Russia foils Ukrainian plots to kill senior military officers and their families
By Reuters
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday that it had foiled several plots by Ukrainian intelligence services to kill high-ranking Russian officers and their families in Moscow using bombs disguised as power banks or document folders.
Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, on December 17 in Moscow outside his residential building by detonating a bomb attached to an electric scooter.
An SBU source confirmed that the Ukrainian intelligence agency had been behind the hit. Russia said the killing was a terrorist attack by Kyiv and vowed revenge.
“The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation has prevented a series of assassination attempts on high-ranking military personnel of the Defence Ministry,” the FSB said.
“Four Russian citizens involved in the preparation of these attacks have been detained.”
The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said that the Russian citizens had been recruited by the Ukrainian intelligence services.
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By Reuters
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday that it had foiled several plots by Ukrainian intelligence services to kill high-ranking Russian officers and their families in Moscow using bombs disguised as power banks or document folders.
Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, on December 17 in Moscow outside his residential building by detonating a bomb attached to an electric scooter.
An SBU source confirmed that the Ukrainian intelligence agency had been behind the hit. Russia said the killing was a terrorist attack by Kyiv and vowed revenge.
“The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation has prevented a series of assassination attempts on high-ranking military personnel of the Defence Ministry,” the FSB said.
“Four Russian citizens involved in the preparation of these attacks have been detained.”
The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said that the Russian citizens had been recruited by the Ukrainian intelligence services.
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By Zoey Zhang
A hospital cleaner in China who adopted 38 abandoned infants over a decade has been nominated as a National Moral Model.
Tang Caiying, 88, is a retired cleaner from a hospital in Xinyu, in southeastern China’s Jiangxi province, the mainland media outlet The Paper reported.
Between the 1980s and 1990s, she adopted more than 30 children.
One winter day in 1982, a 46-year-old Tang found a baby girl wrapped in a cotton coat, abandoned beside railway tracks on her way to work.
Unable to leave the baby in the freezing wind, she brought the crying infant home, fed and cleaned her up.
She named the girl Fangfang, which means “fragrance” like blooming flowers.A group photo of those taken in by Tang Caiying, centre, shows the vast extent of her kindness. Photo: Weibo
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Can Malaysia’s Mahathir outwit ‘common enemy’ Anwar over Pedra Branca row?
By Joseph Sipalan
Malaysia’s government may be setting itself up for a fresh round of political upheaval, experts say, as it considers whether to initiate a criminal probe against former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad for dropping a challenge against the award of a contested island to Singapore over a decade ago.
On December 5, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration declassified a report by a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Pedra Branca, locally known as Pulau Batu Puteh, which recommended that Mahathir be investigated for allegedly cheating the government into withdrawing a challenge against the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) decision in 2008 to award the rocky outcrop to Singapore.
The revelation has triggered a fiery reaction from 99-year-old Mahathir.
A week later, the two-time prime minister announced a coalition with the Malay nationalist Perikatan Nasional opposition front to fight back against Anwar’s administration, which he described as the “common enemy” of the country’s Malay-Muslim majority.
“At the moment, Anwar is public enemy No. 1 for [Mahathir] and the opposition,” said Syaza Farhana Mohamad Shukri, head of the political science department at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM).
“If [the government] goes ahead with the investigations, the opposition will have a field day to paint this very negative picture of Anwar.”
The ICJ’s award was important for Malaysia’s geographically smaller neighbour as it resulted in Singapore’s exclusive economic zone extending by up to 12 nautical miles outwards from Pedra Branca, which is located 24 nautical miles east of the city state.
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By Joseph Sipalan
Malaysia’s government may be setting itself up for a fresh round of political upheaval, experts say, as it considers whether to initiate a criminal probe against former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad for dropping a challenge against the award of a contested island to Singapore over a decade ago.
On December 5, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration declassified a report by a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Pedra Branca, locally known as Pulau Batu Puteh, which recommended that Mahathir be investigated for allegedly cheating the government into withdrawing a challenge against the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) decision in 2008 to award the rocky outcrop to Singapore.
The revelation has triggered a fiery reaction from 99-year-old Mahathir.
