UNITED STATES
South Carolina church burns
A black American church in South Carolina that was burned down by the Ku Klux Klan in 1995 caught fire again on Tuesday night, though authorities said it was too soon to say what caused the latest blaze, which broke out on a night of frequent storms. No one was believed to be inside at the time. The fire at the Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal church in Greeleyville broke out at a time when federal authorities are investigating conflagrations at several other predominantly black churches in the south, but so far the fires do not appear to be related.
UNITED STATES
Christie to seek presidency
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie launched his presidential bid on Tuesday with the goal of reintroducing himself to a national audience, telling his most loyal supporters that he is ready to begin what he called a noble effort to “lead our country and to change the world.” The Republican governor of a largely Democratic state has slipped from favor with fellow party members and faces a tough sell with many conservatives in a crowded election field. He is the 14th major Republican to enter the race for the party’s nomination, with no clear frontrunner so far.
UNITED KINGDOM
Heathrow needs new runway
The Airports Commission yesterday recommended the construction of a third runway at London’s Heathrow Airport in a long-awaited report on how to best expand the country’s aviation capacity. However, the commission added that Europe’s largest airport needs to address environmental and community concerns. It said Heathrow presents a stronger case than rival Gatwick — providing about 40 new destinations from the airport and more than 70,000 new jobs by 2050. The issue was so toxic that politicians created an independent commission to weigh the options and make a recommendation. Government officials then postponed a decision until after the May 7 election. It is up to political leaders to make the final decision.
UNITED STATES
Ballerina achieves dream
Misty Copeland, the Missouri-born ballerina who has become a forceful voice for diversity in ballet, was named principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre on Tuesday, the first black American woman to reach that status in the company’s 75-year history. Copeland, 32, fought tears as she spoke about her promotion, which she said was a lifetime dream, but such a difficult one to attain that she never really thought it would happen. “This is it,” she said. “This has been my dream since I was 13, to be a principal dancer and reach these heights. It’s been 14 years of extremely hard work... I’m just so extremely honored to be an African-American and to be in this position.”
SPAIN
‘Gag law’ protested
About 2,000 people marched to the rhythm of drums in Madrid on Tuesday against a new law that regulates the right to demonstrate. Nicknamed the “gag law” by its detractors, it was to come into force yesterday, after being denounced by a number of non-governmental organizations, lawyers’ associations and journalists. The law mandates fines of up to 600,000 euros (US$670,000) for some non-authorized protests, and up to 30,000 euros for public disorder offenses. Those barring efforts to evict insolvent families from their homes could also face the same penalty. A “lack of respect” for a police officer could be punished with a fine of 600 euros.
INDIA
Darjeeling landslides kill 21
Landslides triggered by heavy rain killed at least 21 people in the tea-growing region of Darjeeling, with more feared trapped under mounds of mud and debris, police said yesterday. Rescuers were digging through tonnes of sludge searching for residents after overnight landslides struck homes built on slopes in the towns of Mirik, Kalimpong and Darjeeling in West Bengal state. “Rescuers have so far dug out 13 bodies in Mirik, five bodies in Kalimpong and three bodies in Darjeeling town,” Darjeeling District Police Superintendent Amit P Javalgi said. “At least 15 people are missing in Kalimpong… We have reports of over 100 houses getting washed away in these two towns and many people were evacuated from the sites.” West Bengal police Inspector-General Anuj Sharma said from Kolkata that he feared “many people” were caught in the landslides which, along with heavy rains, have also cut roads and telephone links.
AUSTRALIA
Bishop defends civil servant
Minister of Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop yesterday defended the nation’s top public servant, Michael Thawley, after he said China is not able to play a serious global leadership role. The adviser to Prime Minister Tony Abbott and a former ambassador to the US is a “very experienced diplomat” who had a “glittering career in the private sector,” Bishop said in a Sky News interview. “I note his comments, they reflect the views of a number of people in Australia.” Thawley, who is secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, on Tuesday said in a speech in Canberra that “China won’t help you produce a solution” to international problems, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. “China will get in the way or get out of the way,” he was quoted as saying. Bishop said China’s growing economic power means there is an argument that the nation is a “significant player” in global affairs.
PHILIPPINES
Vice president riles police
Manila police yesterday said Vice President Jejomar Binay had roughed up officers during a Monday night brawl that left several people hurt. The fracas broke out after police tried to serve a special prosecutor’s order suspending the vice president’s son from his post as mayor of Manila’s Makati financial district. “I thought I was face-to-face with a vice president who supported the police, but it was the opposite. He mocked my being a policeman,” Senior Superintendent Elmer Jamias said of the melee, parts of which aired on television. Police leaders said they were studying possible criminal charges against the elder Binay and his bodyguards. The vice president, 73, has denied he laid a hand on any police officer during Monday night’s confrontation. Jejomar Erwin Binay on Monday was suspended for six months by the ombudsman, who is investigating both father and son over allegations they took kickbacks from contractors. The younger Binay on Monday barricaded himself inside city hall with supporters. He ended the standoff yesterday.
SINGAPORE
Prime minister testifies
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) yesterday took the stand for nearly seven hours, answering questions from a blogger he sued for defamation, as the Supreme Court tried to decide how much he should be paid in damages. Lee sued Roy Ngerng, 34, for a blog last year that allegedly implicated Lee in impropriety in connection with how funds in the city-state’s mandatory retirement savings scheme are managed.
POLITICAL PRISONERS VS DEPORTEES: Venezuela’s prosecutor’s office slammed the call by El Salvador’s leader, accusing him of crimes against humanity Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Sunday proposed carrying out a prisoner swap with Venezuela, suggesting he would exchange Venezuelan deportees from the US his government has kept imprisoned for what he called “political prisoners” in Venezuela. In a post on X, directed at Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Bukele listed off a number of family members of high-level opposition figures in Venezuela, journalists and activists detained during the South American government’s electoral crackdown last year. “The only reason they are imprisoned is for having opposed you and your electoral fraud,” he wrote to Maduro. “However, I want to propose a humanitarian agreement that
ECONOMIC WORRIES: The ruling PAP faces voters amid concerns that the city-state faces the possibility of a recession and job losses amid Washington’s tariffs Singapore yesterday finalized contestants for its general election on Saturday next week, with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) fielding 32 new candidates in the biggest refresh of the party that has ruled the city-state since independence in 1965. The move follows a pledge by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財), who took office last year and assumed the PAP leadership, to “bring in new blood, new ideas and new energy” to steer the country of 6 million people. His latest shake-up beats that of predecessors Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) and Goh Chok Tong (吳作棟), who replaced 24 and 11 politicians respectively
Young women standing idly around a park in Tokyo’s west suggest that a giant statue of Godzilla is not the only attraction for a record number of foreign tourists. Their faces lit by the cold glow of their phones, the women lining Okubo Park are evidence that sex tourism has developed as a dark flipside to the bustling Kabukicho nightlife district. Increasing numbers of foreign men are flocking to the area after seeing videos on social media. One of the women said that the area near Kabukicho, where Godzilla rumbles and belches smoke atop a cinema, has become a “real
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
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