HONG KONG
Raymond Chow dies
Raymond Chow (鄒文懷), the film producer credited with bringing kung fu legend Bruce Lee (李小龍) to the silver screen and widely regarded as the “godfather” of Hong Kong cinema, has died aged 91, reports said yesterday. Chow cofounded the Golden Harvest studio in 1971 and was seen as largely responsible for bringing the city’s films to an international audience. He produced more than 170 films over his career, according to industry Web site IMDB, and nurtured the careers of several action stars, including Jackie Chan (成龍). Chow first worked with Lee on The Big Boss — released as Fists of Fury in the US — in 1971, making the actor a martial arts legend overnight. The film broke box office records both in Hong Kong and overseas. He went on to produce or coproduce two of Lee’s best-known films: Way of the Dragon in 1972, followed a year later by Enter the Dragon. A message on the Twitter account managed by Lee’s daughter spoke of Chow’s role in Lee’s rise to stardom. “Thank you Raymond for taking a chance on a young Bruce Lee and helping him to realise his dream. Rest in peace, Raymond,” it said.
PAKISTAN
Bibi case to be reviewed
Nationwide protests triggered by a Christian woman’s acquittal on blasphemy charges ended following an overnight deal that says Asia Bibi cannot leave the country until the Supreme Court’s ruling is reviewed. Authorities cleared the intersections of major cities after supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Party dispersed upon announcement of the agreement. Minister of Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri announced that authorities would not allow Bibi to leave the country until the court makes a final review of its verdict. A petition had already been filed for the review. Bibi spent eight years on death row.
UNITED STATES
G5 Sahel funding boosted
Washington on Friday almost doubled its pledge for the financial support of a west African force that began deploying last year to fight a surge in militant attacks. Assistance to the force, known as G5 Sahel, is to total US$111 million, from an initial pledge of US$60 million made in October last year, said Samantha Reho, a spokeswoman for the Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany. The additional amount will help “to meet the needs and strengthen the capabilities” of the unit, she said. The 5,000-strong regional force started last year to mobilize troops from member nations — Niger, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania — to counter Muslim militants in the Sahel, a semiarid region stretching across Africa along the southern end of the Sahara.
UNITED STATES
Amazon building collapses
The fire department said one person died and another was unaccounted for after a weather-related building collapse at an Amazon distribution warehouse on Baltimore’s southeast side, the Baltimore Sun reported. Fire chief Roman Clark told the Sun that a wall collapsed late on Friday at the Amazon Fulfillment Center as a storm hit the area. Clark said that one person was found under debris and taken to a hospital, where the person was pronounced dead, the Sun reported. Images taken from outside the facility showed a badly damaged truck and a knocked-over light pole. The National Weather Service had earlier warned of thunderstorms in the area, with some producing gusty winds and heavy rain.
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