BRAZIL
Holocaust remark draws ire
President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday drew veiled rebukes from Israel after saying that the Nazi genocide of the Jews during World War II could be forgiven. Addressing a group of evangelicals on Thursday, Bolsonaro said: “We can forgive, but we can’t forget. That’s my phrase. Those who forget their past are condemned not to have a future.” There was no immediate response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has cultivated ties with Bolsonaro. However, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, whose role is largely ceremonial, wrote on Twitter: “Whether they be individuals or organizations, party heads or heads of state, no one will ordain the Jewish people’s forgiveness, nor can this be obtained through any interest.”
UNITED STATES
Cassowary kills owner
A cassowary, a large, flightless bird native to Australia and New Guinea attacked and killed its owner when the man fell on his property in Florida, authorities said on Saturday. The Alachua County Fire Rescue Department told the Gainesville Sun that a cassowary killed the man on Friday on the property near Gainesville, likely using its long claws. The victim, whose name was not released, was apparently breeding the birds, state wildlife officials said. “It looks like it was accidental. My understanding is that the gentleman was in the vicinity of the bird and at some point fell. When he fell, he was attacked,” department Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor said.
SPAIN
Retired general detained
Former Venezuelan general Hugo Carvajal, head of military intelligence under then-Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, was on Saturday held in temporary detention, while Madrid waits for a formal US extradition request on charges of cocaine trafficking, judicial sources said. Carvajal, dubbed “El Pollo” (“The Chicken”), was taken into custody on Friday at his son’s home in Madrid. He has made headlines by voicing support for Venezuelan National Assembly President Juan Guaido. A judge at a federal court decided to place Carvajal in provisional detention while the US files a “formal extradition request” to judicial authorities, the sources said.
PHILIPPINES
IS leader confirmed dead
DNA tests have confirmed the death of the leader of an Islamic State (IS) affiliate, known as “Abu Dar,” the last surviving leader of the Maute Group, after a months-long military operation. “It means that the self-proclaimed ISIS leader is dead. His group is leaderless in the meantime and also they are scattered after that successful operation by the army,” Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana, told reporters, using another acronym for IS.
ISRAEL
Firm plans new moonshot
The aerospace company behind the country’s failed first moonshot on Saturday said that it would pursue a second mission with funds raised from private donors and the public. The robot craft Beresheet, built by non-profit SpaceIL and state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, crashed on its final descent on Thursday, dashing the country’s hope of becoming the fourth country to manage a controlled lunar landing. “I have had time to think, over the weekend, about what happened, and given all of the encouragement I got, and the support from people all over the world, I have come tonight to announce a new project: Beresheet 2,” SpaceIL president Morris Kahn told Israel’s Channel 12 TV.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At 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
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese