HONDURAS
‘Indignados’ demand change
Thousands of people protested in Tegucigalpa on Friday, the latest in a series of marches calling for an investigation into President Juan Orlando Hernandez over allegations of massive corruption. Two separate marches eventually joined near the president’s palace, where scores of hunger-striking protesters known as indignados (the indignant) — have been camped out in tents. “Get out JOH!” demonstrators chanted on Friday, using the president’s initials. Some protesters carried torches, while others held banners showing Hernandez in a prison uniform under the word “corrupt.” Massive crowds have been marching since May against Hernandez, who is accused of receiving government money illegally in his 2013 presidential campaign. Hernandez admitted his conservative ruling National Party had accepted US$94,000 that had been misappropriated from social security funds.The opposition charges that more than US$300 million was skimmed from Honduras’ public health system.
UNITED STATES
Plane crashes in Alaska
A plane crash in southeast Alaska left one person dead and four others injured, the coast guard said on Friday. The four were transported by helicopter to a hospital in Juneau. One patient was listed in serious condition while another was in critical condition. Juneau police said they received a 911 call about 1:30pm on Friday from a person who said they had been involved in a crash on a flight from Juneau to the community of Hoonah. Police said the caller’s name matched that of someone on the aircraft. The Cessna 207 operated by Wings of Alaska was reported missing on Friday afternoon. The company confirmed the plane had been involved in an accident. Coast guard spokesman Grant DeVuyst said authorities, initially thwarted by poor weather and steep, rugged terrain, were able to find a clearing for helicopter hoist operations.
ISRAEL
PM wishes Abbas happy Eid
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have spoken by telephone, a rare exchange amid years of paralyzed peace efforts. Netanyahu’s office said that the Israeli leader wished Abbas a happy Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday that caps the fasting month of Ramadan. A statement issued on Friday said Netanyahu told Abbas that Israelis want peace and that Israel would “continue to act toward regional stability.” The Palestinian news agency WAFA said Abbas told Netanyahu it is important to reach a peace deal next year.
UNITED STATES
Empire State building lit up
New York’s Empire State Building was lit in green late on Friday to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. The green light is to shine until the building closes to the public at 2am, when the building traditionally turns out its lights. The skyscraper has carried out the tradition “for several years now — it is an annual lighting,” a building spokeswoman told reporters. The Empire State Building shines specific colors for a number of religious holidays — pastel shades for Easter, blue and white for Hanukkah and red and green for Christmas. It has also marked a number of events — red, white and blue for the US women’s World Cup victory, rainbow colors for gay Pride Week, and blue, white and purple for World Oceans Day on June 8. The tower is otherwise illuminated in white each night.
China’s military news agency yesterday warned that Japanese militarism is infiltrating society through series such as Pokemon and Detective Conan, after recent controversies involving events at sensitive sites. In recent days, anime conventions throughout China have reportedly banned participants from dressing as characters from Pokemon or Detective Conan and prohibited sales of related products. China Military Online yesterday posted an article titled “Their schemes — beware the infiltration of Japanese militarism in culture and sports.” The article referenced recent controversies around the popular anime series Pokemon, Detective Conan and My Hero Academia, saying that “the evil influence of Japanese militarism lives on in
DIPLOMATIC THAW: The Canadian prime minister’s China visit and improved Beijing-Ottawa ties raised lawyer Zhang Dongshuo’s hopes for a positive outcome in the retrial China has overturned the death sentence of Canadian Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian official said on Friday, in a possible sign of a diplomatic thaw as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to boost trade ties with Beijing. Schellenberg’s lawyer, Zhang Dongshuo (張東碩), yesterday confirmed China’s Supreme People’s Court struck down the sentence. Schellenberg was detained on drug charges in 2014 before China-Canada ties nosedived following the 2018 arrest in Vancouver of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou (孟晚舟). That arrest infuriated Beijing, which detained two Canadians — Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig — on espionage charges that Ottawa condemned as retaliatory. In January
A sign hanging from a rusty ice-green shipping container installed by Thai forces on what they say is the border with Cambodia reads: “Cambodian citizens are strictly prohibited from entering this area.” On opposite sides of the makeshift barricade, fronted by coils of barbed wire, Cambodians lamented their lost homes and livelihoods as Thailand’s military showed off its gains. Thai forces took control of several patches of disputed land along the border during fighting last year, which could amount to several square kilometers in total. Cambodian Kim Ren said her house in Chouk Chey used to stand on what is now the Thai
NEW RULES: There would be fewer school days, four-day workweeks, and a reduction in transportation services as the country battles a crisis exacerbated by US pressure The Cuban government on Friday announced emergency measures to address a crippling energy crisis worsened by US sanctions, including the adoption of a four-day work week for state-owned companies and fuel sale restrictions. Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga blamed Washington for the crisis, telling Cuban television the government would “implement a series of decisions, first and foremost to guarantee the vitality of our country and essential services, without giving up on development.” “Fuel will be used to protect essential services for the population and indispensable economic activities,” he said. Among the new measures are the reduction of the working week in
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