26/06/2026

FRIDAY | JUNE 26, 2026

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Powerful 7.2 magnitude quake rattles Japan

multi-faceted threats from autocratic regimes, hackers and antisemitic extremists that present a systemic challenge to national security and are degrading the security environment, said the country’s spy chief. Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) Director-General Mike Burgess said while Australia’s terrorism threat level remains at the level of “probable”, the designation does not accurately capture the “concurrent, cascading and compounding threats”. Asio’s annual assessment follows a year in which Australia confronted threats on multiple fronts, from online radicalisation and state-sponsored cyberattacks to arson against Jewish businesses and a shooting in Sydney. “’Probable’ does not tell the full story. The next level on the scale is ‘expected’, which applies when we have intelligence about a specific attack. We do not,“ said Burgess. “But we do know the environment is degrading and acts of politically motivated violence are becoming more likely than ‘probable’ suggests.” Despite the challenges, Australia is well placed to meet security threats, he said. Asio has foiled 31 major terror plots since 2014 and resolved more than a dozen major terror-related cases since the Bondi Beach mass shooting in December at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in which 15 people were killed. TOKYO: Four people were injured yesterday as an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 struck northeastern Japan, but no tsunami warning was issued, the weather agency and local fire departments said, Kyodo News reported. The 7.30am quake occurred off the Pacific coast of Iwate Prefecture at a depth of 44km. It measured upper six on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of seven in Hashikami and lower six in Hachinohe, both in Aomori Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. An intensity of upper six means it is impossible to remain standing or move without crawling, most unfixed furniture will move and objects will topple over, according to the agency. Local fire departments in Hashikami and Hachinohe reported that four people, including teenagers and individuals aged in their 50s, were taken to hospital with minor injuries. The agency urged the public to remain alert for earthquakes measuring upper six on the Japanese

o Four residents treated in hospital for minor injuries while bullet train services halted and 70 schools in Hashikami and Hachinohe closed

According to the Hashikami school board, all five schools in the town, including elementary, middle and high schools, were temporarily closed. The Hachinohe school board also closed all 65 of its schools. Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train services were halted between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori stations after the quake, but services between Tokyo and Sendai resumed as of 9.30am yesterday, JR East said. Speaking to reporters at her office, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said her government is gathering information to assess the impact of the quake. – Bernama-Kyodo

The affected Hokkaido and Akita, Fukushima, Miyagi and Yamagata prefectures, as well as Tokyo and its neighbouring prefectures. No abnormalities were reported at the Higashidori or Onagawa nuclear power plants, located respectively in Aomori and Miyagi prefectures, or at the Fukushima Daiichi or Daini nuclear power plants in Fukushima Prefecture, according to their operators. There were also no reports of abnormalities at the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant and the interim spent fuel storage facility in Aomori Prefecture. tremor also

run off the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan and Hokkaido. The earthquake was initially reported as having a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 and a depth of 50km, but those figures were later revised. The earthquake logged upper five in Sannohe in Aomori Prefecture and in Morioka and other parts of Iwate Prefecture.

seismic intensity scale over the next week. It said it would not issue an Off the Coast of Hokkaido and Sanriku Subsequent Earthquake Advisory because the tremor did not meet the criteria for activation. The advisory is issued when there is a relatively high risk of strong earthquakes occurring along the Japan and Chishima trenches, which

National security of Australia declining, says spy chief SYDNEY: Australia faces

Police said the two alleged gunmen appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State militant group. Burgess defended Asio’s resource allocation leading up to the Bondi attack, saying the agency was countering multiple threats simultaneously and it was extremely difficult to “simplistically pivot” from one threat to another. “We cannot stop every terrorist, just as we cannot catch every spy. But we continue to work around the clock to keep Australians safe.“ Encrypted chat platforms are radicalising people, including minors, within weeks while social media is amplifying grievance narratives, eroding trust in institutions, promoting discord and inflammatory rhetoric, and exacerbating polarisation, he said. Foreign spies are targeting classified information on Australia’s Aukus nuclear submarine partnership with the United States and Britain. An official with security clearance was contacted by someone pretending to be from a consulting firm, added Burgess. He blamed Iran for arson attacks on Jewish businesses in Australia since the Gaza conflict began, saying one of the attacks on a Sydney restaurant was likely coordinated by an Australian citizen living in Iran, working as an agent within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Iranian embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. – Reuters

FAMILY STROLL ... A caretaker walking with 55-year-old Sumatran elephant Ria and her 15-day-old female calf Nona Seroja in Tesso Nilo National Park, Riau in Indonesia. – AFPPIC

Taiwan pounded by typhoon, 200 evacuated TAIPEI: Heavy rains from a passing typhoon caused localised flooding in Taipei and parts of southern Taiwan yesterday, while more than 200 people on the east coast were evacuated ahead of a possible breach of a barrier lake in the mountains. outer bands are bringing torrential rain to parts of the island, especially in Kaohsiung and Pingtung in the south. Pingtung’s government ordered all offices and schools closed yesterday, while neighbouring Kaohsiung did the same for two mountainous areas.

following and significant controversy. Researchers say the sect proclaims that Lee has donned the mantle of Jesus Christ and will take 144,000 people with him to heaven on the Day of Judgement. Critics have long accused the church of using deceptive recruitment tactics. It became a focal point of controversy in the early months of the Covid-19 outbreak as its members accounted for more than half of South Korea’s coronavirus cases at one point. – AFP While no casualties have been reported, in the eastern coastal county of Hualien the government is evacuating more than 200 people in two townships downstream from a rapidly filling barrier lake above it in the mountains. Rain is forecast to continue over Taiwan for at least the next week, although it will slowly ease. – Reuters

Although Typhoon Mekkhala , which is heading towards Japan, will not make direct landfall in Taiwan, its

In one area of the Neihu suburb, floodwaters nearly submerged cars.

South Korea arrests religious leader over political coercion SEOUL: A court here has ordered the arrest of the leader of a secretive South Korean religious group for allegedly coercing thousands of followers to join a political party, a court statement said yesterday. Yoon was ousted from office last year and convicted of insurrection over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. He remains in detention while appealing a life sentence. repeated search and seizure operations, there is no risk of evidence being destroyed,“ the church said. Given Lee’s age, “there is effectively no risk of flight”, it added.

In April, an appellate court sentenced Yoon’s wife Kim Keon Hee to four years’ jail after convicting her of charges, including accepting luxury gifts from a Unification Church official. Lee’s arrest also comes after prosecutors and police launched a joint investigation in January into suspected collusion between religious groups and politicians. Founded in 1984 by Lee, Shincheonji is known for its distinctive interpretations of the Bible, particularly the Book of Revelation, and has attracted both a large

“We will devote all available legal resources to establishing the facts transparently and uncovering the substantive truth through the trial.“ Lee’s arrest comes months after prosecutors indicted Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja on allegations that she directed church officials to bribe Yoon’s wife to secure business favours.

The arrest warrant for Lee was granted “due to the risk of destruction of evidence”, the Seoul Central District Court said. The warrant was issued on Wednesday, after which Lee was taken into custody. “Given that the relevant evidence has already been secured through

Shincheonji Church of Jesus head Lee Man-hee, 94, is accused of coercing more than 50,000 followers to join the conservative People Power Party (PPP) between 2021 and 2024, in violation of the Political Parties Act. The alleged offences occurred while the PPP was the ruling party under former president Yoon Suk Yeol.