UNITED STATES
Pandas returned to China
All three giant pandas in the Washington zoo began a one-way trip back to China on Wednesday, leaving only a few of the cuddly creatures in the US amid tense diplomatic relations with Beijing. Now in their mid-20s, pandas Mei Xiang (美香) and Tian Tian (添添) arrived at the Smithsonian National Zoo in 2000 and quickly became a main attraction. The duo and their three-year-old cub, Xiao Qi Ji (小奇蹟) — “Little Miracle” in English — boarded a special cargo plane to begin the 19-hour journey to Chengdu, China, on Wednesday, the zoo said. Early in the morning, the pandas were carried out of the zoo in ventilated crates, along with boxes of apples and piles of tasty bamboo shoots. While the pandas’ departure had been expected due to a longstanding contract agreement, the iconic animals’ return was widely seen as a symbol of US-Chinese tensions. A first pair of black-and-white fur balls arrived from China in 1972 as a gift, following then-US president Richard Nixon’s historic visit to the communist nation. Recognizing the species’ uncanny ability to attract fans — and a source of income for its conservation program — China continued to loan pandas to Washington and zoos worldwide in a program since dubbed “panda diplomacy.”
SOUTH KOREA
Metro workers launch strike
More than 10,000 unionized metro workers yesterday launched a two-day strike in protest against the subway operator’s push for job cuts to stem snowballing debt, causing disruptions for some commuters in Seoul. The strike came hours after negotiations between Seoul Metro and its two major unions fell apart due to differences over the operator’s plan to scale back its workforce by about 13 percent — or more than 2,200 positions — by 2026. Seoul’s metro operators have grappled for years with debt, partly from free rides for senior citizens, as Asia’s fourth-largest economy faces a rapidly aging population and surging welfare costs. There was no major impact during the morning rush hour as the strike began at 9am and a smaller union dropped out at the last minute. Yet city authorities warned of some delays in the evening and pledged to mobilize emergency trains, buses and substitute workers. Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jung-sik expressed regret over the strike and said he would strive for a compromise while responding to any illegal acts. Lee called for efforts to curb the metro operator’s debt, which topped 1.7 trillion won (US$1.3 billion) last year.
SOUTH KOREA
Robot kills worker
An industrial robot crushed a worker to death at a vegetable packaging plant, police said yesterday, as they investigate whether the machine was unsafe or had potential defects. The man died of head and chest injuries on Tuesday after he was grabbed and pressed against a conveyor belt by the machine’s robotic arms, police officials in the southern county of Goseong said. Police did not release his name, but said the man was an employee of a company that installs industrial robots and was sent to the plant to examine whether the machine was working properly. The machine was one of two pick-and-place robots used at the facility that packages bell peppers and other vegetables exported to other Asian countries, police said. Such machines are common in the nation’s agricultural communities. “It wasn’t an advanced, artificial intelligence-powered robot, but a machine that simply picks up boxes and puts them on pallets,” Gosong Police Station officer Kang Jin-gi said.
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
‘DISCRIMINATION’: The US Office of Personnel Management ordered that public DEI-focused Web pages be taken down, while training and contracts were canceled US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. The moves follow an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs. Trump has called the programs “discrimination” and called to restore “merit-based” hiring. The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by former US president Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It is using one of the
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