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Holders Qatar knock Palestine out of Asian Cup to secure last-eight spot

AL KHOR, Qatar — Defending champions Qatar survived a scare to beat Palestine 2-1 and advance to the Asian Cup quarter-finals thanks to goals from Hassan Al-Haydos and Akram Afif at Al Bayt Stadium on Monday.

Despite Qatar starting as firm favorites on home turf in front of nearly 64,000 fans, it was an industrious Palestine side who looked more promising in attack in the first half and they were rewarded for their perseverance in the 37th minute.

Palestine stole the ball off Qatar high up the pitch before Oday Dabbagh embarked on a solo run and shot past keeper Meshaal Barsham into the bottom corner for his third goal of the tournament and the country’s first ever in the knockout stage.

But Qatar skipper Al-Haydos equalized with the last kick of the half when he latched onto Afif’s low cross from a corner and fired it home through two defenders and keeper Rami Hamadeh.

Qatar then took the lead minutes after the break when Almoez Ali was brought down by a late sliding tackle from Mohammed Saleh and Afif stepped up to score his fourth goal in as many games at the tournament.

Palestine had a few chances to equalise but lacked the finishing touch as Qatar held on. They will return to Al Bayt for a quarter-final against either Uzbekistan or Thailand. — Reuters

Line dancing: Big money behind Chiefs shifts SB LVIII odds

HEAVY early money backing the Kansas City Chiefs led to multiple changes in the betting line within 24 hours of the matchup for Super Bowl LVIII being set.

The San Francisco 49ers opened as 2.0-point favorites shortly after storming from behind to beat the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday night. However, the line dipped as low as 1.0 points at sportsbooks including DraftKings and BetMGM, where the Chiefs had been backed by 78 percent of the spread-line money as of Monday morning.

The line has since shifted back to San Francisco being favored by 1.5 points at both sportsbooks, who both have the Over/Under points total at 47.5 points. The early money at BetMGM has the Over being backed by 90 percent of the money wagered on the market.

Sportsbooks were widely pulling for the Lions to upset the 49ers, who are the biggest Super Bowl liability at many sportsbooks, and that remains the case ahead of facing the Chiefs.

“Even though early action is on the Chiefs as underdogs, the sportsbook is cheering for a Kansas City victory,” BetMGM senior trading manager Tristan David said.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the early favorite to claim his third Super Bowl MVP award. The MVP of Super Bowls LIV and LVII, Mahomes is +120 to claim No. 3 at BetMGM, where he opened the season at +1000. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is second at +220, followed by teammate Christian McCaffrey at +450.

Mahomes has drawn 20 percent of the MVP money at DraftKings, where he is also +120. Teammate Travis Kelce has far longer odds at +1200, but the tight end has been the second most popular early pick with 14 percent of the money backing him.

The most popular player prop at DraftKings has been McCaffrey at -155 to lead all players in combined rushing and receiving yards. He has also been the most popular Anytime Touchdown play despite -215 odds. — Reuters

Timberwolves top Thunder in battle for West lead

ANTHONY EDWARDS scored 27 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 107-101 win over the host Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

The victory put the Timberwolves a game up on the Thunder for the top record in the Western Conference and gave Minnesota a split in the teams’ four-game season series.

The Timberwolves had struggled in the fourth quarter recently, but Minnesota dominated late Monday, outscoring Oklahoma City 34-24 in the final period to take control.

Jaden McDaniels’ corner 3-pointer with 2:32 remaining put the Timberwolves up for good, 99-97. After Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns grabbed the rebound from Chet Holmgren’s missed 3-pointer at the other end, Edwards drove home an emphatic dunk through contact at the rim to solidify the lead.

Towns wound up with 21 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, while Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 17 rebounds.

Minnesota outscored the Thunder 46-34 in the paint overall and went 6 of 10 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 37 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

After Oklahoma City’s win over Minnesota on Jan. 20, Edwards said it was hard to beat the Thunder with the calls Gilgeous-Alexander got. On Monday, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 15 of 16 from the free-throw line.

Jalen Williams added 20 points for Oklahoma City. and Josh Giddey scored 13. Holmgren had four points and three blocks.

