UNITED STATES
Widow misses John Glenn
John Glenn’s widow says she misses her husband “terribly” and was touched by the outpouring of love and support when he died two months ago. Annie Glenn turned 97 yesterday. On Thursday, she made her first public appearance since her husband’s memorial service, a reception at Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs. John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, died on Dec. 8 last year at the age of 95. Annie Glenn told reporters that losing her husband of 73 years has been difficult. “Oh, gosh. It’s just awful, because we’ve known each other since we were two years old, and he and I, we were both on the same side, he was always helping me, with the kids and everything,” she said. “I really miss him terribly. There’s nothing I can do about it.” John Glenn’s body lay in repose at the Ohio Statehouse before a public service attended by hundreds, including the US vice president, current and former Ohio governors and other dignitaries. “Wasn’t that special? I didn’t expect that at all,” she said. “It was very touching.”
UNITED STATES
Oldest seabird has new chick
The world’s oldest known seabird has a new chick. The US Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday said Wisdom’s offspring hatched at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge last week. The Laysan albatross is at least 66 years old and is the world’s oldest breeding bird in the wild. Fish and Wildlife Service project leader Bob Peyton said Wisdom has returned to Midway for more than six decades. He says she has raised at least 30 chicks. Midway Atoll is home to the world’s largest colony of albatross. The island about 1,930km northwest of Honolulu was the site of a pivotal World War II battle. About 70 percent of the world’s Laysan albatross rely on the atoll for habitat. Midway is part of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
UNITED STATES
Horse meat seized at border
Customs and Border Protection agents have seized 19kg of horse meat, including 6kg of horse genitals, from two women arriving from Mongolia at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. The horse meat was hidden in juice boxes. One of the women said the horse genitals were for medicinal purposes. The agency announced the seizures on Thursday; the meat was seized on Jan. 29. Neither woman was criminally charged. Three liters of yak milk was also seized and incinerated, along with the horse meat. The agency said horse meat is prohibited from entering the US without an official certification due to fears of foot-and-mouth disease. Mongolian horse meat is always prohibited because of concerns about diseases.
NEW ZEALAND
Massive wildfire contained
More than 1,400 residents of Christchurch returned home yesterday as firefighters contained a massive wildfire that led to their evacuation, destroying properties and power networks. The wildfire in Christchurch’s Port Hills district spread rapidly over Thursday, covering more than 1,800 hectares and forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency, which remained in place yesterday. The Civil Defense said the fire was largely contained but not yet controlled, as soft winds and light drizzle aided firefighters. Christchurch-based electricity distribution company Orion said around 107 of its customers remained without power. “The fires continue to present a risk to power supply and the situation remains fragile,” Orion said.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in 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
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was