UNITED STATES
Toddler glued to wall
A 22-year-old mother was facing child abuse charges on Friday after police say she glued her toddler daughter’s hands to a wall, kicked her in the stomach and beat her over a potty training issue. Joselyn Cedillo, 2, was on life support with multiple internal injuries at a Dallas hospital on Thursday, the Dallas Morning News reported. The newspaper, citing police records, said glue and paint were stuck to Joselyn’s palms, and that skin had torn away in places. Joselyn’s mother, Elizabeth Escalona, was crying and hysterical when she called her own mother on Wednesday morning from her Dallas apartment, according to police records. The records show that when the grandmother arrived at the apartment, her granddaughter was unconscious on the floor. She took her to the hospital.
CANADA
Portrait triggers anger
A Canadian federal government decree that the queen’s portrait be displayed in all embassies and missions abroad triggered an angry response on Friday from a former diplomat and an opposition lawmaker. “This decision is retrograde and anachronistic,” said Paul Heinbecker, Canada’s erstwhile ambassador to the UN. “After 60 years of emancipation, this is a step back for our country,” he added. The decision also angered Paul Dewar, a lawmaker from the New Democratic Party (NDP). “We don’t have a minister of foreign affairs, we have a minister of interior decorating,” Dewar said.
MEXICO
President sees Dalai Lama
President Felipe Calderon on Friday held “private” talks with the Dalai Lama — a move sure to irritate China, which says the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader is bent on independence. Calderon’s office said in a statement that the pair had discussed “the importance of promoting ethical values in contemporary society.” The Mexican leader reiterated his country’s adherence to the “one China principle” and its recognition of China’s full sovereignty over Tibet. The Dalai Lama described the talks as “very good” and taking place in a “friendly atmosphere” — and added that Calderon had “inquired about the situation in Tibet.”
BOLIVIA
Plane crash survivor found
A 35-year-old man was found alive, the only survivor from a private plane that disappeared and crashed three days ago, killing eight people in the northeast, local media said on Friday. Minor Vidal was found with head injuries by rescuers who arrived at the accident site on Thursday night. He was airlifted by military helicopter for examination, radio stations reported. The Aerocon plane was carrying seven passengers and two crew when it took off on Tuesday from the eastern Bolivian city of Santa Cruz, headed for Trinidad, when it vanished from radar.
FRANCE
Sailboat crew vanishes
The crew of a French sailboat has gone missing in pirate-infested waters off the coast of Yemen, France’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday. The ministry said the catamaran had sounded an alarm and French authorities then requested a nearby German ship to investigate. The boat was found with no crew aboard. The ministry said: “We are doing everything we can to find those who were aboard this ship.” It is not clear how many people were aboard the catamaran. A Yemeni Coast Guard official said that the French passengers left the port of Aden on Sept. 4.
CHINA
Ferry capsizes, kills 11
A ferry carrying students on a holiday trip capsized in central China, killing 11 people, officials said yesterday. Nine students and two adults drowned after the ferry carrying at least 43 passengers, mostly students returning home for the Mid-Autumn Festival weekend, capsized on Friday afternoon, an official with the Shaoyang County safety bureau in Hunan Province said. He said workers were still searching for at least three missing people after 16 were rescued with injuries. Thirteen passengers managed to swim to safety. The two boat owners have been detained by police, Xinhua news agency reported. It said the ferry capsized after it was blocked by iron cables in the Fuyi River. All of the students killed were taking the ferry chartered by primary and middle schools in the nearby Tantianshi town back home, where they planned to spend the holiday weekend with their families, Xinhua reported.
CAMBODIA
Cow helps raise baby
A Cambodian man says his young grandson has lived partly on milk he suckles directly from a cow since the boy’s parents left their rural village in search of work. Um Oeung says 20-month-old Tha Sophat started suckling the cow in July after he saw a calf do the same. Um Oeung said he pulled the boy away at first. He relented after his grandson protested loudly and the boy has suckled the cow’s milk once or twice a day since then. Tha Sophat has lived with his grandparents in Koak Roka, Siem Reap Province, since his parents moved to Thailand in search of work. Um Oeung said on Friday the cow doesn’t mind the young boy suckling, but he is worried about his grandson’s health if he continues.
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
Tropical Storm Koto killed three people and left another missing as it approached Vietnam, authorities said yesterday, as strong winds and high seas buffeted vessels off the country’s flood-hit central coast. Heavy rains have lashed Vietnam’s middle belt in recent weeks, flooding historic sites and popular holiday destinations, and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Authorities ordered boats to shore and diverted dozens of flights as Koto whipped up huge waves and dangerous winds, state media reported. Two vessels sank in the rough seas, a fishing boat in Khanh Hoa province and a smaller raft in Lam Dong, according to the
‘HEART IS ACHING’: Lee appeared to baffle many when he said he had never heard of six South Koreans being held in North Korea, drawing criticism from the families South Korean President Lee Jae-myung yesterday said he was weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December last year. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of imprisoned former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated power grab, Lee — a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon’s removal from office in April — stressed his desire to repair ties with Pyongyang. A special prosecutor last month indicted Yoon and two of his top
The Philippines deferred the awarding of a project that is part of a plan to build one of the world’s longest marine bridges after local opposition over the potential involvement of a Chinese company due to national security fears. The proposals are “undergoing thorough review” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which acts as a lender and an overseer of the project to ensure it meets international environmental and governance standards, the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways said in a statement on Monday in response to queries from Bloomberg. The agency said it would announce the winning bidder once ADB
RSS