PHILIPPINES
Radio journalist killed
Police say a radio journalist has been fatally shot by a motorcycle-riding gunman in the north. Cabanatuan police chief Eli Depra said no motive was known for the killing of Julius Cauzo early yesterday. His colleague at DWJJ radio station, Elena Quijano, said he had received death threats, but it was unclear why. Cauzo was the vice president of the provincial press club. The media watchdog Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility said that if his death were found to be work-related, he would be the fourth journalist killed in the country this year.
SOUTH AFRICA
Linkin Park fan killed
A female fan of the US rock band Linkin Park has died from injuries after an advertising tower gave in to strong winds and collapsed ahead of a concert, officials said yesterday. “One person died in hospital,” Cape Town spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said. Twenty fans waiting were wounded and 12 of them required hospitalization after the scaffolding blew over in high winds on Wednesday outside the stadium. “We wish to express our deep sadness and concern for those injured and our heartfelt condolences to the family of the fan who died as a result of her injuries,” Linkin Park said in a statement on its Web site.
NEW ZEALAND
No case against dead man
A judge yesterday threw out an attempt to prosecute a dead South Korean fisherman, comparing the case to a Monty Python sketch, reports said. Trawler officers Soon Ill-hwang and Dae Jun-lee were accused in Christchurch District Court of illegally dumping dead fish at sea in a case brought by the Ministry for Primary Industries, the New Zealand Herald reported. However, shortly after charges were laid against him earlier this year, Soon was killed in a car crash. A solicitor representing the ministry reportedly told the court there were still valid reasons for the prosecution to go ahead — although judge Gary MacAskill rejected the argument as “absurd.” “It reminds me of Monty Python and his dead parrot,” Fairfax Media quoted the judge as saying. “I would have thought that the death of the accused is pretty fundamental,” he said, adding: “We can’t try dead people.” The case against Dae is proceeding.
THAILAND
Tatoo ‘wizard’ held
A “sorcerer” tattooist has been arrested after several brawls involving his disciples who believed his body art made them invincible, police said on Tuesday. Boonyong Luangjumpol was held for possession of guns after officers raided his home following a spate of fights in the province of Kalasin, local police chief Major General Kanisorn Noinard said. “Police arrested the teenagers and asked them why they fought. They said they were tattooed because they believed it would make them invincible and wanted to test whether it works or not,” Kanisorn said. When asked if the fights had injured any of the followers, he said “every single one” was hurt.
UNITED STATES
Man sues church for lost leg
The case of the man whose leg had to be amputated after a 270kg crucifix fell on him will go to trial in January. Attorney Kevin Kitson says his client, David Jimenez, prayed to the crucifix outside St Patrick’s Church in New York State after his wife was diagnosed with cancer. When she recovered, he showed his thanks by volunteering to clean the cross. In May 2010, the crucifix fell on him, crushing his right leg. It was later amputated. He is suing the church for US$3 million.
The team behind the long-awaited Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile yesterday published their first images, revealing breathtaking views of star-forming regions as well as distant galaxies. More than two decades in the making, the giant US-funded telescope sits perched at the summit of Cerro Pachon in central Chile, where dark skies and dry air provide ideal conditions for observing the cosmos. One of the debut images is a composite of 678 exposures taken over just seven hours, capturing the Trifid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula — both several thousand light-years from Earth — glowing in vivid pinks against orange-red backdrops. The new image
Canada and the EU on Monday signed a defense and security pact as the transatlantic partners seek to better confront Russia, with worries over Washington’s reliability under US President Donald Trump. The deal was announced after a summit in Brussels between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa. “While NATO remains the cornerstone of our collective defense, this partnership will allow us to strengthen our preparedness ... to invest more and to invest smarter,” Costa told a news conference. “It opens new opportunities for companies on both sides of the
ESPIONAGE: The British government’s decision on the proposed embassy hinges on the security of underground data cables, a former diplomat has said A US intervention over China’s proposed new embassy in London has thrown a potential resolution “up in the air,” campaigners have said, amid concerns over the site’s proximity to a sensitive hub of critical communication cables. The furor over a new “super-embassy” on the edge of London’s financial district was reignited last week when the White House said it was “deeply concerned” over potential Chinese access to “the sensitive communications of one of our closest allies.” The Dutch parliament has also raised concerns about Beijing’s ideal location of Royal Mint Court, on the edge of the City of London, which has so
OVERHAUL: The move would likely mark the end to Voice of America, which was founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda and operated in nearly 50 languages The parent agency of Voice of America (VOA) on Friday said it had issued termination notices to more than 639 more staff, completing an 85 percent decrease in personnel since March and effectively spelling the end of a broadcasting network founded to counter Nazi propaganda. US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) senior advisor Kari Lake said the staff reduction meant 1,400 positions had been eliminated as part of US President Donald Trump’s agenda to cut staffing at the agency to a statutory minimum. “Reduction in Force Termination Notices were sent to 639 employees at USAGM and Voice of America, part of a
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