UNITED KINGDOM
Scots want independence
Scottish voters would vote for independence from the UK, according to a poll by Michael Ashcroft, the first major published survey to show a lead for independence since March 2017. Asked how they would vote in an independence referendum, 46 percent said they would vote for independence and 43 percent against. Excluding those who said they did not know or would not vote, this amounted to a lead of 52 percent to 48 percent for an independent Scotland. “In the wake of [Prime Minister] Boris Johnson’s visit to Edinburgh last week I polled Scots to measure support for a second independence referendum and to gauge opinion on independence itself,” said Ashcroft, a Conservative who opposed Johnson’s leadership. “I found a small majority in favor of a new vote — and the first lead for an independent Scotland for more than two years,” he said.
EGYPT
Fiery car crash kills 19
At least 19 people were killed when a speeding car driving against traffic crashed into three others, causing a huge explosion in Cairo, the Ministry of Health said yesterday. The crash happened just before midnight on Sunday outside the National Cancer Institute and injured 30 people, the ministry added. Between “three and four [of the injured] are in critical condition in the intensive care unit,” ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed told a news conference, adding that they have “several burns of varying degrees.”Body parts were also retrieved from the scene, he said. The prosecutor general has ordered an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
INDONESIA
Activist walking backwards
A man is walking backwards from his home in East Java Province to the capital, Jakarta, to raise awareness of deforestation in a country with one of the highest rates in the world. The more than 700km trek would be arduous enough under any circumstances, but Medi Bastoni is drawing attention to his campaign by doing it walking backwards. Bastoni, 43, started on July 18 from his village on Mount Wilis, a 2,500m volcano in East Java that has been affected by deforestation. He hopes to meet President Joko Widodo when he arrives in Jakarta later this month. “I hope the government will start to care about the environment ... so the young generation will care about our environment,” the father of four told Reuters TV. As he passed through the town of Sragen in central Java, residents looked on with amazement. “I think this is crazy and it’s something impossible, to walk such a long distance backwards,” said Ambyar, who uses one name. “But, he has a noble mission ... and we support him. We just hope he will arrive in Jakarta.”
AUSTRIA
No perfume, please: poll
Vienna subway travelers have decided that they do not want their train rides to be scented. The capital’s transport authority tried out four scents, including hints of green tea, grapefruit, sandalwood and melon, in the ventilation systems of four trains on two of the network’s five lines last month. It asked subway users to deliver their verdict online. The authority yesterday said that 21,000 people decided they would prefer to live without scent as they commute, while 16,000 supported extending the project. It said that the air quality in subway cars has already been improved by a ban on eating on trains that was introduced on all lines in January.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
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
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
Africa has established the continent’s first space agency to boost Earth observation and data sharing at a time when a more hostile global context is limiting the availability of climate and weather information. The African Space Agency opened its doors last month under the umbrella of the African Union and is headquartered in Cairo. The new organization, which is still being set up and hiring people in key positions, is to coordinate existing national space programs. It aims to improve the continent’s space infrastructure by launching satellites, setting up weather stations and making sure data can be shared across
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