IRAN
Selfie craze draws ire
Newspapers were yesterday dominated by accusations lawmakers had embarrassed themselves by clamoring to take selfies with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini during her visit to parliament. Mogherini was among dozens of foreign guests in Tehran for the inauguration of President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday, but she appeared to capture the most attention as members of parliament crowded round to grab a snap with her. Images of the lawmakers perched on desks and lining up with their smartphones in front of the diplomat triggered a storm of anger and ridicule on social media under the hashtag “selfies of humiliation.” At least one lawmaker apologized for his lack of decorum.
SPAIN
Refugees storm border
More than 100 refugees yesterday stormed a border post between Morocco and the territory of Ceuta, careering through with agents unable to stop them, police said. They started running from the Moroccan side, crossed the border posts and reached Spanish soil, a spokesman for the Guardia Civil police force said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had any attempt of this kind here,” he said, adding that the refugees who reached Spanish soil were taken to a reception center in Ceuta, which would later give the exact number of people who crossed.
ITALY
Firefighters held for arson
Fifteen firefighters have been arrested in Sicily on suspicion of having started fires to receive bonus payments, police said yesterday. The firemen are alleged to have faked distress calls as part of the plan to receive the payments of about 10 euros (US$12) per hour handed out by the state for working in emergency situations. A number of the 15 volunteer firemen arrested, all from the province of Ragusa, are suspected of arson.
TUNISIA
Fishermen block rightists
Fishermen at a local port on Sunday prevented a ship carrying far-right anti-refugee protesters from docking, dealing a fresh blow to a controversial mission aimed at disrupting the flow of refugee boats from north Africa to Europe. Faced with the prospect of being blocked by the fishermen in Zarzis, the ship, the C-Star, moved up the coast, and was expected by opponents tracking its path to try to land at either Sfax or Gabes yesterday. Chartered by extremist group Generation Identity, the C-Star passed through waters off Libya on Saturday.
MEXICO
Three killed on beach
Three men were shot dead on Sunday on a busy beach in Los Cabos international tourist area. Prosecutors in Baja California Sur state said tourists sunning themselves on the beach and stunned locals were on hand when the deadly incident jolted Pamilla beach in San Jose del Cabo. Two other people were wounded and taken to a local hospital.
GERMANY
Baby born at techno festival
A woman gave birth late on Saturday to a girl at a techno festival at a former US military base in the southwest. Public broadcaster SWR reported that the 20-year-old was unaware she was pregnant until giving birth at the festival campsite. Organizers of the Nature One festival were quoted on Sunday as saying the child would get a ticket for life once she turns 16. Mother and child were taken to a nearby hospital and are reportedly doing well.
AUSTRALIA
Same-sex vote drive loses
The ruling party yesterday rejected a push to allow lawmakers to decide whether the nation should recognize gay marriage, continuing a bitter political stalemate over the divisive reform. Liberal Senator Dean Smith, who is gay, has drafted a bill to allow same-sex marriage and wants his fellow Liberal lawmakers to be allowed to vote on it according to their consciences rather than party policy. However, a meeting of the party’s lawmakers decided to try again to persuade the Senate to endorse a plebiscite on the issue before parliament considers voting on legislation. The Senate previously rejected a plebiscite on the grounds that it would have cost too much and the result would not be binding on lawmakers. The rejected plebiscite bill is to be reintroduced to the Senate this week.
AUSTRALIA
Asylum seeker in PNG dies
A refugee being held in an immigration camp in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has died, officials said yesterday, sparking outrage from fellow refugees and advocates who say officials failed to treat him despite a long history of mental illness. The immigration department said Papua New Guinea officials were investigating the incident. Iranian journalist Behrouz Boochani, an asylum seeker who has been detained on Manus since 2013, said in a telephone interview that the man was an Iranian refugee in his 20s with a long history of mental illness. The man’s behavior was erratic, and he was often found wandering the streets of Lorengau dressed only in his underwear, Boochani said, adding that four days ago, the man tried to kill himself with a razor.
VIETNAM
Floods kill 26 people
Floods in the north of the country have killed 26 people and washed away hundreds of homes over the past week, causing damage estimated at more than 940 billion dong (US$41 million), the government’s disaster agency said yesterday. Fifteen people were still missing and the search had been hampered by damage to roads from floods and landslides, the agency said in a report.
JORDAN
King visits West Bank
King Abdullah II yesterday flew by helicopter to the West Bank for a rare visit seen as a signal to Israel that he is closing ranks with the Palestinians on key issues. He met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other officials.
NEW ZEALAND
‘Drunk berthing’ brings fine
A British captain who was five times over the legal alcohol limit while berthing his cargo ship in the northern port of Marsden was yesterday fined and suspended from his duties. Anthony Michael Baker was breath-tested after harbor staff noticed problems as his 40,000-tonne ship Shansi docked on Friday. Baker was arrested and held in custody before appearing in Whangarei District Court where he pleaded guilty to breaching maritime law. He was fined NZ$3,000 (US$2,222). Baker’s lawyer told the court the captain had been “suspended by his employer and it would be difficult for him to find work in a similar profession in future.” Baker, 53, was not on duty when his ship was due to berth, but was called to the bridge due to problems getting the engine underway and lifting anchor. He had been drinking before being called on duty and resumed drinking once the berthing was completed, his lawyer said. Police said Baker’s reading was 1,345 micrograms of alcohol per liter of breath. The national limit is 250.
CONFRONTATION: The water cannon attack was the second this month on the Philippine supply boat ‘Unaizah May 4,’ after an incident on March 5 The China Coast Guard yesterday morning blocked a Philippine supply vessel and damaged it with water cannons near a reef off the Southeast Asian country, the Philippines said. The Philippine military released video of what it said was a nearly hour-long attack off the Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙) in the contested South China Sea, where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannons and collided with Philippine vessels in similar standoffs in the past few months. The China Coast Guard and other vessels “once again harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers” against a routine rotation and resupply mission to
GLOBAL COMBAT AIR PROGRAM: The potential purchasers would be limited to the 15 nations with which Tokyo has signed defense partnership and equipment transfer deals Japan’s Cabinet yesterday approved a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets that it is developing with the UK and Italy to other nations, in the latest move away from the country’s post-World War II pacifist principles. The contentious decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan’s role in the joint fighter jet project, and is part of a move to build up the Japanese arms industry and bolster its role in global security. The Cabinet also endorsed a revision to Japan’s arms equipment and technology transfer guidelines to allow coproduced lethal weapons to be sold to nations
‘POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE’: Leo Varadkar said he was ‘no longer the best person’ to lead the nation and was stepping down for political, as well as personal, reasons Leo Varadkar on Wednesday announced that he was stepping down as Ireland’s prime minister and leader of the Fine Gael party in the governing coalition, citing “personal and political” reasons. Pundits called the surprise move, just 10 weeks before Ireland holds European Parliament and local elections, a “political earthquake.” A general election has to be held within a year. Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin, leader of Fianna Fail, the main coalition partner, said Varadkar’s announcement was “unexpected,” but added that he expected the government to run its full term. An emotional Varadkar, who is in his second stint as prime minister and at
Thousands of devotees, some in a state of trance, gathered at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok renowned for sacred tattoos known as Sak Yant, paying their respects to a revered monk who mastered the practice and seeking purification. The gathering at Wat Bang Phra Buddhist temple is part of a Thai Wai Khru ritual in which devotees pay homage to Luang Phor Pern, the temple’s formal abbot, who died in 2002. He had a reputation for refining and popularizing the temple’s Sak Yant tattoo style. The idea that tattoos confer magical powers has existed in many parts of Asia