DRULAP

SEOUL, SOuth Korea — North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un convened a top national security meeting Monday, state media reported, directing a plan of “immediate military action” at a time of spiking tensions with the South.  

The meeting in Pyongyang was attended by the country’s top security officials, including the army chief and other military officials, as well as the ministers of state security and defense. 

“He set forth the direction of immediate military action and indicated important tasks to be fulfilled in the operation of the war deterrent and the exercise of the right to self-defense,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The meeting comes as the nuclear-armed North has accused Seoul of flying drones over its capital and moved troops to its border, with South Korea saying Monday it was “fully ready” to respond if fired upon.

Officials at the meeting in Pyongyang heard a report on the “enemy’s serious provocation,” KCNA reported, an apparent reference to the drone flights.

Kim “expressed a tough political and military stand” at the meeting, state media said.

The North has accused Seoul of being responsible for the drones, which dropped propaganda leaflets filled with “inflammatory rumors and rubbish,” and warned on Sunday that it would consider it “a declaration of war” if another drone was detected.

Seoul’s military initially denied it was behind the flights, with local speculation centered on activist groups in the South that have long sent propaganda and U.S. currency northward, typically by balloon.

The United Nations Command, which oversees the armistice that ended active fighting in the 1950 to 1953 Korean War, said it was aware of the North Korean claim.

“The command is currently investigating the matter in strict accordance with the Armistice Agreement,” it said.

The two Koreas remain technically at war.
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Paris — The Auto manufacturers competing to persuade drivers to go electric are rolling out cheaper, more tech-rich models at the Paris Motor Show, targeting everyone from luxury clients to students yet to receive their driving licenses. 

The biennial show has long been a major industry showcase, tracing its history to 1898. 

Chinese manufacturers are attending in force, despite European Union threats to punitively tax imports of their electric vehicles in a brewing trade war with Beijing. Long-established European manufacturers are fighting back with new efforts to win consumers who have balked at high-priced EVs. 

Here’s a look at the show’s opening day on Monday. 

More new models from China 

Chinese EV startups Leapmotor and XPeng showcased models they said incorporate artificial intelligence technology. 

Leapmotor, founded in 2015, unveiled a compact electric-powered SUV, the B10. It will be manufactured in Poland for European buyers, said Leapmotor’s head of product planning, Zhong Tianyue. Leapmotor didn’t announce a price for the B10 that will launch next year. 

Leapmotor also said a smaller electric commuter car it showcased in Paris, the T03, will retail from a competitive 18,900 euros ($20,620). Those sold in France will be imported from China but assembled in Poland, Zhong said. 

Leapmotor also announced a starting price of 36,400 euros ($39,700) in Europe for its larger family car, the C10. 

Sales outside of China are through a joint venture with Stellantis, the world’s fourth largest carmaker. Leapmotor said European sales started in September. 

Xpeng braces for tariff hit 

Attending the Paris show for the first time, the decade-old Chinese EV manufacturer XPeng unveiled a sleek sedan, the P7+. 

CEO He Xiaopeng said XPeng aims to deliver in Europe from next year. Intended European prices for the P7+ weren’t given, but the CEO said they will start in China at 209,800 yuan, the equivalent of 27,100 euros, or $29,600. 

XPeng’s president, Brian Gu, said the EU’s threatened import duties could complicate the company’s expansion plans if Brussels and Beijing don’t find an amicable solution to their trade dispute before an end-of-October deadline. 

Brussels says subsidies help Chinese companies to unfairly undercut EU industry prices, with Chinese-built electric cars jumping from 3.9% of the EV market in 2020 to 25% by September 2023. 

“The tariff will put a lot of pressure on our business model. It’s a direct hit on our margin, which is already not very high,” Gu said. 

Vehicles for young teens 

Manufacturers of small electric vehicles that can be driven in Europe without a license are finding a growing market among teens as young as 14 and their parents who, for safety reasons, prefer that they zip around on four wheels than on motorbikes. 

Several manufacturers of the two-seaters are showcasing in Paris, including France’s Citroen. The starting price for its Ami, or “Friend,” is just under 8,000 euros ($8,720). Launched in France in 2020, the plastic-shelled vehicle is now also sold in other European markets and in Turkey, Morocco and South America. 

“It’s not a car. It’s a mobility object,” said Citroen’s product chief for the Ami, Alain Le Gouguec. 

European legislation allows teenagers without a full license to drive the Ami and similar buggies from age 14 after an eight-hour training course. They’re limited to a top speed of 45 kilometers per hour (28 mph). 

The vehicles are also finding markets among adults who lost their license for driving infractions or who never got a full license, and outside cities in areas with poor transport. 

Renault subsidiary Mobilize said that even in winter’s energy-sapping cold its two-seater, no-license, plastic-shelled Duo can go 100 kilometers (over 60 miles) between charges. A phone app acts as its door and ignition key. 

Another French manufacturer, Ligier, sells its no-license two-seaters in both diesel and electric versions.
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BEIJING — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on all parties involved in tensions between Israel and Iran on Monday to exercise caution and avoid escalating the situation. 

In a phone conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Wang also urged Israel to ensure the safety of personnel of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a foreign ministry statement said. 

He also reiterated Beijing’s position on the Gaza conflict, calling for an immediate, complete and permanent cease-fire. 

Katz said that during the call he had “clarified that Iran is the primary source for undermining stability in the Middle East” and said that Iran poses a direct threat through its proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah. 

Katz said he had expected that China would express “a balanced and fair position in relation to the war,” citing the economic cooperation ties between the two countries “and the fact that approximately 20,000 workers from China continue to work in Israel during the … war.”
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Prague — Former Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen is among the world leaders calling for the release of pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai from jail in Hong Kong, where he is standing trial on national security charges that are widely viewed as politically motivated. 

“They should release him,” Tsai told VOA about Jimmy Lai. She made the statement shortly after she delivered a speech at the Forum 2000 democracy conference in the Czech capital Prague on Monday. It was Tsai’s first international trip since leaving office in May. 

Tsai’s call for Lai’s release comes just weeks before Lai’s trial is set to resume on November 20, when he is expected to take the stand for the first time. 

Lai, the founder of Hong Kong’s now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, has been held in solitary confinement since late 2020. The 76-year-old British national is standing trial on charges of collusion with foreign forces and sedition. The charges, which Lai rejects, are widely viewed as politically motivated.

The British government recently asked to defer Tsai’s visit to the United Kingdom due to concerns that her visit would anger Beijing, according to media reports. British Foreign Minister David Lammy is expected to visit China next week in his first trip to the country as foreign secretary.

A Foreign Office spokesperson told The Guardian: “Ministerial travel will be confirmed in the usual way. We do not comment on speculation.”  

Jimmy Lai’s son Sebastien told VOA he hopes Lammy will raise his father’s case with the Chinese government during his upcoming visit. 

“I’ll expect him to raise the case,” Sebastien said. “At the end of the day, this is about saving my father’s life, and the foreign secretary is in a unique position to do that.” 

Although the United Kingdom has called for Jimmy’s release, the British government has faced criticism from rights groups and activists who say it isn’t doing enough to advocate on behalf of Jimmy, who is a British national. 

“They’ve only been in power for four months,” Sebastien said, referring to Britain’s new Labour government. “Dad’s been in jail for four years. So it’s not an excuse.”

Sebastien spoke to VOA at Forum 2000, which he attended to advocate for his father’s release. “Getting as much global attention on my father to put pressure on the government of Hong Kong so that they can’t keep essentially persecuting my father,” Sebastien said. 

Lai’s plight has come to symbolize the rapid deterioration of press freedom and other civil liberties in Hong Kong since China’s harsh national security law came into effect in 2020. 

Lai’s trial, which began in December 2023, was originally estimated to last around 80 days. 

Jonathan Price, a member of Jimmy’s international legal team, said he was concerned the trial could be delayed again. “It doesn’t seem, to us, likely to finish anytime soon,” Price told VOA at Forum 2000. 

Price added that Lai’s trial highlights the lack of rule of law in Hong Kong.

“The proof about the rule of law in Hong Kong is in the pudding. If you’re shocked that there are 1,500 political prisoners in Russia, a country of 150 million people, you’d be staggered to learn that there are more political prisoners in Hong Kong,” Price said. 

The Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council estimates that there are more than 1,800 political prisoners in Hong Kong, which has a population of about 7.4 million.

“That itself is symptomatic of the total destruction of the rule of law,” Price said.

Hong Kong’s Security Bureau acknowledged receipt of VOA’s email requesting comment for this story but did not provide a comment by time of publication.

But in an October email to VOA, a Hong Kong government spokesperson denied that civil liberties and the rule of law have declined there. The spokesperson added that “rights and freedoms are not absolute” anywhere in the world.

“In particular, journalists, like everyone else, have an obligation to abide by all the laws. Their freedom of commenting on and criticizing government policies remains uninhibited as long as they do not violate the law,” the spokesperson said.

Hong Kong authorities have also previously denied that Jimmy’s trial is unfair. 

Also at Forum 2000 in Prague, Miriam Lexmann, a Slovakian Member of European Parliament, told VOA that the European Union should do more to push for Lai’s release. 

“It’s very important to talk about Jimmy Lai because it represents the case of Hong Kong very clearly. And what is absolutely vital now is that we address the issue of Hong Kong as Europeans,” said Lexmann, who also serves as co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, or IPAC.

IPAC is a coalition of global lawmakers that is focused on relations with the Chinese government. 

Lai’s case is especially important, Lexmann said, because he could have left Hong Kong, but he decided to stay in order to stand up for freedom. 

“He decided to stay and suffer just to show the case of what’s going on in Hong Kong,” Lexmann said. “We have a moral responsibility to help those who fight for freedom worldwide.

With his father’s trial set to resume shortly, Sebastien says now is an especially important time for governments to place more pressure on Hong Kong and China to release the publisher. 

“We do see this as a critical time to raise attention for my father’s case,” Sebastien said. “My goal is to release him as soon as possible because at his age, he could die at any moment.” 
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NEW DELHI — India said Monday it is recalling its ambassador and other diplomats from Canada, hours after it rejected a Canadian notification that the ambassador was a “person of interest” in the assassination of a Sikh activist last year. 

India’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it had also summoned the top Canadian diplomat in New Delhi and told him that “the baseless targeting” of the Indian high commissioner, or ambassador, and other diplomats and officials in Canada “was completely unacceptable.” 

“We have no faith in the current Canadian Government’s commitment to ensure their security,” it said. “Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials.” 

In September last year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were credible allegations that the Indian government had links to the assassination in that country of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected the accusation as absurd. 

In Ottawa, messages left for Canada’s foreign ministry, foreign minister and the prime minister’s office seeking comment were not immediately returned. 
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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said Monday it has detected signs that North Korea is preparing to destroy the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use, as the rivals are embroiled in soaring tensions over North Korea’s claim that South Korea flew drones over its territory.

Destroying the roads would be in line with leader Kim Jong Un’s push to cut off ties with South Korea, formally cement it as his country’s principal enemy and abandon the North’s decades-long objective to seek a peaceful Korean unification.

South Korea’s military said Monday that it was observing various activities in North Korea that appeared to be preparations for demolishing the roads, such as installing screens.

“They have installed screens on the road and are working behind those screens, preparing to blow up the roads,” Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a briefing. He said the demolitions could be carried out as early as Monday.

Lee said that the South Korean military believes that the North could also attempt to launch a space rocket, which is viewed by the U.N. as a banned test of long-range missile technology. Lee said North Korea may conduct unspecified “small provocations” to ramp up pressure on Seoul.

It’s not clear how much parts of the roads North Korea would destroy.

The development comes as North Korea has recently accused South Korea of launching drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang three times this month and threatened to respond with force if it happened again. South Korea has refused to confirm whether it sent drones but warned it would sternly punish North Korea if the safety of its citizens is threatened.

