CHILE
Evening curfew continues
The nation was on Monday under a curfew for the third night in a row as violent protests and looting that left 12 people dead raged on into the working week. Protests originally against a hike in metro fares have turned into anger at the military and President Sebastian Pinera, who on Monday night proposed a “social agreement” to meet the demands of demonstrators. General Javier Iturriaga, charged with security in the capital, said that the 8pm to 6am curfew was “necessary,” as Santiago and several other cities were once again gripped by violence. However, in several parts of the capital, protesters defiantly ignored the order and faced off with security forces. Since Chile’s worst outbreak of social unrest in decades began on Friday last week, almost 1,500 people have been detained. Once again on Monday, security forces — about 9,500 of whom have been deployed — used tear gas and water cannon on the most unruly demonstrators. Thousands of protesters gathered peacefully in the main Plaza Italia square in the capital on Monday, chanting “Pinera Out!” and “Get out military!”
UNITED STATES
Bledel top celebrity ‘threat’
Actress Alexis Bledel has been bookish and sweet on Gilmore Girls and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but the actress is now officially dangerous. Cybersecurity firm McAfee on Monday crowned Bledel the most dangerous celebrity on the Internet this year. No other celebrity was more likely to land users on Web sites that carry viruses or malware. Trailing Bledel at No. 2 was talk show host James Corden, followed by Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner, actress Anna Kendrick, movie star Lupita Nyong’o, talk show star Jimmy Fallon, martial arts master Jackie Chan (成龍), rappers Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj, and Marvel Cinematic Universe actress Tessa Thompson. The survey was meant to highlight the danger of clicking on suspicious links. Bad actors often attach malware and malicious links to famous names, hoping fans searching for videos on the Internet will fall victim. McAfee urged people to consider risks associated with searching for pirated content and always apply updated security fixes. “Consumers may not be fully aware that the searches they conduct pose risk, nor may they understand the detrimental effects that can occur when personal information is compromised in exchange for access to their favorite celebrities, movies, TV shows or music,” McAfee chief consumer security evangelist Gary Davis said in a statement.
UNITED STATES
Cobain sweater to be sold
A quarter-century after grunge’s enigmatic rhapsodist took his own life, Kurt Cobain’s iconic cigarette-singed cardigan worn during Nirvana’s 1993 MTV Unplugged performance is up for sale. The tattered, drab olive green button-up sweater with dark stains and a burn hole could go for at least US$200,000, according to pre-bidding estimates from Julien’s Auctions, which said that rock and roll memorabilia has become a major investor’s market. The thrifted cardigan is the toast of this fall’s “Icons & Idols: Rock ’N’ Roll” auction organized by the house, which is also to sell the late Nirvana frontman’s left-handed teal Fender Mustang guitar played during the In Utero tour. “This cardigan, it’s the holy grail of any article of clothing that he ever wore,” CEO and president Darren Julien said. “Kurt created the grunge look; he didn’t wear show clothes,” Julien told reporters at a New York exhibition preview of the two-day auction, which is to begin on Friday.
AUSTRALIA
Record-holding sheep dies
A sheep who made headlines in 2015 for the record-breaking weight of his fleece has died, the carers of the merino named Chris said. The animal, believed to be about 10 years old, was found dead yesterday morning by his minders, having died of old age, said Kate Luke, cofounder and vice president of the Canberra-based Little Oak Sanctuary, a charity that shelters more than 180 farm animals. “We are heartbroken at the loss of this sweet, wise, friendly soul.” In 2015, Chris was discovered on the northern outskirts of Canberra, struggling to walk under the weight of 40.2kg wool.
RUSSIA
Tu-160 bombers head to SA
The Russian Ministry of Defense on Monday said two of its nuclear-capable bombers are to visit South Africa in what appears to be the first-ever such deployment to the African continent. The ministry said that sending the Tu-160 bombers is intended to help “develop bilateral military cooperation” and reflects a “strategic partnership” with one of Africa’s most developed economies. The mission comes as President Vladimir Putin prepares to host the first-ever Russia-Africa summit this week with 43 of the continent’s 54 heads of state or government in attendance.
PAKISTAN
Sharif rushed to hospital
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was convicted on corruption charges, has been rushed to hospital from prison after recent blood tests raised doctors’ concerns. Sharif’s doctor, Adnan Malik, said that he was taken to hospital late on Monday. Doctors initially believed Sharif had contracted dengue fever, which is rampant in Pakistan, but yesterday said his low platelet count might have been the result of medication he was taking. Authorities on Monday arrested Sharif’s son-in-law, Mohammad Safdar, after he alleged Sharif was being slowly poisoned. Authorities denied this.
AFGHANISTAN
Taliban kill 15 policemen
The Taliban stormed a checkpoint in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 15 policemen in the latest attack by insurgents, an Afghan provincial official said yesterday. The multi-pronged attack on the checkpoint in the Ali Abad district of northern Kunduz province began late on Monday night and set off an hours-long gunbattle, said Ghulam Rabani Rabani, a provincial council member. Along with the 15 policemen killed, two other officers were wounded in the assault, he said. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the checkpoint attack.
LEBANON
PM approves reforms
Facing escalating mass protests, the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday approved a package of economic reforms and a budget for next year with no new taxes, hoping to appease people in the streets. However, protests swelled in the hours after the announcement, as many demonstrators scorned the package as “empty promises.” Following a nearly five-hour Cabinet meeting, Hariri announced a series of economic and financial reforms which he described as a “coup,” saying no government in Lebanon’s history has taken such radical steps before. “The decisions that we made today might not fulfil your goals, but for certain it achieves what I have been seeking for two years,” Hariri told the protesters. “These decisions are not in exchange for anything. I am not going to ask you to stop protesting and stop expressing your anger,” he added.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of