South Korea police seek warrants for 58 repatriated scam centre suspects

Numerous suspects who have been deported from Cambodia are wanted by South Korean police because of their alleged links to ‘pig butchering’ scams, according to the country’s police.

The National Police Agency in Seoul announced on Monday that it was looking into arrest warrants for 58 of the 64 South Korean nationals who had been detained there over the weekend over their alleged links to the scams.

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According to officials, five of the repatriated people have already been detained, and five others have already been released.

The repatriations, which saw the returned South Korean nationals board their flight in handcuffs, were carried out as a result of Seoul’s efforts to address the issue of its citizens becoming victims of the scams.

Around 1, 000 of South Koreans are believed to be employed in Cambodian scam centers, where they are frequently conned into accepting jobs through fake job offers before being defrauded online by the government.

Pig butchering

The trafficked workers are held against their will at the workplaces and forced to commit online robbery against victims all over the world, luring their victims to fabricated romantic relationships before convincing them to put large sums of money into phony cryptocurrency platforms.

The act of “pig butchering” is used as a slang term for fattening up a victim before they are slaughtered.

The repatriated organization has been linked to crimes, including voice phishing, romance scams, and other fraud schemes, according to Park Sung-joo, head of South Korea’s National Office of Investigation, who last week told reporters.

According to Wi Sung-lac, the national security adviser, the detained people were both “voluntary and involuntary participants” in the scams.

public outcry

Last week, South Korea sent a delegation to Cambodia that included police, intelligence agents, and the deputy foreign minister to discuss the scam center issue, which it claims has caused dozens of South Koreans to be kidnapped.

The move comes in response to the public’s outcry over the death of a South Korean college student in Cambodia who was allegedly kidnapped and tortured by a scam center crime ring and found dead in a pick-up truck in August.

In response to concerns about its citizens being kidnapped and forced to work for the scam centers, Seoul also announced a travel ban last week.

The measures come in response to recent moves by other governments to combat the scams, which have exploded into a multibillion-dollar illicit industry since the COVID-19 pandemic, when many Chinese-owned casinos and hotels in the nation shifted to illicit operations as a result of the global shutdown.

A Cambodia-based multinational crime network, known as the Prince Group, was put on full sanctions last week by the United States and the United Kingdom for operating a number of “scam centers” throughout the area. The move, according to US Attorney General Pam Bondi, was “one of the most significant strikes ever against the global scourge of human trafficking and cyber-enabled financial fraud.”

Timmy Mallett told he’s not aged 40 years on from his TV debut as star turns 70

Michaela Strachan took everyone on a nostalgia trip as she celebrated pal Timmy Mallett’s big birthday and her blown-away followers were all left saying the same thing

Timmy Mallett celebrated turning 70 this weekend and fans have been quick to tell him he’s hardly aged since he used to entertain the nation’s children four decades ago.

The bespectacled telly legend, one of the most recognisable presenters of the 1980s, made a name for himself through his zany sense of humour – not to mention whacking people over the head with his famous inflatable mallet. Despite also managing to lodge Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini into people’s heads, he stayed popular and became a regular on the radio as well as the box.

Nowadays, he is less keen on life in the limelight, preferring instead to spend his time making art and sharing TikTok videos detailing his adventures cycling around the UK and his beloved football club Maidenhead United. He also spends plenty of time with his pals – as well as fellow ageless TV presenter Michaela Strachan.

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The wildlife expert raced to Instagram to shower the star with love and said: “Happy 70th to my wonderful & utterly brilliant friend @timmy.mallett Managed to be the surprise guest at his birthday gathering & we ended up doing endless singalongs!

“We have been friends for 40 yrs & it’s a friendship I truly value. Timmy is such an inspiration with his cycling, his painting, his curiosity, his endless energy. What a legend.” The presenter bagged her first job on children’s morning TV when she fronted The Wide Awake Club from 1986 alongside Timmy before she went onto front Wacaday.

Her followers couldn’t agree more and after taking them all on a nostalgia trip, one wrote in the comments: “Love this. You both look no different to when I was growing up!” Another told the Springwatch host “You both don’t look any different to when I watched you on wacaday.”

Timmy married Australian-born Lynda Bingham back in 1990, and the pair are still going strong. In 2008, when Timmy was competing in I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!, Lynda opened up about what it was like living with such an eccentric character, revealing that her husband isn’t quite as giggly as his reality show appearances would suggest.

Lynda told the Mail Online: “Timmy giggles at home sometimes, but not all the time. He was being filmed 24 hours a day on I’m A Celebrity and the producers were taking bits of him giggling and putting it into an hour-long programme, which made it appear as if he was always giggling. In the last series, they had that woman Janice [Dickinson] who constantly said ‘Oh Man’ to everything.

