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Unification Church Chief Denies Role In Bribery Case Of Ex-South Korean First Lady
The head of South Korea’s Unification Church has refuted allegations of directing bribes to a former First Lady and a close political aide of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, amid a growing criminal investigation involving Yoon and his wife.
Special prosecutors indicted former First Lady Kim Keon Hee for bribery and other charges on Friday, amid a widening probe into the country’s martial law crisis and scandals involving the once powerful couple.
Chanel Bags, Diamond Necklace
Kim is also accused of receiving bribes worth 80 million won ($57,631) that include two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace from an official at the Unification Church in return for using her influence to help its business interests.
Kweon Seong-dong, a veteran politician close to former President Yoon, has been investigated over allegations that he received illicit political funds from the church official. Kweon has denied the allegations.
‘False Information’
“False information is being spread that our church provided illegal political funds under my directive,” Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja said in a statement on Sunday read by an announcer next to her.
“I take this opportunity to state this clearly: I have never directed any illegal political favours or financial transactions,” she said in her first direct address related to the investigation.
Lawyers Deny Allegations
Kim’s lawyers have also denied the allegations against her, including over her receiving gifts.
The official from the church that prosecutors say was behind the bribery has been arrested and indicted on charges, including violating anti-graft laws.
The Unification Church, formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, said previously it was “deeply regrettable” that the church failed to prevent the misconduct of a former senior official, but denied any involvement in the case.
Separate Investigations
Both Yoon and Kim have been arrested and are in jail, with Yoon already undergoing trial on charges that include insurrection following his ouster in April over a botched bid to impose martial law in December.
The couple are under separate investigations by special prosecutors appointed after Yoon’s removal from office and President Lee Jae Myung took office.
($1 = 1,388.1500 won)
(With inputs from Reuters)
US Judge Stops Deportation Of Unaccompanied Guatemalan Minors
A US federal judge, on Sunday, put a temporary stop to the Trump administration’s move to deport a group of Guatemalan migrant children — some of whom had already been boarded onto flights. The decision came after their lawyers filed an emergency appeal in the early hours of the morning. The ruling could also impact hundreds of other children currently housed in government shelters.
The dramatic scene was reminiscent of other last-minute court challenges to Trump-era deportation efforts.
Pre-Dawn Drama
A little after 1 am ET on Sunday, the National Immigration Law Center, a pro-immigrant advocacy group, filed an emergency motion with the US District Court in Washington, DC to halt the removal of 10 unaccompanied migrant children from Guatemala.
At a rare hearing over a holiday weekend, District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan said she had been awakened at 2:35 am and alerted to the case. Sooknanan issued a temporary restraining order halting removal of the children, ages 10-17, for 14 days.
Sooknanan expanded the order to include any Guatemalan unaccompanied minors in the custody of the US Department of Health and Human Services. The complaint said this group could number hundreds of children.
A government lawyer confirmed Sunday evening that the children that it had planned to fly to Guatemala had been taken off the airplanes and were being returned to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Trump’s Crackdown
President Donald Trump, a Republican, launched an immigration crackdown after returning to the White House in January, including an effort to track down and deport unaccompanied migrant children.
His administration struck an agreement with Guatemala that would allow unaccompanied children to be sent back to the country and planned to start deportations this weekend, one current and two former US officials told Reuters. The plans were first reported by CNN on Friday.
Migrant children who arrive at US borders without a parent or guardian are classified as unaccompanied and sent to federal government-run shelters until they can be placed with a family member or foster home, a process outlined in federal law.
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo said in July that his government was working with the US to repatriate unaccompanied children.
During the emergency hearing on Sunday, Sooknanan pressed the Department of Justice for assurances that Guatemalan children had not been deported already.
“We’re here to try to figure out as quickly as we can what is happening,” said Sooknanan, an appointee of Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.
Justice Department attorney Drew Ensign said no children had been removed but that some had been loaded onto planes. Ensign said he believed one plane may have taken off but later returned under the judge’s order.
An attorney with the National Immigration Law Center, Efren Olivares, told the judge that some children still appeared to be aboard planes in Harlingen and El Paso, Texas. Ensign said they would be moved back to HHS shelters.
Ensign said all of the children’s parents or guardians in Guatemala had requested their return via the Guatemalan government, although Olivares contested that.
White House Unhappy
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller criticized Sooknanan for blocking the deportations.
“The minors have all self-reported that their parents are back home in Guatemala,” Miller wrote on X. “But a Democrat judge is refusing to let them reunify with their parents.”
The US Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, and HHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Guatemala’s foreign ministry declined to comment.
