South Korean Ferry Saga A Tale Of Government Blunders

Seoul plans to offer financial support to residents seeking to reverse vasectomies or tubectomies in the latest step aimed at boosting birthrates as a dwindling population threatens the long-term vitality of the South Korean capital. Seoul will offer each citizen up to 1 million won ($734) to help ease the financial burden of the medical prodecure for couples who want a child, according to a statement from the city on Tuesday.

(TEL AVIV, Israel) — Israel faced new condemnation Monday for strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah that local health officials said killed at least 45 Palestinians, including displaced people living in tents that were engulfed by fire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there had been a “tragic mistake” and that Israel was investigating. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Israel has faced surging international criticism over its war with Hamas, with even some of its closest allies, particularly the United States, expressing outrage at civilian deaths.

(SEOUL, South Korea) — A North Korean rocket carrying its second spy satellite exploded midair on Monday, state media reported, after its neighbors strongly rebuked its planned launch. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said it launched a spy satellite aboard a new rocket at its main northwestern space center.

(BRUSSELS) — Relations between the European Union and Israel took a nosedive on the eve of the diplomatic recognition of a Palestinian state by EU members Ireland and Spain, with Madrid suggesting sanctions should be considered against Israel for its continued attacks in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Spain that its consulate in Jerusalem will not be allowed to help Palestinians. At the same time, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, a Spaniard, threw his full weight to support the International Criminal Court, whose prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others, including the leaders of Hamas. “The prosecutor of the court has been strongly intimidated and accused of antisemitism,” Borrell said.

Thai activist-turned-lawmaker Chonthicha “Lookkate” Jangrew—a prominent figure of the country’s pro-democracy movement and a member of the Move Forward Party that galvanized the public during last year’s parliamentary elections—was sentenced on Monday to two years in prison for royal defamation related to her involvement in a 2021 demonstration. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Lookkate, who was recently included in TIME’s list of Next Generation Leaders, which published in print also on Monday, denies the charge and has filed an appeal.

At least 40 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike at a camp for displaced people in the southern city of Rafah late Sunday, the Hamas-run ministry of health said. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The strike came two days after the International Court of Justice issued a ruling that many interpreted as ordering Israel to halt its operations so as to save civilians.