EGYPT
Al-Sisi meets Netanyahu
President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York City to discuss the Middle East peace process in their first public talks, his office said on Tuesday. Al-Sisi emphasized the importance of “resuming negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides to reach a comprehensive solution,” the statement said.
UNITED STATES
Palestinian to be deported
A 70-year-old Palestinian activist with a decades-old record of bombings in Jerusalem was scheduled to be deported from Chicago to Jordan yesterday. Supporters and community activists planned to gather at O’Hare Airport’s international terminal before Rasmea Odeh, 70, departs for Jordan, said Hatem Abudayyeh, coordinator of her defense committee. Odeh pleaded guilty in April to concealing her convictions when she applied for US citizenship in 2004.
SWITZERLAND
Toilets flush with cash
Geneva prosecutors are investigating after toilets in a bank and three restaurants were blocked by about US$100,000 in high-denomination euro banknotes. “We are not so interested in the motive, but we want to be sure of the origin of the money,” spokesman Vincent Derouand said on Monday, adding that neither throwing money away nor blocking a toilet was a crime. The Tribune de Geneve newspaper said the first blockage occurred in May in the toilet serving the vault at UBS bank in Geneva’s financial district, and three nearby bistros found their facilities bunged up with 500-euro notes a few days later. Derouand said two people had agreed to compensate the restaurants for the costs of the blockage.
It is unclear who would get the money if it was found to be lawful.
UNITED STATES
Cromwell faces charge
Actor James Cromwell has been charged with trespassing for interrupting and denouncing an orca show at SeaWorld in San Diego, California, on July 24. The San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday reported that the misdemeanor charge could mean 90 days in jail or a fine up to US$400. Cromwell has previously said he would serve jail time rather than pay fines. He and six others stood up in front of the “Orca Encounter” show and Cromwell told visitors through a megaphone that SeaWorld was condemning the orcas to premature deaths.
UNITED STATES
Lavigne dangerous online
One-time pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne has been named the most dangerous celebrity on the Internet. Cybersecurity firm McAfee yesterday said that Lavigne was the most likely celebrity to land users on Web sites that carry viruses or malware. Searches for Lavigne have a 14.5 percent chance of landing on a Web page with the potential for online threats, a number that increases to 22 percent if users type her name and search for free MP3s. Bruno Mars was second, followed closely by Carly Rae Jepsen. Zayn Malik, Celine Dion, Calvin Harris, Justin Bieber, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Katy Perry and Beyonce rounded out the top 10 list.
UNITED STATES
‘Lemonade’ proves sour
Some fans who bought vinyl of Beyonce’s latest album, Lemonade, wound up with music from Canadian punk band ZEX. Columbia Records said a manufacturing mistake caused by “human error” at a plant in Germany was to blame for the mispress on the A-side of the yellow record.
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