‘Clear Violation’
Within the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement, which cares for unaccompanied children until they can be placed with US sponsors, signs of the new deportation effort emerged last week.
Melissa Johnston, director of the HHS’ unaccompanied children program, sent an email to staff prohibiting the US release of Guatemalan children in federal custody except for those sponsored by parents or legal guardians in the country, according to a copy reviewed by Reuters.
In their complaint on Sunday, the National Immigration Law Center and Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights said the deportations would be a “clear violation of the unambiguous protections that Congress has provided them as vulnerable children.”
Cost Of Return To Guatemala
The complaint said that in Guatemala, the children “may face abuse, neglect, persecution, or even torture, against their best interests.”
Among the plaintiffs was a 10-year-old indigenous Guatemalan girl whose mother had died and who had suffered abuse and neglect from other caretakers, the complaint said. The girl was detained at a US government shelter in South Texas, the complaint said.
Several of the 10 plaintiffs had expressed fear of returning to Guatemala, the complaint said. The children have been in shelters or foster care in California, Texas, Pennsylvania and New York, it said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Asian Century Hinges On India-China Cooperation: Vikram Misri
“If there is to be an Asian century and a functioning world order with a multi-polar Asia at its heart,” India China cooperation is essential, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a briefing in Tianjin, summing up the Modi-Xi Jinping meeting earlier on Sunday.
President Xi made four suggestions, to strengthen strategic communication and deepen mutual trust; to expand cooperation for mutual benefit and win win results; to accommodate each other’s concerns; and to push multilateral cooperation to safeguard mutual interests.
Prime Minister Modi has responded positively to these suggestions, Misri said, underscoring progress on the boundary dispute with both leaders taking note of the “successful disengagement” last year and the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border regions since then.
Modi emphasised that peace and tranquility was essential for the smooth progress of bilateral relations and endorsed the use of existing border mechanisms.
Misri confirmed that the special representatives on the border, namely NSA Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi had also met and reviewed their last meeting about two weeks ago and the decisions taken. They were unanimous in their expectation of a fair and reasonable settlement on the boundary dispute.
As for troops on the border, “that is a reality but the situation on the border is moving towards normalisation and in the long and medium term, both leaders agreed that the future we should aspire to is one of partnership and not rivalry.”
There was agreement on cooperation on trans-border rivers and fighting terrorism.
“Cross border terrorism was mentioned by the prime minister as a priority. He underlined the fact that this undermines both India and China and it’s important we extend understanding and extend support to each other. We have received the understanding and cooperation of China in the context of the current SCO summit,” Misri said.
There was recognition of the role the Indian Chinese economies can play in the context of the world and recognition of the need to reduce India’s budget deficit.
Misri confirmed the “large and ongoing trade deficit”, this has been a matter of discussion over several years. In the current context as well, this discussion started even when Wang Yi was in Delhi and the issue was raised during meetings with Dr Jaishankar.
“This is going on at many levels and we will have to see how it evolves going forward,” he said.
There was broad recognition of what is going on in the international plane with respect to Trump’s tariffs but the focus was on the bilateral.
On resumption of direct flights, Misri said a civil aviation delegation from India was in China recently. Technical level talks have been held, at a broad level a consensus has been reached on starting direct flights, what remains are certain operational issues relating to air services agreement, scheduling, calendar and these will be resolved in the coming weeks.
Modi had a meeting with Cai Chi who holds several responsible posts in the Chinese government. Modi sought his involvement to realise the consensus reached between the two leaders.
Modi also had a bilateral with Myanmar’s Sr Gen Min Aung Hlaing, they had met at the Bimstec summit in Thailand earlier this year. He underlined the development partnership and sought his support for connectivity projects India is involved in. He called for dialogue in Myanmar to bring peace.
Modi will have a bilateral with President Putin on Monday before he departs for India.
India’s Oil Imports Fuelling Russia’s War? It’s A Joke, Says Pankaj Saran
India-U.S. ties are now passing through agni pariksha (trial by fire). That’s how former Deputy NSA Pankaj Saran would describe the steep and sharp deterioration in the atmospherics of the relationship.
The party is over and now is a critical point in bilateral relations, he told StratNews Global. But he’s happy that there are signs of India maturing as an actor on the global stage.
Why India-U.S. Ties Soured
A bilateral trade deal that was being negotiated remains stuck. Is that the issue? A trade deal is ready and is on the table, which meets the satisfaction of U.S. negotiators, says Saran.
Russian Oil Non-issue?
