Trump ‘very angry’ with Putin over ceasefire negotiations 300325
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Trump ‘very angry’ with Putin over ceasefire negotiations Banzai Japan Music Video US President Donald Trump has said he is “very angry” and “pissed off” with Russian President Vladimir Putin after six weeks of attempting to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine. In an NBC News interview, he said he was angered by the Russian leader questioning Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s credibility, and he threatened to impose a 50% tariff on countries buying Russian oil if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire. Book Novotel Hotel “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault – which it might not be… I am going to put secondary tariffs… on all oil coming out of Russia,” he said. The comments marked a notable shift in the president’s tone toward Putin and Russia. European leaders had worried that Trump was cosying up to Putin as negotiations on a ceasefire in Ukraine continued. Banzai Japan Music Video For the past six weeks, Trump has harangued Zelensky in the Oval Office and demanded numerous concessions from Ukraine’s president. In turn, he has flattered Putin and largely given in to the Russian president’s demands. This appears to be a departure from that dynamic. It is the first time the US has seriously threatened Russia with consequences for dragging its feet in ceasefire negotiations, which would seem to put the diplomatic ball back in Moscow’s court. NBC News said that in a ten-minute phone interview Trump told them he was very angry and “pissed off” when Putin criticised the credibility of Zelensky’s leadership, although the president has himself called Ukraine’s leader a dictator and demanded that he hold elections. “You could say that I was very angry, pissed off, when… Putin started getting into Zelensky’s credibility, because that’s not going in the right location”, Trump said. “New leadership means you’re not gonna have a deal for a long time,” he added. Trump said that the Russians knew of his anger, but noted that he has “a very good relationship” with Putin and “the anger dissipates quickly… if he does the right thing”. If Russia does not follow through with a ceasefire, however, Trump threatened to target their economy further if he thought it was Putin’s fault. “There will be a 25% tariff on oil and other products sold in the United States, secondary tariffs,” Trump said, noting that the tariffs on Russia would come in a month without a ceasefire deal. Secondary tariffs could range up to 50% on goods entering the US from countries still buying oil from Russia. The biggest such buyers by a long margin are China and India. Trump said he would speak to Putin later in the week. Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Japan chain shuts shops after pests found in food
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Japan chain shuts shops after pests found in food Banzai Japan Music Video One of Japan’s biggest restaurant chains is closing its outlets for deep cleaning, after two incidents of customers finding pests, including a rat, in their food. Sukiya, known for its beef-on-rice dishes, announced the temporary closure after an insect was found by a customer. Last weekend, it admitted that a rat had been discovered in a bowl of miso soup in January. The chain, which has nearly 2,000 restaurants, said most of its sites would be shut between 31 March and 4 April “to prevent external intrusion and internal infestation of pests and vermin”. In a statement, external, it apologised for the “great inconvenience and concern caused”. Book Novotel Hotel Rumours about the rat-in-miso incident had been circulating on social media for weeks before Sukiya was forced to confirm that the rodent had been found “before it was eaten”. The restaurant, in the city of Tottori, was temporarily closed, and Sukiya said measures had been taken to address cracks in the building that could lead to contamination. It then announced that all of its outlets would be regularly checked for gaps and rubbish would be refrigerated. The company has now taken the more drastic measure of closure after the insect – widely reported to have been part or all of a cockroach – was found on Friday by a customer in Tokyo. The manager apologised to the customer and gave them a refund, it said. Sukiya is part of Zensho Holdings, which owns a number of restaurant chains in Japan. Banzai Japan Music Video Last Monday, following the disclosure about the rat, its share price tumbled before recovering later in the week. Its shares will face scrutiny after Saturday’s announcement. Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Man tending grave probed for starting South Korea fires
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Man tending grave probed for starting South Korea fires Banzai Japan Music Video A 56-year-old man is being investigated in South Korea on suspicion of starting a deadly wildfire that killed 30 people. The man, who has not been named, was performing an ancestral rite by a family grave on a hill in Uiseong county, North Gyeongsang province, at the time. He has been booked – but not arrested – and will be called in for questioning once the investigation of the site has been completed. He denies the charges. Book Novotel Hotel On Sunday, officials said the main fires had finally been brought under complete control – 10 days after they started, causing widespread damage to buildings, including historic temples. Investigators reportedly spoke to the suspect’s daughter who is said to have told them the fire began as her father tried to burn tree branches hanging over the graves with a cigarette lighter. According to the Korea Forest Service, the fires burned more than 48,000 hectares – equivalent to about 80% of the size of the capital Seoul. They also destroyed an estimated 4,000 structures, including homes, factories and a number of national treasures. Goun Temple – a Unesco World Heritage Site – was among the temples destroyed in the blaze. It was built in 618 AD and was one of the largest in the province. Banzai Japan Music Video Most of the casualties were people in their 60s and 70s. Even though the main fire has been brought under control, smaller ones continue to reignite, authorities say. Fuelled by strong and dry winds, the fires spread to several cities and counties. Unseasonably warm weather, dry conditions and pine forests in the region also helped fuel the flames. An investigation involving the police, fire authorities, and forest management will be carried out next week. Acting President Han Duck-soo said the government would provide financial support for those who have been displaced by the fires. Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Trump says he ‘couldn’t care less’ about higher car prices
