One Dead, 102 Rescued from Stricken Ferry Off Indonesia's Java

A police boat is seen as a team member uses binoculars during search operations for a speedboat carrying eight people including five journalists, which went missing September 7 in waters of the Sunda Strait, on September 12, 2026.  (Photo by PERDIANSYAH / AFP)
A police boat is seen as a team member uses binoculars during search operations for a speedboat carrying eight people including five journalists, which went missing September 7 in waters of the Sunda Strait, on September 12, 2026. (Photo by PERDIANSYAH / AFP)
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One Dead, 102 Rescued from Stricken Ferry Off Indonesia's Java

A police boat is seen as a team member uses binoculars during search operations for a speedboat carrying eight people including five journalists, which went missing September 7 in waters of the Sunda Strait, on September 12, 2026.  (Photo by PERDIANSYAH / AFP)
A police boat is seen as a team member uses binoculars during search operations for a speedboat carrying eight people including five journalists, which went missing September 7 in waters of the Sunda Strait, on September 12, 2026. (Photo by PERDIANSYAH / AFP)

One person was killed and more than 100 were rescued on Sunday after a ferry sailing between the Indonesian islands of Java and Borneo was hit by bad weather, rescue officials said.

The Virgo Transport 8, carrying 243 passengers and crew, had lost contact with its shipping company early on Sunday after departing from Surabaya in East Java.

"We can inform you that the total number of evacuated passengers is 103 people," local search and rescue chief I Putu Sudayana said.

One of the passengers had died, he told reporters in the port city of Banjarmasin, where the vessel was headed.

Rescuers battled waves of up to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) to reach the ferry, he added.

"It is extremely risky for vessels. Even our Basarnas vessel, which is 40 meters long, is at great risk," he said, referring to Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency.

Sudayana earlier told AFP that the ship's captain had reported that the vessel was "tilting" before losing contact.

The vessel's last position had been detected in the Java Sea, around 150 kilometers (90 miles) from its destination.

Marine accidents are a regular occurrence in Indonesia -- an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands that relies heavily on boat connections for daily transport and tourism.

Lax safety standards and unpredictable weather are the main reasons for the disasters.

On Monday, a speedboat carrying eight people, including five journalists working for local and international news agencies went missing near a volcano, Mount Anak Krakatau, in Banten province and a search is ongoing.

The journalists were sent to cover the volcano's eruption that paralyzed Jakarta's main airport and several others.

Last month, a fire on board a ferry killed one person and left five others missing while 211 were rescued in the Lombok Strait off Indonesia's Bali island.

The ferry had been heading from Bali to Lombok when it ran into trouble in the early hours of August 12.

In July, a ferry transporting more than 70 people sank while sailing near Selayar, a small island south of Sulawesi.



DR Congo’s Worst Ebola Epidemic Ever Passes 7,000 Cases

A Congolese medical worker dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE) walks within the emergency unit at the Muthiri Adventist Hospital, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in the Mutiri quarter of Butembo, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo, September 10, 2026. (Reuters)
A Congolese medical worker dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE) walks within the emergency unit at the Muthiri Adventist Hospital, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in the Mutiri quarter of Butembo, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo, September 10, 2026. (Reuters)
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DR Congo’s Worst Ebola Epidemic Ever Passes 7,000 Cases

A Congolese medical worker dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE) walks within the emergency unit at the Muthiri Adventist Hospital, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in the Mutiri quarter of Butembo, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo, September 10, 2026. (Reuters)
A Congolese medical worker dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE) walks within the emergency unit at the Muthiri Adventist Hospital, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in the Mutiri quarter of Butembo, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo, September 10, 2026. (Reuters)

More than 7,000 Ebola cases have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo's worst outbreak of the deadly disease ever, according to figures released Saturday by Congolese authorities.

But the government also suggested that the spread of the disease may already have peaked, despite the virus having been confirmed in a seventh province earlier this week.

The DRC officially detected the latest outbreak in mid-May, with nearly 3,400 people killed in its 17th epidemic of the highly infectious virus.

It began in the northeastern Ituri province before spreading to conflict-plagued, remote eastern and northern regions where armed groups have roamed for decades, the presence of the state is weak and health infrastructure is lacking.

The disease was confirmed in South-Ubangi, which borders the Central African Republic and Congo-Brazzaville, earlier this week.

According to the latest figures from the Congolese authorities, 7,022 cases have been recorded since the beginning of the epidemic. Of that number, 3,398 people have died and 1,671 have recovered.

"The peak was reached at the beginning of the third week of August," Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya wrote on X on Saturday.

"All the indicators show a decrease in the number of cases," he added, specifying that "10 of the 61 health zones" affected by the epidemic have not recorded any new cases "for at least 21 days".

Most of the recorded cases are in Ituri, where Ebola has been detected in schools in the days after the post-summer holiday return to classes, causing alarm among parents and health workers.

"We are very worried because we don't know which child comes from which family or what the health status of the members of that family is," Angele Magani, the mother of a student in Bunia, Ituri's provincial capital, told AFP.

"We are so scared, even though the school authorities reassure us about the health measures that have been put in place," she added.

Bunia school official Roger Mungimbo said "there is a mandatory hand-washing system with soap, and we have also done everything possible to have a maximum of 30 pupils per classroom."

"We regularly make the children aware that they must not touch each other" and wash their hands regularly, he added.

Ebola, which has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the last 50 years, is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe internal and external bleeding and organ failure.

The current epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. Several treatments and vaccines are being tested.


India’s Modi and China’s Xi Seek to Reset Ties on BRICS Sidelines

This handout photograph taken on September 12, 2026 and released by the Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) shows India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) and China's President Xi Jinping shaking hands during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12, 2026. (Handout / Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken on September 12, 2026 and released by the Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) shows India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) and China's President Xi Jinping shaking hands during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12, 2026. (Handout / Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) / AFP)
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India’s Modi and China’s Xi Seek to Reset Ties on BRICS Sidelines

This handout photograph taken on September 12, 2026 and released by the Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) shows India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) and China's President Xi Jinping shaking hands during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12, 2026. (Handout / Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken on September 12, 2026 and released by the Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) shows India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) and China's President Xi Jinping shaking hands during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12, 2026. (Handout / Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) / AFP)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met Saturday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, the latest effort by the rival neighbors to repair ties strained by a deadly border clash six years ago.

Xi said China has approached relations with India from a “strategic and long-term perspective” and called for the two countries to draw on each other’s strengths, support one another and pursue common development.

He also urged “high-quality cooperation” between the two countries, saying China and India, as major members of the Global South, should promote a more multipolar world and contribute to global peace and stability.

Xi said institutional exchanges between the two countries have gradually resumed and bilateral trade has expanded, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency. China and India are partners, not rivals, Xi said, and the two countries present opportunities for each other’s development rather than threats, according to Xinhua.

Modi thanked Xi for China’s cooperation in hosting the summit. China will host the summit next year. BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, the group's founding countries, plus South Africa.

Modi said peace along the disputed border was essential for broader ties and urged both sides to honor existing agreements, a statement by India’s foreign ministry later Saturday said. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a fair and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary dispute, it said.

“Differences should not become disputes,” Modi said, adding: “Both sides must be guided by three mutuals: mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.”

The leaders discussed expanding people-to-people and business ties while addressing trade imbalances, supply chain issues and market access concerns, the statement said.

The two leaders held talks in China last year during Modi's visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional political, economic and security group founded by China.

The summit marks Xi’s first visit to India since 2019 and yet another effort toward a cautious thaw between the rival neighbors, six years after a deadly border clash badly damaged ties.

A military clash in 2020 killed at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese service members along a grueling frontier in the cold desert region of Ladakh. It turned into a long-running standoff in the rugged mountainous area, where each side has stationed tens of thousands of military personnel backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets.

India and China have since taken steps to ease tensions, but deep mistrust remains.

The two nuclear-armed powers still dispute some parts of their border, while India’s large trade deficit with China, restrictions on Chinese investment and technology and their competing strategic interests in Asia continue to weigh on relations. India has also significantly expanded military infrastructure along its disputed frontier with China, while Beijing has built roads and defensive positions on its side of the contested border.

Xi’s visit is expected to test whether the recent thaw can translate into a broader stabilization of ties.

Since their 1962 war, the economies of both countries have grown substantially, but China has far outpaced India and runs a large trade surplus with its neighbor. Their growing economic rivalry has added to longstanding territorial and strategic differences.

India has sought to capitalize on China’s rising labor costs and strained ties with the United States and Europe to position itself as an alternative base for foreign manufacturers. New Delhi has also viewed China’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative with concern and has strongly opposed it.

At the same time, India’s growing strategic partnership with the US has raised concerns in Beijing, which views the relationship as part of efforts to counter China’s rise.


South Korea's Expanded Espionage Law Takes Effect amid Push to Protect Chip Technology

Semiconductor chips are seen on a printed circuit board in this illustration picture taken February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration
Semiconductor chips are seen on a printed circuit board in this illustration picture taken February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration
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South Korea's Expanded Espionage Law Takes Effect amid Push to Protect Chip Technology

Semiconductor chips are seen on a printed circuit board in this illustration picture taken February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration
Semiconductor chips are seen on a printed circuit board in this illustration picture taken February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration

South Korea's expanded espionage law ‌takes effect on Sunday, broadening espionage offences beyond acts involving North Korea to include all foreign countries as Seoul seeks to protect key technologies amid intensifying competition in semiconductors and other strategic industries.

Here are more details:

* The National Assembly passed the revised Criminal Act on February 26 after years of criticism that existing laws were ill-suited to punish technology and industrial espionage involving non-North Korean actors.

* The amendment creates a new offence covering espionage for a foreign country or equivalent organization, carrying a ‌minimum sentence of three ‌years in prison. Existing provisions for espionage ‌benefiting ⁠an "enemy state" remain ⁠in place.

* Under the previous law, espionage charges generally applied only to acts benefiting North Korea, forcing prosecutors in many cases involving foreign governments or companies to rely on other industrial technology or trade-secret laws.

* The National Intelligence Service welcomed the amendment when it was passed, saying it would strengthen South ⁠Korea's ability to prevent leaks of strategic technologies ‌such as semiconductors, displays, batteries and ‌AI.

* Legal and security experts cited the change as closing a longstanding ‌loophole that often left advanced industrial technology leak cases subject ‌to lighter penalties, with supporters arguing it will strengthen deterrence against industrial espionage.

* The amendment was promulgated on March 12 and takes effect after a six-month grace period on September 13.

* The change follows ‌high-profile technology leak cases, including the indictment last year of five former Samsung Electronics employees accused ⁠of transferring ⁠key dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chip technology to Chinese memory maker CXMT. Samsung and CXMT did not comment at the time.

* Asked whether the law, which does not specify any country, could be seen as targeting Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China requires its enterprises to conduct international cooperation in accordance with international rules and laws. "At the same time, to this end, we believe that all countries should safeguard the normal investment and business activities of enterprises and provide a fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment," Mao told a regular news briefing on Friday.