South Korean investigators have suspended their effort to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after a prolonged standoff with presidential security personnel.

The Corruption Investigation Office, tasked with executing the arrest warrant, announced the suspension on Friday at 1:30 pm (0430 GMT).

Investigators had arrived at the presidential residence earlier that day, aiming to detain Yoon, but were denied entry by security aides.

An official from the agency explained the decision, citing concerns for safety and the escalating confrontation. “The continued resistance made executing the warrant practically impossible. For the safety of our personnel, we suspended the operation,” the official stated.

“We determined that executing the detention warrant would be practically impossible due to the continued confrontation and suspended the execution out of concern for the safety of on-site personnel caused by the resistance,” an official from the agency said.

“We plan to decide on the next steps following a review.”

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Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has fled the country following weeks of cataclysmic social upheaval and civil disobedience.

Citizens of south Asian nation have been protesting for weeks now demanding the resignation of Hasina who have been in power for 15 years.

Hasina, who has ruled since 2009, had ignored weeks of demands for her to step aside but fled on Monday following a brutal day of unrest on Sunday in which nearly 100 people died.

Hasina, 76, fled the country by helicopter, a source close to the leader told AFP shortly after protesters had stormed her palace in Dhaka.

“Her security team asked her leave, she did not find any time to prepare”, the source said.

The source adding she left first by motorcade but then was flown out, without saying her destination. “She was later evacuated on a helicopter.”

Jubilant looking crowds had waved flags, some dancing on top of a tank in the streets on Monday morning before hundreds broke through the gates of Hasina’s official residence.

Bangladesh’s Channel 24 broadcast images of crowds running into the compound, waving to the camera as they celebrated.

Others smashed a statues of Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahma, the country’s independence hero.

Bangladesh’s army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman would address the nation on Monday afternoon, a military spokesman told AFP without giving further details.

Security forces had supported Hasina’s government throughout the unrest, which began last month against civil service job quotas then escalated into wider calls for her to stand down.

But the protesters defied curfews and deadly force.

At least 94 people were killed on Sunday, including 14 police officers, in the deadliest day of the unrest.

Protesters and pro-government forces countrywide battled each other with sticks and knives, and security forces opened fire.

The day’s violence took the total number of people killed since protests began in early July to at least 300, according to an AFP tally based on police, government officials and doctors at hospitals.

Waker told officers on Saturday that the military “always stood by the people”, according to an official statement.

The military declared an emergency in January 2007 after widespread political unrest and installed a military-backed caretaker government for two years.

Hasina has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without real opposition.

Her government is accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including through the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.

Demonstrations began over the reintroduction of a quota scheme that reserved more than half of all government jobs for certain groups.

The protests escalated despite the scheme having been scaled back by Bangladesh’s top court.

Soldiers and police with armoured vehicles in Dhaka had barricaded routes to Hasina’s office with barbed wire on Monday morning, but vast crowds flooded the streets, tearing down barriers.

The Business Standard newspaper estimated as many as 400,000 protesters were on the streets but it was impossible to verify the figure.

“The time has come for the final protest,” said Asif Mahmud, one of the key leaders in the nationwide civil disobedience campaign.

In several cases, soldiers and police did not intervene to stem Sunday’s protests, unlike during the past month of rallies that repeatedly ended in deadly crackdowns.

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A powerful earthquake struck northern China, close to the Kyrgyzstan border, claiming three lives and injuring five others on Tuesday.

According to state media reports, the seismic event occurred just after 2:00 a.m. local time, with its epicentre located at 13 kilometres in China’s Xinjiang region, approximately 140 kilometres west of Aksu.

Initially, Beijing’s Xinhua news agency indicated that six individuals in Akqi County had sustained injuries, with two reported as “serious.” Subsequent updates from the agency confirmed the tragic news of three fatalities and five injuries.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, Akqi County witnessed the collapse of 47 buildings, with an additional 78 structures suffering varying degrees of damage, as reported through the local government’s social media channels.

Xinhua provided details from the epicentre area in rural Wushi County, noting the collapse of two residential dwellings, cattle sheds, and a temporary power outage.