Playing their second game in as many nights, the Thunder started showing apparent signs of fatigue in the second half.

Minnesota scored the first seven points of the third quarter, ultimately reeling off a 13-5 run to go up 62-52.

Edwards scored five of the Timberwolves’ first seven in the half.

Oklahoma City quickly responded with a 16-2 run to take a 68-64 lead.

Gilgeous-Alexander had nine points and two assists during the stretch to carry the Thunder.

The loss snapped a seven-game home winning streak for the Thunder.

The Timberwolves were without Mike Conley for the fourth time in five games. Conley has missed the past two games due to left hamstring soreness. — Reuters

Doc Rivers on Bucks

The National Basketball Association championship is not claimed on a sprint, so yesterday’s loss did not necessarily handicap the Bucks’ chances. There is, after all, still half the season left to negotiate. Nonetheless, there was no question that they wanted to emerge victorious for reasons other than bettering their second-best record in the East. To begin with, the outing was Doc Rivers’ first as head coach for the green and white; a triumph would have sent the right signals following the unceremonious firing of Adrian Griffin. There was also the not inconsequential matter of flexing their muscles against the highly regarded Nuggets.

Given that the Bucks wound up on the wrong end of the final score, it’s fair to contend that they failed on both counts. Never mind that they played at Ball Arena, whose high altitude combined with 19,801 diehard fans compounded the challenge. Perhaps owing to Rivers’ predilections, they displayed a much slower pace throughout the set-to, and, as a result, shot poorly from the field. Outside of veterans Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez, no player who took more than three shots managed to see half get to the bottom of the net.

To be sure, Rivers was brought in precisely to correct the Bucks’ alarming swoon on defense while maximizing their offensive prowess. From being among the best in limiting opponents from scoring under Mike Budenholzer, they turned into one of the worst with Griffin at the helm. Their new bench tactician is expected to leverage his experience and savvy in fostering smooth interpersonal relationships, particularly with high-maintenance stars, in order to coax the best out of them on both ends of the court.

There were no happy campers in the Bucks’ locker room following the setback. While the outcome may have reflected the status of the Nuggets as pregame favorites, they clearly thought otherwise. The good news is that they need not wait long for payback under more favorable terms. They meet the defending titleholders anew in two weeks, and on home turf. By that time, they figure to be more attuned to Rivers’ system and style — and in prime position to turn their fortunes around.

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

US vows ‘all necessary actions’ after drone attack kills 3 soldiers

STOCK PHOTO | Image from Pixabay

GAZA/DOHA/WASHINGTON – The United States vowed to take “all necessary actions” to defend American forces after a drone attack killed three U.S. troops in Jordan, while Qatar said it hoped U.S. retaliation would not damage regional security or undercut progress toward a new Gaza hostage-release deal. 

Sunday’s attack by Iran-backed militants was the first deadly strike against U.S. troops since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October and marks a major escalation in tensions that have engulfed the Middle East.  

White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said on Monday the United States did not want a wider war with Iran or in the region, “but we got to do what we have to do.” 

Iran has denied any role. Biden has previously ordered retaliatory attacks on Iran-backed groups but has so far stopped short of hitting Iran directly. 

“Have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” Biden said on Sunday, while Austin said at the Pentagon on Monday:  

“The president and I will not tolerate attacks on U.S. forces, and we will take all necessary actions to defend the U.S. and our troops.” 

In Gaza, Israel launched an assault on the Hamas-ruled enclave’s biggest city. Residents of Gaza City said air strikes killed and wounded many people, while tanks shelled eastern areas and naval vessels fired at western beachfront areas. 

Israel said late last year it had largely completed operations in northern Gaza and has recently aimed the brunt of its might at southern Gaza. The renewed push in Gaza City, where residents reported fierce gun battles near the main Al-Shifa Hospital, suggested that the war was not going to plan. 

Biden’s administration is under pressure to respond to the drone attack firmly without triggering a wider war. It has also been trying to facilitate the release by Hamas, which rules Gaza, of more than 100 hostages seized by the militants in their deadly Oct. 7 rampage into southern Israel. 

