ARGENTINA
Judges imprisoned for life
Four former federal judges were on Wednesday sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity committed during the country’s last dictatorship, in a ruling human rights groups called historic for punishing the regime’s civilian accomplices. The court in Mendoza province ruled that former judges Rolando Carrizo, Guillermo Petra Recabarren, Luis Miret and Otilio Romano participated in kidnappings, torture and murders. The men were tried for their failure to investigate petitions of habeas corpus filed by relatives of dissidents who disappeared during the dictatorship, which lasted from 1976 to 1983. During the trial, which began in 2014, prosecutors asked to change the charges against the four from being accomplices to primary participants in crimes, arguing their inaction on the petitions preceded the disappearance of more than 20 dissidents. Official estimates say about 7,600 people were killed or disappeared during the dictatorship, but rights campaigners believe the number was actually as high as 30,000.
COLOMBIA
Avianca halts Caracas flights
The nation’s flagship airline is suspending all flights to neighboring Venezuela, citing security concerns. Avianca on Wednesday announced it is halting services to the struggling nation because of changes needed to improve airport infrastructure and ensure international standards are met. The airline operates two direct flights to Venezuela: One from Bogota, Colombia, and the other from Lima, Peru. Avianca executive president Hernan Rincon said he laments the decision, “but our obligation is to guarantee the safety of the operation.” A growing list of carriers has suspended services to Venezuela as it sinks further into economic and political chaos. Last month saw the last United Airlines departure out of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.
UNITED STATES
Fire Ball kills man at state fair
A swinging and spinning amusement park ride called the Fire Ball broke apart on the opening day of the Ohio State Fair on Wednesday, hurtling people through the air, killing at least one person and injuring seven. Three of the injured remained hospitalized in critical condition on Wednesday night, authorities said at a late-night news conference. The man who was killed was one of several people who were thrown when the ride malfunctioned, Columbus Fire Battalion Chief Steve Martin said earlier.
UNITED STATES
Man caught smuggling cobras
A Los Angeles man was on Tuesday arrested after federal prosecutors said he arranged to smuggle three live, highly venomous king cobra snakes hidden in potato chip canisters into the country. Rodrigo Franco, 34, was charged with illegally importing merchandise into the country in connection with a parcel from Hong Kong that was intercepted by US Customs and Border Protection agents on March 2 containing the 61cm snakes concealed inside the canisters.
UNITED STATES
Clown tapes machete to arm
A man is accused of drunkenly strolling down a Maine road wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt and a clown mask and brandishing a machete taped to where his arm had been amputated. Maine State Police said 31-year-old Corey Berry was on Tuesday arrested and charged with criminal threatening behavior. He was released after posting US$200 in bail. Berry was intoxicated, but cooperative. He told officers that he was copying previous clown sightings as a prank.
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
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
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