22 h. ago How Hong Kong pair landed in Myanmar scam farm ‘living a life worse than death’

Having lived in safe Hong Kong all her life, Nancy never imagined that an overseas job would lead to forced labour in a scam farm, a harrowing experience that lasted for half a year before she could be reunited with her family. “I was living a life worse than death, surviving purely by willpower,” said Nancy, who is in her twenties. Like thousands of others lured to Southeast Asian scam farms, Nancy was hoping to make some quick money when a “friend” referred her for a job making cross-border...

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23 h. ago US man who faked death and fled to UK gets at least 5 years for rape

An American who faked his own death and fled to Scotland to evade justice was sentenced Monday to five-years-to-life in prison for raping his ex-girlfriend 17 years ago. Nicholas Rossi, 38, who potentially could spend the rest of his days behind bars, went to great lengths to conceal his identity and flee after committing the rape in the western state of Utah in 2008, authorities said. State Judge Barry Lawrence pointed to this as an “aggravating factor” as he handed down the sentence in a Salt...

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37 h. ago What is ‘offering sacrifices to empty coffin’ ritual in Taiwan; why burn figurine

In a Taiwanese folk custom, when two family members die within the same year, straw figurines and duck blood are employed in a special ritual that involves burning an empty paper coffin, aimed at preventing a third death within the family. This traditional practice, known as “Sacrificing to an Empty Coffin”, or ji kong guan in Chinese, is usually conducted during the funeral of the second deceased. Grounded in the folk belief that “bad luck comes in threes,” the ritual seeks to ward off...

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38 h. ago Yu Menglong case: Why Chinese actor's death is linked to Beijing Art Museum?

Yu Menglong case: Why Chinese actor's death is linked to Beijing Art Museum?  WION

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54 h. ago Thieves steal priceless French crown jewels from Louvre museum in Paris

Thieves wielding power tools robbed the Louvre in broad daylight on Sunday, taking just seven minutes to grab some of France’s priceless crown jewels, but dropping a gem-encrusted crown as they fled, officials and sources said. Authorities recovered the 19th-century crown – damaged – near the museum, but the culprits were still at large and the target of a manhunt. The spectacular robbery, one of several to target French museums in recent months, forced the closure for the rest of the day of the...

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54 h. ago Thieves steal crown jewels from France’s Louvre in daring minutes

Thieves raided Paris’ Louvre museum in broad daylight Sunday, taking just seven minutes to grab some of France’s priceless crown jewels, but dropping a gem-encrusted crown as they fled, officials and sources said. The spectacular heist, one of several to target French museums in recent months, forced the closure of the Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and home to the Mona Lisa. President Emmanuel Macron posted on social media that “everything is being done” to catch the perpetrators and...

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67 h. ago Beijing’s ‘Fake’ Panchen Lama Kalachakra Ceremony Shows Fear Not Faith: Experts

Beijing’s ‘Fake’ Panchen Lama Kalachakra Ceremony Shows Fear Not Faith: Experts  StratNews Global

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2 d. ago Chinese man stabs wife after suspecting her of infidelity with butcher over meat discount

A jealous Chinese man tried to stab his wife of 30 years to death because she received a discount from the local butcher. The victm, surnamed Zhao, later pleaded for leniency by saying that her husband always “brings all his money home”. The attack happened in March in Songyuan, Jilin province, northeastern China, when Zou, driven by unfounded suspicion, tried to murder his wife in their living room. Zou became convinced that Zhao was having an affair simply because she received a discount from...

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3 d. ago 64 South Korean ‘pig butchering’ suspects return home from Cambodia

Sixty-four South Koreans who had been detained in Cambodia for alleged involvement in cyberscam operations returned home Saturday. South Korea had sent a team to Cambodia on Wednesday to discuss cases of fake jobs and scam centres involved in kidnapping dozens of its nationals. “A total of 64 nationals just arrived at Incheon International Airport on a chartered flight,” a police official said. Seoul had said around 60 South Koreans had been detained by authorities in Cambodia over the alleged...

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3 d. ago 64 South Korean cyber scam suspects repatriated from Cambodia

Sixty-four South Koreans who had been detained in Cambodia for alleged involvement in cyberscam operations returned home on Saturday and were under arrest, police said. South Korea had sent a team to Cambodia on Wednesday to discuss cases of fake jobs and scam centres involved in kidnapping dozens of its nationals. “A total of 64 nationals just arrived at Incheon International Airport on a chartered flight,” a police official said. Seoul had said around 60 South Koreans had been detained by...

