Israel-Hamas war latest: UNICEF says polio vaccination campaign in Gaza is surpassing its target

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says it has detected suspected trash-carrying balloons launched by North Korea, in the latest round of a Cold War-style psychological warfare between the war-divided rivals.

The metropolitan government of Seoul, South Korea’s capital, issued text alerts Wednesday saying that objects likely to be North Korean balloons were spotted in regions north of the city. It advised people to stay indoors and beware of objects dropping from the sky.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the direction of winds suggested that the balloons could drift into the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, near Seoul. It advised people to report to the police or military if they see fallen balloons and not to touch them.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

North Korea in recent weeks has flown thousands of balloons toward the South to drop waste paper, cloth scraps and cigarette butts, in what it described as a retaliation against South Korean civilian activists flying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border. North Korea is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and the third-generation ruler Kim Jong Un.

Trash carried by at least one North Korean balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound in July, raising concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean facilities. Officials said the balloon contained no dangerous material and no one was hurt.

South Korea, in response to the North Korean balloons, has activated its front-line loudspeakers to blast broadcasts of propaganda messages and K-pop songs.

The tit-for-tat Cold War-style campaigns are adding to the tensions fueled by North Korea’s growing nuclear ambitions and the South’s expansion of joint military exercises with the United States.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday she is doubling down and pushing full steam ahead to achieve gender parity in her executive Commission team that runs the day-to-day affairs of the massive bloc — despite stubborn resistance from some of the 27 member states.

The German, who is setting up the college for her second five-year mandate, may be beholden to the candidates that each member state chooses to provide.

But she has been twisting arms in capitals to make sure that the original tally of 21 men and 6 women changes to at least a semblance of balance. In her first term, she achieved near gender parity among EU commissioners.

“I have throughout my whole political life been fighting for women having access to decision-making positions and leading positions,” von der Leyen told reporters. “My experience is that if you don’t ask for it, you don’t get it. It does not come naturally.”

She sent the member states a letter insisting she should have a choice between at least one man and a woman, giving her some leverage though legally she has no right to insist on such a gender constraint.

Without the letter, she said she would have faced a fait accompli of having the most lopsided male-dominated Commission in over two decades. Now, at least she is continuing the fight.

“It is absolutely worth it. The process is ongoing. By now we are at two digits — women — but I haven’t seen all potential candidates, she said.

When it comes to gender issues, the 27-nation EU is often seen as perhaps the most progressive grouping of countries in the world, leaving behind other nations and continents where the dominance of men in political institutions is still the order of the day.

She acknowledged that government leaders are often restricted in their choice by national politics giving one party the right one year, and another the next time. If not governments, parliaments can also get involved — making life even more difficult.

And quality is equally important, she said. “The Commission needs competence,” she said, calling it “the first and most important criterion.”

So far though, the EU will have several women — there is the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola of Malta, and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas from Estonia, along with von der Leyen’s top posting.

Once von der Leyen completes the mix and match of political group, nation and post, the full list goes to the European Parliament for approval. Each prospective commissioner can still be rejected by lawmakers. There is no set date for when a vote will happen, but debate will continue for most of September.

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BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand on Wednesday welcomed a new Cabinet after King Maha Vajiralongkorn approved the appointment of 35 members to serve under Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

Paetongtarn took office on Aug. 16, after her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin was forced out of office by a court ruling that he had violated an ethics law by appointing a Cabinet member who had served time in prison in connection with a bribery case. She is the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup in 2006 but remains politically influential.

Paetongtarn is leader of the Pheu Thai Party, which took power after last year’s general election. It formed a government after members of the conservative Senate refused to endorse the prime minister nominated by the progressive Move Forward Party, which won the most seats in the poll.

The new Cabinet is substantially the same as Srettha’s, with five of the deputy prime ministers retaining their jobs. Also keeping their jobs are Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira, who are both also deputy prime ministers, as well as Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa.

The new Cabinet’s royal endorsement, published in the government gazette, followed weeks of speculation over its composition after the pro-military Palang Pracharath Party was removed from the ruling coalition that Srettha had formed. The party and its leader, retired General Prawit Wongsuwan, were widely believed to be behind the ethics case brought before the Constitutional Court that cost Srettha his job before he completed a full year in office.

Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai party invited its long-time rival, the Democrat Party, to join the governing coalition, with party leader Chalermchai Sri-on appointed Minister of Natural Resources, a post previously held by Prawit’s brother.

Pheu Thai’s predecessor, the Thai Rak Thai Party, ended years of Democrat domination of electoral politics in 2001 when its billionaire founder and leader, Thaksin, became prime minister. After Thaksin was ousted in 2006, the Democrats linked up with other conservative forces in Thai society to try to thwart a comeback of his political machine. Thaksin’s ouster triggered years of struggle between his supporters and his opponents, in the streets, in the courts and at the ballot box.

Because Srettha lost his position over an ethics issue involving a Cabinet minister, Paetongtarn’s appointments were vetted to ensure they were free of legal problems.

Srettha’s Deputy Interior Minister Chada Thaised, once accused of ordering two murders in the early 2000s, was replaced by his daughter Sabida, while Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thammanat Prompao, who was jailed in Australia for heroin trafficking in 1994, also lost his seat.

“There’s a lot of openings in the constitution for all sorts of ethics probes, and the Constitutional Court has great power in interpreting the constitution,” commented Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, a law professor at Thailand’s Thammasat University. Terms used by the court, such as “evidently honest” and “ethical standards,” are entirely subjective, he told The Associated Press.

“It’s all systemic. When you have vengeful people and a court with power to rule over entirely subjective matters, the Pheu Thai party won’t have any problems with the opposition in Parliament. It would have problems with all the people they’ve upset, launching petitions that put them into the courts’ hands,” he said.

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