Saran rubbishes Russian oil as a reason for the strain in India-U.S. ties. He junks the two allegations made by Americans. One, that India’s oil imports are fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine. And second, India is profiteering from the oil transactions. He lays bare the facts:
- The price cap on Russian oil was set by the West, not by India
- Nor did India ask Russia for a discounted price
Saran asks pointed questions too:
- If buying Russia oil is an issue, why hasn’t the U.S. or Europe sanctioned it?
- And what happened to 60 years of Russian energy imports by the Europeans?
- Was the Russian war machine built in the last three-odd years?
Accusing India of feeding the war in Ukraine is a joke; it’s like comparing cents with big money, says Saran. “If anyone thinks they can bring Putin to his knees by stopping Indian oil imports, it’s not happening.”
Saran attributes the current impasse in India-U.S. ties to a mix of several factors: Operation Sindoor, Pakistan, Trump’s Nobel ambitions and personal issues at the leadership level.
He finds it bizarre that instead of sanctioning Pakistan for promoting and instigating terrorism against India, the U.S. is equating it with India, the victim of terrorism. “I think the understanding of the whole dynamic is flawed.”
Wake-up Call
The current state of India-U.S. ties is actually a wake-up call, argues Saran. “Don’t depend on anyone. Friendship is good but be open-eyed about it. Don’t believe that solutions to all your problems lie in one capital or the other.”
As Modi-Xi Meet, How Each Side Wants The Other To See It
When India and China meet at political and diplomatic levels, their readouts couched in diplomatic jargon, ooze goodwill. But a comparison of one readout with the other underscores that beneath all that goodwill, there are differences of opinion and intention, defining each other’s national interest.
Read para two of the Indian readout on the Modi-Xi Jinping meeting in Tianjin, issued by the External Affairs Ministry: “They reaffirmed they were development partners and not rivals and that their differences should not turn into disputes.”
Xinhua news agency reported Xi telling Modi that “China and India are cooperation partners, not rivals and the two countries are each other’s development opportunities.”
“This is a Chinese formulation”, argues Manoj Kewalramani, China scholar at the Takshashila Institution in Bengaluru. “It was not there when Modi and Xi met in Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in October last year.”
India found it expedient to echo the Chinese line although in slightly different language, indicating perhaps its openness to re-allowing investment from that country after the blockages and bans following the Galwan clash of 2020.
On the disputed boundary, the Indian readout calls for “peace and tranquility in the border areas,” it referred to the “successful disengagement last year” and urged a “fair reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question.”
The Xinhua report quotes Xi as saying “The two Asian neighbours should work together to ensure peace and tranquility in the border regions and should not let the border issue define the overall China India relations.”
“This is in keeping with the Chinese line that the boundary dispute should be set aside for future generations with the focus on other aspects of the relationship including economic cooperation, trade and investment”, says Kewalramani.
China enjoys a $100 billion trade surplus with India and the focus on trade suits them very well. This is not to say China won’t make some concessions to India on that front although there is no mention of that in the Chinese readout. India does mention the trade deficit.
Diplomats say the Chinese may be willing to relax some of the more onerous restrictions that keep Indian products out of their market.
The Indian readout mentions terrorism without qualifying it, reflecting perhaps the priority, which was to get the bilateral relationship back on track. The Chinese said nothing on that score.
It’s important to note that the SCO platform was founded on the issue of counter terrorism. Perhaps it may figure in the final declaration.
India called for a “multipolar world and a multipolar Asia befitting the trends of the 21st century”.
The Chinese readout mentions the need to promote a “multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations”. It’s well known that while China seeks a multipolar world, it seeks a unipolar Asia where it is the undisputed leader.
Clearly, India has taken the political decision to move ahead on the China relationship, says Kewalramani. That also reflects the pressure India is under from Trump’s tariff war and therefore the need to build some leverage.
‘India-China Ties Based On Mutual Trust, Respect’: PM Modi Meets Xi In Tianjin
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin on Sunday and said he is “committed” to taking India-China relations “forward based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity”.
PM Modi and Xi met on the sidelines of the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit that begins on Sunday.
‘Atmosphere Of Peace And Stability’
During the meeting, PM Modi also said an “atmosphere of peace and stability” has been created after the disengagement on the border.
“Last year in Kazan, we had very fruitful discussions, which gave a positive direction to our relations. After the disengagement on the border, an atmosphere of peace and stability has been created,” he said.
PM Modi also spoke about the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and direct flights between the two countries.
“The interests of 2.8 billion people of both countries are linked to our cooperation. This will also pave the way for the welfare of the entire humanity,” he said.
