CHINA
Spurned elephant rampages
A heartbroken elephant acted out his thwarted crush on nearly 20 cars near a Chinese nature reserve during a sulk over the Valentine’s Day weekend, local media reported yesterday. The spurned pachyderm — angry after losing a fight for a mate, Xinhua news agency cited rangers as saying — wandered out of a national park and onto a road in Yunnan Province, proceeding to smash and dent visitors’ cars in a fit of jealous pique. In a video, Zhusunya, a male Asian elephant whose name translates to “Bamboo Shoot Teeth,” pushed and hit a vehicle, provoking shouts of surprise from bystanders. The broken-hearted bull damaged 14 cars during a rampage on Friday and another four over the course of an hour on Sunday, Xinhua said. There was no estimate of damages, but it said visitors would be compensated. As of last year, fewer than 250 wild Asian elephants were believed to exist in China, a study by China’s National Nature Science Foundation said.
AUSTRALIA
Child dies after snake bite
A young girl has died in Australia after being bitten by a brown snake, officials said yesterday, a rare fatality even though the nation is home to some of the planet’s deadliest species. The death of the six-year-old prompted emergency services to warn people to be on their guard against brown snakes, whose bite is often painless. They are known as nervous reptiles that strike with little hesitation. Police in New South Wales state said the girl was bitten on Friday on a rural property near Walgett, about 660km northwest of Sydney. She was taken to a local hospital and given anti-venom before being flown to Sydney Children’s Hospital on life support, but her condition worsened and she died on Saturday. According to official estimates there are about 3,000 snakebite cases in Australia every year, with 300 to 500 needing anti-venom treatment. Only an average of two per year prove fatal. Australia is home to 20 of the world’s 25 most venomous snakes. The eastern brown snake causes more deaths than any other species, the Australian Museum said.
SOUTH KOREA
Military helicopter crashes
A South Korean military helicopter crashed in an eastern province yesterday, killing three of the four soldiers on board, officials said. The helicopter went down in a farming field in the city of Chuncheon in the eastern province of Gangwon during a checkout flight, defense and army officials said. The officials said that all four soldiers aboard the helicopter were initially rescued after the crash, but that three of them died while being treated in hospitals. They said no casualties on the ground have been reported. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department rules. South Korea maintains more than 600,000 troops under a conscription system to cope with potential aggression from rival North Korea. The crash occurred amid a heightened standoff with North Korea over its recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.
RUSSIA
Missiles for Iran sent soon
Russia is scheduled to start the delivery of S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran in “the nearest time,” RIA news agency quoted the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying yesterday. Iran is also displaying interest in buying more advanced, S-400 missile systems, but no negotiations are being currently being conducted on this matter, the agency said.
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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