In response to the incident, the health ministry of neighbouring Kazakhstan revealed that 44 individuals with “various” injuries sought medical attention in Almaty, the largest city in the country. The earthquake’s impact underscores the immediate need for support and recovery efforts in the affected regions.

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Singapore’s Transport Minister, S. Iswaran, is confronting 27 counts in a significant bribery investigation, marking one of the nation’s most serious and unusual corruption cases in decades.

Iswaran, vehemently denying the accusations, faces charges from the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), as reported by Reuters. In a Tuesday resignation letter, Iswaran rejected the charges and stated, “I will now focus on clearing my name.”

The prime minister’s office released the letter on Thursday, where Iswaran pledged to refund his wages and allowances from the beginning of last July’s investigations. Despite taking a leave of absence, he continued to receive monthly payments.

The CPIB alleges that Iswaran, arrested in July last year, accepted S$384,340.98 (US$286,181) in kickbacks from property billionaire Ong Beng Seng to advance Ong’s business interests.

The charge sheets detail several alleged favours, including tickets to football games and musicals, a trip on Ong’s private plane, and seats to the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix.

The charges have sent shockwaves through Singapore, known for its reputation of clean government. Iswaran is a key political figure who has played a significant role in overseeing the tourism industry, including the city-state’s Formula One Grand Prix debut.

The resignation of Iswaran has dealt a serious blow to the ruling People’s Action Party. The last high-profile corruption inquiry involving a minister occurred in 1986 when National Development Minister Teh Cheang Wan tragically took his own life before formal charges were filed.

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The UAE has ordered the arrest of a man who was caught arrogantly urging an auto dealer in a luxury dealership to sell him the most costly cars in the garage, according to Arabian Business.

According to a report by the state-run news outlet WAM, the movie degrades and ridicules Emirati society and incites citizens to hold negative public opinion.

In the viral video, an Asian man dressed in Emirati attire is seen attempting to buy a $545,000 car and others while being flanked by people holding significant sums of money.

He said, “What is the most expensive car here? Okay. I want the Mercedez, rolls royce and the Red Bull sports car.

Meanwhile, the UAE’s Federal Prosecution for Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes has ordered the detention of the man pending investigations after being accused of abusing the internet in posting exciting propaganda that stirs up public opinion and harms the public interest.

He was also charged with publishing content that was inconsistent with the media content standards and insulted Emirati society.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation at the UAE Attorney General’s Office also said it monitored a social media video clip in which the defendant was seen wearing an Emirati dress inside a luxury car showroom and followed by two persons carrying what appears to be large sums of money.

The video showed the man talking with the owner of the showroom and “arrogantly” asking to buy a car valued at more than AED2m ($545,000).

According to the UAE’s FBI, “He was shown distributing financial packages to the showroom employees in a way that reveals imprudence and lack of appreciation of the value of money.

“The video promotes a wrong and offensive mental image of Emirati citizens and ridicules them, and then incites and provokes public opinion, which harms the public interest.

“The Public Prosecution ordered the summoning of the owner of the car showroom in which the aforementioned video clip was filmed.”

The Public Prosecution urged social media users in the UAE to observe the legal and ethical regulations in the media content they publish and to consider societal characteristics and embedded values of the UAE society that call for moral commitment in all aspects of behaviour, to avoid falling under the force of the law.

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Six people were killed and one was injured in an attack on a kindergarten in South China’s Guangdong province on Monday, according to a city administration spokesman.

“The victims include one teacher, two parents, and three students,” she explained.

She did not reveal the identities or ages of the victims, nor did she reveal the weapon used in the incident, which occurred in the city of Lianjiang.

“One suspect has been arrested,” she added, adding that a police investigation was underway.

The state-backed China News Network reported that the incident happened around 7:40 am (2340 GMT on Sunday).

China strictly prohibits citizens from owning firearms, and there has been a spate of stabbings in recent years.

Fatal attacks specifically targeting schools have occurred nationwide, prompting authorities to step up security around schools.

In other news, amid the continuing war between Russia and Ukraine, China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, has stated that “time will reveal that China’s position is on the right side of history.”

According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi revealed this to media on Sunday.

“China will continue to make independent judgments based on the merits of the matter and in an objective and fair attitude.

“We will never accept any external coercion and pressure, and we also oppose any groundless accusations and suspicions against China,” the statement added.