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Trump says he ‘couldn’t care less’ about higher car prices Banzai Japan Music Video Donald Trump has said he “couldn’t care less” if carmakers raise prices after his 25% tariffs on foreign-made vehicles comes into effect. Some analysts have warned that Trump’s charges on businesses importing vehicles could lead to the temporary shutdown of significant car production in the US, increase prices, and strain relations with allies. But speaking to NBC News on Saturday, the US president said he hoped foreign carmakers raise prices as it means “people are gonna buy American-made cars. We have plenty”. On Wednesday, Trump announced new import taxes of 25% on cars and car parts entering the US from overseas, which go into effect on 2 April. Charges on businesses importing vehicles are expected on 3 April, and taxes on parts are set to start in May or later. Book Novotel Hotel When asked about what his message was to car bosses, he said: “The message is congratulations, if you make your car in the United States, you’re going to make a lot of money”. He went on to say: “If you don’t, you’re going to have to probably come to the United States, because if you make your car in the United States, there is no tariff.” The 25% import tax on carmakers was briefly implemented but then paused at the beginning of March following pleas from major carmakers in North America like Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. But Trump told NBC he did not plan to delay imposition of the car tariffs any further, saying he would consider negotiating “only if people are willing to give us something of great value. Because countries have things of great value, otherwise, there’s no room for negotiation”. Banzai Japan Music Video The UK is in last-minute negotiations with the White House and is trying to get an exemption, arguing that – unlike other countries – the UK has a relatively equal trading relationship with the US. The prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not want to jump into a trade war. Several major economies have also vowed to retaliate in response to Trump’s tariffs. Germany has said it “will not give in” and that Europe must “respond firmly”, France’s president branded the move “a waste of time” and “incoherent”, Canada calling it a “direct attack”, and China accused Washington of violating international trade rules. Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
JD Vance’s ominous pitch to Greenland
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel JD Vance’s ominous pitch to Greenland Banzai Japan Music Video A green shimmer, like a curtain of light being drawn across the night sky, formed beside the impossibly bright stars above Nuuk late on Friday evening. The appearance of the spectacular northern lights – a common wonder in these parts – seemed to mark the end of a hugely significant day in the arctic, one that brought icebound Greenland’s hopes and challenges into the sharpest relief. It was a day in which an acquisitive foreign power had sent an uninvited delegation to the world’s largest island with an uncomfortable message. Book Novotel Hotel On a brief visit to a remote US military base in the far north of Greenland, US Vice-President JD Vance may have tried at times to soften his boss’s stated aim of simply annexing the autonomous Danish territory. “We do not think that military force is ever going to be necessary,” Vance said, perhaps attempting to sound reassuring. But the vice-president’s overarching message remained stark and intimidating: the world, the climate, and the Arctic region are changing fast, and Greenland needs to wake up to threats posed by an expansionist China; long-standing Western security partnerships have run their course; the only way the island can protect itself, its values and its mineral wealth is by abandoning weak and miserly Danish overlords and turning instead to the muscular and protective embrace of the US. Banzai Japan Music Video “We need to wake up from a failed, 40-year consensus that said that we could ignore the encroachment of powerful countries as they expand their ambitions,” Vance told US troops at America’s Pituffik military base. “We can’t just bury our head in the sand – or, in Greenland, bury our head in the snow – and pretend that the Chinese are not interested in this very large landmass.” If you look at a map of the world that has the north pole at its centre, rather than the equator, it is easy to see how Greenland suddenly switches from being an easily overlooked smudge of uninhabited territory and into a key strategic landmass. It is at the heart of what many analysts now accept as an emerging power struggle between China, the US, and Russia, for control of the arctic, its minerals and its shipping lanes. But the speed and contempt with which the Trump White House has rejected its traditional reliance on Western allies – Nato in particular – has left its partners bewildered. “Not justifiable,” was the bristling response of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen after hearing Vance attack her government as he stood on its sovereign territory. ‘Like a threat’ But 1,500km (930 miles) south of the Pituffik base, in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, the American story vied for attention with a very different local event on Friday. “We will prevail,” a smiling crowd sang, at a ceremony to celebrate the formation of a new coalition government for Greenland. The mood felt mostly joyful and communal, with people locking arms and swaying gently as a band played inside the town’s house of culture. It was a powerful reminder of the shared values that bind Greenland’s tiny, and overwhelmingly native Inuit population together – the need for consensus and co-operation in an often hostile natural climate, the desire to protect and celebrate Inuit culture and the wish to be respected by outsiders, be they from familiar but distant Denmark or marginally closer America. “There are many ways to say things. But I think the way [Trump] is saying it is not the way. It’s like a threat,” said Lisbeth Karline Poulsen, 43, a local artist attending the ceremony. Her reaction appeared to capture the broader mood here – a recent poll showed just 6% of the population support the idea of being part of the US. The journey to independence Under its new government, and with overwhelming public support, Greenland is beginning a slow, very cautious move towards full independence from Denmark. It’s a process that will likely take many years, and which will involve lengthy dialogue with both Copenhagen and Washington. After all, Greenlanders well understand that their economy needs to be far more developed if their bid for independence is to stand any realistic chance of success. But they need to balance that development against realistic fears of exploitation by powerful outside commercial forces. Which brings us to the fundamental confusion, in Greenland and beyond, about the Trump administration’s approach towards their territory. What does America want? On his visit, Vance mentioned Greenland’s aspirations for independence, and implied that America’s real intention was not a sudden annexation of the island, but something far more patient and long-term. “Our message is very simple, yes, the people of Greenland are going to have self-determination. We hope that they choose to partner with the United States, because we’re the only nation on earth that will respect their sovereignty and respect their security.” If that is genuinely the American pitch – Trump’s messaging remains more aggressive than Vance’s – then Greenlanders can surely relax a little and take their time. There are still large reserves of goodwill towards the US here, and a keen interest in doing more business with American companies. On the security front, a 74-year-old treaty with Denmark permitting the US to increase its military presence in Greenland at any time – from new bases to submarine harbours – should surely take care of Washington’s concerns about countering the threat from China, just as it did during the Cold War years. What remains puzzling is Donald Trump’s impatience – the same impatience he’s displayed in attempting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Short of owning Greenland, America could get everything it desires and needs from this vast island without much difficulty. Instead, many people in Nuuk feel they’re being bullied. It’s a deeply counterproductive approach, which has already forced Washington into
Holidaymaker describes ‘chaos’ after quake hits Bangkok
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Holidaymaker describes ‘chaos’ after quake hits Bangkok Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo A holidaymaker has told of the moment the effects of a devastating earthquake brought chaos to Bangkok. Hundreds of people are believed to have died in neighbouring Myanmar, the epicentre of the 7.7 magnitude quake. Angela Jenkins and her husband Douglas, from Lewis in the Western Isles, were in a shopping centre in the Thai capital when the ground began to shake and shoppers started screaming and shouting. Mrs Jenkins said: “My husband grabbed my hand and we just ran for the door – it was just chaos. Nobody knew what was going on.” Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsGZL-zb54 The couple had signed up to an app to get earthquake warnings, but did not receive an alert. Mrs Jenkins said she had felt faint moments before the tremor struck the shopping mall and she held on to a shop counter to keep her balance. “The next thing everyone started screaming and shouting and running. It was really frightening,” she said. “It felt like the ground was moving. It felt as if I was on a boat and it was swaying.” Outside, the couple joined others in looking to the skyline to try and make sense of what was happening. Mrs Jenkins said they had not seen signs of damage, but added: “There is a big skyscraper and its alarms are going off. “There are still ambulances and fire engines screaming around the streets.” Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3syHHGzkF_s The couple said they hoped to get back to their hotel, but until then had been trying to find shelter from the “blazing heat”. It is not yet known how many people have died in Myanmar in south east Asia. In Thailand, which borders Myanmar to the east, 81 construction workers are missing and a search and rescue operation is under way after an unfinished high-rise building collapsed in Bangkok. The earthquake measured as 7.7 on the Richter scale at about midday local time (06:00 GMT). Four smaller shocks ranging between 4.5 and 6.6 in magnitude have been measured since. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8YYeb4PMk Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Man flying from Bangkok faces drug smuggle charge
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Man flying from Bangkok faces drug smuggle charge Banzai Japan Music Video A man has been charged with attempting to smuggle £1m of cannabis from Thailand through Heathrow Airport. Nathaniel Benson, 45, from Leeds, had flown in from Bangkok on Wednesday and was arrested after Border Force officers found 160 packages of the drug in suitcases, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. He appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court earlier charged with importing class B drugs and was remanded in custody to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on 24 October. A 41-year-old woman from Harrogate was also arrested but later bailed. Book Novotel Hotel Upsurge in arrests The NCA said more than 100 kilos of cannabis was recovered, which would have a street value of around £1m if sold in the UK. In August, the NCA issued a warning to travellers arriving into the UK from Thailand, Canada and the United States that they faced jail sentences if caught attempting to bring cannabis into the country, after a huge upsurge in arrests. Banzai Japan Music Video The NCA said the amount of cannabis seized so far in 2024 was already more than three times that found in the whole of 2023. Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
A politician was shot dead in Bangkok. Did another country do it?
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel A politician was shot dead in Bangkok. Did another country do it? Banzai Japan Music Video It had all the hallmarks of a cold-blooded, professional assassination. Next to a well-known temple in Bangkok’s historic royal quarter a man is seen on a security camera video parking his motorbike, removing his helmet, so that his face was clearly visible, and walking calmly across the road. A few minutes later shots are heard. Another man falls to the ground. The assassin walks quickly back to his motorbike, appearing to throw something away as he does, and drives off. Book Novotel Hotel The victim was Lim Kimya, a 73-year-old former parliamentarian from the main Cambodian opposition party, the CNRP, which was banned in 2017. He had been hit in the chest by two bullets, according to the Thai police. He had just arrived in Bangkok with his wife on a bus from Cambodia. A police officer attempted to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. “He was courageous, with an independent mind,” Monovithya Kem, daughter of the CNRP leader Kem Sokha, told the BBC. Asked if she thought there was anyone apart from the Cambodian state who would want to kill him, she replied: “Absolutely no-one.” Banzai Japan Music Video Lim Kimya had dual Cambodian and French nationality, but chose to stay in Cambodia even after his party was outlawed. The CNRP – Cambodia National Rescue Party – was an amalgamation of two earlier opposition parties, and in 2013 came close to defeating the party of Hun Sen, the self-styled “strongman” who ruled Cambodia for nearly 40 years before handing over to his son Hun Manet in 2023. After his close call in the 2013 election Hun Sen accused the CNRP of treason, shutting it down and subjecting its members to legal and other forms of harassment. In 2023 Kem Sokha, who had already spent six years under house arrest, was sentenced to 27 years in prison. High-level political assassinations, though not unknown, are relatively rare in Cambodia; in 2016 a popular critic of Hun Sen, Kem Ley, was gunned down in Phnom Penh and in 2012 environmental activist Chut Wutty was also murdered. From the security camera video the Thai police have already identified Lim Kimya’s killer as an ex-Thai navy officer, now working as a motorbike taxi driver. Finding him should not be difficult. Whether the killing is fully investigated, though, is another matter. In recent years dozens of activists fleeing repression in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand have been sent back after seeking sanctuary, or in some cases have been killed or disappeared. Human rights groups believe there is an unwritten agreement between the four neighbouring countries to allow each other’s security forces to pursue dissidents over the border. Last November Thailand sent six Cambodian dissidents, together with a young child, back to Cambodia, where they were immediately jailed. All were recognised by the United Nations as refugees. Earlier in the year Thailand also sent a Vietnamese Montagnard activist back to Vietnam. In the past Thai anti-monarchy activists have been abducted and disappeared in Laos, it is widely presumed by Thai security forces operating outside their own borders. In 2020 a young Thai activist who had fled to Cambodia, Wanchalerm Satsaksit, was abducted and disappeared, again it is assumed by Thai operatives. The Cambodian authorities did little to investigate, and announced last year that they had closed the case. It is possible the same will now happen in the case of Lim Kimya. “Thailand has presided over a de facto ‘swap arrangement’,” says Phil Robertson, director of the Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates in Thailand. “Dissidents and refugees are traded for political and economic favours with its neighbouring countries. The growing practice of transnational repression in the Mekong sub-region needs to be stopped in its tracks.” When the US and UK-educated Hun Manet succeeded his father as Cambodia’s prime minister there was some speculation over whether he might rule with a lighter hand. But opposition figures are still being prosecuted and jailed, and what little space was left for political dissent has been almost completely closed. From his semi-retirement the figure of Hun Sen still hovers over his son’s administration; he is now calling for a new law to brand anyone trying to replace him as a terrorist. Thailand, which lobbied hard for, and won, a seat on the UN Human Rights Council this year, will now be under pressure to show that it can bring those behind such a brazen assassination on the streets of its capital to justice. Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
F1 in talks to stage Bangkok grand prix
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel F1 in talks to stage Bangkok grand prix Banzai Japan Music Video Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali met with the prime minister of Thailand to discuss plans for a street-circuit grand prix in Bangkok. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the government would commission a “feasibility study” into the possibility of a race in the capital from 2028. Book Novotel Hotel There is an existing track in Buriram, in north-east Thailand, which is accredited by the FIA, the governing body for world motorsport. Domenicali described the plans as “impressive”. Banzai Japan Music Video Paetongtarn said: “I believe that all Thai people will benefit from organising this event, whether it is large-scale infrastructure investment, job creation, new income generation, and importing new technologies and innovations.” The F1 schedule of 24 races includes four in the Asia-Pacific region. Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Why have the wildfires in S Korea been so devastating?
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Why have the wildfires in S Korea been so devastating? Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo Strong winds, dense forest and unusually dry weather – that’s the deadly combination that experts say is fuelling the largest wildfires in South Korea’s history. The inferno in the south-east has burned through 35,810 hectares (88,500 acres) as of Thursday – that’s about half the size of New York City – killing 27 people so far and displacing tens of thousands. Authorities believe the wildfires started by accident from human activity, but the main drivers of the devastation are dry land, and strong gusts sweeping over inland regions. The high concentration of pine forest in North Gyeongsang province, where the fires are burning, is also “oiling” the blaze, said a forest disaster expert. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsGZL-zb54 Vulnerable pine forests “Pine trees contain resin, which acts like oil, intensifying fires when ignited. This resin causes wildfires to burn faster, stronger, and longer,” said Lee Byung-doo from the National Institute of Forest Science in Seoul. Andong, one of the worst-hit cities, is known for its tranquil pine forests. While they provide shelter and food for local wildlife and sometimes help break the wind, pine trees “become problematic during wildfires”, Mr Lee told the BBC. “Because forests [in South Korea] contain large numbers of pine trees, the areas are particularly vulnerable when fires break out,” he said. Furthermore, pine trees retain their needles throughout winter, making them susceptible to “crown fires” – wildfires that spread by igniting the dense canopy of branches and leaves. This has contributed to the rapid and extensive spread of the flames over the past week. Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3syHHGzkF_s Unlike neighbouring countries such as China and North Korea, South Korea has made gains in forest cover over recent years. “Most mountains are now filled with fallen leaves and pine trees… This accumulation has become a significant factor in accelerating the spread of wildfire,” says Baek Min-ho, a disaster prevention specialist at Kangwon National University. Climate change is also to blame, experts say. “This wildfire has once again exposed the harsh reality of a climate crisis unlike anything we’ve experienced before,” South Korea’s disaster chief Lee Han-kyung said on Thursday. The ideal environment for these record blazes has been building for the past few weeks, which saw temperatures rise above 20C (68F), unusually high for spring. Analysis by Climate Central, which researches climate science, suggests that these high temperatures have been made up to five times more likely by global warming. The unusual heat dried out the land and air, allowing fires to spread more rapidly, especially when combined with strong winds. Dense tree cover and strong winds in the fire-hit region also pose substantial challenges to firefighting efforts. On Wednesday, a 73-year-old pilot died when his firefighting helicopter crashed in Uiseong county. At least three other firefighters have been killed in the blazes. Elderly residents in second-oldest province Most of the 26 people who died are in their 60s and 70s, officials say. South Korea is an ageing society, where one in five people are at least 65 years old. North Gyeongsang is its second-oldest province, which also explains the relatively high death toll – it is especially difficult to evacuate older people in a disaster because they may have mobility issues or other health risks. They may also have more difficulty accessing or interpreting evacuation orders. Three residents of an elderly care facility in Yeongdeok county died on Wednesday, when the car they were in went up in flames. Only one out of four in the vehicle managed to flee in time, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported. Acting President Han Duck-soo said on Thursday it was “worrying” that many of the victims are elderly, as he ordered the interior minister to relocate to North Gyeongsang to oversee relief efforts. An Andong resident who evacuated but lost her home told the BBC her family and their neighbours were caught off guard by the fires. “No one in the village was prepared,” said the woman, who asked not to be named. “We had to leave with nothing, and all our belongings are gone. Many of the residents are elderly, so I hope the government can provide temporary shelters where people can stay comfortably,” she said. Historical relics have also been burned to the ground – a significant loss to an area considered one of South Korea’s cultural centres. These include treasures in two temples, each more than 1,000 years old. One of them, the Gounsa temple, dates back to the Silla dynasty (57BC to 935AD). Additional reporting by Rachel Lee and Jake Kwon in Seoul Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8YYeb4PMk Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol