, a sense of morality and virtue means we should always remember that our parents are our parents, and our family is our family,” he said.
He added that beliefs are personal rights, but they should not be extreme. He also expressed concern over the gathering at Veasna’s plantation, saying these kinds of activities could lead to terrible outcomes. Other countries had experienced similar issues, he said.
“They went to gather at the farm of Veasna’s associate Chan Pinith. We were very concerned originally, but until now we did not know how bad it could get. There are divisions in families and between spouses because of a difference in beliefs, but we must not break our familial bonds.
“To those parents who say they will disown their children when they return home, do not be so fixed in your views, but reconcile. There is nothing that should cause such strong divisions in a family,” he said.
Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) director-general Heng Ratana said the initial appeals and the resulting gathering were the results of someone sowing morality and beliefs which are contrary to the truth, in an attempt to change social attitudes to say the least, which in turn could disrupt public order.
He likened the case to the Khmer Rouge, which promoted divisions in families by nurturing a culture of discrimination.
Ratana added that he still remembered the brutal killing of people and the cries of parents and grandparents because the Khmer Rouge leaders groomed and sowed a culture of class struggle. They were against feudal society, the monarchy, capitalists, professionals such as doctors and teachers, government officials and members of the armed forces, foreigners and especially monks or members of the clergy, he said.
“When led by an unscrupulous leader a small group of people can grow into a crowd which behaves unthinkably. Without proper and timely measures, such movements can lead to serious social crises,” he said.
Ratana added that the results of acts which drove children to hate their parents could be seen in Cambodia’s past.
In a new development after most of the doomsday believers disbanded, Veasna’s associate Pinith has asked Siem Reap provincial governor Tea Seiha to take action against those who lingered on at his plantation.
In a September 6 letter, Pinith urged that authorities disperse them from where they had occupied.
“I ask that the provincial governor help intervene or pursue legal action so that they will leave my plantation,” the letter read.
Seiha confirmed on September 7 that he had received the letter, but noted that his authorities were already slowly disbanding the gathering.
“On September 6 and on the morning of September 7, between 300 and 400 supporters left. It is my estimate that an estimated 1,000 supporters remain at the plantation land of Chan Pinith, including those who tend the farm,” he added.
As to measures against those who remained, Seiha said he was waiting to see what the results of discussions with Pinith would be.
“I need to know to what extent Pinith takes responsibility for those who stay there, although I note that he is paying attention to easing the living conditions of those on his land,” he added.
Seiha concluded that the reason some supporters refused to leave the land was likely because of their support for and belief in Veasna, although he suggested that some may not be able to afford to return home.
Separately, Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training spokesman Heng Sour said that since August 27, no workers had returned from abroad to join the gathering.
“When Khem Veasna first made the appeal, Cambodian workers in South Korea, Japan and Thailand returned between August 23 and 26. Those were the last days we noted any returning migrant workers,” he said, noting that approximately 500 workers returned from South Korea and Japan on the heels of Veasna’s appeal.
Lay Samean and Eng Reachny
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Smell Of Success: PH Durian Soon Exported To China
BY LINE : PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022
The Overpowering Smell Of Davao’s Famous Durian May Soon Reach The Biggest Market For Pungent Fruit. Chinese Ambassador To The Philippines Huang Xilian On Wednesday Said His Country, The Biggest Importer Of The Fruit, Had Approved The Entry Of Fresh Durian From The Philippines.
Huang cited the result of an assessment conducted by a team of experts recently organized by his embassy. The team went to Davao Region for a market access investigation.
“They successfully completed the risk assessment of the orchard harvesting, fruit packaging, pest monitoring, chemical control, COVID-19 prevention, and traceability system of durian in this area,” the diplomat said in a post on his Facebook page.
Boon to farmers
According to Huang, China in 2021 imported 822,000 tons of durian worth $4.21 billion, 82.4 per cent more than the previous year’s volume.
In the first half of 2022, total shipment grew by another 60 per cent, making durian the most sought-after imported fruit in the Chinese market, he added.
Huang said the durian from Davao Region was found to be of a high, good-tasting quality that Chinese consumers would enjoy.
“As one of the most lucrative agricultural products, the entry of high-quality fresh durian from the Philippines into China with a population of 1.4 billion will benefit hundreds of thousands of Philippine fruit farmers and greatly increase the income of local growers in the Mindanao area,” he added.
Top 10 producers
“We also expect more fruits and agricultural products to be exported to China, as the trade relations between China and the Philippines grow even closer,” he said.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has been urging durian growers to increase production, citing the growing demand in the export market.
From 2014 to 2021, the Philippines consistently landed in the Top 10 list of fresh durian exporters, according to the DA.
Durian is grown in 47 provinces in the country, but Davao Region accounts for 78 per cent of the total harvest (in 2020) and half of the region’s production comes from Davao City. The local varieties include chanee, monthong, alcon fancy, arancillo, and puyat.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, local durian production reached 78,816 metric tons (MT) in 2020, down 0.6 per cent from 79,284 MT in 2019.
In 2020, there were 1.3 million durian-bearing trees occupying a total land area of 16,582 hectares.
That year, the Philippines exported durian to Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, Qatar, and the United States. The first shipment to Australia was made in 2021.
Grown in other parts of Southeast Asia, it is often described as the fruit that “smells like hell but tastes like heaven.” But it is no less than the “king of fruits” for those who relish its sweet, creamy flesh.
Because of the odour, it is not unusual for the fruit to be banned in hotel rooms and public transport in some countries.
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Myanmar Junta Chief Invites Foreign Investment At Russia Hosted Forum
BY LINE : REUTERS
THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022
Myanmar’s Junta Chief Min Aung Hlaing On Wednesday Invited Foreign Businesses – Mainly Oil And Gas – To Invest In His Country.
Eastern Economic Forum hosted by Russia President Vladimir Putin
Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Hlaing invited foreign investment into Myanmar and suggested replacing the use of the U.S. dollar with China’s Yuan, Russia’s Rouble and India’s Rupee.
Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar was buying oil from Russia and paying in roubles because it had difficulty using other currencies.
The junta has been barred from most regional summits and in its isolation has turned increasingly towards Russia for diplomatic support and more military hardware.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since Min Aung Hlaing led a coup in February 2021 against Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, arresting its leadership and detaining thousands of activists and protesters.
UK Royals George, Charlotte And Louis Settle Into New School
BY LINE : REUTERS
THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022
Young British Royals Prince George, Princess Charlotte And Prince Louis Visited Their New School On Wednesday, A Day Before The New School Year Officially Begins.
Accompanied by parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Catherine, the three new pupils of Lambrook School, near Ascot, attended a settling-in afternoon to welcome all new starters and their families.
On Thursday morning (September 8), George, 9, Charlotte, 7, and Louis, 4, will start in school years 5, 3, and Reception respectively at the co-educational preparatory school.
The eldest two royal children previously attended private primary school Thomas’s Battersea, southwest London, located near to the Cambridges’ former residence in Kensington Palace.
The family has since moved to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park on Queen Elizabeth’s Windsor Estate, which is east of Windsor Castle and in the UK county of Berkshire.
Suspect In Canada Stabbing Spree Has Died From Self-Inflicted Wounds -Report
BY LINE : REUTERS
THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022
The Suspect Sought By Canadian Authorities In A Weekend Stabbing Spree That Killed 10 People In And Around An Indigenous Reserve In Saskatchewan Died On Wednesday, Apparently Of Self-Inflicted Injuries, Shortly After His Arrest, Canada’s Global News Agency Reported.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said earlier that Myles Sanderson, 30, was taken into custody near the town of Rosthern, Saskatchewan, about 100 km (62 miles) southwest of the area where the killings occurred on Sunday.
Global News, citing multiple law enforcement sources, reported Sanderson surrendered to police and was taken away alive in an ambulance after a highway pursuit in which police rammed his vehicle off the road. He died shortly after of injuries authorities believe were self-inflicted.
His older brother and accused accomplice, Damien Sanderson, 31, was himself found slain on Monday, a day after the stabbing rampage, in a grassy area of the James Smith Cree Nation.
Police have said they were investigating whether the younger sibling might have killed his brother and that Myles may have sustained injuries requiring medical attention.
There was no immediate official word of Myles Sanderson’s death from Canadian authorities, who were expected to hold a news conference on Wednesday evening.
As South Korea Seeks To Expand Nuclear Power, Disquiet Grows Among Residents
BY LINE : REUTERS
THU, SEPTEMBER 08, 2022
Hwang Bun-Hee, 74, And Her Neighbours Drag A Coffin Around Their Homes Located Near A Nuclear Plant, Along With Yellow Oil Drums Emblazoned With Radiation Warning Signs. They Are Protesting Against South Korea’s Plan To Increase The Use Of Nuclear Power Because The Plant Is On Their Doorstep.
Hwang is one of the protest organizers. There are only about 10 of them but they have been rallying regularly since 2014. She claims her diagnosed thyroid cancer is due to radioactive materials from the plant and is seeking a law to be enacted to fund relocation for nearby residents. She and others living near reactors have also met with lawmakers to seek support.
“We can see the nuclear power plant from here. It’s way too close. I’ve seen it for more than 30 years. How can people live so close to a nuclear power plant like this? I don’t want to see it anymore,” Hwang said.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May, is pushing for nuclear power to overtake coal as the main source of electricity to help meet the country’s climate targets and strengthen energy security. The government wants to increase nuclear energy’s share of the nation’s power mix to 33% by 2030 from 27% currently.
Seoul has also highlighted Europe’s energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”, as a wake-up call to bolster domestic sources of power.
The government is proposing an additional six nuclear plants by 2036 on top of the current 24 reactors in a country the size of the U.S. state of Indiana, raising deep concerns among hundreds of Korean residents living in the most densely built area in the world for nuclear power.
The 24 reactors, capable of generating 23,250 megawatts, are concentrated in four locations – five to seven reactors per location – with some 5 million people living within 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) of the plants, according to 2019 data compiled by opposition lawmaker Wi Seong-gon.
Nuclear experts say South Korea’s clustered reactors don’t pose safety concerns, but some residents are unconvinced.
Kim Jin-sun, a 75-year-old livestock owner living near Wolsong, located on South Korea’s southern coast, is also worried. He says his cows have miscarriages.
“There’s no hope. That’s why residents leave their hometowns and houses. People come here only when there is hope. There are a lot of troubles in this region, but the government is indifferent about this issue,” he said.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power said that the claim that the amount of radioactive material detected affects health is not valid. It said the maximum amount of tritium detected in Wolsong residents’ urine samples between 2018-2020 was 0.00034 millisievert, well below the limit for the general public, and the annual exposure is much lower than natural radiation.
“Banana has potassium. We can also be exposed to radiation when we eat bananas. The maximum amount of tritium that can be exposed to residents is equivalent to eating six bananas a year,” said Jeong Yong-hoon, professor of nuclear and quantum engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
While many South Koreans support expanding nuclear power, a significant minority are urging a reduction.
A June 28-30 survey of 1,000 South Koreans by Gallup Korea showed that 39% supported the expansion of nuclear energy, 30% wanted current levels to be maintained, while 18% called for scaling it back.
South Korea ranks fifth in the world for nuclear generation, according to the World Economic Forum data for 2020, behind the U.S., China, France and Russia.
Since it has scarce natural resources, experts say nuclear energy is crucial to keep the country’s lights on and power its global-leading manufacturing industry, which exports chips, cars, display panels and electric vehicle batteries.
Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, has named James Cleverly as her foreign minister, her office said in a statement on Tuesday.
Cleverly had served as Education Secretary since July, when Boris Johnson announced he would resign and appointed a caretaker government until a new leader was appointed.
Cleverly, 53, has risen rapidly through the Conservative ranks since he was first elected as a member of parliament for the English town of Braintree in 2015.
He has also served in the foreign ministry as a junior minister, often giving parliamentary updates on Britain’s support for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.
As foreign secretary, Truss established herself as a critic of China as well as Russia and Cleverly indicated that her government will take a tough line with both Moscow and Beijing.
“We absolutely have to stand firm in our support to President (Volodymyr) Zelenskiy and the people of Ukraine, we absolutely have to do that. And I have no doubt we will continue to be as firm friends now as we have been under Boris Johnson,” Cleverly told Reuters on Monday shortly after Truss was announced as the new Conservative leader.
“But of course, that’s not the only issue. It’s the most pressing, the most immediate, but it’s not the only issue. We have to deal with that but we also have to deal with longer-term issues as well. And … we will do both.”
Like Truss, Cleverly stayed loyal to Johnson and he was an early backer of Truss’ campaign to replace him as a leader.
Cleverly made his own pitch to be the leader in 2019, when former prime minister Theresa May stepped down but was the first candidate to drop out of the race.
Californians faced more potential power blackouts on Tuesday as many headed to the coast to try to escape the stifling heat.