A week later, the two-time prime minister announced a coalition with the Malay nationalist Perikatan Nasional opposition front to fight back against Anwar’s administration, which he described as the “common enemy” of the country’s Malay-Muslim majority.
“At the moment, Anwar is public enemy No. 1 for [Mahathir] and the opposition,” said Syaza Farhana Mohamad Shukri, head of the political science department at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM).
“If [the government] goes ahead with the investigations, the opposition will have a field day to paint this very negative picture of Anwar.”
The ICJ’s award was important for Malaysia’s geographically smaller neighbour as it resulted in Singapore’s exclusive economic zone extending by up to 12 nautical miles outwards from Pedra Branca, which is located 24 nautical miles east of the city state.
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More Hongkongers consider RVs as popularity of road camping in mainland China grows
By Danny Mok
Hongkonger Garrick Tang is eagerly awaiting the delivery of a camping vehicle he bought in Guangzhou in November, as he is planning a road trip to Tibet in his new mobile home.
The 49-year-old property agency owner is among members of the city’s small but growing shachuhaku circle – enthusiasts who transform their vehicles into compact living spaces, complete with beds, cooking facilities and more.
Shachuhaku, a Japanese term which means “vehicle living”, distinguishes itself from traditional camping. Unlike campers who pitch tents, those who take up shachuhaku take pride in converting their vehicles into fully functional mobile homes.
Tang’s journey began five years ago, when he installed a simple makeshift bed in his seven-seater Toyota Alphard. It was a modest modification compared with those made by hardcore shachuhaku enthusiasts, but it was enough.
His camping vehicle allowed him to go on scenic trips around Hong Kong during his breaks and became a sanctuary that helped him beat his boredom when travel restrictions were imposed in the city during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The lifting of cross-border travel restrictions to mainland China and the launch of the “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” scheme in July last year marked a turning point for Tang’s passion.
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By Danny Mok
Hongkonger Garrick Tang is eagerly awaiting the delivery of a camping vehicle he bought in Guangzhou in November, as he is planning a road trip to Tibet in his new mobile home.
The 49-year-old property agency owner is among members of the city’s small but growing shachuhaku circle – enthusiasts who transform their vehicles into compact living spaces, complete with beds, cooking facilities and more.
Shachuhaku, a Japanese term which means “vehicle living”, distinguishes itself from traditional camping. Unlike campers who pitch tents, those who take up shachuhaku take pride in converting their vehicles into fully functional mobile homes.
Tang’s journey began five years ago, when he installed a simple makeshift bed in his seven-seater Toyota Alphard. It was a modest modification compared with those made by hardcore shachuhaku enthusiasts, but it was enough.
His camping vehicle allowed him to go on scenic trips around Hong Kong during his breaks and became a sanctuary that helped him beat his boredom when travel restrictions were imposed in the city during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The lifting of cross-border travel restrictions to mainland China and the launch of the “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” scheme in July last year marked a turning point for Tang’s passion.
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Chinese scientists say new sunblock can cut body temperature by up to 6 degrees Celsius
By Holly Chik
Scientists in China say they have developed a cooling sunscreen that lowers skin temperature by up to 6 degrees Celsius.
The sunscreen is ideal for outdoor workers because it is also waterproof and offers protection equivalent to a Factor 51 sunblock after 12 hours of continuous exposure to strong ultraviolet radiation.
The team from Tsinghua University in Beijing said it has “promising commercial potential in the sunscreen market” in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nano Letters last month.
“We prepared a radiative cooling sunscreen that can not only significantly reduce the skin temperature but also protects the skin from being harmed by the UV radiation,” they wrote.
Corresponding author Zhang Rufan, an associate professor of chemical engineering at Tsinghua University, said humans must adapt as climate change leads to more extreme weather, but adjusting to heat is generally more challenging than dealing with cold.
“We can wear thick clothing to stay warm in freezing temperatures. But in extreme heat higher than 50 degrees Celsius [122 Fahrenheit], outdoor workers like transport police, road workers and farmers have to cope with severe conditions that can lead to heat stress, exhaustion or death. They need effective cooling methods and skin protection,” Zhang said.
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By Holly Chik
Scientists in China say they have developed a cooling sunscreen that lowers skin temperature by up to 6 degrees Celsius.
