UNITED STATES
Indiana amends religion bill
Indiana Republican Governor Mike Pence has approved changes to a new law that sparked boycotts of the state amid fears that it would allow discrimination against lesbians and gays. Pence had asked lawmakers to clarify language in the religious objections law earlier this week as businesses canceled conventions and governments banned travel to the state. The Indiana legislature approved the changes on Thursday after intense negotiations with business and community leaders, and Pence signed it late in the day. The revised legislation prohibits businesses from using the law as a legal defense for refusing to provide services, goods, facilities or accommodations. It also bars discrimination based on factors that include race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or military service. The law will take effect on July 1.
UNITED KINGDOM
Politician’s son arrested
A local politician said his son is one of nine Britons arrested in Turkey while allegedly trying to get to Syria. Shakil Ahmed, a Labour Party councilor in Rochdale, northwest England, said on Thursday he had believed his university student son was in Birmingham, England. Ahmed said he was “shocked, worried and extremely upset” to learn he was in Turkey. British police said the group detained in Turkey on Wednesday includes three men, two women and four children aged one to 11. They are being deported to Britain. The nine are among a spate of recent cases of British citizens trying to reach areas of Syria controlled by the Islamic State group. Several have been apprehended, but three teenage schoolgirls are believed to have reached Syria in February.
UNITED STATES
‘Groundhog Day’ coming
Groundhog Day is coming to Broadway. A musical version of the story about an arrogant weather forecaster forced to live the same day over and over is scheduled to arrive in 2017, thanks to four creators of the hit Matilda the Musical — director Matthew Warchus, composer Tim Minchin, choreographer Peter Darling, and set and costume design by Rob Howell. The story will be based on the 1993 film that starred Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliot. The book will be by Danny Rubin, who cowrote the screenplay with Harold Ramis. The producers are Whistle Pig Productions, Scott Rudin and Columbia Live Stage. No casting was announced. Previews will start in January 2017.
UNITED KINGDOM
The sweatier the better
Scientists on Thursday said they had developed the first perfume that smells better the more you sweat and reduces body odor. Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast said in a statement that the new perfume “releases more of its aroma when it comes into contact with moisture.” The fragrance uses as a delivery system an ionic liquid — salt in the form of liquid — with no smell. “The perfumed ionic liquid releases its aroma when it comes into contact with water, allowing more of the perfume’s scent to be released onto a person’s skin,” the Queen’s University Ionic Liquid Laboratories said. The new perfume could also take away bad odors. “The thiol compounds that are responsible for the malodor of sweat are attracted to the ionic liquid, attaching themselves to it and losing their potency,” the scientists said. Queen’s University said it was already working with a perfume company on practical applications and project leader Nimal Gunaratne said it had “great commercial potential.”
THAILAND
UN condemns junta order
The UN has joined international rights groups in criticizing a decision by the military government to invoke a law that gives the junta chief near-absolute authority without any accountability. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said on Thursday that giving Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha unfettered authority leaves the door open to serious violations of human rights.
PHILIPPINES
Overloaded boat capsizes
A passenger boat overloaded with 55 people and heavy cargo has capsized in the southern Philippines, leaving at least five dead and one missing. Coast guard spokesman William Arquero yesterday said it was unclear if more are missing, because the unregistered vessel left Jolo Island for nearby Tapul Island without inspection and clearance from authorities. Also on board were 100 bags of cement and assorted cargo. Arquero said 14 survivors rescued by three passing boats were brought to a hospital, while an unknown number of survivors were taken to Tapul.
MALAYSIA
Zunar charged with sedition
A cartoonist known for lampooning the ruling coalition has been charged with a record nine counts of sedition over a series of Twitter posts criticizing the judiciary. Lawyer Latheefa Koya said the charges filed yesterday against Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, better known as Zunar, are excessive and are aimed at silencing government critics. She says Zunar faces up to 43 years in jail if found guilty of all nine charges. A defiant Zunar posted a new cartoon on Twitter after his release on bail, vowing to “draw until the last drop of ink.”
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number