VENEZUELA
Opposition reports raid
A leading opposition party said that a group of armed men with their faces covered on Friday raided its headquarters, taking cellphones, computers and ID cards from staffers and raising tensions the night before a nationwide protest against President Nicolas Maduro. Popular Will members said that Juan Guaido, who belongs to the party, was not inside at the time. They said they believe the armed men were some kind of government or security officers, although they did not identify themselves or show a court order. Guaido arrived at the 18th-floor office in Caracas minutes later and called for an end to Maduro’s “dictatorship,” saying the men who broke into the office were “cowards” for covering their faces and not identifying themselves. “What they were looking for was to intimidate us,” Guaido said. “They didn’t succeed.”
UNITED STATES
Robocall bill makes progress
House and Senate leaders on Friday said that they had reached an agreement in principle on merging bills to clamp down on robocalls and sent it to President Donald Trump this year. The final bill would require phone companies to verify that phone numbers are real and to block calls for free. It would also give government agencies more ability to go after scammers. Phone companies have been rolling out verification tools after prompting from regulators. They are also offering call-blocking apps for smartphones and many home phones, although not always for free.
UNITED STATES
Epstein guards refuse deal
Federal prosecutors offered a plea deal to two correctional officers responsible for guarding Jeffrey Epstein on the night of his death, but the officers have declined the offer, people familiar with the matter said. The existence of the plea offer signals that the Department of Justice is considering criminal charges in connection with the wealthy financier’s death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York in August. The city’s medical examiner ruled Epstein’s death a suicide. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to publicly discuss the investigation.
UNITED STATES
Kanye West follows Cash
Kanye West has followed the Johnny Cash route and performed for inmates at a Houston jail. In secret from the public, the star rapper-turned-gospel singer performed songs on Friday from his new gospel album Jesus is King. He and his choir performed for more than 200 male inmates at one jail facility before crossing the street to another facility and performing for a smaller crowd of female inmates. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said West’s representatives asked jail officials about doing secret shows. The concerts were performed two days before West is to speak at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston. The events were reminiscent of prison concerts given by country singer Cash in California.
UNITED STATES
Boy catches big catfish
A nine-year-old New Mexico boy landed a 19kg blue catfish on Sunday last week while fishing in the Elephant Butte Reservoir. Kris Flores said that his son, Alex, made the big catch by himself and shattered dad’s record of reeling in a 16kg fish. Flores said the fourth grader named the fish Wailord after a Pokemon character. The father said his son released the fish back into the reservoir after taking some photos and videos. The biggest fish reportedly caught in Elephant Butte was 35kg.
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
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