UNITED STATES
NYC ballet leader resigns
The longtime leader of the New York City Ballet is retiring in the midst of an investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct by him. Peter Martins on Monday wrote a letter to the company’s board of directors announcing his retirement, saying the scandal had “exacted a painful toll on me and my family.” City Ballet last month announced Martins would take a leave of absence from the company and its School of American Ballet during an independent investigation. The company hired a law firm to conduct the investigation after receiving an anonymous letter accusing Martins of harassment.
ISRAEL
Land vote threshold raised
Israel yesterday set a higher threshold for any future vote on ceding parts of Jerusalem to the Palestinians, who want the eastern part of the city for a future independent state. The amendment passed by the Israeli parliament to existing legislation raised the number of votes that would be required in the 120-seat Knesset to approve any proposal to hand over part of the city to “a foreign party” from 61 to 80. “The authority to relinquish parts of the land is not in the hands of any Jew, nor of the Jewish people,” said Naftali Bennett, head of the far-right Jewish Home coalition party, which sponsored the legislation. Palestinian officials were not immediately available for comment on the new amendment, which passed by a vote of 64 to 52.
SYRIA
Al-Assad shuffles Cabinet
President Bashar al-Assad replaced his defense minister for the first time since 2012 as part of a government reshuffle announced by the state news agency SANA on Monday. “President Assad issued a decree, the first of 2018, naming General Ali Abdullah Ayoub minister of defense,” the agency said, without providing any explanation for the surprise announcement. The 65-year-old was until now the chief of general staff of the armed forces. The reshuffle also saw two other changes: Mohammed Mazen Ali Yusef was given the industry portfolio and Imad Abdullah Sara, previously the head of the state broadcasting corporation,
UNITED STATES
‘Time’s Up’ group launches
Reese Witherspoon, Shonda Rhimes and Jennifer Aniston are among hundreds of Hollywood women who have formed an anti-harassment coalition called Time’s Up. The initiative (www.timesupnow.com) was launched on Monday with an open letter vowing support for women in the entertainment business and beyond, from janitors to healthcare workers. Time’s Up is to include a legal defense fund and will advocate for legislation combating workplace harassment.
INDONESIA
Jakarta airport train opens
Jakarta yesterday launched the first train connecting its international airport to the city center. The new system links Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to downtown in 55 minutes, cutting driving time by half or more. President Joko Widodo inaugurated the new system that officials hope will convince travelers to make the switch from private to public transportation on the 38km route. Jakarta is also building its first subway and light-rail systems, with service expected to start next year. The direct link is to run 42 trips daily from dawn to shortly before midnight. Tickets will cost 70,000 rupiah (US$4.90) for the first two months, rising to 100,000 rupiah afterward — about half the cost of a taxi.
Far from the violence ravaging Haiti, a market on the border with the Dominican Republic has maintained a welcome degree of normal everyday life. At the Dajabon border gate, a wave of Haitians press forward, eager to shop at the twice-weekly market about 200km from Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. They are drawn by the market’s offerings — food, clothing, toys and even used appliances — items not always readily available in Haiti. However, with gang violence bad and growing ever worse in Haiti, the Dominican government has reinforced the usual military presence at the border and placed soldiers on alert. While the market continues to
An image of a dancer balancing on the words “China Before Communism” looms over Parisian commuters catching the morning metro, signaling the annual return of Shen Yun, a controversial spectacle of traditional Chinese dance mixed with vehement criticism of Beijing and conservative rhetoric. The Shen Yun Performing Arts company has slipped the beliefs of a spiritual movement called Falun Gong in between its technicolored visuals and leaping dancers since 2006, with advertising for the show so ubiquitous that it has become an Internet meme. Founded in 1992, Falun Gong claims nearly 100 million followers and has been subject to “persistent persecution” in
ONLINE VITRIOL: While Mo Yan faces a lawsuit, bottled water company Nongfu Spring and Tsinghua University are being attacked amid a rise in nationalist fervor At first glance, a Nobel prize winning author, a bottle of green tea and Beijing’s Tsinghua University have little in common, but in recent weeks they have been dubbed by China’s nationalist netizens as the “three new evils” in the fight to defend the country’s valor in cyberspace. Last month, a patriotic blogger called Wu Wanzheng filed a lawsuit against China’s only Nobel prize-winning author, Mo Yan (莫言), accusing him of discrediting the Communist army and glorifying Japanese soldiers in his fictional works set during the Japanese invasion of China. Wu, who posts online under the pseudonym “Truth-Telling Mao Xinghuo,” is seeking
‘SURPRISES’: The militants claim to have successfully tested a missile capable of reaching Mach 8 and vowed to strike ships heading toward the Cape of Good Hope Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim to have a new, hypersonic missile in their arsenal, Russia’s state media reported on Thursday, potentially raising the stakes in their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways against the backdrop of Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The report by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited an unidentified official, but provided no evidence for the claim. It comes as Moscow maintains an aggressively counter-Western foreign policy amid its grinding war on Ukraine. However, the Houthis have for weeks hinted about “surprises” they plan for the battles at sea to counter the