VENEZUELA
Opposition reports raid
A leading opposition party said that a group of armed men with their faces covered on Friday raided its headquarters, taking cellphones, computers and ID cards from staffers and raising tensions the night before a nationwide protest against President Nicolas Maduro. Popular Will members said that Juan Guaido, who belongs to the party, was not inside at the time. They said they believe the armed men were some kind of government or security officers, although they did not identify themselves or show a court order. Guaido arrived at the 18th-floor office in Caracas minutes later and called for an end to Maduro’s “dictatorship,” saying the men who broke into the office were “cowards” for covering their faces and not identifying themselves. “What they were looking for was to intimidate us,” Guaido said. “They didn’t succeed.”
UNITED STATES
Robocall bill makes progress
House and Senate leaders on Friday said that they had reached an agreement in principle on merging bills to clamp down on robocalls and sent it to President Donald Trump this year. The final bill would require phone companies to verify that phone numbers are real and to block calls for free. It would also give government agencies more ability to go after scammers. Phone companies have been rolling out verification tools after prompting from regulators. They are also offering call-blocking apps for smartphones and many home phones, although not always for free.
UNITED STATES
Epstein guards refuse deal
Federal prosecutors offered a plea deal to two correctional officers responsible for guarding Jeffrey Epstein on the night of his death, but the officers have declined the offer, people familiar with the matter said. The existence of the plea offer signals that the Department of Justice is considering criminal charges in connection with the wealthy financier’s death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York in August. The city’s medical examiner ruled Epstein’s death a suicide. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to publicly discuss the investigation.
UNITED STATES
Kanye West follows Cash
Kanye West has followed the Johnny Cash route and performed for inmates at a Houston jail. In secret from the public, the star rapper-turned-gospel singer performed songs on Friday from his new gospel album Jesus is King. He and his choir performed for more than 200 male inmates at one jail facility before crossing the street to another facility and performing for a smaller crowd of female inmates. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said West’s representatives asked jail officials about doing secret shows. The concerts were performed two days before West is to speak at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston. The events were reminiscent of prison concerts given by country singer Cash in California.
UNITED STATES
Boy catches big catfish
A nine-year-old New Mexico boy landed a 19kg blue catfish on Sunday last week while fishing in the Elephant Butte Reservoir. Kris Flores said that his son, Alex, made the big catch by himself and shattered dad’s record of reeling in a 16kg fish. Flores said the fourth grader named the fish Wailord after a Pokemon character. The father said his son released the fish back into the reservoir after taking some photos and videos. The biggest fish reportedly caught in Elephant Butte was 35kg.
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
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
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
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