CHINA
Child killed by circus tiger
An eight-year-old girl was killed by a circus tiger after she slipped into an enclosed “animal training site,” state media said. The girl died of her injuries in hospital following the attack at Leheledu Amusement Park in Chongqing, Xinhua news agency reported, citing park officials. She was visiting the circus on Friday night with her relatives when she was attacked, Xinhua added. “A spokesman from the park said they have reached [an] initial agreement on settling the incident with the victim’s family and vowed to beef up security measures,” it said.
SINGAPORE
Ebola areas visa imposed
Citizens of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone will need a visa to enter the country as part of measures against the spread of Ebola, the Ministry of Health said yesterday. The three west African countries are the worst-hit by the Ebola epidemic that has killed more than 4,900 people. The ministry said the visa requirement for citizens of the three countries, who do not currently need a visa to travel to the city-state, will take effect tomorrow. In a statement, the ministry said the measures “will allow Singapore to inform the nationals of these countries during the visa application process of our Ebola health advisory and actions they should take, should they develop symptoms while en route or during their stay in Singapore.” The new regulations complement others already in place, including temperature screening for passengers arriving at Changi Airport and the required filling of a health declaration card that contains the visitor’s contact details.
AUSTRALIA
Thirsty pilot lands at pub
A man who taxied his light plane down a street in Newman, Western Australia State, and parked it at a pub while he went inside for a beer was being questioned yesterday by police, who were not amused. Locals were stunned when they saw the wingless Beechcraft two-seater chugging down the main drag of the mining town, before pulling up at the local watering hole. The West Australian newspaper said staff at the pub had dubbed the man a “legend” for his casual arrival, but police did not see the funny side. “It was a pretty stupid thing to do,” Newman police sergeant Mark McKenzie told reporters, saying the propeller was running and needed to be steered by foot pedals. It was not clear why it had no wings. “Kids were coming home from school. It could have been very ugly. All he needed was one gust of wind ... because without the wings, it’s not stable,” he said. Police said they are investigating if the pilot committed an offense, given the plane did not leave the ground or cause any accidents and the man passed a breath test.
AUSTRALIA
Dead whale surfer says sorry
A man who climbed onto a dead humpback whale as it floated offshore south of Perth on Saturday, attracting large sharks, apologized yesterday for his “idiot” act. “[I was] out on the boat with the boys and one of my mates said it would be pretty funny if you go out [and] surf the whale, so I did it,” the 26-year-old, who wanted to be known only as Harrison, told Channel 7. After hauling himself onto the carcass, Harrison could see it was being circled by sharks, as did his friends, who called for him to come back. “They were too busy chomping on the whale so it wasn’t too bad,” he said of the sharks. Yet Harrison said he would definitely not perform such a stunt again, admitting he could have lost his life. “Definitely it was a stupid act, didn’t mean to disrespect anyone,” he said. “Mum thinks I’m an idiot, dad’s not too proud either.”
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
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese