IRAN
Mosque capture simulated
Media outlets reported that thousands of paramilitary forces from the powerful Revolutionary Guard have held a war game simulating the capture of Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque from Israeli control. The reports said the forces stormed and liberated a replica of the mosque. They said that 120 brigades of Basij, the paramilitary unit of the guard, occupied hypothetical enemy positions during Friday’s exercise in the holy city of Qom. The mosque, located at a compound holy to Jews and Muslims, has been at the heart of weeks of unrest between Israel and the Palestinians.
MEXICO
WTO rules against US
The WTO has ruled in favor of Mexico in a trade dispute with the US, saying Washington’s requirement for “dolphin-safe” tuna labels is unfair to Mexican fishermen. The WTO said US labeling rules set different requirements depending on where fish are caught. On Friday it said that the result is “less favorable treatment to Mexican tuna products.” A WTO appellate body reviewed the original ruling of a panel set up to settle the dispute first brought by Mexico in 2009. Friday’s ruling said US dolphin-safe labeling for tuna products still does not meet the requirements set by the dispute panel. The government originally argued that US “dolphin-safe” labels were illegal, because they restricted trade.
UNITED STATES
CSU revokes Cosby degree
A California university on Friday joined a growing number of schools in stripping disgraced comedian Bill Cosby of his honorary degree over the sex scandal engulfing him. “Cosby’s conduct is contrary to the values of the California State University (CSU) and inconsistent with the criteria and high standards that honorary degree recipients are expected to exemplify,” the university said in a statement. “The CSU has been awarding honorary doctorate degrees since 1963, and this is the first time in 52 years that the board of trustees has voted to rescind a degree.” It said the board voted on the measure on Wednesday. Cosby, once one of the nation’s most beloved actors, has seen his reputation destroyed as about 50 women have come forward to accuse him of sexual assault. Last week, two other universities — Drexel in Philadelphia and Bryant in Rhode Island — rescinded honorary degrees awarded to Cosby. CSU said it had decided to follow suit in order to uphold the institution’s high standards and reputation. “The board took action to revoke the previously awarded honorary degree in order to maintain the prestige, reputation and credibility of the CSU,” it said.
UNITED STATES
Tribunal ‘flawed’: lawmakers
The government is sharpening its criticism of Bangladesh’s tribunal on war crimes after death sentences were upheld this week against two influential opposition leaders. Lawmakers overseeing foreign policy described the tribunal as “very flawed” and a means of political retribution. The Department of State was less pointed, but said that executions should not take place until it is clear the trial process meets international standards. More than 15 people, mostly leaders of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party, have been convicted of war crimes committed during the country’s 1971 independence war against Pakistan. The two separate tribunals were set up by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who says justice for victims’ families is overdue.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
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
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
RIVER TRAGEDY: Local fishers and residents helped rescue people after the vessel capsized, while motorbike taxis evacuated some of the injured At least 58 people going to a funeral died after their overloaded river boat capsized in the Central African Republic’s (CAR) capital, Bangui, the head of civil protection said on Saturday. “We were able to extract 58 lifeless bodies,” Thomas Djimasse told Radio Guira. “We don’t know the total number of people who are underwater. According to witnesses and videos on social media, the wooden boat was carrying more than 300 people — some standing and others perched on wooden structures — when it sank on the Mpoko River on Friday. The vessel was heading to the funeral of a village chief in