EGYPT
Egypt freezes activists’ assets
A court has upheld a decision to freeze the assets of several prominent human rights campaigners. Saturday’s ruling by a Cairo court comes amid a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent launched after the 2013 military ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi. Authorities have jailed thousands of people, mainly Islamists, but also leading secular and liberal activists. The five activists named in the court ruling include Gamal Eid and Bahey eldin Hassan, who head two well-known human rights organizations, as well as investigative reporter Hossam Bahgat, also the founder of a rights group.
UNITED STATES
‘GOT’ tipped for Emmys first
Blood and guts fantasy epic Game of Thrones (GOT) was yesterday tipped to triumph as the most successful show ever at the coveted Emmy Awards, TV’s equivalent of the Oscars. The HBO series already has nine statuettes from last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys, which mainly reward behind-the-scenes personnel, giving it a total haul over the years of 35 — more than any other drama series. When Emmys in top categories are handed out at a glitzy evening ceremony in downtown Los Angeles, experts predict the show will pass the 37 won by sitcom Frasier.
ITALY
Hospitality recipe for safety
Pope Francis has encouraged Europeans to welcome refugees, calling authentic hospitality “our greatest security against hateful acts of terrorism.” Francis on Saturday spoke to alumni of Jesuit schools in Europe who were in Rome for a conference on refugees. Telling his audience that more than 65 million people are forcibly displaced around the world, he advised going “beyond mere statistics.” He said each refugee “has a name, a face and a story, as well as an inalienable right to live in peace and to aspire to a better future” for their children.
FRANCE
False alarm sparks closures
Parts of central Paris were on Saturday cordoned off after a false alarm triggered a major security operation, police said. Government security alert app SAIP warned citizens that a police operation was under way in Saint-Leu church in the busy shopping district of Chatelet and advised people to stay away. Minister of the Interior Bernard Cazeneuve issued a statement confirming the false alarm and said that “the circumstances around the intervention” had yet to be determined. Security forces had responded to a call that claimed hostages had been taken in the church, Ministry of the Interior spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told BFM TV.
HAITI
Former president passes out
Former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was hospitalized late on Friday after passing out on a stage where he was supporting Fanmi Lavalas presidential candidate Maryse Narcisse, the political faction he founded decades ago. Senator Nenel Cassy said that Aristide passed out as he was preparing to speak on behalf of Narcisse in Cap-Haitien. He said the 63-year-old was hospitalized, but quickly regained consciousness and was in stable condition. Aristide collapsed as backers of competing presidential candidate Moise Jean-Charles rushed through a crowd gathered for the Lavalas party and tore down pictures of Narcisse and Aristide. Critics accuse Aristide of breaking promises to help the poor, allowing corruption fueled by drug trafficking and masterminding attacks on opponents with armed gangs.
‘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