Sinkhole swallows truck in Japan, trapping driver inside
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(TOKYO) — The oval-shaped pit suddenly formed on a busy road in Yashio, Japan, taking down a truck and trapping the driver inside. Emergency crews battled unstable ground and debris.
The crater is about 30 feet wide and 16 feet deep. It formed in a well-traveled area of Saitama Prefecture, just outside Tokyo, Japan’s capital. While Tokyo is a global economic hub, Saitama is more residential.
Authorities say the driver, a man, is inside the cab and is in communication with firefighters. However, his truck’s front end appeared lodged in dirt, making the rescue difficult.
Locals appeared stunned. One woman described hearing a thunderous boom, running outside and seeing a hole where the road had been: “I could still see part of the truck at first, but then it kept sinking … and sinking … and then it was just gone.”
Another man, on his way to grab lunch, said he was just as shocked: “I drive this road all the time. Now I don’t know if it’s even safe to use anymore.”
Firefighters have deployed a crane and ropes. The walls of the hole are fragile, making the operation dangerous. Police have shut down roads in the area, fearing more collapses. Status of the driver is unclear.
The cause of the sinkhole is also not clear, but officials are investigating whether underground pipes, recent weather, or construction may have contributed.
(SEOUL) — South Korean police raided South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office as a part of the ongoing investigation into the martial law declaration on Dec. 3, Yonhap, South Korean state media, reported Wednesday.
The South Korean National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters Emergency Martial Special Consecution Team entered “the seizure and search,” of the President’s office Wednesday morning local time, Yonhap reported.
South Korean Police on Wednesday morning also arrested the South Korean National Police Commissioner Cho Ji Ho and the Seoul Police Chief Kim Bong Sik as a part of the ongoing investigation into the martial law declaration.
The police action followed more than a week of political turmoil in South Korea after Yoon’s brief failed imposition of a police state, a move that the president had at the time claimed necessary to protect the nation from enemies within. Yoon, a member of the conservative People Power Party, backtracked on his declaration within hours. Opposition parties then moved to impeach Yoon, but lawmakers in his party declined to join in the vote, leaving him in power.
Presidential Chief of Staff Jeong Jin Seok and several other staff members resigned soon after the martial law was lifted. Yoon soon after accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who was described as the architect of Yoon’s plan.
The former defense minister, who took full responsibility for the martial law declaration in a statement from his attorney Tuesday, became the first government official to be formally arrested for the series of events late Tuesday evening local time. He was arrested for engaging in essential activities in insurrection and abusing his power during the six hours of martial law in action.
He had attempted suicide while he was in the bathroom before a warrant for his arrest was issued, Shin Yong Hae, the head of the South Korean Ministry of Justice’s correctional headquarters, said during a public judicial committee questioning Wednesday.
“Yesterday afternoon around 11:52 p.m., one of our personnel witnessed a suicide attempt… before a warrant was issued,” Shin said. “He gave up immediately as personnel opened the door. He is currently being held in shelter and is reported to be in good health.”
The two arrested Wednesday — the South Korean National Police Commissioner and the Seoul Police Chief — were arrested under insurrection charges, according to the South Korean Police’s special investigation team. They are suspected of instructing police officers to block lawmakers at the National Assembly who were there to reverse the martial law decree.
The arrests took place just one day since the two have been placed under a travel ban.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
(LONDON) — Israel’s cabinet has approved the U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hezbollah after prolonged negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had submitted the proposal to the cabinet for approval Tuesday evening local time. The deal was approved 10-1, with only far-right minister Ben Gvir voting against the plan.
Israel announced the deal, followed shortly after by an announcement at the White House by President Joe Biden. The deal will go into effect at 4 a.m. local time, Biden said.
“Israel appreciates the US contribution to the process, and reserves its right to act against any threat to its security,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said, translated from Hebrew.
Netanyahu said earlier, when submitting the deal for approval, that the deal still relies on the actions of Hezbollah.
“The duration of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “We will enforce the agreement and respond forcefully to any violation. We will continue together until victory.”
