South Korea mourns Halloween crowd surge victims

21 Sept 04:26 Key points summarised by AI

A devastating crowd surge during Halloween celebrations in Seoul's Itaewon district resulted in 154 fatalities, primarily young people, and numerous injuries.
South Koreans are observing a period of national mourning, gathering at memorials to grieve and vocalize strong accusations against authorities for lax crowd control and a failure to prevent the disaster.
Police have launched a task force to investigate the exact cause, while officials admit they did not foresee large-scale casualties, facing criticism for insufficient crowd management despite the anticipated high attendance.
The incident highlights a lack of specific legal and institutional grounds for police to manage general public gatherings like the Halloween event, unlike regulated protest rallies.

China-funded Confucius Institutes deemed US national security threat: Hegseth

Yesterday 08:48 Key points summarised by AI

The US Department of Defense officially designated China-funded Confucius Institutes as a threat to national security, citing their role as Chinese Communist Party propaganda tools.
Despite previous shutdowns, these organizations reappeared under new names across 30 universities, aiming to steal intellectual property and influence American students, but have since been dismantled by the Defense Department.