SOUTH KOREA – South Korea’s parliament has passed a bill for a new, independent investigation into the 2022 Halloween crush in the capital, Seoul, that killed more than 150 people.
The single-chamber, opposition-led National Assembly approved the measure in a bipartisan vote with 256 in, three abstentions, and no opposition yesterday. It will become law once signed by President Yoon Suk-yeol, which is considered a formality.
The legislation will create a fact-finding committee of nine members who will look into the cause of the crush, how the authorities handled it, and who should be blamed, a process that could last up to 15 months.
The crush took place on October 29, 2002, when revellers flooded the narrow alleyways of Seoul’s popular nightlife district of Itaewon to celebrate the first Halloween free of COVID-19 curbs in three years. Nearly 200 people were injured in the ensuing surge, with most of the victims in their 20s and 30s.
Anger that the government ignored safety and regulatory issues mounted in the aftermath of the disaster.
Police faced strong public criticism and scrutiny over their response, having dispatched just 137 officers to the area despite estimating in advance as many as 100,000 people would gather.
In 2023, a special police investigation concluded that police and municipal officials failed to formulate effective crowd control steps.
Investigators also said police had ignored hotline calls by pedestrians who warned of swelling crowds before the surge turned deadly.
Bereaved families and opposition lawmakers have repeatedly called for an independent probe as few have been held accountable for the incident, despite more than 20 police and other officials on trial.
In January, prosecutors charged Kim Kwang-ho, the former head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, for negligence by failing to ensure there were enough officers at the scene. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Two former senior police officers were sentenced in February for destroying evidence linked to the crush.
According to the new bill, once the committee determines who is responsible and who should face charges, it would report them to the government’s investigation agencies. The agencies would then conclude investigations of the suspects within three months.
An earlier bill, which was backed by the opposition-led parliament, was vetoed by Yoon in January because of disputes over the panel’s powers, such as whether the fact-finding committee can request arrest warrants.
However, at a meeting last Monday with opposition leader Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, Yoon said he would not oppose the bill should the disputes be resolved.
Yoon’s shift comes as he faces growing public calls to cooperate with Lee’s party, which secured a landslide victory in the April 10 elections.
In a meeting with Yoon’s ruling People Power Party last Wednesday, Lee’s party agreed to remove contentious clauses from the draft bill, including granting full investigative power to the panel. (Al Jazeera)…[+]

US – Police in riot gear massed on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus and ordered a large group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators inside an encampment to leave the area or face arrest after violence instigated by pro-Israel counter-protesters.
The barricaded encampment was full of hundreds of people and tents. Some protesters prayed as the sun set over the campus, while others chanted “we’re not leaving” or passed out goggles and surgical masks. They wore helmets and headscarves and discussed the best ways to handle pepper spray or tear gas as someone sang over a megaphone.
A few made homemade shields out of plywood in case they clashed with police forming skirmish lines elsewhere on the campus. “For rubber bullets, who wants a shield?” a protester called out.
Meanwhile, a large crowd of students, alumni and neighbours gathered on campus steps outside the tents, sitting as they listened and applauded various speakers and joined in pro-Palestinian chants. A small group of students holding signs and wearing T-shirts in support of Israel and Jewish people demonstrated nearby.
The law enforcement presence and continued warnings stood in contrast to the scene that unfolded the night before, when counter-demonstrators attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment, throwing traffic cones, releasing pepper spray and tearing down barriers. Fighting continued for several hours before police stepped in, though no arrests were made. The tepid response from the authorities drew criticism from political leaders as well as Muslim students and advocacy groups.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement that “a group of instigators” perpetrated the previous night’s attack, but he did not provide details about the crowd or why the administration and school police did not act sooner. (Al Jazeera)…[+]

US – The body of a fifth construction worker has been recovered after a ship hit Baltimore’s Key Bridge in March, causing it to collapse.
Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, 49, was among six victims of the disaster.
Salvage teams found his missing truck as they continue their recovery work at their site.
The six men were all from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras or Mexico, and worked for a Maryland-based contracting company.
In total, eight workers were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge on 26 March when it was struck by the Dali container vessel, plunging them into the waters below.
Two of them were rescued on the day and five bodies have been recovered since then. A search continues for the sixth.
Mr Luna was a husband and father from El Salvador who had lived in Maryland for nearly two decades, according to non-profit organisation Casa.
“Behind each person lost in this tragedy lies a loving family,” said Maryland police, commenting on the discovery of Mr Luna’s body in his vehicle.
The incident is the subject of a criminal investigation by the FBI, which is looking into the circumstances that led to the crash.
A separate probe is under way by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Meanwhile, the city is suing the operators of the container ship, alleging that the vessel was “clearly unseaworthy”. The operators have already asked a court to limit their liability.
The bridge’s collapse led to the closure of the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest in the US and a key hub for the transport of vehicles.
Four alternative channels have since been opened as the salvage operation continues.
The state governor met a House of Representatives committee to discuss aid for rebuilding the collapsed bridge.
Apart from two of the ship’s pilots, 21 crew members – almost all of whom are of Indian origin – remain on the ship. There is no timeline yet for when they will disembark or head back to sea. (BBC)…[+]

