Seoul

2025-03-27

كتب- أحمد الضبع: شهدت العاصمة الكورية الجنوبية سول حادثًا مأساويًا، حيث ابتلعت حفرة عملاقة سائق دراجة نارية يُدعى "بارك"، البالغ من العمر 33 عامًا، في حي "ميونج إيل-دونج" بشرق المدينة، وذلك في مشهد صادم وثقته كاميرات المراقبة. الحفرة التي بلغ قطرها وعمقها نحو 20 مترًا، ظهرت بشكل مفاجئ أمام إحدى المدارس الابتدائية، ما أثار حالة من الذعر بين السكان، واستغرقت فرق الإنقاذ نحو 18 ساعة لانتشال جثة الشاب، بعد عمليات معقدة شملت ضخ المياه وإزالة الأنقاض داخل نفق مترو قيد الإنشاء، بحسب "ديلي ميل". وأوضح كيم تشانج سوب، المسؤول عن عمليات الإغاثة، أن جثة الضحية وُجدت على عمق 20 مترًا تحت سطح الأرض، وعلى بُعد 50 مترًا من مركز الحفرة. وكشفت التحقيقات الأولية أن الحادث وقع بعد لحظات من مرور سيارة دفع رباعي فوق الطريق، قبل أن ينهار بشكل مفاجئ، ما أدى إلى سقوط الدراجة النارية في الحفرة، فيما نجا سائق السيارة بأعجوبة، لكنه أصيب بجروح طفيفة. وسارعت السلطات إلى إغلاق موقع بناء المترو القريب وتعليق الدراسة في ثلاث مدارس محلية كإجراء احترازي، فيما لا تزال التحقيقات جارية لمعرفة الأسباب الدقيقة وراء الحادث، وسط ترجيحات بوجود علاقة بين أعمال الحفر لإنشاء خط مترو جديد وظهور الحفرة. وأصدر عمدة سول، أوه سي-هون، تعليماته بفتح تحقيق فوري لمحاسبة المسؤولين، مؤكدًا ضرورة اتخاذ تدابير وقائية لمنع تكرار مثل هذه الحوادث مستقبلاً. يذكر أن ظاهرة الحفر الأرضية المفاجئة ليست جديدة، إذ سبق أن شهدت غواتيمالا في عام 2022 ظهور حفرتين عملاقتين تسببتا في إصابات وفقدان أشخاص، وسط تحذيرات من خطورتها الناتجة عن عوامل جيولوجية وهندسية معقدة. A motorcyclist who fell into a 20-metre-wide sinkhole near a school in eastern Seoul has been found 18 hours after the incident occurred.The man suffered cardiac arrest after the fall and was unconscious when rescued, reported The Korean Herald.📽️ : aqua52043525/X🧵1 ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-07

Ukrainian state prosecutors say they have examined debris from 21 of around 50 North Korean ballistic missiles launched by Russia between late December and late February as they seek to assess the threat from Moscow's cooperation with . In previously unreported details of an investigation underway into the missiles, the office of Ukraine's top prosecutor, Andriy Kostin, also told Reuters that the failure rate of the North Korean weaponry appeared to be high. "About half of the North Korean missiles lost their programmed trajectories and exploded in the air; in such cases, the debris was not recovered," Kostin's office said in written answers to Reuters' questions. North Korean missiles account for a tiny portion of Russia's strikes during its war on Ukraine, but their alleged use has caused alarm from Seoul to Washington because it may herald the end of a nearly two-decade consensus among permanent members of the United Nations Security Council on preventing Pyongyang expanding its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. In addition to providing North Korea with an opportunity to test missiles, Russia has taken steps that will make it harder for the United Nations to monitor sanctions imposed on Pyongyang in 2006. Rescuers work at a site of a residential area hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine March 15, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/STRINGER) Last month, Moscow vetoed the annual renewal of the UN sanctions monitors - known as a panel of experts - that has for 15 years monitored enforcement of the UN sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea's official name. China, one of the five permanent members on the Security Council with Russia, the United States, Britain and France, abstained from the vote. Days before its mandate expired, the panel submitted a report confirming for the first time that, in a violation of UN sanctions, a known as Hwasong-11 had struck the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. This, and Moscow's veto, underscore how Russia and North Korea have intensified their bilateral relations beyond largely transactional, barter agreements, said Edward Howell, an expert on North Korea at Oxford University. "There is a lasting legacy that is being shaped now, which is the fact that North Korea, through being assured of Russia's support, is really being able to undermine key international institutions like the UN Security Council," he said. The Russian presidency referred questions on the North Korean missiles to the Russian Defense Ministry, which did not respond to emailed questions from Reuters. North Korea's mission to the United Nations in Geneva also did not respond.   Despite the setback at the United Nations, Kostin has said his office will carry on with the investigation. The prosecutor's office said that when debris could not be collected at impact sites, Hwasong-11 missiles, which are also called KN-23 in the West, were identified by looking at their flight trajectories, speed and launch sites. The last recorded use of a KN-23 was on Feb. 27, the prosecutor's office said, adding that the total number of launches it has identified tallied with intelligence showing North Korea delivered about 50 ballistic missiles to Russia. According to the United States, Russia received ballistic missiles and artillery rounds from North Korea after the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, met Russian President Vladimir Putin for a rare summit last September. The 21 cases, in which debris was collected, include three that were fired at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and its surrounding region, Kostin's office said. The others struck the regions of Kharkiv, Poltava, Donetsk and Kirovohrad. The attacks, which began on Dec. 30, 2023, killed 24 people, wounded 115 and damaged a number of residential buildings and industrial facilities, it said. The about 50 missiles were launched from multiple sites including in Russia's western regions of , Voronezh and Kursk, it added. The Ukrainian statement did not say whether any of the missiles had been shot down by air defenses. Ballistic missiles are typically hard to intercept because of their trajectory and speed. According to Kostin's office, Ukrainian authorities were still investigating whether Pyongyang had dispatched instructors to monitor the ballistic missile launches. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-20

is re-evaluating its ties with the United States after the Biden administration blocked its bid late Thursday night to be recognized as a full-fledged member of the United Nations. “The Palestinian leadership will reconsider bilateral relations with the United States to ensure the protection of our people's interests, our cause, and our rights,” PA President Mahmoud Abbas told WAFA, the Palestine News & Information Agency. A new strategy will be developed to “protect Palestinian national decisions independently and follow a Palestinian agenda rather than an American vision or regional agendas,” Abbas said. He spoke after the . The United Kingdom and Switzerland abstained. The resolution had the support of 12 of the UNSC members, including France. The US, however, is one of five UNSC members with veto power and its rejection of the resolution was enough to prevent its passage. Tensions have been high between the US and the PA over Washington’s strong support for the IDF’s military operation to destroy Hamas in Gaza and its failure to unilaterally recognize Palestinian statehood. Some 139 UN member states recognize Palestine as a state, but Security Council approval is a necessary step for membership. Already in 2012 UN General Assembly recognized Pauline as a non-member state, a move which granted it de-facto recognition and allowed it to operate as a state within the UN, albeit one without full rights. The PA pushed for full statehood recognition on Thursday, for the first time in 12 years, in a bid to maximize growing support among Western countries for unilateral Palestinian statehood in light of the Israel-Hamas war. Although Hamas began the war with its , killing over 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, international public sympathy has been with the Palestinians in Gaza in light of the high fatality count of over 33,000. Israel has said that over 13,000 of those are combatants. Abbas told WAFA that US policy stands  "have generated unprecedented anger among the Palestinian people and the region's populations, potentially pushing the region towards further instability, chaos, and terrorism.” China's foreign minister Wang Yi on Saturday said, ”A prompt admission of Palestine into the United Nations is a move to rectify a prolonged historical injustice," state media Xinhua quoted Wang as saying. In Seoul on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the Biden administration was committed to Palestinian statehood but believed it should be done through a peace process toward a two-state resolution to the conflict. “The resolution that was voted at the Security Council will have no effect on actually moving things forward and achieving a Palestinian state. Again, that can only be accomplished by diplomatic means.” “We’ve been working on that, including as part of a potential normalization process between Israel and Saudi Arabia – something that we’ve intensely engaged on over the last several months and weeks,” he stated. Blinken also noted that had the Biden administration supported the text, it would have been bound under law to cut all funding to the UN. “Even if we had wanted to vote for this resolution, had we done so, under our law it would have obligated us to cut off all of our funding to the United Nations – clearly not in the interests of anyone, including the Palestinians, particularly given the contributions we make to programs that are vital to them,” Blinken stated.   At the UNSC in New York late Thursday US Ambassador Robert Wood said there were “unresolved questions as to whether the applicant [the PA] meets the criteria to be considered a State.” “We have long called on the Palestinian Authority to undertake necessary reforms to help establish the attributes of readiness for statehood and note that Hamas – a terrorist organization – is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza, an integral part of the state envisioned in this resolution.” “The United States continues to strongly support a two-state solution. This vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgment that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties.” Palestinian Authority Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour pushed back at Wood, stating that UN membership for his people was an “investment in peace.” “The people of Palestine will not disappear. We will not be buried” or “erased,” he stated. “We came to the Security Council today at an important historic moment, regionally and internationally, so that we could salvage what can be saved,” Mansour stated. “We place before you before a historic responsibility to establish the fountains just and comprehensive peace in our region,’ he explained.  Mansour reaffirmed the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to a two-state resolution to the conflict and called for an International conference to advance a peace process for two states based on the pre-1967 lines. “But the question remains: is there a true partner for peace in Israel?” he asked. “Is there a partner in peace with us in Israel?” He spoke at a time when most of the Israeli government opposed Palestinian statehood. “Israel believes that the state of Palestine is a permanent strategic threat to it and will do its best to block the sovereignty of a Palestinian state,” he said. “It is up to you now to determine who loves peace and who is the enemy of peace?” Mansour said. He warned that delaying UN membership would give Israel the time it needed to “annex Palestinian land will give it the immunity to evict the people [Palestinians] and kill them?” Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, thanked the United States for blocking the resolution, explaining that the PA “does not meet even the most basic criteria and “has no authority over their territory.” The PA, he said, is a “terror-loving entity” that had a policy of issuing monthly stipends to Palestinians who have killed civilians in terror attacks. “The Palestinian representative [Mansour] called Hamas, his brothers after the [October 7 massacre]. They don't even recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. You won't find even one Palestinian leader who will tell you that he recognizes Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state,” Erdan said. He warned UNSC members who supported unilateral Palestinian statehood that they were emboldening the PA to reject future peace process offers, such as it had done in the past. “Please remember this the next time that Palestinians reject another peace plan or refuse to even come to the negotiating table,” he stated. Reuters contributed to this report ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-20

(JTA) — The 2023 represented a watershed moment for and fans, as a record 19 Jewish players appeared in at least one big league game. That record, topping the previous high of 17 in 2022, is likely to be broken yet again this year. The new season begins in earnest March 28, following a two-game series in Seoul Wednesday and Thursday between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. As Opening Day draws near, there are plenty of Jewish storylines to keep an eye on: The two best in the game — Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried and Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman — are both entering the final year of their contracts. Zack Gelof, the 2023 rookie phenom, looks to continue his ascension in his first full season, while MLB veterans Joc Pederson, Kevin Pillar, Richard Bleier and Rowdy Tellez all suit up for new teams. Read on for our Jewish guide to the 2024 MLB season. Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Baseball - Men - Round 1 Repechage - Israel v Dominican Republic - Yokohama Baseball Stadium, Yokohama, Japan - August 3, 2021. Danny Valencia of Israel celebrates home run with team mates. (credit: REUTERS/JORGE SILVA) Join us and our All-Star panel of baseball experts on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET for an online event previewing the Jewish MLB players and storylines to watch in 2024. Sign up here. Max Fried, Atlanta Braves, starting pitcher: When Fried, 30, stays healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball. The 2022 National League Cy Young runner-up has a career ERA of 3.03 and has racked up his 62 wins at a historic pace, with a career winning percentage above .700. But Fried, who won three consecutive Gold Glove awards for his defense from 2020-2022, started only 14 games last season while battling a number of injuries. Now, in the final year of his contract, the stakes are high for Fried — a Los Angeles native who grew up idolizing fellow Jewish lefty ace Sandy Koufax. Alex Bregman, Houston Astros, third baseman: Pegged as a potential future Hall of Famer by some Jewish baseball experts, Bregman, 29, has solidified himself as one of the premier third basemen in baseball, averaging 28 home runs and 99 RBI over his eight-year career. The two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion has become one of the best postseason hitters of all time (his 19 home runs are tied for fifth all-time), and like Fried, he is entering the final year of his contract. Bregman has been an active member of the Houston Jewish community and has shown support for Israel since Oct. 7, drawing a Star of David on his hat. Joc Pederson, Arizona Diamondbacks, outfielder: After two seasons in San Francisco, the 31-year-old two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champ joins the Arizona Diamondbacks, the defending National League champions and the fifth team of Pederson’s career. Pederson, who played a key role for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic — both as a player and a recruiter — hit 15 home runs in 121 games last season. He’s no longer the elite slugger he was when he crushed 36 homers in 2019, but Pederson remains a solid big-league hitter and veteran clubhouse presence. Dean Kremer, Baltimore Orioles, starting pitcher: Kremer made 32 starts for the Orioles in 2023, the heaviest workload of his career, posting a 13-5 record with a 4.12 ERA. A California native with Israeli parents, Kremer told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency during last year’s WBC that Israel is “like another home.” Kremer, who won Israel’s lone game in the tournament, against Nicaragua, was the first Israeli ever drafted into the MLB. Kremer also became the first Israeli to start a postseason game last year — just days after Oct. 7 — but the outing did not go well: The righty surrendered six runs in less than two innings as the Texas Rangers swept the Orioles on the way to winning it all. Zack Gelof, Oakland Athletics, second baseman: Since making his MLB debut last July — which made him the 18th Jewish player of the 2023 season — Gelof, 24, has already cemented himself as one of the league’s best second basemen. In just 69 games last season, the rookie hit .267 with 14 homers, 72 hits and 14 stolen bases — earning the Team Israel player a spot in MLB Network’s list of the 10 best second basemen entering 2024. Harrison Bader, New York Mets, outfielder: After parts of two seasons with the New York Yankees — and a brief stint in Cincinnati — the New York native joined the Mets ahead of 2024. Bader, 29, has battled injuries the past couple seasons, which kept him from playing for Team Israel. The 2021 Gold Glove winner spent the first five-and-a-half seasons of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Bader’s father, who is Jewish, told the Forward last year that his son is considering formally converting to Judaism. Rowdy Tellez, Pittsburgh Pirates, first baseman: The 29-year-old slugger is joining the Pirates after two-and-a-half seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. Tellez, who has Jewish as well as Mexican heritage, had considered playing for Israel in the WBC last year but chose to play for Mexico. Tellez will look to regain the thump he had in 2022, when he hit 35 home runs. Eli Morgan, Cleveland Guardians, relief pitcher: After beginning his career as a starter, Morgan, 27, has grown into a go-to bullpen option for Cleveland, posting a 4.01 ERA in 61 games in 2023. Morgan’s father Dave, who is Jewish, is a longtime sportswriter, and the younger Morgan had planned to play for Israel in last year’s WBC but ultimately backed out. Garrett Stubbs, Philadelphia Phillies, catcher: As the Phillies’ backup catcher, Stubbs, 30, does not play much — he appeared in 46 games in 2022 and 41 last year. But Stubbs still makes his presence known: he has gained a reputation as a beloved clubhouse presence and the life of the party, especially during Philadelphia’s postseason celebrations. Stubbs also played for Team Israel in the 2023 WBC, and has already committed to playing for the team again in 2026. Jake Bird, Colorado Rockies, relief pitcher: Bird, 28, was among the most reliable relievers in the majors last year, appearing in 70 games for the Rockies, tied for seventh-most in the MLB. Bird, who had planned to pitch for Team Israel in 2023 but dropped out due to injury, posted a 4.33 ERA with 77 strikeouts. Richard Bleier, Washington Nationals, relief pitcher: Bleier, 36, who also played for Team Israel last year, will pitch for his fifth team in his ninth MLB season, joining the Nationals after spending most of last season with the Boston Red Sox. Bleier, who didn’t break into the big leagues until he was 29, has a 3.27 career ERA and has enjoyed stretches of dominance: from 2016 through 2018, his ERA stayed under 2.00. Kevin Pillar, Chicago White Sox, outfielder: The 35-year-old is one of the more experienced players on this list: Pillar has played 1,114 MLB games across 11 seasons with seven different teams. Pillar played in 81 games for the Braves last year, and signed a minor league deal with the White Sox in February. He is expected to make the team’s Opening Day roster as a bench/platoon player. Pillar has embraced his role as a Jewish ballplayer, including by speaking to up-and-coming Jewish athletes. Zack Weiss, Minnesota Twins, relief pitcher: After playing for Team Israel last year, Weiss, 31, appeared in only 12 games in 2023, six each with the Los Angeles Angels and the Red Sox. Weiss joined the Twins ahead of this season but is expected to begin the year on the injured list. Scott Effross, New York Yankees, relief pitcher: Effross’s career had gotten off to a stellar start: in his first full season in 2022, Effross, 30, posted a 2.54 ERA with the Chicago Cubs and Yankees. Then, the injury bug bit. Effross, who wears a Star of David necklace on the mound and had planned to play for Team Israel, missed the entire 2023 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Effross will now be out until the summer after a back surgery derailed his rehab. There are a number of Jewish players who are set to begin the 2024 season in the minor leagues. Some have played in the MLB before, while others are still eagerly awaiting their first taste of the majors. Matt Mervis, Chicago Cubs, first baseman: Mervis made his much-anticipated debut last year, but lasted only 27 games before being sent back down the minors. The Team Israel player has prodigious power — Mervis crushed 36 homers in the minors in 2022 and 22 last year. But with the Cubs re-signing star first baseman and outfielder Cody Bellinger, Mervis’ path may be even trickier in 2024. Spencer Horwitz, Toronto Blue Jays, first baseman: Mervis’ Team Israel teammate also debuted in 2023 but appeared in only 15 games. Horwitz can hit — in 107 Triple-A games last season, he posted a .337 batting average with 132 hits and 30 doubles. Jared Shuster, Chicago White Sox, starting pitcher: Shuster entered 2023 as a highly-touted prospect — and even made the Opening Day roster — but he struggled in his first 11 MLB starts with the Braves and was traded to the White Sox during the offseason. He begins 2024 in Triple A. Kenny Rosenberg, Los Angeles Angels, pitcher: Rosenberg has appeared in 10 games for the Angels over the past two seasons, making four starts. He will start the season in Triple A. Dalton Guthrie, Boston Red Sox, utility: Guthrie has appeared in 37 MLB games with the Phillies, but spent most of 2023 in the minors. He joined the Red Sox for Spring Training but will start the year in Triple A. Evan Kravetz, Cincinnati Reds, relief pitcher: The Team Israel pitcher has yet to make his MLB debut, but 2024 could be his year. Kravetz struck out 67 batters in 36 games across Double A and Triple A last season. Colton Gordon, Houston Astros, starting pitcher: Team Israel pitcher Colton Gordon made 24 starts across Double A and Triple A in 2023, posting a 4.14 ERA with 151 strikeouts in 128.1 innings. The 25-year-old begins 2024 in the minors, but his future seems bright. Chase Strumpf, Chicago Cubs, infielder: Strumpf was considered a top prospect ahead of the 2019 MLB Draft, when the Cubs selected him 64th overall. In 2023, the 26-year-old hit 21 home runs with 66 RBI in 104 games. He begins the year in Triple A alongside Mervis. C.J. Stubbs, Houston Astros, catcher: Garrett’s younger brother C.J. is a catching prospect in the Astros organization. Stubbs spent most of 2023 in Double A, where he struggled at the plate — posting a .196 batting average with 132 strikeouts in 95 games. Stubbs played for Team Israel last year, replacing Garrett after an injury. (They also shared a brotherly moment during Spring Training this month). A few final names to keep an eye on: Ryan Sherriff, the onetime Team Israel pitcher who announced his retirement in September but has said he’d be open to pitching in 2024; Team Israel pitchers Jake Fishman, Bubby Rossman and Robert Stock, each of whom has MLB experience and played in independent or foreign leagues in 2023; and Rob Kaminsky, who also pitched for Israel in 2023 before spending the season in the Seattle Mariners system. He is currently a free agent. Five Jewish players were selected during last summer’s MLB Draft: Jake Gelof (Zack’s younger brother), Zach Levenson, RJ Schreck, Ben Simon and Will King. Last but not least, 2021 MLB draftee Jacob Steinmetz, who is hoping to become the first Orthodox player in MLB history, was promoted to Single A last season. The 19-year-old — who enjoyed a breakout performance for Team Israel last year — is likely a few years away from MLB action. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-19

Britain's deputy prime minister defended on Tuesday amid growing tension between the Middle Eastern country and its biggest backers, but called for an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza on humanitarian grounds. Oliver Dowden said the British government was "continuously" urging Israel to abide by international humanitarian law and had also raised concerns about getting aid into Gaza, where a humanitarian crisis is raging after six months of fighting. "That's why we are calling for an immediate ceasefire to allow that aid in, and crucially, the hostages to come out," he told Reuters in an interview in Seoul, where he was attending a US-backed Summit for Democracy. Dowden's comments came in response to a query about tension between Israel and its most steadfast allies in the United States over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war, particularly an expected military push into Rafah, the last relatively safe place in the tiny, crowded enclave. The United Nations human rights chief on Tuesday said Israel's restrictions on humanitarian aid for Gaza may amount to a starvation tactic that could be a war crime, after a UN-backed report found famine is likely by May without an end to the fighting. British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden speaks during an interview with Reuters, in Seoul, South Korea, March 19, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/KIM DAEWOUNG) US President Joe Biden warned Netanyahu on Monday that an Israeli operation in Rafah would deepen anarchy in Gaza and they agreed that teams from each side would meet in Washington to discuss it. In a speech on Thursday, US Senate Majority leader , a longtime supporter of Israel and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official, called for new elections in Israel, saying Netanyahu was an obstacle to peace. Netanyahu responded harshly on Sunday, telling CNN in an interview that Schumer's speech was "totally inappropriate." Dowden stressed his support for Israel, saying there is a risk that the world is forgetting the horrors of October 7, when Hamas launched attacks that Israel says killed about 1,400 people. "I continue to support Israel's right to defend itself, not only for the sake of Israel, but also I think around the world we should be standing up to this kind of barbarism," he said. "But what in turn I'll also say to Israel is that they need to show restraint and proportionality in the way that they prosecute the legitimate war against ." ...قراءة المزيد

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