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al Thani told a Washington think tank he hoped U.S. retaliation would not undercut progress toward a new hostage release deal in talks last weekend. 

He said potential U.S. retaliation “will definitely have an impact on regional security and we hope things get contained.” 

CIA Director William Burns met Sheikh Mohammed, as well as the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service and the head of Egyptian intelligence, on Sunday in Paris for talks described as constructive by Israel, Qatar and the U.S., albeit with significant gaps remaining. 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Paris talks raised hope that a Qatar-mediated negotiating process could resume. Before collapsing, the mechanism led to a week-long ceasefire agreement in November when Hamas freed around 100 hostages. 

A framework for a possible second deal developed in Paris “is a strong one and a compelling one that … offers hope that we can get back into this process,” he said at a news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. 

“Hamas will have to make its own decisions,” said Blinken, who declined to reveal details of the proposal. 

HAMAS SAYS ISRAEL MUST WITHDRAW
Hamas reiterated on Monday that Israel must halt its Gaza offensive and withdraw from the Gaza Strip before more hostages are freed. Israel says it will fight until Hamas is eradicated. 

According to Israel, some 1,200 people were killed and 253 abducted in the Oct. 7 attack, which sparked its war to eliminate Hamas. Israel has since unleashed a military campaign on Gaza that has flattened most of the Palestinian enclave and killed 26,637 people, according to Gaza health officials. 

Tensions have surged around the Middle East, with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi forces striking U.S. and other targets in the Red Sea in attacks that have disrupted global shipping. 

On Monday, Hamas fired its first volley of rockets for weeks into Israeli cities, proving it still had the capability to launch them after nearly four months of war. 

Gazans say the violence has made a mockery of a World Court ruling last week calling on Israel to do more to help civilians. 

Israel ordered new evacuations of the most populated areas of Gaza City, but people said communications blackouts meant many would miss the alerts. Israel says Hamas is responsible for the deaths of civilians because its fighters operate among them, which the fighters deny. 

People in the north have been grinding animal feed to make flour after flour, rice and sugar ran out, part of an aid crisis now potentially exacerbated by a withdrawal of support for the United Nations’ aid agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. 

The United States and several other countries have suspended aid to the agency since Friday after Israel said some 190 UNRWA employees, including teachers, have doubled as Hamas or Islamic Jihad militants. Israel said some took part in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people. 

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met the head of U.N. internal investigations to ensure an inquiry into the allegations “will be done swiftly and as efficiently as possible,” a U.N. spokesperson said. 

UNRWA, which says more than 150 of its staff have been killed since October and a million Palestinians are sheltering in its buildings, said it would have to end operations within a month if funding was not restored. It said it had promptly fired staff after being alerted to Israel’s allegations. – Reuters  

Generative AI seen as helping to identify M&A targets, Bain says 

DEAL makers are turning to artificial intelligence and generative AI tools to source data, screen targets and conduct due diligence at a time of heightened regulatory concerns around mergers and acquisitions, Bain & Co. said in its annual report on the industry released Tuesday. 

While only 16% out of a total of 306 M&A practitioners surveyed by the advisory firm said they have relied on generative AI for past deal making, 80% said they expect to deploy it in the coming three years, highlighting the scope for potential changes to how companies do deals. 

Both buyers and sellers will likely utilize generative AI, or self-learning models that can generate text, images and other content, said Suzanne Kumar, a vice president in Bain’s M&A practice and a co-author of the report.  

“The longer-term question is whether companies will also use Gen AI for decision making,” Kumar said, pointing to a strong appetite among companies to incorporate the new technology into their processes. 

Generative AI can pick up M&A targets that wouldn’t have been identified with traditional tools, flag deviations in contracts and help focus on problematic areas, the Bain report found. Technology, health care and finance companies are among the early adopters. “They tend to be larger companies with moderate M&A activity of three to five deals per year,” the firm said in its report. 

Still, respondents voiced concerns around the reliability of data supplied by generative AI, as well as the safety of the tools that are available in the market. 

PICKING UP
Bain said it expects deal making to pick up in 2024 following a 15% decline in total M&A to $3.2 trillion from the prior year, the lowest in a decade. Leveraged private equity- and venture capital-driven deals fell by 37% compared to 2022, while strategic M&A by corporate buyers including add-ons by PE-firms slowed by 6% from the prior year. 