BOGOTA – Colombia will sever diplomatic relations with Israel, said President Gustavo Petro.
Speaking to a crowd in the capital Bogota, the Colombian president referred to the Israeli government as “genocidal.”
“The era of genocide, of the extermination of an entire people before our eyes, before our humanity, cannot return,” said Petro, adding that if Palestine dies, humanity dies.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz denounced Colombia’s decision. “Relations between Israel and Colombia have always been warm, and no antisemitic and hate-filled president can change that,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.
The Colombian president has expressed his intention to cut off diplomatic ties with Israel on several occasions since the UN Security Council adopted in March a resolution on ceasefire in Gaza.
Colombia recalled its ambassador to Israel in October, a few days after Israel launched military operations in densely-populated areas in Gaza in response to Hamas attack. (Xinhua)…[+]

BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping has given important instructions on the rescue and disaster relief work after a fatal expressway collapse in south China’s Guangdong Province.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attached great importance to the disaster, instructing that every effort be carried out for on-site rescue, treatment of the injured, and properly handling the aftermath.
At about 2:10 a.m. on May 1, a landslide occurred in the Chayang section of the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway in Meizhou City, Guangdong Province. As of 6:00 a.m. on May 2, the disaster had caused 36 deaths and 30 injuries.
Efforts should be made to repair the damaged roads and restore traffic order as soon as possible, said Xi, adding that all regions and relevant departments must adhere to bottom-line thinking, consolidate work responsibilities, strengthen monitoring and early warning, improve emergency plans, promptly investigate and deal with potential risks in key areas and key sectors, and ensure the safety of people’s lives and property and the overall social stability.
Li Qiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and premier of the State Council, has given instructions to spare no effort in rescuing the injured, carry out follow-up work, do everything possible to search and rescue trapped persons, and strictly guard against secondary risks.
Li emphasized that the ongoing May Day holiday is the peak of tourism prime time, accompanied by widespread rainfall in some areas, necessitating all-out efforts to prevent accidents and disasters.
The Ministry of Emergency Management, the Ministry of Transport and other relevant departments, have dispatched working groups to the scene to guide the rescue efforts. (Xinhua)…[+]

Potarinau Village in South Rupununi, Region Nine, continues to benefit from government interventions aimed at improving access to potable water for hundreds of residents.
During a recent two-day outreach to the region over the weekend, Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues handed over a $22.8 million contract to the Village Council to execute works on the water distribution network and elevated storage to achieve 100 per cent coverage.
Speaking at an engagement at the village benab, Minister Rodrigues assured that efforts will continue to ensure all communities are reached by 2025, prioritising equitable access to basic services like water, especially in hinterland regions. Initially, only 60 per cent of the Potarinau Village had access to potable water through a drilled well and PV (Photovoltaic) system.
However, increased water levels prompted the drilling of a new $12 million well, undertaken by R. Kissoon Construction, to serve an additional cluster of 30 households. According to Minister Rodrigues, these interventions also aim to mitigate the challenges posed by prolonged dry periods and have shown significant progress. She highlighted the identification of an additional cluster in the village, assuring that the area will be addressed promptly to provide water access to its residents. Minister Rodrigues reminded the residents that when the government took office in 2020, only 46 per cent of villages had access to potable water.
However, with ambitious targets set by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Guyana aims to achieve the United Nation’s (UN’s) Sustainable Development Goal Six – access to water and sanitation for all by 2030, with significant progress already made to reach it by 2025.
Over the past three years, some $3.5 billion has been invested in the hinterland water programme, resulting in the drilling of 75 new wells. This year, an additional 1.5 billion will fund the drilling of 40 more wells. Additionally, the minister disclosed that “The government of Guyana is committed to investing in Climate Resilient Infrastructure and other measures to counter the impacts of climate change.”
She also commissioned expanded water systems that will benefit approximately 2,000 households in Karaudarnau, Awarewaunau, and Rupunau, while a $23.8M contract was handed over to the Aishalton Village Council for a water distribution system. Minister Rodrigues was joined by Director of Hinterland Services at Guyana Water Inc., Ramchand Jailal, as well as other technical officers. (DPI)…[+]