North Korea’s army said it will take the “substantial military step” of completely cutting off its territory from South Korea on Wednesday, after months of fortifying its heavily armed border.

The announcement, which comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scrapped a longstanding policy of seeking peaceful reunification with South Korea earlier this year, declared that remaining roads and railways connected to the South would be completely cut, blocking access along the border.

“The acute military situation prevailing on the Korean peninsula requires the armed forces of the DPRK to take a more resolute and stronger measure in order to more creditably defend the national security,” the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) said, according to a notice on state-run news agency KCNA that referred to North Korea by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Since January, Pyongyang has fortified its border defenses, laying land mines, building anti-tank traps and removing railway infrastructure, according to the South Korean military.

Kim has also ramped up his fiery rhetoric against the South, referring to it as the North’s “primary foe and invariable principal enemy,” a description echoed in the latest KPA notice.

The General Staff said the measures were a response to recent “war exercises” held in South Korea and visits by what it claims are US strategic nuclear assets in the region. Over the past year, a US aircraft carrier, amphibious assault ships, long-range bombers and submarines have visited South Korea, drawing angry rebukes from Pyongyang.

In a response Wednesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea’s announcement was “a desperate measure stemming from the insecurity of the failed Kim Jong Un regime” and would “only lead to [its] harsher isolation.”

Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, said North Korea’s latest move formalizes work already being done along its militarized border and suggests Pyongyang may aim to constitutionalize it in the future.

Simmering tensions

Inter-Korean hostilities have simmered this year as North Korea appears to have intensified its nuclear production efforts and strengthened ties with Russia, deepening widespread concern in the West over the isolated nation’s direction.

Last week, Kim threatened to use nuclear weapons to destroy South Korea if attacked, after South Korea’s president warned that if the North used nuclear weapons it would “face the end of its regime.”

Kim’s comments appeared to come in direct response to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who showcased Seoul’s most powerful ballistic missile and other weapons designed to deter North Korean threats during a parade for Armed Forces Day on October 1.

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said the Korean army’s announcement could be Pyongyang’s attempt to “shift blame for its economic failures and legitimize its costly buildup of missiles and nuclear weapons” by exaggerating external threats.

“Kim Jong Un wants domestic and international audiences to believe he is acting out of military strength, but he may actually be motivated by political weakness,” Easley said. “North Korea’s threats, both real and rhetorical, reflect the regime survival strategy of a hereditary dictatorship.”

North and South Korea have been separated since the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice agreement. The two sides are still technically at war, but both governments had long sought the goal of one day reunifying.

In January, Kim said North Korea would no longer seek reconciliation and reunification with South Korea, calling inter-Korean relations “a relationship between two hostile countries and two belligerents at war,” KCNA reported at the time.

In its statement, the North Korean army said it notified US forces on Wednesday morning to “prevent any misjudgment and accidental conflict” over its “fortification project.”

Mourners wept and monks prayed at a cremation ceremony Tuesday in a small town in central Thailand for 23 young students and teachers who died in last week’s bus fire on a school field trip.

A large cremation site was set up close to the temple in Lan Sak town whose compound hosts the school that was attended by the victims. Several furnaces with tall chimneys were erected, with floral adornments placed in front of them.

Six teachers and 39 elementary and junior high school students were on the bus when it caught fire on October 1 on a highway in Pathum Thani, a northern suburb of Bangkok. It spread so quickly that only 22 people were able to escape.

After forensic work in Bangkok made positive identifications of the badly burnt bodies, the victims’ remains were were returned to their hometown for funeral rites that began last week.

The tragedy sparked national outrage over insufficient safety procedures and pushed the authorities to take immediate legal action. Police arrested the driver of the bus for alleged reckless driving and announced they were charging the woman in whose name the bus was registered with negligence causing death.

Transport officials were being scrutinized after information emerged that the bus had passed an inspection about four months before the fire. In the wake of the accident, investigators found that the bus was fitted with 11 natural gas canisters although it had a permit for only six.

