GABON
Election result contested
Top opposition candidate Jean Ping on Friday said that he was the rightful winner of the presidential election, accusing the incumbent leader of using fraud to cling to power. The move sets the stage for a protracted dispute over the election, as President Ali Bongo Ondimba also declared victory. On Friday, Ping called for the release of results from individual polling stations. Results released by election officials showed Bongo won by a mere 1.57 percentage points. “The whole world knows today who is the president of the Republic of Gabon. It’s me, Jean Ping,” he told reporters. “Each time the Gabonese people have chosen their president, the dark forces are always gathered to place he who was not chosen as head of state. Together we have decided that this time things however will be different.”
THAILAND
King treated for infection
King Bhumibol Adulyadej has been treated for a severe infection, the Royal Palace said in a statement. A statement issued by the palace late on Friday said the 88-year-old king was observed with a high heartbeat and thick mucus. It said a test result of the mucus and blood “indicated a severe infection.”
UNITED STATES
Sand Bieber vandal sought
Police were looking for the person who defaced a sand sculpture of Justin Bieber at the New York State Fair. State police told the Post-Standard of Syracuse that the sculpture was apparently vandalized on Thursday night. Bieber’s likeness was part of a 200-tonne sand sculpture depicting artists who performed at the fair’s old grandstand, which was imploded in January. Bieber’s face appeared near the base of the sculpture. He was below the Charlie Daniels Band and singer Charley Pride and to the left of actor Steve Martin.
UNITED STATES
Peppers upset school kids
Officials say several dozen Ohio middle schoolers apparently ate extra-hot peppers brought in by a student and were treated by medics after some had adverse reactions. The Dayton Daily News reported emergency crews went to Milton-Union Middle School at lunchtime on Friday after students ingested suspected ghost peppers. Five children were taken to hospitals. School superintendent Brad Ritchey said some students had teary eyes, blotchy skin or hives. A 911 caller reported two students vomiting. Eighth-grader Cody Schmidt said he tried a pepper provided by a student he did not know, then got worried when others nearby had physical reactions to the peppers. How did they handle it? He says: “We all drank like 10 cartons of milk.”
JAPAN
Karate expert bests bear
A man who came face-to-face with a bear took things into his own hands, unleashing karate skills on the beast. The 63-year-old was fishing in a mountain creek when the 1.9m creature set upon him in what he said was an unprovoked attack. Atsushi Aoki said he was bitten and scratched repeatedly. “The bear was so strong, and it knocked me down,” Aoki told Tokyo Broadcasting System. “It turned me over and bit me right here,” he added, pointing to his bandaged leg. Instead of trying to outrun the beast — an Asian black bear — the man used karate skills. After assuming a fighting stance with his right fist in front of him, Aoki jabbed at his attacker’s eyes, which sent the creature scrambling away into the woods. “I thought it’s either I kill him or he kills me,” Aoki told public broadcaster NHK.
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
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
‘DELUSIONAL’: Targeting the families of Hamas’ leaders would not push the group to change its position or to give up its demands for Palestinians, Ismail Haniyeh said Israeli aircraft on Wednesday killed three sons of Hamas’ top political leader in the Gaza Strip, striking high-stakes targets at a time when Israel is holding delicate ceasefire negotiations with the militant group. Hamas said four of the leader’s grandchildren were also killed. Ismail Haniyeh’s sons are among the highest-profile figures to be killed in the war so far. Israel said they were Hamas operatives, and Haniyeh accused Israel of acting in “the spirit of revenge and murder.” The deaths threatened to strain the internationally mediated ceasefire talks, which appeared to gain steam in recent days even as the sides remain far
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