In a statement Sunday, the North’s Defense Ministry said that the military had ordered artillery and other army units near the border with South Korea to “get fully ready to open fire.” The spokesperson said that the entire South Korean territory “might turn into piles of ashes” following the North’s powerful attack.

North Korea often releases warlike rhetoric when animosities with its rivals increase. Experts say it’s highly unlikely for North Korea to launch full-scale, preemptive attacks as it military is outmatched by the combined U.S. and South Korean forces.

Koo Byoungsam, a spokesperson of South Korea’s Unification Ministry, said Monday that North Korea’s accusation on South Korean drone flights was likely aimed at creating tensions to reinforce its internal unity while stoking instability in South Korea. Koo said North Korea cannot win what it wants from South Korea with threats and provocations.

Some observers say anti-Pyongyang activists might have sent drones this month, but North Korea argues the South Korean government cannot still escape responsibility because it must have been aware of such moves.

In 2022, South Korea sent surveillance drones across the border into North Korea after it accused North Korea of flying drones into South Korea for the first time in five years.

Last week, North Korea said it will permanently block its border with South Korea and build front-line defense structures to cope with “confrontational hysteria” by South Korean and U.S. forces. It cited various military exercises in South Korea and the temporary deployments of powerful U.S. military assets in South Korea.

South Korean officials said North Korea had already been adding anti-tank barriers, planting mines and reinforcing roads on its side of the border since earlier this year in a likely attempt to boost its front-line security posture and prevent its soldiers and citizens from defecting to South Korea.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years, with North Korea continuing a run of provocative missile tests and South Korea and the U.S. expanding their military drills. Observers say North Korea could perform major weapons tests ahead of next month’s U.S. presidential election to increase its leverage in future diplomacy with the Americans.

In January, Kim Jong Un ordered the revision of North Korea’s constitution to remove the goal of a peaceful Korean unification, formally designate South Korea as the country’s “invariable principal enemy” and define the North’s sovereign, territorial sphere.

Kim’s order stunned many North Korea watchers because it was seen as breaking away with his predecessors’ long-cherished dreams of peacefully achieving a unified Korea on the North’s terms. Experts say Kim likely aims to diminish South Korea’s voice in the regional nuclear standoff and seek direct dealings with the U.S. They say Kim also likely hopes to diminish South Korean cultural influence and bolster his rule at home.
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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka closed schools in the capital Colombo and suburbs on Monday as heavy rains triggered floods in many parts of the island nation. 

Heavy downpours over the weekend have wreaked havoc in many parts of the country, flooding homes, fields and roads. Three people drowned, while some 134,000 people have been affected by flooding, according to the country’s Disaster Management Centre. 

The center said rains and floods have damaged 240 houses and nearly 7,000 people have been evacuated. Authorities have cut electricity in some areas as a precaution. 

Navy and army troops have been deployed to rescue victims and provide food and other essentials. 

Local television channels showed flooded towns in the suburbs of Colombo. In some areas, waters reached the roofs of houses and shops. 

Sri Lanka has been grappling with severe weather conditions since May, mostly caused by heavy monsoon rains. In June, 16 people died due to floods and mudslides. 
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Kabul — Afghanistan’s Taliban morality ministry pledged Monday to implement a law banning news media from publishing images of all living things, with journalists told the rule will be gradually enforced.

“The law applies to all Afghanistan… and it will be implemented gradually” by persuading people images of living things are against Islamic law, spokesman for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice Saiful Islam Khyber told AFP. 

The Taliban government judiciary recently announced legislation formalising their strict interpretations of Islamic law imposed by the authorities since they swept to power in 2021.

The law detailed several rules for news media, including banning the publication of images of all living things and ordering outlets not to mock or humiliate Islam, or contradict Islamic law.

Aspects of the new law have not yet been strictly enforced, however, and Taliban officials continue to regularly post photos of people on social media. 

Television and pictures of living things were banned across the country under the previous Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, but a similar edict has so far not been broadly imposed since their return to power. 
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