HONG KONG
Murder suspect extradited
A Chinese arrested in Hong Kong for allegedly murdering his two teenage nephews in the US has been extradited back to the US, city police said yesterday. Shi Deyun, 44, was detained at Hong Kong’s international airport in January after arriving on a flight from Los Angeles. He is accused of murdering his nephews, aged 15 and 16. “Wanted for two cases of murder ... [he] was extradited to the United States of America from Hong Kong on April 15,” a police spokesman said in an e-mailed statement. Media reports said Shi was heading to China when he was arrested on Jan. 24, but he has denied fleeing, saying that he was heading to the southern city of Shenzhen via Hong Kong to deal with business. Unlike Hong Kong, China does not have an extradition treaty with the US. While in custody in Hong Kong, he was sent to a hospital for a check-up after complaining of being “muddle-headed”, but was denied bail. He is accused of killing his nephews after his wife filed for divorce, the Los Angeles Times reported.
BANGLADESH
Journalist detained
Police are questioning a prominent journalist, who is a close aide of opposition leader and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, for his alleged role in a conspiracy to kidnap the only son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Shafik Rehman, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has been sent to police detention on Saturday for five days after a court in Dhaka approved his interrogation about the plot to kidnap Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy. Rehman, who also holds a British passport, was picked up in a raid at his home. His wife Taleya Rehman said the detectives initially posed as journalists before identifying themselves.
CANADA
PM knows quantum science
He has impressed world leaders, has a growing army of fans — many female — and is even credited with driving up tourism to the nation. However, photogenic Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has now displayed another gift even few of his most ardent supporters knew he had: a more than passable knowledge of quantum computing. The Internet was abuzz with gushing praise for the 44-year-old Trudeau after a journalist jokingly asked him on Friday to explain quantum computing. However, instead of looking puzzled and joining in with the joke, Trudeau set about giving a detailed answer that had experts at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario, nodding approvingly and brought the packed audience to its feet. “Don’t interrupt me,” Trudeau said mischievously, a grin forming on his face, before launching seamlessly into his explanation.
AFGHANISTAN
Civilian deaths decline
The UN has reported 600 civilian deaths in Afghanistan’s war in the first quarter of this year, a marked decline from the same period last year, but said the number of civilians wounded in combat has risen. The latest figures released yesterday by the UN mission show 1,343 people were wounded during the first three months of this year. Compared with the same period last year, civilian deaths are down by 13 percent, but the number of wounded has risen by 11 percent. The report said that the highest number of casualties resulted from civilians being harmed during ground fighting. It said intensified fighting in populated areas caused an about 30 percent increase in child casualties and a 5 percent increase in casualties among women.
‘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
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
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