Committed to taking our relations forward on the basis of mutual trust, respect and sensitivity: PM @narendramodi @nitingokhale @amitabhprevi #ModiInChina pic.twitter.com/ngxC1uzre0
— StratNewsGlobal (@StratNewsGlobal) August 31, 2025
This is PM Modi’s first visit to China in seven years and comes amid the India-US rift over Donald Trump’s tariff announcement.
In Tianjin, PM Modi was accorded a warm welcome at the airport and even by the Indian community.
Before leaving for India on Monday, PM Modi is also expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Xi will host an official banquet for the guests ahead of the SCO summit, which will begin on Sunday.
Twenty foreign leaders are attending the SCO summit being organised by China.
The 10-member bloc comprises Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and China.
PM Modi on Friday said strong ties with China are “crucial” and will have a “positive impact on regional peace and prosperity”.
The SCO Summit is also taking place as India navigates global economic and geopolitical turbulence over Russia’s war on Ukraine, Israel’s war on Gaza, and the United States’ 50 percent tariff on Indian goods exported to that country.
(With inputs from IBNS)
Putin Arrives In China’s Tianjin For Security Summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin on Sunday for a regional security summit, Chinese and Russian state media reported.
China sees the summit as a way to counter Western influence in global affairs
For the rare four-day visit to Russia’s neighbour and largest trading partner, Putin arrived to a red carpet welcome, received on the tarmac by top-ranking city officials, a livestream of the event by Russia’s TASS showed.
Ties with Russia ‘most stable’
Ties between China and Russia are at their “best in history”, having become the “most stable, mature and strategically significant among major countries”, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said in its report of the arrival.
President Xi Jinping will host about 20 world leaders in Tianjin, also including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the largest gathering since the group was established in 2001 among six Eurasian nations.
The security-focused bloc has expanded to 10 permanent members and 16 dialogue and observer countries in recent years. Its remit has enlarged from security and counter-terrorism to economic and military cooperation.
Xi is expected to use the summit to showcase what a post-American-led international order would look like while providing a high-profile diplomatic boost for Russia, hit by sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.
A day before his visit, Putin blasted Western sanctions in a written interview with China’s official Xinhua news agency, saying Moscow and Beijing jointly opposed “discriminatory” sanctions in global trade.
Russia’s economy is on the brink of recession, weighed down by trade curbs and the cost of the war.
Leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia will attend the summit in what China aims to portray as a powerful show of unity among the “Global South”, referring to developing and lower-income countries, mostly in the southern hemisphere.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Israeli Strike Kills Prime Minister Of Yemen’s Houthi Government
The prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi-run government and several other ministers were killed in an Israeli strike on the capital Sanaa, the head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council said on Saturday.
A number of others were wounded in Thursday’s strike, Mahdi al-Mashat added, without providing details.
Israel said on Friday that the airstrike had targeted the Iran-aligned group’s chief of staff, defence minister and other senior officials and that it was verifying the outcome.
Mashat’s statement did not make clear whether the Houthi defence minister was among the casualties.
Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi was appointed as prime minister a year ago, but the de facto leader of the government was his deputy, Mohammed Miftah, who was assigned on Saturday to carry out the prime minister’s duties.
Rahwi was seen largely as a figurehead who was not part of the inner circle of the Houthi leadership.
He was an ally to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom the Houthis ousted from Sanaa in late 2014, triggering a decade-long civil war, but later joined forces with the group.
Yemen has been split between a Houthi administration in Sanaa and a Saudi-backed government in Aden since then.
Houthis ‘Acts Of Solidarity’
Since Israel’s war in Gaza against the Palestinian militant group Hamas began in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have attacked vessels in the Red Sea in what they describe as acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.
They have also frequently fired missiles towards Israel, most of which have been intercepted. Israel has responded with strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port.
During the last year, Israel carried out a series of assassinations targeting senior leaders and commanders of Hamas and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, significantly weakening both groups.
‘A Crushing Blow’
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that the strike was “a crushing blow” against the Houthis, adding that “this is only the beginning.”
The Houthi-run news agency Saba ran a statement from Defence Minister Mohamed al-Atifi shortly after the prime minister’s death was confirmed and quoted him as saying the group was ready to confront Israel.
The statement did not mention Thursday’s airstrike and it was unclear if it was made before or after the attack.
Atifi runs the Houthis’ Missiles Brigade Group and is considered their leading missiles expert.
Sources confirmed to Reuters that the energy, foreign and information ministers were among those killed.
On Thursday, Israeli security sources had said the targets had been various locations where a large number of senior Houthi officials had gathered to watch a televised speech recorded by leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi.
“Our stance remains as it is and will remain until the aggression ends and the siege is lifted, no matter how great the challenges,” Mashat said in a televised speech, adding that the group “shall take revenge.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
Chicago Mayor Vows No Police Cooperation With Federal Troops
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Saturday that city police will not work with National Guard troops or federal agents if President Donald Trump follows through on his threat to deploy them.
The Democratic mayor, surrounded by other city leaders, signed an executive order aimed at preparing Chicago for any U.S. enforcement operation as Trump has done in Los Angeles and Washington and urged the Republican president to reverse course.
“Stand Up Against Tyranny”
“This is about making sure that we are prepared,” he told reporters as he signed the order, adding that the order aimed to offer “real, clear guidance” to city government workers and “all the Chicagoans of how we can stand up against this tyranny.”
The executive order says that Chicago police officers will continue to enforce state and local laws but will not assist with any patrols, arrests or other law enforcement actions alongside federal officers, including the National Guard.
It also directs city police to wear their official police uniforms, continue to identify themselves, follow body camera procedures and not wear masks to clearly distinguish themselves from any federal operations, according to a copy of the order.
“The deployment of federal military forces in Chicago without the consent of local authorities undermines democratic norms, violates the city’s sovereignty, threatens civil liberties, and risks escalating violence rather than securing the peace,” the order says.
Trump has been threatening to expand his federal crackdown on Democrat-led U.S. cities to Chicago, casting the use of presidential power as an urgent effort to tackle crime even as city officials cite declines in homicides, gun violence and burglaries.
Local officials and residents in Chicago, the nation’s third largest city, have been preparing for the possible arrival of federal agents and troops, and Johnson said they have received credible reports that action could come within days.
The White House dismissed Johnson’s move and accused Democrats of trying to make tackling crime a partisan issue.
“If these Democrats focused on fixing crime in their own cities instead of doing publicity stunts to criticise the President, their communities would be much safer,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
While it is unclear how much state and local officials can do to push back against any U.S. deployment, the mayor said he was pursuing any legal and legislative measures available, including possible lawsuits.
“We will use the courts if that’s necessary,” Johnson said.
Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly said he wants to be asked for federal agents to be deployed to various cities even as he continues to threaten to send them anyway without any formal request.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat whose name has also been floated as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, has said the president lacks the legal authority to deploy troops to his state if not requested by the governor.
That differs from Washington, a federal city whose police department Trump took over.
Previous deployments of the National Guard to Chicago were coordinated with local officials. A president’s power to send in troops is limited under U.S. law, but there are no restrictions on the deployment of federal law enforcement officers such as ICE agents.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Indonesian President Cancels China Trip Amid Widening Protests
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Saturday cancelled a planned visit to China as protests spread beyond Jakarta, where demonstrators set fire to several regional parliament buildings.
Prabowo had been due to attend a “Victory Day” parade in China on September 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two following Japan’s formal surrender.
The protests, the first major test for Prabowo’s nearly year-old government, began in Jakarta this week over lawmakers’ pay and worsened after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle rider.
“The president wants to continue monitoring (the situation in Indonesia) directly…and seek the best solutions,” presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi said in a video statement on Saturday.
“Therefore, the president apologises to the Chinese government that he could not attend the invitation.”
Another consideration in cancelling the trip was a United Nations General Assembly session in September, Prasetyo said.
In light of the protest, short-video app TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, said on Saturday it had suspended its live feature in Indonesia for a few days.
Jakarta had this week summoned representatives of social media platforms, including Meta Platforms Inc. and TikTok, and told them to boost content moderation because disinformation had spread online. The government says that such disinformation has spurred protests against it.
Earlier on Saturday, protesters caused fires at regional parliament buildings in three provinces – West Nusa Tenggara, Pekalongan city in Central Java and Cirebon city in West Java – local media reported.
Local media Detik.com said protesters had looted parliamentary office equipment in Cirebon and police fired teargas to disperse protesters in Pekalongan and West Nusa Tenggara.
Three people were killed on Friday in an arson attack on a parliament building in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province, Indonesia’s disaster management agency said.
State news agency Antara said the victims had been trapped in the burning building, and the disaster management agency said two people were injured after jumping out of the building to escape the fire.
Local media outlet metrotvnews.com reported one further death from a fire at the Makassar parliamentary building. This could not be independently confirmed.
Protests also occurred on the holiday island of Bali, where teargas was used against protesters.
Local media also reported that a crowd had looted the Jakarta home of Ahmad Sahroni, a lawmaker from the political party NasDem, and taken items including household furniture.
Sahroni has faced accusations of responding insensitively to people calling for parliament to be dissolved amid anger over lawmakers’ allowances. Sahroni has labelled such critics “the stupidest people in the world”.
(With inputs from Reuters)