Officials have said that the bus, which was more than 50 years old, had been modified to run on CNG — compressed natural gas — which is often used especially by commercial vehicles to save money. Police believe that a gas tube from one of the canisters had come loose, with sparks then setting the leaking gas on fire.

The more than 13,000 buses running on CNG were ordered to be inspected within 60 days, while the Education Ministry suspended school study trips in the meantime.

Tuesday’s cremation in Uthai Thani province was held under the sponsorship of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who sent the head of his Privy Council, former army chief and prime minister Surayud Chulanont, to represent him.

A man has been charged for the rape and murder of a resident doctor during a night shift in India’s eastern city of Kolkata, a crime that ignited nationwide protests about the country’s pervasive problem with gender violence.

The resident doctor’s body was found the following day with multiple injuries and signs of sexual assault in a seminar hall at the hospital, local police said at the time.

The doctor trainee was resting in a seminar room at the medical college while working a night shift when the attack occurred, Kolkata’s then-police commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal said in August. By Indian law, rape victims cannot be named.

Evidence presented by CBI, according to the charge sheet, include CCTV footage of the man at the hospital at the time of the incident and DNA found on the victim that matches that of the suspect.

Protests and strikes

India has struggled for years to tackle high rates of violence against women, with a number of high-profile rape cases drawing international attention.

In the weeks after the alleged attack, hundreds of thousands of doctors have joined nationwide protests demanding justice and calling for improvements to women’s safety, especially better protections for health workers.

Medical bodies in multiple states have expressed support for the protests in Kolkata and urged doctors at government hospitals to stop providing elective services, calling for the case to be fast-tracked through the courts and for the establishment of a protective committee for health workers.

One of the nation’s top medical bodies, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), said it will also carry out a hunger strike on Wednesday, which marks two months since the trainee doctor’s death.

“This ongoing violence highlights the urgent need for stronger protective measures and central legislation dedicated to safeguarding healthcare professionals,” FAIMA said in its statement.

Last month, the West Bengal government said they would meet some of protesters’ demands, including replacing the Kolkata police commissioner, deputy commissioner and two senior government health officials over the incident.

The state government also directed state-run hospitals to avoid putting female doctors on night duty, a decision slammed by the country’s Supreme Court, arguing they need security and not concessions. The measure was later revoked.

Two other people, the medical college’s former principal and a police officer were also arrested last month in connection to the case, the source from the CBI said.

“Amongst other things, they have been accused of compromising the scene of the crime and the delay of the registration of an FIR (First Information Report),”the source said, adding that their role is being investigated.

Many of the doctors who are protesting have highlighted incidents of violence toward health workers and threats of physical abuse by angry patients or their family members.

A survey in 2015 by the Indian Medical Association found 75% of doctors in India had faced some form of violence, local media reported at the time.

One of the country’s most infamous rape and murder cases to spark huge demonstrations and public anger was the 2012 gang-rape of a medical student who was beaten, tortured and left to die following a brutal attack on a public bus in New Delhi.

The case and ensuing nationwide protests drew international media scrutiny – and prompted authorities to enact legal reforms. The rape law was amended in 2013 to broaden the definition of the crime and set strict punishments not only for rape but also for sexual assault, voyeurism, and stalking.

Despite these changes, rape cases remain prevalent in the country, with victims and advocates saying the government is still not doing enough to protect women and punish attackers.

According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau, a total of 31,516 rape cases were recorded in 2022, an average of 86 cases per day.

Experts warn that the number of cases recorded are a fraction of what may be the real number, in a deeply patriarchal country where shame and stigma surround rape victims and their families and where cases face delays and backlogs in court, denying victims justice or closure.

Mohammad Sultan, 28, said he and his family fled their house in Jabalya in northern Gaza “due to the intense and continuous bombardments in the area.” When he went back to retrieve food, water and blankets, he and other civilians were fired at, he said.

Footage taken by Sultan during his journey shows residents walking along a sandy road, surrounded by rubble and half-destroyed buildings. Some, including children, are on foot, struggling to walk with heavy bags. Others are on bicycles or tuk-tuks.

Drones can be heard buzzing in the background as the bullwhip-like sound of bullets piercing the air trigger screams and attempts to shelter.

The Israeli military on Monday issued fresh evacuation orders in both northern and southern Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been sheltering. In northern Gaza, the military said it is “currently operating with great force in the area” and told residents to move to Al Mawasi, a southern region designated as a so-called humanitarian zone that is already crammed with refugees.

A day earlier, Israel’s military said it had encircled Jabalya as it launched a new ground operation there amid efforts by Hamas to “rebuild its operational capabilities in the area.”

Hamas’s military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, said on Monday it was engaged in “fierce fights” with Israeli forces in northern Gaza.

The renewed fighting comes on the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

Gunfire at ‘anything that moves’

“We stayed in the house to search for the remaining body parts of Hassan, but now we cannot go out due to the intensity of the shelling and gunfire,” the 58-year-old said, adding the gunfire targets “anything that moves.”

“We try to stay away from the windows, so they won’t shoot at us,” she said.

Residents say the fighting in Jabalya has been some of the most intense in recent days.

Mohammad Ibrahim, a resident of the city who decided to stay in his home with his two sons, said the explosions outside his house were so intense they “shook” his body.

From his window, Ibrahim said he could see smoke billowing between abandoned apartment buildings. “Anyone who wants to leave the north to Gaza wants death,” he said.

Jabalya has been targeted several times during the war, and like many other parts of Gaza, its residents say they don’t know where to go for shelter.

“We are living in the Stone Age,” Ibrahim said. “There is no conscience, no humanity, no human rights.”

The horrific case of a young woman found raped, strangled and burned in a forest in Germany is one of dozens that form part of a campaign aimed at solving cold cases from six European countries.

Global police agency Interpol has released details of 46 cold cases involving women who were murdered or died in suspicious or unexplained circumstances, some of whose remains were found decades ago, according to a statement Tuesday.

The agency has released details of dozens of harrowing stories in the hope of generating crucial leads to bring criminals behind any murders to justice.

Another of the unidentified victims was found in June 2021 in a bag in Saint-Denis, France, and a third was discovered dead in a hotel room in Premia de Mar, Spain, in 1999.

The 46 cases have been added to the agency’s Identify Me appeal, launched in May 2023, which asked the public to help identify 22 deceased women. The campaign generated about 1,800 tips from the public, Interpol said.

One woman was identified just two days after the campaign was launched last year, 31 years after her family last heard from her.

Relatives of Rita Roberts, from Cardiff, Wales, recognized one of her tattoos in news coverage of the campaign and contacted the appeal hotline.

Roberts left Cardiff in February 1992 and her family last heard from her in May that year. Her unidentified body was found in Antwerp, Belgium, on June 3, and an investigation found that she had been murdered.

Information on the new cases has been published on the Interpol website, including facial reconstructions of some women and images of items found alongside their remains.

They include more cold cases from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as some from France, Italy and Spain, which have joined the campaign in its second stage.

“We want to identify the deceased women, bring answers to families, and deliver justice to the victims. But we can’t do it alone,” said Interpol secretary general Jürgen Stock in the statement.

“Even the smallest piece of information can be vital in helping solve these cold cases. Whether it is a memory, a tip, or a shared story, the smallest detail could help uncover the truth,” added Stock.

“The public could be the key to unlocking a name, a past, and in delivering long-overdue justice.”

As part of the campaign, Interpol has released parts of its Black Notice alerts, which are normally only available to police, for the first time.

Each cold case has a Black Notice, which includes information such as where the body was found, dental charts, descriptions of any clothing found with the body and biometric information such as fingerprints, DNA or facial images.

“Each of these deceased women has a story and relatives who deserve answers,” reads the Interpol statement.

“We urge anyone with information to come forward and assist in this vital effort.”

Initial investigations suggested the group of Russian mountaineers died “as a result of falling down a slope,” the embassy said.

