THAILAND
No tattoos for tourists
The Ministry of Culture said tourists should be banned from getting religious tattoos because the practice was culturally insensitive. Minister of Culture Niphit Intharasombat said his office had received complaints from residents that tattoo parlors were etching sacred images of Buddha and other religious images onto the skin of non-Buddhist visitors across the country. Niphit said in a statement on the ministry’s Web site on Thursday that “foreigners see these tattoos as a fashion ... they do not think of respecting religion, or they may not be aware” it can be offensive. He called on tattoo shops to stop the practice.
AUSTRALIA
Scientists evacuated
Climate researchers at the Australian National University have been rushed to a secure location after receiving death threats, an official said yesterday, as debate rages about plans for a carbon pollution tax. The scientists had to be shifted following mounting abuse, with threats they would be attacked in the street if they didn’t stop their research, university vice chancellor Dick Young said. The menacing e-mails and phone calls had intensified in recent weeks amid heated public debate over Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s plans to introduce a tax on carbon emissions aimed at reducing pollution.
FRANCE
Obama fan suspended
Authorities suspended a customs inspector for having a photo taken of himself with US President Barack Obama’s passport as the leader entered France for the G8 summit, a union said on Friday. The inspector annoyed traveling US officials by posing for a picture after stamping Obama’s passport as the White House delegation arrived on May 26, local radio station France Bleu Cotentin reported. “The American officials who handed over the passports of their delegation did not appreciate it,” said Philippe Bock, a local customs workers’ representative of the Solidaires labor union, confirming the report. “The punishment came quickly,” he added, saying the inspector was suspended for two weeks and was likely to be transferred to another department.
UNITED STATES
Long-time saver honored
A woman in Ohio has been treated to a birthday party at her bank — where she still holds the same savings account her father opened for her in 1913. June Gregg turned 100 on Thursday. She recently mentioned to a friend that her account with a Huntington Bank branch in southern Ohio dated back to before World War I. Branch manager Doug Shoemaker did some digging and confirmed it was true. He said the account number changed just once, when Columbus-based Huntington acquired what had been called the Savings Bank in Chillicothe. The bank manager said the account has helped the woman become financially comfortable.
UNITED STATES
‘Geronimo’ Pratt dies at 63
Elmer “Geronimo” Pratt, a member of the African-American Black Panthers movement who was wrongfully imprisoned for 27 years, has died at the age of 63, his sister Virginia said. Pratt died on Thursday in a small village in Tanzania where he had been living, she said, but did not give a cause of death. Pratt became a symbol of racial discrimination when he was jailed in 1972 for allegedly killing a woman and seriously wounding her husband in a mugging that netted him just US$18. The conviction was overturned in 1997, and a federal judge later approved a US$4.5 million settlement.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
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