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‘Homemade bombs thrown before Bondi shooting’

Korea develops high-speed train China responded vehemently and has been pushing for the Japanese leader to retract her statement. – Reuters Korean government has completed the development of core technologies for a next-generation high-speed train capable of operating at 370kph, making it the world’s second-fastest high-speed train in terms of operating speed. The technologies for the envisioned train, named EMU-370, have a technically designed maximum speed of 407kph. It was developed under a national research and development (R&D) programme, according to the Transport Ministry. The government plans to begin manufacturing the first vehicles next year and conduct tests in 2030, with commercialisation expected after 2031. When commercialised, the EMU 370 would rank second globally in commercial operating speed, following China’s CR450, which is undergoing tests at 400kph ahead of planned commercial service in 2027. France, Germany and Japan operate high-speed trains at speeds of around 320kph, according to the ministry. The project ran from April 2022 to this month and was led by the Korea Railroad Research Institute, with seven public and private organisations taking part. A total of 22.5 billion won (RM62 million) was invested, including 18 billion won from the government and 4.5 billion won from the private sector. – Bernama BEIJING: China has lodged a diplomatic complaint with Japan regarding the visit by a high-ranking official of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to Taiwan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said yesterday, as ties between the East Asian nations strain. “China is firmly opposed and has lodged solemn representations with the Japanese side,” spokesperson Lin Jian said, urging Japan to“reflect deeply on its mistake”. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te received the LDP’s executive acting secretary-general Koichi Hagiuda in the presidential office in Taipei yesterday, and urged closer cooperation between Taipei and Tokyo to help maintain regional stability and advance a “free and open Indo-Pacific”. Lai said he hoped the two sides would “join hands, stay united and support each other” to deepen cooperation in areas including national strategy, regional partnerships, economic security and high-tech industries. He urged democracies to “stand together so as not to be picked off one by one”. Hagiuda’s visit comes with diplomatic ties between Tokyo and Beijing at their lowest in years after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested last month a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo. China unhappy with LDP official’s Taiwan visit SEOUL: The South

o NSW proposes tighter gun laws

SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is moving the presidential office back to the Blue House compound, departing from the Defence Ministry complex where his ousted predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol had set up his office. Lee’s office has said it expects to complete the move by Christmas. The presidential residence, however, is not moving at the same time as parts of the Blue House are undergoing an inspection due to damage that occurred during the last administration. Lee, who won a snap election in June, pledged during his campaign to move the presidential office to Sejong city, south of Seoul, where several ministries are located, to help boost local economies. The presidential office did not say what will happen to the compound Lee is leaving. Yoon, who was removed from office in April after briefly declaring martial law, broke with decades of tradition by shifting his office and residence out of the Blue House. Soon after taking office in 2022, Yoon moved the presidential office to a cluster of former Defence Ministry SYDNEY: Australian police say homemade pipe and tennis ball bombs were thrown at a crowd at Bondi Beach before a mass shooting but failed to detonate, according to court documents released yesterday. Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured in the shooting on Dec 14. The attack has shocked the nation and sparked calls for tougher gun laws. One of the alleged gunmen, Sajid Akram, 50, who was shot dead by police, owned six firearms. His 24 year-old son Naveed Akram has been charged with 59 offences, including murder and terrorism. The alleged gunmen had planned the attack for several months and visited the Bondi beachside park two days earlier, said a police fact sheet released by the court. Pictures included in the police report showed the father and son allegedly training with firearms in a rural part of New South Wales. Police found a video taken in October on one of the gunmen’s mobile phone showing them making statements about the attack. Just after 2am on the day of the attack, the men were captured on CCTV video carrying long and bulky items wrapped in blankets from a short-stay rental house in the suburb of Campsie to a car. They later drove to Bondi around 5pm. Police believe the items wrapped in the blankets were two single barrel shotguns, a Beretta rifle, three

pipe bombs, a tennis ball bomb and a large improvised explosive device. Police allege the men threw the pipe bombs and tennis ball bomb at the crowd before they began shooting, but the explosive devices did not detonate, according to the statement tendered to the court. Police said that they later found 3D printed parts for a shotgun component at the Campsie house and bomb-making equipment. The parliament of New South Wales state was recalled yesterday to vote on proposed new laws that would impose major curbs on firearm ownership, ban the display of terror symbols and restrict protests. The state legislation would cap the number of firearms a person can own at four, or up to 10 for certain groups, such as farmers. The proposed legislation would also give police more powers to remove face coverings during protests or rallies. The state government has vowed to ban chants which it says encourage violence in the community. Premier Chris Minns said he expected opposition to the legislation, which includes restrictions on public assemblies in the aftermath of a terrorism event, but said it was needed to keep the community safe. “We have got a responsibility to knit together our community that comes from different races and religions and places from all over the world,” he said. – Reuters

A court exhibit photo of an improvised explosive device. – AFPPIC

Seoul presidential office moving back to Blue House

The Blue House main building in Seoul. – REUTERSPIC

more than 8 million people had visited by mid-June. The Blue House is named after the blue tiles that cover the top of the main building and is nestled in a scenic spot in front of the Bugaksan mountain. – Reuters

people and their environment – after some political rivals accused Yoon of being influenced by those who said the Blue House location was inauspicious. After Yoon moved out, the Blue House was opened to the public and

buildings in another area of central Seoul, defying security concerns and spending about US$40 million (RM163 million) on the move. The move whipped up a debate among experts on feng shui – a practice to ensure harmony between