The sunscreen is ideal for outdoor workers because it is also waterproof and offers protection equivalent to a Factor 51 sunblock after 12 hours of continuous exposure to strong ultraviolet radiation.
The team from Tsinghua University in Beijing said it has “promising commercial potential in the sunscreen market” in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nano Letters last month.
“We prepared a radiative cooling sunscreen that can not only significantly reduce the skin temperature but also protects the skin from being harmed by the UV radiation,” they wrote.
Corresponding author Zhang Rufan, an associate professor of chemical engineering at Tsinghua University, said humans must adapt as climate change leads to more extreme weather, but adjusting to heat is generally more challenging than dealing with cold.
“We can wear thick clothing to stay warm in freezing temperatures. But in extreme heat higher than 50 degrees Celsius [122 Fahrenheit], outdoor workers like transport police, road workers and farmers have to cope with severe conditions that can lead to heat stress, exhaustion or death. They need effective cooling methods and skin protection,” Zhang said.
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Body found in wheel well of United Airlines plane after landing in Hawaii
By Reuters
A dead body was found in the wheel well of a United Airlines jetliner after the aircraft landed in the Hawaiian island of Maui, the airline said on Wednesday.
The body was discovered in one of the compartments that houses the aeroplane’s landing gear when United flight 202 from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport landed at Kahului Airport on Tuesday afternoon, according to the airline’s website. No further details about the deceased person were provided.
“The wheel well was only accessible from outside of the aircraft. At this time, it is not clear how or when the person accessed the wheel well,” it said.
United said it was working with authorities on the investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Stowaways in the unpressurised wheelhouses and cargo holds of planes can face temperatures of between minus 50 degrees and minus 60 degrees Celsius (minus 58 and minus 76 Fahrenheit), as well as a lack of oxygen.
While the fatality rate for most wheel-well stowaways is high, some people have survived the ordeal.
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By Reuters
A dead body was found in the wheel well of a United Airlines jetliner after the aircraft landed in the Hawaiian island of Maui, the airline said on Wednesday.
The body was discovered in one of the compartments that houses the aeroplane’s landing gear when United flight 202 from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport landed at Kahului Airport on Tuesday afternoon, according to the airline’s website. No further details about the deceased person were provided.
“The wheel well was only accessible from outside of the aircraft. At this time, it is not clear how or when the person accessed the wheel well,” it said.
United said it was working with authorities on the investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Stowaways in the unpressurised wheelhouses and cargo holds of planes can face temperatures of between minus 50 degrees and minus 60 degrees Celsius (minus 58 and minus 76 Fahrenheit), as well as a lack of oxygen.
While the fatality rate for most wheel-well stowaways is high, some people have survived the ordeal.
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Korean actress Han So-hee’s mother given suspended jail term for operating gambling dens
By The Korea Times
South Korean actress Han So-hee’s mother has been sentenced to a suspended prison term for operating multiple illegal gambling establishments, according to legal sources.
Judge Kim Do-hyung of the Chuncheon District Court’s Wonju branch sentenced her mother, only identified as A, 55, to one year in prison with a two-year suspension, along with 120 hours of community service, for charges related to the establishment of gambling venues.
A was prosecuted for establishing seven gambling venues for profit between late January 2022 and late August 2023.
At the time, Han’s agency issued a statement saying: “This case is entirely unrelated to the actress and stems from her mother’s personal actions. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this private matter.”
Prosecutors said that A connected with members of an illegal gambling site through Telegram, obtaining access and management codes to establish seven betting venues. She earned profits by collecting commissions based on total wagers and user losses.
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By The Korea Times
South Korean actress Han So-hee’s mother has been sentenced to a suspended prison term for operating multiple illegal gambling establishments, according to legal sources.
Judge Kim Do-hyung of the Chuncheon District Court’s Wonju branch sentenced her mother, only identified as A, 55, to one year in prison with a two-year suspension, along with 120 hours of community service, for charges related to the establishment of gambling venues.
A was prosecuted for establishing seven gambling venues for profit between late January 2022 and late August 2023.
At the time, Han’s agency issued a statement saying: “This case is entirely unrelated to the actress and stems from her mother’s personal actions. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this private matter.”