High interest rates, mixed economic signals, geopolitical uncertainty and the lack of common ground between sellers and buyers were behind the decline, Kumar said. “It often seemed to be the only thing that buyers and sellers agreed on, that they couldn’t agree on a valuation,” she said. 

That has resulted in a backlog that is forecast to drive buying and selling of companies and assets in 2024, as private equity firms have held more than half of their portfolio businesses for more than four years. Following the slowdown in deal making in 2023, companies will likely take a hard look at their portfolio and consider divestitures, Kumar said. 

Strategic deal makers in particular are set to do more M&A as they traded at a median valuation of 10.1 times their earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization in 2023, near a 15-year low and down from 12.1 times in 2022. “Even on a historical basis, valuations are relatively low,” Kumar said, pointing to exceptions such as financial services, where valuations increased. 

A potential decline in interest rates, as outlined by the Federal Reserve in December when it penciled in 75 basis of cuts for 2024, also should help M&A. “When you are a chief financial officer, you have probably absorbed higher interest rates, and you see an opportunity to do deals at a lower price,” she said. 

Still, heightened regulatory uncertainty is seen to continue, forcing companies to stress test their planned deals, negotiate termination fees and waterproof their financing plans, she added. 

Companies in the first nine months of 2023 paid for 65% of deal values with cash, followed by 22% in stock, with the rest paid for with a combination of cash and stock. Compared with the first nine months of 2022, companies used slightly more stock to fund acquisitions. Bain said it doesn’t have data on how much of that cash was raised through debt. – Reuters 

US disabled Chinese hacking network targeting critical infrastructure, sources say 

REUTERS/KACPER PEMPEL/FILE PHOTO

THE U.S. government in recent months launched an operation to fight a pervasive Chinese hacking operation that successfully compromised thousands of internet-connected devices, according to two Western security officials and one person familiar with the matter. 

The Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation sought and received legal authorization to remotely disable aspects of the Chinese hacking campaign, the sources told Reuters.  

The Biden administration has increasingly focused on hacking, not only for fear nation states may try to disrupt the U.S. election in November, but because ransomware wreaked havoc on Corporate America in 2023.  

The hacking group at the center of recent activity, Volt Typhoon, has especially alarmed intelligence officials who say it is part of a larger effort to compromise Western critical infrastructure, including naval ports, internet service providers and utilities. 

While the Volt Typhoon campaign initially came to light in May 2023, the hackers expanded the scope of their operations late last year and changed some of their techniques, according to three people familiar with the matter.  

The widespread nature of the hacks led to a series of meetings between the White House and private technology industry, including several telecommunications and cloud commuting companies, where the U.S. government asked for assistance in tracking the activity. 

Such breaches could enable China, national security experts said, to remotely disrupt important facilities in the Indo-Pacific region that in some form support or service U.S. military operations. Sources said U.S. officials are concerned the hackers were working to hurt U.S. readiness in case of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. 

China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has increased its military activities near the island in recent years in response to what Beijing calls “collusion” between Taiwan and the United States. 

The Justice Department and FBI declined to comment. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

When Western nations first warned about Volt Typhoon in May, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the hacking allegations were a “collective disinformation campaign” from the Five Eyes countries, a reference to the intelligence sharing grouping of countries made up of the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK. 

Volt Typhoon has functioned by taking control of swaths of vulnerable digital devices around the world – such as routers, modems, and even internet-connected security cameras – to hide later, downstream attacks into more sensitive targets, security researchers told Reuters. This constellation of remotely controlled systems, known as a botnet, are of primary concern to security officials because they limit the visibility of cyber defenders that monitor for foreign footprints in their computer networks. 

“How it works is the Chinese are taking control of a camera or modem that is positioned geographically right next to a port or ISP (internet service provider) and then using that destination to route their intrusions into the real target,” said a former official familiar with the matter. “To the IT team at the downstream target it just looks like a normal, native user that’s sitting nearby.”  

The use of so-called botnets by both government and criminal hackers to launder their cyber operations is not new. The approach is often used when an attacker wants to quickly target numerous victims simultaneously or seeks to hide their origins.  – Reuters 

British Columbia to pause approvals of new colleges seeking to enroll foreign students 

PRAVEEN KUMAR NANDAGIRI-UNSPLASH

BRITISH Columbia will stop approvals of new colleges seeking to enroll international students until February 2026, the government of the Canadian province said on Monday.  

The province will set minimum language requirements at private training institutions and also set higher standards for labor market needs and degree quality.  

The move comes as the Canadian government has been attempting to curb a surge in immigration of international students, which has been partly blamed for a shortage of rental units and a 7.7% rise in rents nationwide in December versus a year earlier.  

Last week, the federal government announced an immediate, two-year cap on new international student permits, which will cut the country’s intake by 35% this year to about 360,000. It will also stop giving work permits to some students after graduation.  

As of the end of last year, there were about 1 million international study permit holders in Canada, an amount about three times larger than that of a decade ago, according to government data. 

Canada has emerged as a popular destination for international students since it is relatively easy for them to obtain work permits after they finish courses. – Reuters 

Pakistan court jails ex-PM Imran Khan for 10 years ahead of elections

REUTERS

ISLAMABAD — A Pakistan court handed Imran Khan a 10-year jail term on Tuesday for leaking state secrets, his party said, the harshest sentence against the former prime minister so far and just 10 days before a general election.

The special court found Mr. Khan guilty of making public the contents of a secret cable sent by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington to the government in Islamabad, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said. Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was also sentenced to 10 years in the same case.

The jail term is the second conviction for Mr. Khan in recent months, and ensures the popular former prime minister will remain in jail, and out of the public spotlight, ahead of next week’s general elections. The court was due to issue its written verdict later.

The PTI said it would challenge the decision. “We don’t accept this illegal decision,” Mr. Khan’s lawyer Naeem Panjutha posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Mr. Khan’s aide Zulfikar Bukhari told Reuters that the legal team was given no chance to represent the former prime minister or cross examine witnesses, adding that the proceedings were carried out in jail.

He called the conviction an attempt to weaken support for Khan. “People will now make sure they come out and vote in larger numbers,” he told Reuters.

The embattled former cricket star was previously sentenced to three years in a corruption case, which had already ruled him out of the general elections next week.

However, Mr. Khan’s legal team was hoping to get him released from jail, where he has been since August last year, but the latest conviction means that is unlikely even as the charges are contested in a higher court.

Mr. Khan has been fighting dozens of cases since he was ousted from power in a parliamentary vote of no confidence in 2022.

He says the cable that pertains to the case was proof of a conspiracy by the Pakistani military and the US government to topple his government in 2022 after he visited Moscow just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Washington and the Pakistan military deny the accusations.

The former prime minister has previously said the contents of the cable appeared in the media from other sources.

PTI, which won the 2018 elections, suffered a major setback earlier this month when a court upheld the Election Commission’s decision to strip the party of its traditional election symbol, the cricket bat.

His candidates are now contesting as independents, many of them on the run amidst what the party calls a crackdown backed by the country’s powerful military. The military denies this. — Reuters

Thai court drops drug charges against Myanmar businessman linked to junta

REUTERS

BANGKOK — A Thai court on Tuesday acquitted a Myanmar tycoon with close ties to the country’s junta of charges including drug trafficking, money laundering, and transnational crime following his arrest in Bangkok more than a year ago.

The Thailand criminal court cleared Tun Min Latt, 54, and three others of 32 suspected violations, including drug trafficking and related charges, with the presiding judge telling a packed court room that the evidence gathered by the police for the prosecution was insufficient to show any wrongdoing.

The state prosecutor can appeal against the verdict.

Thai police arrested Tun Min Latt in Bangkok in September 2022, accusing the Myanmar businessman of laundering drug money through electricity trade between the Thai border town of Mae Sai and Tachileik in Myanmar’s Shan State.

Tun Min Latt, who has interests in hotels, energy and mining, and has a history of procuring supplies for the Myanmar military, is a close associate of Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing who seized power in a 2021 coup, three sources told Reuters.

