SPAIN
Coin trove unearthed
Workers laying pipes in a park in the nation’s south have unearthed a 600kg trove of Roman coins in what culture officials say is a unique historic discovery. The Seville Archeological Museum says the construction workers came across 19 amphoras containing thousands of unused bronze and silver-coated coins dating from the end of the fourth century. The coins are believed to have been recently minted at the time and had probably been stored to pay soldiers or civil servants. Museum director Ana Navarra said the discovery this week in the park in the southern town of Tomares outside Seville is unique for Spain and of incalculable value. The regional cultural department on Friday said construction work in the park has been halted while archeologists investigate further.
CHINA
Truck crash kills 14
Authorities said 14 people were killed when a truck carrying stones overturned and dumped its cargo onto a roadside activity center. The central government’s State Administration of Work Safety said Friday’s accident in the southern province of Guizhou was apparently caused by brake failure. The incident occurred on the eve of the three-day May Day holiday, during which millions of Chinese travel within the nation and abroad. Traffic police in recent days have been cracking down on overloading, poorly maintained vehicles and drunk driving in an effort to avoid the carnage regularly seen on highways during public holidays. Those efforts have been intensified with the rise of private car ownership among the growing middle class, which now drives more than 172 million vehicles.
UNITED NATIONS
China touts N Korea idea
Chinese Ambassador to the UN Liu Jieyi (劉結一) said a North Korea proposal according to which Pyongyang would halt its nuclear program if the US and South Korea suspend joint military exercises merits consideration. “I think anything, anything, any proposal, no matter where the proposal comes from, so long it is conducive to a negotiated solution that will contribute to denuclearization to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula should be studied very carefully,” Liu said on Friday. He stressed the need for a multidimensional approach to the North Korea situation and said that sanctions and Security Council resolutions alone would not resolve the issue. Countries could also work directly with North Korea to diffuse tensions, he said. Liu made his remarks during a news conference wrapping up his month-long term as Security Council president.
UNITED KINGDOM
Labour to probe racism
The opposition Labour Party has launched an inquiry into how to tackle antisemitism after suspending former London mayor Ken Livingstone days before it contests elections in London, Scotland and Wales. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn — a close ally of party veteran Livingstone — said in a statement late on Friday that he would propose a new code of conduct explicitly banning antisemitism and other forms of racism. “There is no place for antisemitism or any form of racism in the Labour party, or anywhere in society,” he said. Labour suspended Livingstone on Thursday after he said Hitler was “supporting Zionism” when he proposed in 1932 that Jews be moved to Israel. Livingstone served as mayor from 2000 to 2008.
‘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