Prosecutors said that A connected with members of an illegal gambling site through Telegram, obtaining access and management codes to establish seven betting venues. She earned profits by collecting commissions based on total wagers and user losses.
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Operation Santa Claus: Hong Kong healthcare workers cook-off for charity
By Carrie Lee
Healthcare workers in Hong Kong showed off their culinary skills, gobbled pineapple buns in an eating contest and played games at booths at a recent Christmas party to raise funds for charity.
The outdoor celebration held on December 16 was the highlight of a month-long series of activities hosted by the HKSH Medical Group to support Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual fundraising drive by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK.
The group comprises the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, the HKSH Healthcare network of medical centres, the HKSH Eastern Medical Centre, and the HKSH Cancer Centre.
Its OSC activities, held from November 12 to December 16, included a charity-through-fitness drive, with employees submitting video clips or records on exercises apps showing themselves brisk-walking for a minute to raise HK$200 (US$25.70), donated by the group and other supporters.
Joseph Chan Woon-tong, HKSH Medical Group chief medical officer, said the programme also helped encourage staff to exercise and promoted a healthy lifestyle.
Apart from food and drinks, the Christmas party was enlivened with singing of carols and games at festively decorated stalls, where wine, chocolates and clothes were offered for sale to raise charity funds.
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By Carrie Lee
Healthcare workers in Hong Kong showed off their culinary skills, gobbled pineapple buns in an eating contest and played games at booths at a recent Christmas party to raise funds for charity.
The outdoor celebration held on December 16 was the highlight of a month-long series of activities hosted by the HKSH Medical Group to support Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual fundraising drive by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK.
The group comprises the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, the HKSH Healthcare network of medical centres, the HKSH Eastern Medical Centre, and the HKSH Cancer Centre.
Its OSC activities, held from November 12 to December 16, included a charity-through-fitness drive, with employees submitting video clips or records on exercises apps showing themselves brisk-walking for a minute to raise HK$200 (US$25.70), donated by the group and other supporters.
Joseph Chan Woon-tong, HKSH Medical Group chief medical officer, said the programme also helped encourage staff to exercise and promoted a healthy lifestyle.
Apart from food and drinks, the Christmas party was enlivened with singing of carols and games at festively decorated stalls, where wine, chocolates and clothes were offered for sale to raise charity funds.
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Japan Airlines hit by cyberattack, disrupting flights
By Agence France-Presse
Japan Airlines (JAL) said on Thursday that its system network is under a cyberattack, with at least nine domestic and some international flights delayed.
JAL said system problems occurred at 7:24am (local time) and it will halt sales of tickets for domestic and international flights for the rest of the day.
“We can confirm that we have been subjected to a cyberattack and are addressing the situation,” a JAL spokeswoman said.
“It is likely to have an impact on flight operations moving forward,” she said.
“There is a possibility that delays and cancellations may occur,” the spokeswoman added.
JAL – the country’s second-biggest airline after All Nippon Airways (ANA) – is just the latest Japanese company to be hit by a cyberattack.
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By Agence France-Presse
Japan Airlines (JAL) said on Thursday that its system network is under a cyberattack, with at least nine domestic and some international flights delayed.
JAL said system problems occurred at 7:24am (local time) and it will halt sales of tickets for domestic and international flights for the rest of the day.
“We can confirm that we have been subjected to a cyberattack and are addressing the situation,” a JAL spokeswoman said.
“It is likely to have an impact on flight operations moving forward,” she said.
“There is a possibility that delays and cancellations may occur,” the spokeswoman added.
JAL – the country’s second-biggest airline after All Nippon Airways (ANA) – is just the latest Japanese company to be hit by a cyberattack.
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Philippine VP Duterte’s US$10 million snack-name scandal: a recipe for impeachment?
By Alan Robles
Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio is facing three impeachment complaints over her refusal to account for over US$10 million in “confidential funds” her offices distributed to unknown entities, including those seemingly using aliases derived from popular snack and restaurant brands.
Observers say the scandal reflects broader concerns over the growing use of and lack of oversight on such government expenditures.
The impeachment complaints, lodged this month by civic groups, left-wing activists, priests and lawyers, accuse Duterte-Carpio of refusing to account for the substantial sums handed out by her offices to recipients bearing dubious identities.
State auditors reported last month that, between 2022 and 2023, the Office of the Vice-President (OVP) and the Department of Education, which Duterte-Carpio led until resigning from the role in June, spent 612.5 million Philippine pesos (US$10.5 million) in confidential funds.
Both offices issued substantial checks to hundreds of people, later producing as proof acknowledgement receipts (ARs) signed by individuals using names that appear to be related to famous snacks and restaurant chains.
Congressional investigators highlighted how some signatories’ purported monikers appeared to be cobbled together from these brand names. One that transfixed the public – “Mary Grace (a popular cafe) Piattos (a potato crisp brand)” – was given 70,000 pesos for medicines in December 2022. Several others, such as “Chippy (corn chips) McDonald” and “Carlos Miguel Oishi (the surname, a famous snack brand),” also raised eyebrows.
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By Alan Robles
Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio is facing three impeachment complaints over her refusal to account for over US$10 million in “confidential funds” her offices distributed to unknown entities, including those seemingly using aliases derived from popular snack and restaurant brands.
Observers say the scandal reflects broader concerns over the growing use of and lack of oversight on such government expenditures.
The impeachment complaints, lodged this month by civic groups, left-wing activists, priests and lawyers, accuse Duterte-Carpio of refusing to account for the substantial sums handed out by her offices to recipients bearing dubious identities.
State auditors reported last month that, between 2022 and 2023, the Office of the Vice-President (OVP) and the Department of Education, which Duterte-Carpio led until resigning from the role in June, spent 612.5 million Philippine pesos (US$10.5 million) in confidential funds.
Both offices issued substantial checks to hundreds of people, later producing as proof acknowledgement receipts (ARs) signed by individuals using names that appear to be related to famous snacks and restaurant chains.
Congressional investigators highlighted how some signatories’ purported monikers appeared to be cobbled together from these brand names. One that transfixed the public – “Mary Grace (a popular cafe) Piattos (a potato crisp brand)” – was given 70,000 pesos for medicines in December 2022. Several others, such as “Chippy (corn chips) McDonald” and “Carlos Miguel Oishi (the surname, a famous snack brand),” also raised eyebrows.
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Harbin aims to attract more foreign tourists to China’s winter wonderland
By Daisy Wu
Last winter’s tourism boom made Harbin a top destination for domestic visitors. Now, the northeastern Chinese city known for its annual ice festival and bitter cold is enhancing policies to attract more international tourists.
Rachael Lim, a tourist from Malaysia, recently shared her experiences in Harbin on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu – “Little Red Book” in English – describing the city as “beautiful, cold, and dreamy”.
“My country has summer all year round, so snow is something we long for,” she said. “Harbin fulfilled all my winter fantasies.”
The mutual visa-free policy introduced by Malaysia and China last year allowed Lim to stay in China for two weeks, during which time she also visited other cities near Harbin, which is the capital of Heilongjiang province.
Official data shows that Heilongjiang welcomed 471,000 inbound tourists in the first half of this year, up 158.7 per cent year on year, with 383,000 of them being foreign visitors.
According to a report by Ctrip, China’s largest online travel agency, six of the top 10 source countries for tourists visiting Harbin last year were in Southeast Asia.
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By Daisy Wu
Last winter’s tourism boom made Harbin a top destination for domestic visitors. Now, the northeastern Chinese city known for its annual ice festival and bitter cold is enhancing policies to attract more international tourists.
Rachael Lim, a tourist from Malaysia, recently shared her experiences in Harbin on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu – “Little Red Book” in English – describing the city as “beautiful, cold, and dreamy”.
“My country has summer all year round, so snow is something we long for,” she said. “Harbin fulfilled all my winter fantasies.”
The mutual visa-free policy introduced by Malaysia and China last year allowed Lim to stay in China for two weeks, during which time she also visited other cities near Harbin, which is the capital of Heilongjiang province.
Official data shows that Heilongjiang welcomed 471,000 inbound tourists in the first half of this year, up 158.7 per cent year on year, with 383,000 of them being foreign visitors.
According to a report by Ctrip, China’s largest online travel agency, six of the top 10 source countries for tourists visiting Harbin last year were in Southeast Asia.
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