Politics

4 d. ago Australians charged with murder over Bali shooting, could face death penalty

Three Australians who allegedly shot and killed a fellow countryman on the tourist island of Bali earlier this year have been charged with premeditated murder – an offence that carries the maximum death penalty in Indonesia. Dubbed the “Bali Three”, the men are accused of planning and carrying out the fatal shooting of Melbourne man Zivan Radmanovic as his wife, Jazmyn Gourdeas, hid under the covers in a villa in the Badung region just after midnight on June 14. Radmanovic’s brother-in-law,...

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4 d. ago Army officer sworn in as Madagascar’s president after military takeover

Madagascar’s coup leader Colonel Michael Randrianirina was sworn in as president on Friday to cheers, blaring trumpets and raised swords, days after taking control of the island nation in the wake of youth-led protests that forced out his predecessor. Ex-leader Andry Rajoelina, whom lawmakers impeached after he fled abroad at the weekend, has condemned the takeover and refused to step down while in exile, despite widespread defections in the security forces and the High Constitutional Court...

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4 d. ago Malaysia’s rape and murder cases in schools spur calls to end cover

Student activists have urged Malaysia’s government to increase funding to boost safety and transparency in schools following a recent string of violence and bullying incidents that shocked the nation and forced the education ministry to admit to a culture of cover-ups. Two cases of gang rape and a murder in three schools in the past fortnight have fuelled the fears of parents for their children’s safety, and raised public concerns over the lack of official oversight and impunity in educational...

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4 d. ago Malaysia may deploy police officers in schools to curb student violence

Police officers might be deployed in all schools and children aged 16 and below could be banned from using smartphones, Malaysia’s government said on Friday, after a string of violent crimes and bullying involving students that shocked the nation and forced the education ministry to admit to a culture of cover-up. Two cases of gang rape and a murder in three schools in the past fortnight have fuelled the fears of parents for their children’s safety, and raised public concerns over a lack of...

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4 d. ago Japan arrests man in first AI porn case involving deepfakes of celebrities

Tokyo police have arrested a man accused of using artificial intelligence to create and sell explicit fake images of female celebrities, in what local media have called Japan’s first criminal case involving AI-generated pornography depicting public figures. The 31-year-old suspect, Hiroya Yokoi from the northeastern Japanese city of Akita, admitted he began making the deepfakes to earn pocket money and repay a student loan, authorities said on Thursday. Between last October and September this...

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5 d. ago Malaysian school system faces crisis after 4 arrested for second gang rape

The revelation of a second alleged gang rape in a Malaysian school has heaped pressure on the education ministry to get to grips with alleged failures in child protection, especially after mounting speculation that videos of the sexual assaults are being sold over the dark web. Eight teenage boys have been arrested by police in two separate cases over the past fortnight. In both cases, the suspects were caught after videos of the alleged rape were discovered by teachers in their schools. In the...

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5 d. ago ‘She met with something so cruel’: stabbed Malaysian girl’s mum shares despair

The mother of the teenager who was stabbed to death at a Bandar Utama school in Malaysia’s Selangor state summoned up the courage to speak out in a heart-wrenching post. Describing her 16-year-old daughter as very sweet, kind and disciplined, the mother took to social media to express her despair. “She was a beautiful child, but yet met with something so cruel I am speechless and heartbroken,” she wrote in her post on Wednesday. “I hope she rests well in the other world, and her soul finds...

Politics

5 d. ago USC PhD student Weng Sizhe charged with multiple rapes and drugging women

A University of Southern California graduate student who police say is a serial sexual predator has been charged with drugging and raping multiple women as investigators look for additional victims, Los Angeles authorities said. Weng Sizhe, a 30-year-old Chinese national also known as Steven Weng, was arrested on August 28, though the district attorney and police just released statements about the case on Wednesday. Weng has pleaded not guilty to eight felony counts including forcible rape and...

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5 d. ago USC PhD student Weng Sizhe charged with drugging and raping multiple women

A University of Southern California graduate student who police have said was a serial sexual predator has been charged with drugging and raping multiple women as investigators look for additional victims, Los Angeles authorities said. Weng Sizhe, a 30-year-old Chinese national also known as Steven Weng, was arrested August 28, though the district attorney and police just released statements about the case on Wednesday. Weng has pleaded not guilty to eight felony counts including forcible rape...

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6 d. ago Xiaomi driver death adds to China push for new EV door designs

Xiaomi driver death adds to China push for new EV door designs  The Detroit News

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