Major League Baseball 2024 kicks off in South Korea

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Earlier this week, it was "play ball" for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome. The two teams kicked off a new season of Major League Baseball, winning one each of the two-game opening series. FRANCE 24's Leo McGuinn tells more about the event and the popularity of baseball in South Korea.

Also this week, Vietnam's president stepped down, in the latest episode of the Communist government's sweeping anti-corruption drive. Vo Van Thuong is the second president to be forced out of office in two years. Some say what is happening in Vietnam is not just an anti-graft campaign, but also a political purge. 

Finally, Hong Kong's new national security bill has unanimously passed the parliament that's devoid of opposition. It expands on a previous law imposed by Beijing in 2020 and grants more power to the government to quash dissent. Critics have described it as a final nail in a closed coffin.