
South Korea returns North Koreans who arrived on wooden boats
The repatriation followed months of failed efforts by South Korea to contact Pyongyang to coordinate the return of the individuals, who consistently expressed a desire to go back.
Despite the lack of direct communication, a North Korean patrol boat appeared at the handover point, despite the breakdown in inter-Korean relations since 2019.
Relations between the Koreas have worsened since 2022, marked by North Korea's accelerated nuclear and missile programmes and recent border tensions involving trash-filled balloons and propaganda broadcasts.
South Korea's new president, Lee Jae Myung, is attempting to rebuild trust by halting frontline loudspeaker broadcasts and moving to ban activist-flown propaganda balloons.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
Ex-minister Tulip Siddiq's lawyer denied information about Bangladesh case, Sky News understands
Former anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq's lawyer was denied any information about the case against her in Bangladesh, Sky News understands. Ms Siddiq resigned earlier this year over accusations she illegally received a plot of land in a new high-end development on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital, from her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as prime minister last year. Bangladesh's anti-corruption commission (ACC) claims the Labour MP received a 7,200sq ft plot in the diplomatic zone through "abuse of power and influence". However, Sky News understands an article published on Thursday morning saying the Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate will face trial in Bangladesh over the allegations is the first Ms Siddiq had heard of it. A source close to Ms Siddiq told Sky News her lawyer was in court every day last week to request information, but was denied it. The report in the Daily Telegraph said that if the MP refuses to attend court in Bangladesh on 11 August, a trial will be held in her absence. It is understood she will not be at the court then. Ms Siddiq's lawyer said: "For nearly a year now, the Bangladesh authorities have been making false allegations against Tulip Siddiq. "Ms Siddiq has not been contacted or received any official communication from the court and does not and has never owned any plot of land in Purbachal. "This longstanding politically motivated smear campaign has included repeated briefings to the media, a refusal to respond to formal legal correspondence, and a failure to seek any meeting with or question Ms Siddiq during the recent visit by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to the United Kingdom. "Such conduct is wholly incompatible with the standards of a fair, lawful, and credible investigation. "In light of these facts, it is now time for the Chief Adviser and the ACC to end this baseless and defamatory effort to damage Ms Siddiq's reputation and obstruct her work in public service." The ACC and Professor Yunus' press secretary have been contacted for a comment. 1:33 Last month, Ms Siddiq accused Bangladesh's interim leader, Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor Muhammad Yunus, of conducting an "orchestrated campaign" to damage her reputation and "interfere with UK politics". In a legal letter seen by Sky News in June, the MP also said comments made by Professor Yunus in a Sky News interview have prejudiced her right to a fair investigation, meaning the corruption inquiries should be dropped. The interim leader, who took over after Ms Hasina was ousted last year following violent protests, said Ms Siddiq "has so many (sic) wealth left behind here" and "should be made responsible". Professor Yunus' press secretary said he and the ACC "has no reason and scope to interfere in UK politics". "The Anti-Corruption Commission relies not on hearsay but on documentary evidence and witness testimony," they said.


The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
China summons Nvidia over 'backdoor safety risks' in H20 chips
China 's cyberspace regulators on Thursday summoned Nvidia over security concerns that its H20 chips can be tracked and turned off remotely, the Cyberspace Administration of China said on its website. In the meeting, Chinese regulators demanded that the U.S. chip company provide explanations on 'backdoor safety risks' of its H20 chips to be sold in China and submit relevant materials, the office said. ' Cybersecurity is critically important to us. NVIDIA does not have 'backdoors' in our chips that would give anyone a remote way to access or control them,' an Nvidia spokesperson said in a statement to AP. It came just about two weeks after the Trump administration lifted the block on the computing chips and allowed Nvidia to resume sales of H20 chips to the Chinese market. Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, made the announcement with fanfare when he was in Beijing earlier this month. The latest episode appears to be another turbulence in the tech rivalry between the United States and China, which have left businesses in both countries tussling with governments over market access and national security concerns. Any safety concern by Beijing could jeopardize the sale of H20 chips in China. Citing unnamed U.S. AI experts, the Chinese regulators said Nvidia has developed mature technology to track, locate and remotely disable its computing chips. The regulators summoned Nvidia to 'safeguard the cybersecurity and data security of Chinese users,' in accordance with Chinese laws, the statement said. The statement also referred to a call by U.S. lawmakers to require tracking and locating capabilities on U.S. advanced chips sold overseas. In May, Rep. Bill Huizenga, R.-Michigan, and Rep. Bill Foster, D.-Illinois, introduced the Chip Security Act that would require high-end chips to be equipped with 'security mechanisms' to detect 'smuggling or exploitation.' The bill has not moved through Congress since its introduction. Foster, a trained physicist, then said, 'I know that we have the technical tools to prevent powerful AI technology from getting into the wrong hands.' The U.S. still bans the sale to China of the most advanced chips, which are necessary for developing artificial intelligence. Both countries aim to lead in the artificial intelligence race. The Trump administration in April blocked the sales of H20 chips, which Nvidia developed to specifically comply with U.S. restrictions for exports of AI chips to China. After the ban was lifted, Nvidia expected to sell hundreds of thousands more H20 chips in the Chinese market. But the easing of the ban has raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill. On Monday, a group of top Democratic senators, including Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, wrote to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to express their 'grave concerns". While chips like the H20 have differing capabilities than the most advanced chips such as Nvidia's H100, 'they give (China) capabilities that its domestically-developed chipsets cannot,' the senators wrote. Shortly after the ban was lifted, Rep. John Moolenaar, R.-Michigan, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, objected. 'The Commerce Department made the right call in banning the H20. Now it must hold the line,' Moolenaar wrote in a letter to Lutnick. 'We can't let the CCP use American chips to train AI models that will power its military, censor its people, and undercut American innovation," Moolenaar wrote, referring to the Chinese Communist Party by its acronym.


Reuters
8 hours ago
- Reuters
Pakistan jails more than 100 members of ex-PM Imran Khan's party for 2023 riots
LAHORE, Pakistan, July 31 (Reuters) - A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Thursday sentenced more than 100 members of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party to prison terms on charges related to riots that targeted military sites in 2023, a court order said. Fifty-eight of the defendants, who included parliamentarians and senior officials, were sentenced to 10 years in prison and the rest were given sentences ranging from one to three years, the court said. The accused include Omar Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz, the leaders of Khan's opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) in the lower and upper houses of parliament respectively, the court order seen by Reuters read. "The prosecution has proved its case against the accused without a shadow of doubt," it said in announcing the sentences. Khan, who has been in prison since 2023 facing charges of corruption, land fraud and disclosure of official secrets, is being tried separately on similar charges related to the riot. The government accuses him and other leaders of inciting the May 9, 2023, protests, during which demonstrators attacked military and government buildings, including the army headquarters in Rawalpindi. He denies wrongdoing and says all the cases are politically motivated as part of a military-backed crackdown to dismantle his party. The military denies it. Khan's arrest had prompted the countrywide violent protests. Thursday's ruling does not directly affect the incitement case against him in which prosecution is still presenting witnesses. The PTI party said it will challenge the verdict. The ruling is the third such mass conviction this month; Khan's party says they have included at least 14 of its parliamentarians. They will lose their seats in parliament under Pakistani laws, which will shred Khan's opposition party's strength. Another 77 were acquitted for lack of evidence in the latest verdict, which is linked to an attack on the office of an intelligence agency in eastern city of Faisalabad, the court said. The party plans new protests starting on August 5, the second anniversary of Khan's jailing, to demand his release.