Latest news with #detained
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
6 Americans detained in South Korea for trying to send rice and Bibles to North Korea by sea
A North Korean military guard post, left, and loudspeaker are seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File) SEOUL, South Korea — Six Americans were detained Friday in South Korea for trying to send 1,600 plastic bottles filled with rice, miniature Bibles, $1 bills and USB sticks toward North Korea by sea, police said. The Americans were apprehended on front-line Gwanghwa Island before throwing the bottles into the sea so they could float toward North Korean shores on the tides, two Gwanghwa police officers said. They said the Americans are being investigated on allegations they violated the law on the management of safety and disasters. The officers, who requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to media on the issue, refused to provide personal details of the Americans in line with privacy rules. Gwanghwa police said they haven't found what is on the USB sticks. The U.S. Embassy in South Korea had no immediate public comment. For years, activists have sought to float plastic bottles or fly balloons across the border carrying anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets and USB thumb drives carrying South Korean dramas and K-pop songs, a practice that was banned from 2021 to 2023 over concerns it could inflame tensions with the North. North Korea has responded to previous balloon campaigns with fiery rhetoric and other shows of anger, and last year the country launched its own balloons across the border, dumping rubbish on various South Korean sites including the presidential compound. In 2023, South Korea's Constitutional Court struck down a controversial law that criminalized the sending of leaflets and other items to North Korea, calling it an excessive restriction on free speech. But since taking office in early June, the new liberal government of President Lee Jae Myung is pushing to crack down on such civilian campaigns with other safety-related laws to avoid a flare-up tensions with North Korea and promote the safety of front-line South Korean residents. On June 14, police detained an activist for allegedly flying balloons toward North Korea from Gwanghwa Island. Lee took office with a promise to restart long-dormant talks with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee's government halted frontline anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts to try to ease military tensions. North Korean broadcasts have not been heard in South Korean front-line towns since then. But it's unclear if North Korea will respond to Lee's conciliatory gesture after vowing last year to sever relations with South Korea and abandon the goal of peaceful Korean reunification. Official talks between the Koreas have been stalled since 2019, when U.S.-led diplomacy on North Korean denuclearization derailed. Hyung-jin Kim, The Associated Press
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
145 People Jabbed With Needles at French Music Festival
As millions took to the streets across France for the annual Fête de la Musique, 12 people were detained nationwide for stabbing at least 145 people with needles, the interior ministry reported.
Asharq Al-Awsat
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Egypt Deports Dozens More Foreign Nationals Heading for March to Gaza
Egyptian authorities on Friday detained or deported more foreign nationals seeking to join a pro-Palestinian march to Gaza. Hundreds of international activists arrived in Egypt this week for the Global March to Gaza, an initiative aimed at pressuring Israel to end its blockade of the enclave. Organizers said on Thursday people from 80 countries were set to begin the march to Egypt's Rafah Crossing with Gaza. Egypt's Foreign Ministry has said visits to the Rafah border region must be coordinated in advance with Egyptian embassies or government entities and underlined the need to follow official procedures to ensure safety and security. Organizers say they coordinated with Egyptian authorities and have urged the government to release those detained. Groups of foreign participants were being held at checkpoints, and sit-ins had begun at two locations on the road leading to the Rafah crossing, organizers said. They said police were stopping vehicles about 30 km (20 miles) from Ismailia, close to the Sinai peninsula, en route to Rafah, nearly 300 km away. Police were forcing passengers with non-Egyptian passports to disembark, they said. Security sources confirmed that at least 88 individuals had been detained or deported from Cairo airport and other locations. Officials at Cairo International Airport said new directives were issued to airlines requiring all passengers travelling to Egypt between June 12 and 16 to hold confirmed return tickets. Three airport sources told Reuters on Thursday at least 73 foreign nationals had been deported on a flight to Istanbul after authorities said they violated entry protocols, and that about 100 more were at the airport awaiting deportation. Israel's defense minister told the Israeli military on Wednesday to prevent demonstrators entering Gaza from Egypt, and said the march was a threat to Israeli and regional security.
CTV News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
U.S. senator cuffed and detained at Homeland Security event in Los Angeles
U.S. senator cuffed and detained at Homeland Security event in Los Angeles Video shows U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla handcuffed and forced to the ground at a Homeland Security press conference.
Washington Post
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
The Latest: Protests over immigration raids pop up across the US, with more planned this week
Protests against immigration enforcement raids have sprung up across the country from Seattle and Austin to Chicago and Washington, D.C. While many have been peaceful, some have resulted in clashes with law enforcement. More protests are planned nationwide this week. Here's the latest: Immigration raids across Southern California are rattling the area's immigrant communities, even among those in the country legally. More than 100 people have been detained since Friday.