The prime minister hailed “great achievements” on all fronts of the war, including killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and destroying their weapons across the country.
“With full understanding with the United States, we maintain complete military freedom of action,” Netanyahu said in the address, translated from Hebrew. “If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to arm itself — we will attack. If it tries to renew terrorist infrastructure near the border — we will attack. If it launches a rocket, if it digs a tunnel, if it brings in a truck with missiles — we will attack.”
Netanyahu attended a meeting with security officials on Sunday night regarding a ceasefire with Israel’s Hezbollah adversaries in Lebanon, an Israeli official told ABC News.
This was part of ongoing talks, including Netanyahu’s meeting last week in Israel with U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein. Hochstein also traveled to Beirut to discuss a potential way forward.
Netanyahu then held a security cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss the deal and hold a cabinet vote, Israeli officials said.
In October, Israel invaded southern Lebanon in an escalation of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.
Tensions heightened last weekend as the countries’ leaders worked to negotiate a ceasefire deal. On Sunday, Hezbollah fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel in one of the group’s heaviest retaliations in months.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — The upcoming change in the White House is sparking uncertainty for the Middle East. President-elect Donald Trump might be a familiar face (and a historically friendly one for the Israelis), but what he will do to address the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territories remains unclear.
During his first term, Trump moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a deeply symbolic show of support for Israel. The decision created anger among Palestinians, since it effectively recognized the city as Israel’s capital.
Jerusalem lies at the heart of the near-century-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, since it stands as a powerful political and religious symbol for both sides. Palestinian protests over the move spread to Gaza and the West Bank, turning deadly as demonstrators clashed with the Israeli military.
Many Israelis welcome Trump’s return to the White House. In his first term, Trump became the first Western leader to officially recognize Israel’s control over the Golan Heights, which it seized from Syria in 1967. And, as a thank you, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renamed a planned settlement in the area “Trump Heights” in 2019.
Some members of the Israeli government hope Trump will go a step further when he returns to the White House on Jan. 20. Days after Trump won the presidential election, Bezalel Smotrich — Israel’s far-right finance minister — announced at a press conference that he’s ordered preparations for the annexation of settlements in the West Bank.
“I intend, with God’s help, to lead a government decision that says the government of Israel will work with the new administration of President Trump and the international community to apply Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria,” he said in Hebrew.
Smotrich referred to the West Bank as Judea and Samaria, a reference to ancient Israelite kingdoms as some Israelis assert that the area is a historic Jewish homeland.
Smotrich’s plan would effectively cement the West Bank as Israeli territory, despite the occupied land being part of what would form a Palestinian state.
Official U.S. policy has always been in favor of a two-state solution, meaning it supports the creation of a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel. Trump’s appointment of Mike Huckabee — the former governor of Arkansas and a staunch supporter of Israel’s expansion ambitions — as ambassador to Israel has thrown continued commitment to that policy into question.
In the West Bank village of Al-Makhrour, a Christian area west of Bethlehem, local woman Alice Kasiya is holding out hope for better days under Trump. Her family’s land was seized by Israeli settlers at the end of July. In a video posted to social media, she said 50 Israeli soldiers sealed off the area as bulldozers drove through.
“He’s a business guy. He had many peace agreements with other countries before, in his presidential time,” she told ABC News. “And I know everyone says no, it will, it will be worse with him, but I believe it will be better. He’s a good guy.”
Kasiya, who’s been arrested three times while protesting, said she believes the situation can’t get any worse. She noted that Israeli settler expansionism has accelerated dramatically since Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
“We have seen many settlers coming and trying to take over lands, ” she said. “So it’s like cancer. They are spreading. They put the first step and they will keep moving around until they get everything slowly, slowly.”
Kasiya also warned that what happens in her area reverberates far and wide.
“It’s not for us only, it’s for the whole world,” she told ABC News. “Because this city is the Holy City that affects the whole world. If it’s not in peace, nowhere else will be living in peace.”
