THAILAND
School sorry for Hitler mural
Chulalongkorn University apologized yesterday after students created a large mural depicting Adolf Hitler among a host of comic book superheroes during graduation celebrations. The school in Bangkok expressed its “deep regret” over the painting, which appeared last week and featured Superman, Batman and the Incredible Hulk, as well as the Nazi leader. In a letter to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which had complained about the poster, the university said the students who created it were “unaware of its significance” and had received a verbal warning. A picture posted on the center’s Web site shows a young woman in a graduation gown giving a Nazi salute in front of the giant mural, which reads “Congratulation.”
CHINA
Family not told of execution
A Changsha court executed a man without notifying his family, sparking anger online, media reported on Sunday. Businessman Zeng Chengjie was executed on Friday after being sentenced in 2011 for fraud and illegal fundraising involving 3.4 billion yuan (US$550 million), the Beijing Times said. His daughter complained on microblogging site Sina Weibo that the court had not notified the family beforehand. The court replied via its own Weibo account, saying: “The law does not have a written rule that convicts being executed must see their families.” This generated a backlash online and the court apologized in a second post, saying its account managers had not studied the law closely, the Beijing Times said. It then issued a third post saying Zeng was given the option to see his family, but declined.
AUSTRALIA
Thieves raid reptile park
Thieves on Sunday stole a horde of exotic reptiles from a zoo, including a baby alligator. Twenty-three creatures, mostly snakes, lizards and geckos, were taken from their enclosures at the Australian Reptile Park north of Sydney during a night-time raid, senior curator Liz Vella said yesterday. She said officials were still speculating on the motive behind the robbery, but usually such thefts were done by young people who “wanted a bunch of reptiles for their home and to show off to their friends.” She said the black market value of the animals was only about A$10,000 (US$9,000), but their value to the keepers who cared for them was “a lot more.”
SINGAPORE
Officer charged with murders
Policeman Senior Staff Sergeant Iskandar Rahmat, 34, was charged yesterday a double homicide. He could face hanging if convicted of murdering car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin, 67, and his son, Tan Chee Heong, 42, on Wednesday last week. The elder Tan was fatally slashed in his home while his son’s body was found a kilometer away after being dragged under a car, leaving a trail of blood on a busy road. Iskandar gave no plea in court.
INDIA
Flood missing assumed dead
Almost 6,000 people listed as missing after flash floods and landslides struck Uttarakhand State last month are now presumed dead, officials said yesterday. Pilgrims, tourists and others were swept away in floods caused by torrential monsoon rains, destroying villages and towns. About 1,000 people were confirmed dead at the time and thousands others listed as missing. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said his state government would give 500,000 rupees (US$8,400) to each family and set up a fund to give 500,000 rupees to each child orphaned in the disaster.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was