Officials added that they were in contact with the other members of the expedition and were assessing the feasibility of retrieving the bodies from the mountain for identification and repatriation.

Dhaulagiri – which translates from Sanskrit to mean “White Mountain” – is the world’s seventh-highest peak, standing 8,167 meters (26,795 ft) above sea level, in the Himalayas in central Nepal. Due to its steep sides and bitterly cold temperatures, it was only scaled for the first time in 1960 by a Swiss-Austrian expedition.

The fatality rate of Dhaulagiri is slightly more than 16%, making it one of the most dangerous mountains to climb. Records show that by spring 2022, 647 persons have stepped on Dhaulagiri I peak.

Contact was lost with five members of the group after they departed for the peak’s summit on Sunday October 6, according to the federation’s statement. A sixth climber was supposed to join them but abandoned the attempt due to poor health.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti shared a photo credited to the Leningrad Region Mountaineering Federation reportedly showing where the bodies had been found. The photo, which a representative of the federation said was taken on Tuesday from a helicopter, allegedly shows a backpack and bodies on a rocky ledge on the glacier.

“All together, this shows that they were tied together with a safety rope and fell down the slope together,” a representative of the organization told RIA Novosti.

ISIS and al Qaeda present a “resurgent” threat to the United Kingdom, the head of the country’s domestic security service warned in a rare public intervention on Tuesday, as he outlined a changing landscape of terrorism that is increasingly relying on children and the internet.

More than a third of MI5’s recent, priority investigations have involved links to overseas terrorist groups, the agency’s Director General Ken McCallum said in a speech in London, with ISIS in particular resuming “efforts to export terrorism.”

And more than one in eight people being investigated by the service for involvement in terrorism are minors, McCallum said, a three-fold increase since 2021.

McCallum’s speech comes amid a string of Western warnings about the increasing risk of state-sponsored sabotage by nations including Russia and Iran, and as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East rock global security.

Overall, his agency has prevented 43 late-stage terror attack plots since March 2017 – with organizers often “in the final days of planning mass murder” – McCallum told reporters. About three-quarters of the agency’s work tackles Islamist extremism, while a quarter relates to far-right groups, he said.

“We are powerfully alive to the risk that events in the Middle East directly trigger terrorist action in the UK,” he said. But while a rise in public disorder and hate crime has occurred, it hasn’t yet translated into terrorist activity, he said.

ISIS, however, is once again firmly in the crosshairs of the agency. “After a few years of being pinned well back, they’ve resumed efforts to export terrorism,” he said. And al Qaeda “has sought to capitalise on conflict in the Middle East, calling for violent action.”

“After a few years of being pinned well back, they’ve resumed efforts to export terrorism,” he said. And al Qaeda “has sought to capitalize on conflict in the Middle East, calling for violent action.”

Russia and Iran working to cause ‘mayhem’

McCallum said on Tuesday that Russia’s GRU intelligence agency was pressing ahead with a “sustained mission to generate mayhem on British and European streets,” conducting operations that included “arson, sabotage and more.”

And he revealed that MI5 and British police had responded to 20 Iran-backed terror plots in Britain since the start of 2022.

“MI5 has one hell of a job on its hands,” McCallum said. “The first 20 years of my career here were crammed full of terrorist threats. We now face those alongside state-backed assassination and sabotage plots, against the backdrop of a major European land war.”

Speeches by the domestic intelligence chief are uncommon, and tend to be used as an opportunity to update Britain’s public on the nature of the terror threat faced by the country.

The UK has joined allies including the US in loudly publicizing allegations of Russian sabotage since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Despite the expulsion of more than 750 Russian diplomats from Europe – “many of them spies” – McCallum said “we should expect to see continued acts of aggression here at home.”

The GRU has long been accused by the West of orchestrating brazen and high-profile attacks, including cyberattacks, interference in US presidential elections and the 2018 nerve agent attack in Salisbury, England.

In February, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the American agency had disrupted a network of over 1,000 hacked internet routers that the GRU was using for cyber-espionage operations against the United States and its European allies.

“If you take money from Iran, Russia or any other state to carry out illegal acts in the UK, you will bring the full weight of the national security apparatus down on you,” McCallum said on Tuesday. “It’s a choice you’ll regret.”

He meanwhile highlighted a series of new trends his agency was responding to. Among the most striking was the rise in minors being investigated for terrorism offenses; far-right terrorism in particular ropes in young people, he said, “driven by propaganda that shows a canny understanding of online culture.”

He listed three recent convictions of British teenagers to underline the diversity of threats faced. “One planned to attack a British synagogue. Another posted material that inspired deadly mass shootings in the US. A third drew up plans to stab people at a music festival and shared terrorist propaganda online,” McCallum said.

When a Benin City boy like Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Rema rises to global stardom, selling out international shows and recording the first song led by an African-artist to surpass a billion streams on Spotify, what does he do next? He returns home for a victory lap.

“I already have the biggest song from Africa. I can continue chasing that or just do what I need to do for myself, my culture, and my family.”

Rema, whose real name is Divine Ikubor, found international stardom in 2022, with his smash hit “Calm Down.” A subsequent remix featuring Selena Gomez became the first African song to spend a year on the Billboard Hot 100.

Having made a name for himself with his brand of Afrobeats called Afro-rave, blending Afrobeats, dancehall, R&B, hip hop, and house sounds, the star is celebrating his fifth year in the industry by returning to his roots and amplifying his heritage, which he says is the foundation for his meteoric rise to the top.

“It’s been five years of global expansion,” the 24-year-old singer explained.  “I just feel like I needed to have a good body of work tied to my roots.”

This year, the musician has been celebrating his heritage, infusing cultural references to Benin City – such as the bats that are a frequent sight there – into his promotions, performances, and the artwork for his latest album, “Heis.” The album is a nod to his Nigerian roots, deeply percussive with a taste of rock, and its Greek title means “number one” in English.

In June, Rema dropped his lead single from the album, a collaboration with another Benin City native, Shallipoppi, called “Benin Boys,” a tribute to their hometown. Shortly after, Rema staged a homecoming show in the city, about 186 miles (300 kilometers) east of Lagos.

“The most exciting part of my show would be getting to sing the songs that my people have been listening to for years now and getting to share that experience with them in person,” the singer said.

“I just want to feel the love in the room,” he added.

On August 30th, fans lined the streets outside the 12,000-seat Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, some camping out the night before in anticipation of Rema’s performance.

The opening acts were upcoming artists from the city, each chosen to showcase their different talents. They included the popular Nigerian rapper and singer Zerry DL, as well as Rema’s Mavin Records label mates Magixx, Ladipoe, and Crayon. Later, Rema dueted with OdumoduBlvck and Shallipoppi, with the event celebrating success and uplifting Nigeria’s homegrown talent.

“I feel like that is something we should do constantly,” the singer said.

“At the end of the day, we’re doing this for them [the fans], we love them, we appreciate them, and we appreciate the hardship that we all went through together – and I excelled, and you can do it too.”

Lamide Akintobi contributed to this report.

A year into the war in Gaza, the Israeli government’s objective of defeating Hamas still seems far from reach as Israel ramps up its military activity in the enclave with the announcement of new operations and civilian evacuation orders.

On Monday, as Israel marked a year since Hamas’ October 7 attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “continue to fight” and achieve the country’s war goals, including toppling Hamas and “eliminating any future threat from Gaza to Israel.”

The same day, the Israeli military issued fresh evacuation orders in both northern and southern Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been sheltering.

In northern Gaza, the military said it is “currently operating with great force in the area” and told residents to move to Al Mawasi, a southern region designated as a so-called humanitarian zone that is already crammed with refugees.

A new military ground operation was launched on Sunday in Jabalya, northern Gaza, where the military said it is encircling the area after it saw signs of Hamas rebuilding. Earlier this year, Israel’s military said it had defeated Hamas in northern Gaza, only to announce new operations there in May.

Hamas’s military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, said its fighters are engaged “in fierce clashes at zero distance with the enemy forces” in Jabalya, an indication the group has maintained a presence there to keep fighting.

