NEW ZEALAND
Running of sheep criticized
An animal welfare group urged Rugby World Cup organizers yesterday to ditch plans to stage “the running of the sheep” in Auckland during the tournament. Under the plan, about 1,000 sheep are to be herded down Queen Street, accompanied by sheep dogs and bikini-clad models riding quad bikes. The Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it had received “a barrage” of complaints about the event. SPCA chief executive Robyn Kippenberger said the society objected to the inhumane use of animals for an entertainment “side show” and organizers should abandon the idea.
CHINA
Ten killed in mine blast
Ten people were killed by an explosion in a coal mine in Guizhou Province, a local official said yesterday, in the latest in a series of fatal accidents to plague the industry. The blast occurred on Sunday evening, a local official who refused to be named said. One person was also injured. Last year, 2,433 people died in coal mine accidents in the country, according to official statistics — a rate of more than six workers per day. However, labor rights groups say the actual death toll is much higher, partly due to under-reporting as mine bosses seek to limit their economic losses and avoid punishment.
JAPAN
PM recalls wartime spirit
The nation will recover from the March 11 quake and tsunami just as it did after World War II, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said yesterday, the 66th anniversary of the country’s surrender. “Our country rose from the ruins after the war thanks to each citizen’s effort and has overcome many difficulties until today,” Kan said at a memorial service in Tokyo.The anniversary comes as the nation struggles to recover from the disasters that ravaged its northeast coast and sparked a crisis at its Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. Emperor Akihito attended the service at the Budokan indoor arena with Empress Michiko, and addressed the audience of more than 6,000 guests. “I remember the history and ardently pray that the tragedy of war will never be repeated,” the 77-year-old emperor said.
CHINA
Coal boss given 20 years
A court sentenced a coal boss in Shanxi Province to 20 years in jail and millions of yuan in fines after he was convicted for illegally running a mine and using earnings to amass dozens of homes across the country, state media reported. Hao Pengjun, the head of the Pu County coal office, amassed 35 homes, most in Beijing and in the southern resort of Hainan Island, worth more than 170 million yuan (US$26.5 million). Hao and family members also had personal bank accounts worth a “shocking” 127 million yuan (US$20 million), state broadcaster China Central Television reported over the weekend.
CHINA
Aircraft carrier returns
The nation’s first aircraft carrier has returned to port after completing a “smooth” set of sea trials designed to test its capabilities, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday. The 300m ship docked in the northeastern port of Dalian on Sunday morning after five days of trials. The carrier tests came amid heightened tensions over a number of maritime territorial disputes, notably in the South China Sea. Dockworkers set off fireworks as the vessel, a refitted old Soviet carrier called the Varyag, returned to port, Xinhua said
RUSSIA
Anti-campaigner arrested
National law prohibits campaigning for any candidate without a permit. So Boris Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister and frequent government gadfly, tested its limits in St Petersburg on Sunday by handing out fliers that did not support any candidate. The fliers said: “Vote against everybody.” The police were not amused. They arrested him, charged him with illegal agitation, which is punishable by a fine, and confiscated his fliers. Nemtsov, whose subversive political stunts have landed him in police custody many times, called the arrest “absurd.” He said it proved the government had no intention of allowing unfettered political expression ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections this fall and next spring.
ITALY
Bridge plan causes row
Plans for a new bridge across Venice’s Grand Canal have plunged the city into a row over what defines heritage. Architects and conservationists are fighting the city’s decision to build a new bridge, reportedly using metal and glass, in place of the wooden Ponte del Accademia, one of just four bridges across the canal. The city also stands accused of rushing the project through without consulting experts. Defenders of the plan have said that the current bridge was built in 1933, that it was conceived as a temporary structure and was already replaced once by a replica in 1985.
SPAIN
‘Raton’ the bull kills again
A killer bull has claimed another victim after fatally goring a 29-year-old man during festivities in the Valencia region, an official said on Sunday. The man, whose name was not released, died at a hospital in the town of Xativa late on Saturday, a regional government official said. The 500kg bull — named “Raton,” which means mouse — has killed two other members of the public during festivals over 10 years. Television images showed the man being tossed in the air and then hit along the ground in Xativa’s bullring. Witness accounts cited by Valencia’s Las Provincias newspaper on Sunday said the man appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and had been escorted back to his seat in the stands during the bull run immediately before Raton’s appearance.