When the Thai police raided his Bangkok condo in 2022, they found assets, including title deeds and bank books belong to Min Aung Hlaing’s daughter and son.

Thai senator Upakit Pacharirangkun was indicted last month for collusion in drug trafficking and money laundering through his association with Tun Min Latt, with the first hearing scheduled for May.

The senator’s son-in-law, Dean Young Gultula, who was arrested along with Tun Min Latt, also had his charges dropped by the court along with the Myanmar businessman. — Reuters

Toyota remains world’s top-selling automaker; chairman apologizes over scandals

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

TOKYO — Toyota Motor retained its crown as the world’s top-selling automaker for the fourth consecutive year after posting record annual sales of 11.2 million in 2023, though its chairman apologized on Tuesday for scandals at three group companies.

The Japanese automaker reported a 7.2% jump in global group sales last year, including those at small-car maker Daihatsu and truck unit Hino Motors.

Those two subsidiaries and affiliate Toyota Industries have been beset by governance issues involving certification test procedures for cars and engines that could potentially hurt the brand’s global reputation for quality and safety.

“I would like to express my deepest apologies to our customers and stakeholders for the inconvenience and concern caused by the successive irregularities at Hino Motors, Daihatsu and Toyota Industries,” Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda told reporters at an event to announce a vision for the Toyota group founded by his great-grandfather that now includes 17 companies.

One of the five attitudes laid out for employees to focus on was: “Be honest and make things in a right way.”

The company said the event, originally planned for Feb. 14, the birthday of its late founder Sakichi Toyoda, was brought forward in light of recent irregularities at Toyota’s group companies.

STRONG SALES

Toyota’s global group sales have now topped 10 million vehicles for nine of the past 10 years, except for 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic delivered a blow to the auto sector.

Second-ranked German rival Volkswagen Group this month reported a 12% rise in deliveries last year to 9.2 million cars, marking a post-pandemic recovery as supply chain bottlenecks eased.

Tuesday’s data showed sales of Toyota’s parent-only vehicles, which include those of its namesake and Lexus brands, hit a record of 10.3 million vehicles in 2023.

Gasoline-electric hybrids made up about a third of those. Battery electric vehicles accounted for less than 1%.

Toyota, however, risks a slowdown in the group’s sales momentum after Daihatsu last month suspended shipments of all its cars after a safety scandal investigation found issues involving 64 models, including almost two dozen sold under Toyota’s brand.

Daihatsu said on Tuesday its global production slumped 25% to 121,000 vehicles in December and its worldwide sales were down about 8% that month. Japan’s transport ministry lifted a ban on shipments of 10 Daihatsu-made cars earlier in the day.

On Monday, Toyota disclosed it was suspending shipments of some Toyota models including the Hilux truck and Land Cruiser 300 SUV after an independent panel uncovered wrongdoing in tests for diesel engines developed by supplier Toyota Industries.

In 2022, another committee tasked with investigating an emissions scandal at Hino Motors found the truck unit had falsified engine emissions data going back to 2003. — Reuters

South Korea’s Yoon blocks new probe of 2022 Halloween crowd crush

POLICE OFFICERS walk at the scene where many people died and were injured in a stampede during a Halloween festival in Seoul, South Korea, Oct. 30, 2022. — REUTERS

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol blocked on Tuesday a bill to launch a new probe into a Halloween crowd crush that killed 159 people in Seoul’s Itaewon district in 2022, in a move slammed by the opposition and relatives of the victims.

Yoon’s veto of a probe with an independent panel came after the prime minister described the opposition-backed bill as politicized and potentially in breach of the constitution.

“The pain from the disaster cannot be used as a tool to justify political strife and a possibility of unconstitutionality,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo told a cabinet meeting, denying an earlier investigation by police and prosecutors was flawed.

The move to block the bill has been criticized by relatives of the victims and opposition party officials who have long argued the government’s handling of the disaster had been inadequate.

Park Young-soo, a mother who lost her son in the crowd crush, accused the government of being “petty” by blocking the inquiry and offering financial compensation instead.

“That’s not what we have been fighting for more than a year for,” Ms. Park told Reuters. — Reuters

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