Wang said, “The long-term solution is to abandon the Cold War mentality, refrain from engaging in group confrontation, and truly form a balanced, effective and sustainable regional security architecture. Only in this way can long-term stability on the European continent be achieved.”

Recall that the war between Ukraine and Russia began in February.

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According to state broadcaster CCTV, the explosion was caused by a liquified petrol tank leak inside the restaurant and occurred around 8:40 p.m.

One of the seven injured is still in critical condition. The other six are in the hospital being treated for minor injuries, burns, and glass cuts.

According to state media, local fire authorities dispatched 20 vehicles and more than 100 personnel to the scene, with search and rescue operations lasting until 4 a.m. Thursday.

Photos posted by state media show the damaged building, with blackened exteriors, debris on the ground and smoke in the air. Firefighters are seen entering the second floor on a ladder and lifting people out on stretchers.

Interviews by police and firefighters on the scene established that two restaurant staffers had smelled gas about an hour before the explosion, the Yinchuan government said in a statement posted online Thursday.

The two staffers found the valve of the gas tank had broken, and sent another staff member to buy a new one, according to the statement. The explosion took place as the valve was being replaced.

The restaurant is located on a busy street, state media reported.

Police have detained nine people and frozen their assets, including the restaurant’s manager, employees and shareholders, according to state media China Youth Daily.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called the incident “heartbreaking,” and said it was a “profound lesson,” state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday.

Xi added that it is imperative to treat the wounded and comfort the victims’ families, and to find out the cause of the accident as soon as possible. He also ordered relevant government authorities to carry out a safety risk review and strengthen safety supervision in key sectors, CCTV reported.

The incident came just before China began its three-day national public holiday, from Thursday to Saturday, marking the Dragon Boat Festival.

The country has been rocked by a number of safety incidents this year. A coal mine collapse in Inner Mongolia in February left 53 dead; then in April, the deadliest fire to hit Beijing in two decades killed 29 people in a hospital.

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The US State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report revealed this.

According to reports, the toddler and his entire family were imprisoned as a result of the discovery and their religious beliefs.

Similar cases of North Korean citizens being killed for practising their Christian faith were also highlighted in the report.

It also included the 2011 execution by firing squad of a woman and her grandchild.

Another pattern of punishments meted out to believers in the country, as indicated in the report, includes “pigeon torture”, where they were suspended with their hands tied behind their backs, unable to sit or stand for days on end.

A victim was quoted as saying, “It was the most painful of all tortures. It was so painful, I felt it was better to die.”

Some were also said to have been tortured with sleep deprivation, including one woman in solitary confinement who was driven to suicide in 2020 after prison guards refused to let her sleep.

No fewer than 70,000 Christians have been allegedly imprisoned for their faith under the Kim Jong-un regime, out of a possible population of 400,000.

The new publication said several North Korean Christians hid their faith from their children.

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On Friday, a domestic flight from Daegu International Airport, about 240 kilometres (149 miles) southeast of Seoul, arrived with nearly 200 passengers on board.

When the plane was about 200 metres (650 feet) above ground, a man in his 30s opened the exit door, according to police, who did not provide any further details.

The passenger was taken in by Daegu police for questioning and told officers he had been “under stress after losing a job recently”.

“He felt the flight was taking longer than it should have been and felt suffocated inside the cabin,” a Daegu police detective told AFP.

“He wanted out quickly”.

The passenger faces up to 10 years in prison for violating aviation safety laws.

A video clip shot by a nearby passenger showed wind ripping through the open door, with fabric seat-backs and passengers’ hair flapping wildly as some people shouted in surprise.

Another video shared on social media showed passengers sitting in the emergency exit row next to an open door being buffeted by strong winds.

A dozen passengers were taken to hospital after experiencing breathing difficulties but there were no major injuries or damage, according to the transport ministry.

“It was chaos with people close to the door appearing to faint one by one and flight attendants calling out for doctors on board,” a 44-year-old passenger told Yonhap.

“I thought the plane was blowing up. I thought I was going to die like this.”

A transport ministry official told AFP that this was “the first such incident” they were aware of in Korean aviation history.

Experts say South Korea’s aviation industry has a solid safety record.

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