ITALY
Statue cover-up slammed
A government minister has criticized as “incomprehensible” the decision to cover up naked statues at the Capitoline Museums in Rome that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited, adding a new twist to the controversy that has dominated Rouhani’s trip. Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini on Wednesday told reporters that neither he nor Prime Minister Matteo Renzi were informed about the decision, which was apparently taken by lower-ranking officials in a bid to avoid offending the Iranian leader. The cover-up involved the placement of several wooden panels to shield nude statues.
FRANCE
Fake bombs cause panic
A security exercise gone wrong saw tempers flare at Charles de Gaulle Airport, after fake explosive devices were discovered by FedEx workers in a ripped package, sources said yesterday. Employees of the US courier service at the Paris airport were shocked to find a pressure cooker filled with nuts and bolts inside a package in transit from the US to Tunisia. On further inspection they discovered a container of other similar devices, along with what appeared to be detonators, said Frederic Petit, who represents the company’s employees for the CGT union. The staff alerted authorities of “imminent danger,” and officials arrived to test the device using sniffer dogs and X-ray machines.
QATAR
News crew freed
Al-Jazeera yesterday said that a three-man news crew for the channel had been freed more than 10 days after being kidnapped in the flashpoint city of Taez. Reporter Hamdi al-Bokari, cameraman Abdulaziz al-Sabri and driver Munir al-Subaie went missing on Monday last week while covering the conflict between rebels and Gulf-backed forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. The pan-Arab news channel said on its Web site that the three people had been freed “a short while ago” after having been kidnapped by “unknown gunmen.”
UNITED STATES
Seed thief pleads guilty
A Chinese man charged with conspiracy to steal high-tech US corn seeds on Wednesday pleaded guilty in federal court in Iowa for participating in the theft of the patented seeds with the intention of transporting them to China, court documents show. Federal authorities began investigating Mo Hailong (莫海龍), 46, for conspiring to steal corn seeds from DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto after DuPont security staff noticed his suspicious activity. Mo was employed as director of the international business of the Beijing Dabeinong Technology Group Co, a part of Da Bei Nong Group that runs businesses covering seeds, animal feed and livestock.
UNITED STATES
MTA bans hoverboards
New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on Wednesday announced that it has banned hoverboards across its bus and subway systems. The proliferation of hoverboards has raised safety concerns over injuries among riders and reports of batteries catching fire. More than a few celebrities have embraced them, even as federal officials have warned consumers about potential risks. The devices are already banned in the city, according to the police. However, some local officials have pushed to legalize them, saying they could require riders to wear helmets or to use them only in parks.
An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday. Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncy pork,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month. The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merchandise, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home. A zoo spokesperson said that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost
‘BARBAROUS ACTS’: The captain of the fishing vessel said that people in checkered clothes beat them with iron bars and that he fell unconscious for about an hour Ten Vietnamese fishers were violently robbed in the South China Sea, state media reported yesterday, with an official saying the attackers came from Chinese-flagged vessels. The men were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), which Taiwan claims, as do Vietnam, China, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. Vietnamese media did not identify the nationalities of the attackers, but Phung Ba Vuong, an official in central Quang Ngai province, told reporters: “They were Chinese, [the boats had] Chinese flags.” Four of the 10-man Vietnamese crew were rushed
CHINESE ICBM: The missile landed near the EEZ of French Polynesia, much to the surprise and concern of the president, who sent a letter of protest to Beijing Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere called for “respect for our region” and a stop to missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, after China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Katonivere recalled the Pacific Ocean’s history as a nuclear weapons testing ground, and noted Wednesday’s rare launch by China of an ICBM. “There was a unilateral test firing of a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. We urge respect for our region and call for cessation of such action,” he said. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the
As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy’s hands. With a focus on easing its isolation and reviving its battered economy, Iran is aware that war could complicate efforts to secure relief from crippling sanctions. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, has intensified, especially after last week’s sabotage on Hezbollah’s communications that killed 39 people. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon followed, killing hundreds. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket barrages. Despite the surge in
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