Millions have been sweltering in triple-digit temperatures for around a week during what’s been called a “dangerous” heatwave.
“Oh, it’s hot out here. Yeah, it’s definitely unusually hot”, Matt Hill, 52, from Los Angeles said as he threw himself into the waves in Santa Monica, trying to cool down on his bodyboard.
His view was shared by 17-year-old Antonio Moore, visiting from Boston, who told Reuters: “I hate it. I’m used to snow. So. I hate it. It’s really hot… It’s too hot” as he came out of the water under the famous pier.
Some parts of California have seen record temperatures set recently.
In Death Valley, the thermometer hit 127F (53C) on Thursday – the hottest September day ever thought to have been recorded on earth. Monday saw parts of the Sacramento Valley hit new highs too.
But some in Santa Monica were happy to just make the most of the heat:
“I’m from Mojave… Well, actually, Lancaster, Palmdale. And the weather here is amazing compared to the one up there or up north… 123 degrees (50C) about three days ago or so. So here it’s like perfect… It’s perfect weather” Luz Quiros, 54 told Reuters as she took in the ocean breeze.
Her feelings were echoed by entertainer ‘D-Rock’, 54, who was drawing a crowd on the pier, generating huge bubbles for a hot audience:
“It’s hot, but, you know, you got to work. Do it… When you have fun and make people happy, this doesn’t mean nothing.. the heat doesn’t mean nothing, right?”
As the breeze kept beach-lovers cool, authorities were pleading with residents to throttle their power use, fearful that increased demand from air conditioning units and fans would overload supplies, leading to local power blackouts.
The warning – known as a flex alert – came from California’s Independent Service Operator (ISO) and asked people to voluntarily moderate their use during peak hours, but also issued an “Energy Emergency Alert 1” which indicates that all power supplies were expected to be drawn on.
“I actually live in an apartment. So I think a lot of people are using the air conditioner, like… And using like fans, you know, everything to try to keep, you know, cool,” Yvonne Ochoa, 25, from Los Angeles told Reuters.
She and others worry that it will also cause power outages.
The California ISO warned locals to “be ready for potential rotating power outages”, adding that “electricity demand is currently forecast at more than 52,000 megawatts – a new historic all-time high for the grid.”
“To tell you the truth… Like, I was burning on the bus yesterday but as soon as I got off, I just jumped in the AC in the car. So I was like, I’m cooling off, you know? So I’m working out with it. Like I’m in between. I’m a moderate” laughed Sama Elsakka, 52, visiting from Brooklyn.
Others, like Josue Roma, 25, said they’ll keep the AC running because they can’t go without:
“Low-key, we just bought like two AC’s for the house cause… ooohh .. this heat is so bad and it’s really not giving,” he told Reuters.
Governor, Gavin Newsom, released a taped video on Tuesday in which he urged Californians to do “a little bit more” to keep the energy supplies going, also blaming years of drought for the reason the state has reduced hydroelectric power generation capability.
Weather experts are also closely watching the path of Hurricane Kay, with concerns that the flow around the storm could ultimately lead to extreme heat along the beaches around San Diego.
An extreme weather heat warning remains in place until late Thursday.
Germany plans to keep two of its three remaining nuclear power stations on standby, beyond a year-end deadline to ditch the fuel altogether, to ensure it has enough electricity through the winter as it faces a gas supply crunch.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a statement on Monday that the move did not mean Berlin was reneging on its long-standing promise to exit nuclear energy by the end of 2022.
Habeck said a stress test by power grid operators had shown there could be hours of crisis in electricity supply over the winter given the tightness in the European energy market.
“That is why I believe the right consequence of the results of the stress test, is that we retain this option that at the end of the planned operating life of the nuclear power plants we put the two southern German nuclear power plants into a standby situation so that they could be used again or could continue to be used if the situation were to demand it,” Habeck said.
The move is especially hard to swallow for Habeck’s Greens, which grew out of the 1970s anti-nuclear movement, although the exit was initiated by former conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The Greens and other opponents of nuclear energy regard it as a high-risk technology generating radioactive waste that would remain a burden on future generations.
While all three of Germany’s remaining nuclear reactors would still close by Dec. 31, 2022, the southern plants Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 would remain in reserve for any emergency, until mid-April next year.
Both plants have a 1,400 megawatt (MW) capacity and are operated by E.ON and EnBW respectively.
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