UNITED STATES
Muhammad Ali’s son held
A lawyer said the son of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali was detained by immigration officials at a Florida airport. Chris Mancini told the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, that 44-year-old Muhammad Ali Jr and his mother, Khalilah Camacho-Ali, the second wife of Muhammad Ali, arrived at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Feb. 7 after returning from Jamaica. Mancini said officials questioned Ali Jr for nearly two hours, repeatedly asking him, “Where did you get your name from?” and “Are you Muslim?” Mancini said officials continued questioning Ali Jr after he acknowledged that he was Muslim. Ali Jr was born in Philadelphia and holds a US passport.
UNITED STATES
Drone sparks elk stampede
Wildlife refuge officials said a man with a drone caused 1,500 elk to stampede 800m. The stampede happened on Monday at the National Elk Refuge in western Wyoming. Elk and bison often congregate at the refuge to eat feed put out to help them survive the winter. This winter has been especially harsh. More than 90cm of snow has piled up, conditions that can be very stressful for all kinds of animals. Disturbing wildlife is a serious offense punishable by a fine up to US$5,000. Refuge spokeswoman Lori Iverson said on Thursday refuge officials gave the man from Washington a US$280 ticket after he launched the drone from a highway pullout and flew it over the resting elk herd.
MEXICO
Vigilantes kill car thieves
Prosecutors in the southern state of Chiapas said residents of a town have killed three men who had allegedly tried to steal a car. The Chiapas state attorney’s office said in a statement on Friday that the men were caught in the act by the car’s owner and taken by residents to the central plaza of the San Lucas community in Chiapilla township. They were then beaten to death. Prosecutor Enrique Mendez Rojas condemned the act and said authorities are working to identify those responsible.
MALAYSIA
N Korean diplomat sought
The nation yesterday said it would issue an arrest warrant for a North Korean diplomat wanted for questioning over the murder of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half-brother Kim Jong-nam if he does not voluntarily cooperate with the police. “Reasonable” time would be given for the diplomat to come forward before police take further action, Selangor State police chief Abdul Samah Mat said. On Wednesday, Malaysia said 44-year-old Hyon Kwang-song, a second secretary at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, was wanted for questioning over Kim Jong-nam’s death.
UNITED STATES
Marathon gamer dies
Police are investigating the death of a popular Virginia gamer who died during the home stretch of a 24-hour marathon video game session he was streaming online to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. News outlets report that 35-year-old Brian Vigneault was about 22 hours into playing World of Tanks live on Twitch.tv when he stood up from his computer on Sunday last week to take a smoke break. He never returned. Vigneault was found unresponsive at his Virginia Beach home later that evening and was pronounced dead at the scene. Virginia Beach police spokeswoman Tonya Borman said police do not suspect foul play in his death. His cause of death is unclear.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
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
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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