“Timmy’s laugh may be irritating, but he’s not an irritating person. He was probably just trying to cheer things up a bit, although at times I’ve thought, ‘Oh God, Timmy, tone it down’. And being irritating at least got him noticed. Robert Kilroy-Silk did well in the bush tucker trials but that’s not exactly interesting, is it?”

Opening up about the secret to keeping Timmy happy, Lynda continued: “You know what I do when Timmy gets crabby at home? I feed him. It works every time. If someone comes round and says they’ve had a bad day, I give them some cake.”

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In an interview with the Daily Express in 2022, Timmy addressed speculation surrounding a potential return to television, remarking that the thought “does not appeal” to him. Timmy, who now has 70,000 followers on TikTok, explained: “It’s not something that jumps right out and appeals to me. I like the idea of trying something new. But, I’m not going to. I don’t really need to go off and break my leg. However, I can still do the dance to itsy bitsy.”

Sarah Ferguson’s true reason for Andrew divorce after his shocking list of priorities

Sarah Ferguson revealed that her decision to divorce Prince Andrew was driven by financial independence, despite his dismissive priorities and alleged affairs

Nearly three decades after her split from Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson’s real reason for choosing to end their marriage has resurfaced amid her enduring bond she still shares with the disgraced royal figure.

Fergie officially divorced Andrew in 1996 but has continued to defend and support him through years of controversy. Despite no longer being a member of the Royal Family, she remains one of his closest allies, even sharing his home at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park.

It comes as Andrew has relinquished his use of the Duke of York title and royal honours amid the long-running fallout of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir. He will retain his title of Prince, as he is entitled to as per his birthright.

The titles and honours he will no longer use include his wedding day titles – The Duke of York, the Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh; his Knighthood as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO); his Garter role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

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He will also not be able to wear the Garter robes he was seen in at Charles’s coronation. Although Andrew is relinquishing his dukedom, he still technically retains it – and it can only be removed by an Act of Parliament, should his brother issues Letters Patent.

Last month, Sarah was also dropped by numerous charities after a 2011 email revealed she called convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein her “supreme friend”. This month, she also lost her “Duchess of York” courtesy title after her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, relinquished his royal titles.

Sarah and Andrew’s relationship began in 1985 when they were introduced by Princess Diana. The pair married a year later, but royal life quickly exposed deep cracks within their marriage.

According to a biography about Andrew, the prince’s naval duties kept him away from home for long stretches and for one of the years of their marriage, he was reportedly home for just 42 days. He allegedly made his priorities clear to Sarah, telling her: “I am a Prince, then a naval officer, then a husband.”

The marriage was further strained by rumours of affairs on both sides. Andrew was said to have slept with “more than a dozen women” before their first anniversary, while Fergie faced speculation over her friendship with Texas oilman Steve Wyatt.

In 1992, a tabloid photograph showing the Duchess having her toes sucked by her “financial advisor” sent shockwaves through the monarchy, and the couple soon announced their separation.

Their divorce was finalised in 1996, with Sarah later explaining that the decision was practical rather than personal. “I wanted to work; it’s not right for a princess of the royal house to be commercial,” she said. “So Andrew and I decided to make the divorce official so I could go off and get a job.”

Despite the scandal and scrutiny surrounding Andrew, including his 2022 settlement with Virginia Giuffre over sexual assault allegations, which he has always denied, Fergie has never turned her back on him.

Writing in The Sunday Times, she said: “I travel a lot and I’ve always been able to make wherever I am home… When I’m in the UK I’m lucky enough to stay at Royal Lodge. I wouldn’t call it my home as that would be presumptuous.”

Over the years, Fergie has repeatedly praised her ex-husband. “I think the love I had for him then, is the love I still have for him now,” she once said.

“We’re the happiest divorced couple in the world… We’re divorced to each other, not from each other. My duty is to him. I am so proud of him. I stand by him and always will.”

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Ready, Set, Moo! Women Compete In Swiss Cow Grand Prix

They are also off! Nine cows scurry away in the cow Grand Prix, a sport that is exclusively contested by women jockeys, to the thunder of hooves, moos, and bells.

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A traditional Alpine cowbell, a bouquet, and a ton of local pride are included in the prize pool. The winner will receive a 40-kilogram (88-pound) bag of feed.

Near the Swiss border with tiny Liechtenstein, Flumserberg, a village more than 1,300 meters (4, 265 feet) up in the mountains above the picturesque Wahlensee lake.

On October 19, 2025, this image shows the Alpine resort of Flumserberg in general. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP)

The festival, which began in 2006, is a highlight of Flumserberg’s fall festivities, which include a cheese market in the weeks leading up to the snowfall, which turn the ski station’s green pastures white.

