ECUADOR
Same-sex marriage backed
The Constitutional Court on Wednesday authorized same-sex marriage in a landmark case seeking to expand LGBT rights, by a 5-4 vote. Plaintiff Efrain Soria said that he would immediately begin planning a wedding with his partner, Xavier Benalcazar, with whom he has been in a civil union since 2012. Same-sex unions have been legal for a decade, but civil partners enjoy fewer rights than married couples when it comes to inheritance and estate laws. The Constitutional Court instructed Congress to pass legislation ensuring equal treatment for all under the nation’s marriage law. The ruling is “a joy for our entire community and Ecuador,” said Soria, who is president of the Ecuadorian Equality Foundation, an LGBT rights group.
UNITED KINGDOM
Assange extradition signed
Home Secretary Sajid Javid yesterday said he had certified the US’ request to extradite WikiLeaks front man Julian Assange on espionage grounds on Wednesday, a procedural move that opens the way for a court battle. The US Department of Justice on Tuesday said that it had submitted a formal extradition request. Washington has accused Assange of contravening the US Espionage Act by publishing military and diplomatic files in 2010. The final decision on whether Assange, 47, can be extradited rests with the courts. The next hearing in the case is set for today. The Australian is now serving a 50-week sentence in top-security Belmarsh prison for skipping bail when he entered the Ecuadoran embassy in London in 2012. “I want to see justice done at all times and we’ve got a legitimate extradition request, so I’ve signed it, but the ... decision is now with the courts,” Javid said.
ARGENTINA
Former official sentenced
A court on Wednesday sentenced former public works secretary Jose Lopez to six years in prison after he was caught by police in 2016 trying to toss 160 suitcases and duffel bags stuffed with US$9 million in US dollars and euros as well as luxury watches over the wall into the garden of a Buenos Aires Catholic convent. Lopez’s wife, Maria Diaz, was given a two-year suspended sentence for complicity, while 80-year-old nun, Sister Celia Ines Aparicio, who was also charged with complicity, was acquitted. The court also barred Lopez from ever holding public office again.
CANADA
Frozen toes find new home
The amputated toes of a British endurance athlete are to be given new life, as the centerpiece of a notorious Canadian cocktail. As Nick Griffiths lay in a hospital bed last year after suffering frostbite while competiting in the Yukon Arctic ultra-marathon, his mind drifted to an advertisement he had seen earlier in a hotel in the territory. “It said: ‘Had frostbite? We want your toes,’” Griffiths told the Guardian. “I thought it was a bit of a joke, really.” It was not: For more than 40 years, visitors have flocked to the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City to try the Sourtoe Cocktail. The beverage is a whiskey shot with a mummified human toe floating in the glass. Patrons must let the digit — or its blackened nail — touch their lips in order to qualify for a certificate and admittance to the Sourtoe Cocktail Club. “We couldn’t be happier to receive a new toe. They are very hard to come by these days,” the hotel said in a statement. Terry Lee, the hotel’s “toe expert,” will now preserve the digits in rock salt for at least six weeks before they are served in whiskey.
AUSTRALIA
Pacific fund set for July
The government is to soon offer millions of dollars in funding for infrastructure projects in the Pacific, two sources familiar with the plan said, as part of its efforts to undercut Chinese influence. Prime Minister Scott Morrison last year said that the nation would create a fund to offer Pacific countries up to A$3 billion (US$2.07 billion) in cheap loans and grants. The fund is to be operational by July 31 and Australia plans to quickly approve several projects to demonstrate its commitment, the sources said. “We haven’t finalized which projects will be approved first, but the plan is to have them rubber-stamped quickly,” said a source familiar with plans, who declined to be identified. The investment would be channelled into telecommunications, energy, transport and water projects. The funding commitments are to come just before Morrison travels to Tuvalu for the annual Pacific Islands Forum in August. Tuvalu is one of six Pacific islands to recognize Taiwan.
INDIA
Cyclone to skirt coast
A cyclone that had been heading for the western coast has veered away, forecasters said yesterday, although coastal areas were still expected to be hit by winds gusting up to 160kph. Vayu, classified as a very severe cyclonic storm, moved north-northwestward overnight in the Arabian Sea and was about 110km from the coast of Gujarat State. It was “very likely” to keep moving in the same direction, but still skirt the coast with winds of 135kph to 145kph and gusts of 160kph, the India Meteorological Department said. Authorities in Gujarat evacuated more than 285,000 people as a precaution. Schools have been closed, with officials fearing major damage to houses, crops, power lines and communications. Five people have been killed by lightning in Gujarat, mostly farmers and people working in fields, authorities said.
SYRIA
Idlib ceasefire announced
Moscow has announced a ceasefire in Idlib Province after weeks of intensified rocket fire and airstrikes by regime and Russian forces. “At Russia’s initiative, with the mediation of Turkey and Russia, a ceasefire agreement was concluded in the Idlib de-escalation zone as of midnight on June 12,” the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria said in a statement late on Wednesday. “As a result, a significant reduction has been observed in the number of bombardments by illegal groups.” Idlib, the last major area of Syria outside government control, has faced intense regime bombardment, despite a months-old buffer zone deal.
JAPAN
Jail for drunk drone driving
People operating drones under the influence of alcohol could face up to a year in prison under new laws passed yesterday. Drunkenly flying a drone weighing more than 200g could also result in a fine of up to ￥300,000 (US$2,767), after the lower house of parliament passed the legislation following a string of accidents. Performing dangerous stunts with drones such as sharp plunges would also be subject to fines of up to ￥500,000. “We believe operating drones after consuming alcohol is as serious as [drunk] driving,” a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism official said. The nation has also had to confront issues with tourists flying drones in congested tourist areas. Last month, it passed a set of laws to ban drones over Tokyo Olympic sites and US military facilities, after banning them over key facilities.
Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting “gringos out!” The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store. Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called “xenophobic expressions” similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries. “We are a city of open arms... there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,” Cravioto told Milenio television. Neighborhoods like Roma-Condesa
‘CONTINUE TO SERVE’: The 90-year-old Dalai Lama said he hoped to be able to continue serving ‘sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma’ for decades to come The Dalai Lama yesterday said he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday. Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution would continue after his death. Many exiled Tibetans
Dozens of residents have evacuated remote islands in southern Japan that have been shaken by nearly 1,600 earthquakes in recent weeks, the local mayor said yesterday. There has been no major physical damage on hardest-hit Akuseki island, even after a magnitude 5.1 quake that struck overnight, said Toshima Mayor Genichiro Kubo, who is based on another island. However, the almost nonstop jolts since June 21 have caused severe stress to area residents, many of whom have been deprived of sleep. Of the 89 residents of Akuseki, 44 had evacuated to the regional hub of Kagoshima by Sunday, while 15 others also left another
CEREMONY EXPECTED: Abdullah Ocalan said he believes in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons, and called on the group to put that into practice The jailed leader of a Kurdish militant group yesterday renewed a call for his fighters to lay down their arms, days before a symbolic disarmament ceremony is expected to take place as a first concrete step in a peace process with the Turkish state. In a seven-minute video message broadcast on pro-Kurdish Medya Haber’s YouTube channel, Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), said that the peace initiative had reached a stage that required practical steps. “It should be considered natural for you to publicly ensure the disarmament of the relevant groups in a way that addresses the expectations
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