UNITED STATES
Grandma foils robbery
Authorities in Georgia say a grandmother foiled a robbery attempt by two armed men by getting into a shootout with them and wounding one man. Police told the Telegraph that Lulu Campbell had just dropped off her grandson at her daughter’s house early on Saturday morning when someone outside her car demanded money and threatened to shoot her. Campbell said the man fired at her, missing. The 57-year-old fired back, striking him in the chest. Her truck sustained eight bullet holes in the hood and one in the grill. Both front side windows were destroyed. The second man fled after she shot at him.
UNITED STATES
Number of illegals falls
A new study shows that the number of Mexican immigrants living illegally in the country has dropped significantly for the first time in decades. The figures represent a dramatic shift as many illegal workers return to Mexico. The analysis of census data from both sides of the border found that about 6.1 million unauthorized Mexican immigrants were living in the country last year, down from a peak of nearly 7 million in 2007. The Pew Hispanic Center report attributed much of the drop to the economic downturn, which has shrunk construction jobs attractive to Mexican workers.
UNITED STATES
Beautiful bulldog crowned
A two-year-old bulldog with a fetching face and a winning personality was crowned the winner of this year’s “Beautiful Bulldog” contest in Des Moines, Iowa. Tyson beat out 49 other pups for the honor on Monday in the tongue-in-cheek contest, now in its 33rd year. The event starts festivities at the annual Drake Relays track and field meet. Tyson beat out a cast of costumed and cleverly named characters, such as RocketMan, Matilda Rose and Chief McBeef.
CANADA
Dairy cow record broken
A Holstein cow named Smurf from a farm east of Ottowa has set a new world record for the most milk produced in a lifetime — 216,891kg over 15 years, and she is still producing. “That’s the equivalent of more than 1 million glasses of milk,” said Smurf’s owner Eric Patenaude, a sixth-generation dairy farmer. Guinness World Records confirmed the record on Monday. The average dairy cow yields about 35,000kg of milk in a lifetime, or less than 50 liters per day. Smurf produces approximately the same daily amount, but has lived three times longer than most dairy cows. It is her “longevity and consistency” that won her the prize, which also earned Smurf “Udder Accolades” from a local newspaper, Patenaude said. “That’s how she’s produced so much milk.”
UNITED STATES
Cuban actors vanish
Two Cuban actors starring in a film about defecting to the US went missing while en route to a New York festival where they were scheduled to appear at the movie’s premiere last week, a spokeswoman for the event said on Monday. Actress Anailin de la Rua de la Torre and actor Javier Nunez Florian, cast members of Una Noche (One Night), failed to appear at the Tribeca Film Festival debut on Thursday, prompting reports that the two may have defected — a case of real life imitating art. The film, directed by New York University film school graduate Lucy Mulloy, follows the journey of three Cuban teenagers trying to escape the poverty of their homeland to start a new life in Miami.
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
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
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,
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