Flowers decorate the cows’ foreheads.

The cows “love them,” according to Rolf Blumer from the “Heidiland” tourism office, which represents the area in which Johanna Spyri’s 1880s novel’s eponymous heroine lives. They are only put on at the last minute.

Unpredictably Unpredictable Urgently

A line of hay marked the start and finish lines for Sunday’s two-lap race.

“I’m feeling good, a little nervous, but I’m confident it’ll go well.” We’ll give it everything, “We’ll hold on”! Nina Beeler jumped aboard the eight-year-old Swiss Brown cow Cobra, and said she.

The cows suddenly shoot forward as the handlers on the ground release the bridles.

The Cow Race Grand Prix, a two-round race exclusively for female jockeys and the only event of its kind in Switzerland, takes place on October 19, 2025 in the Alpine resort of Flumserberg, is first presented to the public before the event begins. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP)

But eventually the stampede stops, and each cow begins to make its own way, some moving slowly and others equating to the crowd of thousands that adorn the undulating, circular course.

One of Cobra’s trainers, Selena Gadient, 22, said, “It’s very different from riding a horse.”

The key difference is that you really have to hold on tight and you can’t steer the cow, Gadient told AFP.

It takes a lot of effort, she continued, “You don’t have such a comfortable seat either.”

Cobra sped off on the first lap, but slowed down on the second, finishing in the lead as Viola, the reigning champion of 2013, surged through on the inside just before the end to reclaim the title.

The only event of its kind in Switzerland, the two-round race for female jockeys, Cow Race Grand Prix, which was held in the Alpine resort of Flumserberg on October 19, 2025, reacts Lea Werner riding Viola. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP)

Lea Werner, her rider, lead the cheers as she crossed the finish line.

She reaffirmed that “taking part is more important than winning,” raising the victory cowbell high and ringing it.

Training Secrets

Remo Rupf, the man behind the Cow Grand Prix, stated that the idea was to organize a festival for cheese market visitors.

He told AFP that “some of the farmers’ wives were considering starting a cow race.”

The women trained in secret because the men didn’t think it was a good idea or because it would be difficult.

Only women are permitted to ride, according to Rapf.

The Cow Race Grand Prix, a two-round race exclusively for female jockeys and the only event of its kind in Switzerland, takes place on October 19, 2025 in the Alpine resort of Flumserberg, is first presented to the public before the event begins. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP)

Up to 5, 000 people attend the race in Flumserberg, where they spend the day listening to schlager folk music and sampling Alpine produce. The race is now the highlight of the fall.

Some animal rights activists crossed the barriers a few years ago, Rupf said.

The veterinary office has granted us permission, so the animal rights activists can rest assured that everything is in order. Every cow actually participates voluntarily, too.

A cow doesn’t want to run if she doesn’t. She simply stops and stays where she is, the organiser continued.

EU moves to ban Russian energy imports by 2028

By 2028, the European Union’s member states have agreed to end Russian oil and gas imports, breaking a diplomatic ties Moscow fears will have with Ukraine.

During a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, nearly all EU energy ministers voted in favor of the draft regulation, which applies both to pipeline oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

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It would require EU members to progressively end all new Russian gas import agreements starting in 2026, ending all existing short-term agreements beginning in 2028, and ending all existing long-term agreements beginning in 2028.

The European Parliament must now approve the proposal, which is expected to happen.

In response to repeated requests from US President Donald Trump for European nations to stop “funding the war against themselves,” the plan is a part of a wider EU strategy to reduce Russian energy dependence in the wake of the conflict in Ukraine.

Not yet, though.

Denmark’s energy minister, Lars Aagaard, described the proposal as “crucial” in order to create energy independence.

We have worked hard and pushed for Russian gas and oil to leave Europe in recent years, but we are not there yet, Aagaard said. His nation currently serves as the EU’s rotating president.

Russian gas still accounts for 13% of all gas imports, or 17.5 billion euros ($17.5 billion) annually, despite the EU’s already reduced Russian oil imports to just 3% of its overall share.

However, the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air claims that these purchases account for only a small portion of Russia’s total fossil fuel exports, which are mostly made by China, India, and Turkiye.

Hungary and Slovakia are the EU’s top importers of Russian energy, followed by France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

The most recent EU initiative was opposed by Hungary and Slovakia, both of whom are diplomatically closer to Moscow. However, they only needed a majority of 15 states to pass, so they were unable to veto it.

According to the AFP news agency, Budapest’s top diplomat, Peter Szijjarto, was quoted as saying, “Our safe supply of energy in Hungary is going to be killed.”

Hungary and Slovakia were given particular flexibility in the text that was approved on Monday.

The EU is also negotiating a new package of sanctions against Russia that would impose a one-year import ban starting in 2027.