ITALY
Pope calls for more prayer
Pope Benedict XVI asked Catholics on Sunday to pray for him and for young people ahead of the Church’s World Youth Day (WYD) celebration in Madrid. More than 1 million people are expected in Madrid from today for the youth event, with the pope due to arrive on Thursday. The papal visit has drawn criticism over the costs of welcoming the head of the Roman Catholic Church as Madrid battles with recession. WYD officials say that the majority of the costs will be paid by registration fees from pilgrims themselves.
YEMEN
Fighting wracks south
A new wave of fighting erupted in a southern provincial capital that has been overrun by extremist militants, killing at least 17 al-Qaeda-linked fighters and three soldiers, a military official said on Sunday. The official said the clashes took place in and around Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan Province. The city, along with several southern towns, has been overrun by al-Qaeda-linked militants in the last two months of ongoing political turmoil. The US and Saudi Arabia are particularly concerned about al-Qaeda in Yemen, which is the terror group’s most active branch.
CANADA
Thousands attend Pride
Tens of thousands people lined the streets of Montreal on Sunday as the colorful Gay Pride parade headed down the city streets. Athletic men in swimsuits and dancers in bikinis and colorful plumes shook their bodies to the tune of pop music blasting from giant speakers on flatbed trucks. The parade’s grand marshal, Alice Nkom, urged participants to support gay communities in places like her home country of Cameroon, where homosexual acts are illegal. Marchers also carried signs denouncing politicians they consider homophobic, including French presidential candidate Christine Boutin, US Representative Michele Bachmann and right-wing Italian politician Alessandra Mussolini.
ARGENTINA
Fernandez leads primary
President Cristina Fernandez has 49.5 percent of the votes with about 8 percent of the ballots counted in the presidential primary. Three of the nine other candidates had a chance at second place in the nation’s first-ever open and simultaneous presidential primary. Senator Ricardo Alfonsin had 13 percent, former president Eduardo Duhalde had 12 percent and Sante Fe Governor Hermes Binner had 11 percent as the first votes were counted. The results of the vote suggest that unless the opposition unites around a single candidate, Fernandez has a very good chance of winning re-election without a runoff on Oct. 23.
BERMUDA
Gert slowly strengthens
Tropical Storm Gert strengthened slowly on Sunday on a track toward the country and forecasters said the global reinsurance hub could expect increased winds, rain and surf when the storm passed on its eastern side. Gert, the seventh named storm of what is proving as predicted to be an active Atlantic hurricane season this year, formed on Sunday, but its forecast ocean track will keep it well away from the heavily populated US east coast. The rocky archipelago is well prepared for the tropical storms and hurricanes that sweep across the Atlantic from June to November and storm fatalities are rare there. The storm is not expected to turn into a hurricane.
UNITED STATES
Man shares Starbucks card
In a unique crowd-sharing experiment, Jonathan Stark of Rhode Island has persuaded more than 1,000 strangers to contribute to the balance of his Starbucks card. The idea behind Stark’s card is simple: If you don’t have the money to buy a coffee, but you do have a smartphone, you can download his Starbucks card barcode and make a purchase. Once in a while, Stark hopes you’ll give something back — and so far more than 1,000 strangers have ploughed more than US$11,000 back into the pot. “Get a coffee, give a coffee” started with Stark, a mobile app consultant, playing around with the Starbucks app. “I thought it hilarious that I managed to buy a coffee with a picture,” he said. “I went to my blog, put [US]$20 on the card, uploaded the barcode image and told everyone that the next person at Starbucks would get a free coffee.” A surprising number of people took him up on the offer — and after a while he noticed the balance had gone up. “That freaked me out as I thought someone had hacked my account,” Stark remembers. “It turned that one of the guys who’d read my original post had discovered that you could anonymously put money on anyone’s card as long as you had the number. That’s when the lightbulb went on. I set up the Web site, the Twitter feed and in the last week it has gone from 100 followers to over 13,000. It’s overwhelming.”
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
‘DISCRIMINATION’: The US Office of Personnel Management ordered that public DEI-focused Web pages be taken down, while training and contracts were canceled US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. The moves follow an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs. Trump has called the programs “discrimination” and called to restore “merit-based” hiring. The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by former US president Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It is using one of the
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