Casualties in the north have also mounted in recent days. Ahead of the Israeli military announcements Monday, hospitals said they had received five bodies and several injured people following Israeli “artillery fire” in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza.

Hours later, Kamal Adwan hospital said at least 10 people were killed, and 20 injured, in an Israeli airstrike on Jabalya. Footage from the scene showed multiple bodies lying in the street covered in blood. The strike happened about three hours after the Israeli military issued the evacuation order.

About an hour after the first evacuation order, the military issued another directive to leave parts of southern Gaza near Khan Younis. The military said it was responding with “extreme force” to Hamas actions in the area and also called on Palestinians to evacuate to Al Mawasi.

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians are already sheltering in Al Mawasi after fleeing Israel’s bombardment in other parts of Gaza. The new evacuation orders mean more people will be displaced yet again, and crammed into a very small area — worsening an already critical humanitarian situation.

“We haven’t put our clothes in wardrobes, bathed comfortably, had a meal with any sense of peace, slept on a proper bed, or had clean drinking water in over a year,” said Lena, who now lives in a shelter in central Gaza.

The Israel military said it intercepted five projectiles launched from northern Gaza on Monday. Earlier in the day, nine projectiles were launched from southern Gaza, injuring two people, the military said.

Bangkok, Thailand (Reuters) — Powerful criminal networks in Southeast Asia extensively use the messaging app Telegram which has enabled a fundamental change in the way organised crime can conduct large-scale illicit activity, the United Nations said in a report on Monday.

The report represents the latest allegations to be levied against the controversial encrypted app since France, using a tough new law with no international equivalent, charged its boss Pavel Durov for allowing criminal activity on the platform.

Hacked data including credit card details, passwords and browser history are openly traded on a vast scale on the app which has sprawling channels with little moderation, the report by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.

Tools used for cybercrime, including so-called deepfake software designed for fraud, and data-stealing malware are also widely sold, while unlicensed cryptocurrency exchanges offer money laundering services, according to the report.

“We move 3 million USDT stolen from overseas per day,” the report quoted one ad as saying in Chinese.

There is “strong evidence of underground data markets moving to Telegram and vendors actively looking to target transnational organized crime groups based in Southeast Asia,” the report said.

Southeast Asia has emerged as a major hub for a multibillion-dollar industry that targets victims across the world with fraudulent schemes. Many are Chinese syndicates that operate from fortified compounds staffed by trafficked workers. The industry generates between $27.4 billion to $36.5 billion annually, UNODC said.

Russian-born Durov was arrested in Paris in August and charged with allowing criminal activity on the platform including the spread of sexual images of children. The move has put the spotlight on the criminal liability of app providers and also triggered debate on where freedom of speech ends and enforcement of the law begins.

Telegram, which has close to 1 billion users, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Following his arrest, Durov, who is currently out on bail, said the app would hand over users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities making legal requests. He also said the app would remove some features that have been abused for illegal activity.

Benedikt Hofmann, UNODC’s deputy representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said the app was an easily navigable environment for criminals.

“For consumers, this means their data is at a higher risk of being fed into scams or other criminal activity than ever before,” he told Reuters.

The report said the sheer scale of the profits earned by criminal groups in the region had required them to innovate, adding they had integrated new business models and technologies including malware, generative artificial intelligence and deepfakes into their operations.

UNODC said it had identified more than 10 deepfake software service providers “specifically targeting criminal groups involved in cyberenabled fraud in Southeast Asia.”

Elsewhere in Asia, police in South Korea – estimated to be the country most targeted by deepfake pornography – have reportedly launched an investigation into Telegram that will look at whether it abets online sex crimes.

Reuters also reported last month that a hacker had used chatbots on Telegram to leak the data of top Indian insurer Star Health, prompting the insurer to sue the platform.

Using the chatbots, Reuters was able to download policy and claims documents featuring names, phone numbers, addresses, tax details, copies of ID cards, test results and medical diagnoses.