INDONESIA
Quake hits off west coast
A strong earthquake hit off the western coast in the Indian Ocean yesterday, but there were no immediate reports of damage. The US Geological Survey reported that the magnitude 6.2 earthquake was centered in the sea at a depth of 20km about 16.7km southwest of Sinabang town of Aceh Province. Rahmat Triyono, who heads the earthquake and tsunami center at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, said there was no risk of a tsunami from the quake and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Residents in Sinabang felt a moderate tremor for a few seconds, while people in Aceh provincial capital of Banda Aceh did not feel the earthquake. The national disaster agency said it was gathering information on any damage that might have been caused by the quake.
SINGAPORE
Baby found in garbage chute
Garbage collectors rescued a baby from a bin at the bottom of a trash chute yesterday, a lawmaker and media said, a rare case in the wealthy city-state. Refuse workers found the baby in a bloody plastic bag while clearing the garbage chute, the Straits Times said, quoting one who said the baby was crying when discovered. Photographs from the scene showed a man cradling a baby, cleaners inspecting a bin and police cordons at the block. Police said in a statement that the child, found in a stable condition with no visible injuries, had been taken to hospital. They did not identify the area where he was found, and said they were investigating the matter. “A baby was found alive by one of our town council cleaners in the bin chute,” politician Pritam Singh said, adding that he had been told by the town council.
Thousands gathered across New Zealand yesterday to celebrate the signing of the country’s founding document and some called for an end to government policies that critics say erode the rights promised to the indigenous Maori population. As the sun rose on the dawn service at Waitangi where the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed between the British Crown and Maori chiefs in 1840, some community leaders called on the government to honor promises made 185 years ago. The call was repeated at peaceful rallies that drew several hundred people later in the day. “This government is attacking tangata whenua [indigenous people] on all
A colossal explosion in the sky, unleashing energy hundreds of times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. A blinding flash nearly as bright as the sun. Shockwaves powerful enough to flatten everything for miles. It might sound apocalyptic, but a newly detected asteroid nearly the size of a football field now has a greater than 1 percent chance of colliding with Earth in about eight years. Such an impact has the potential for city-level devastation, depending on where it strikes. Scientists are not panicking yet, but they are watching closely. “At this point, it’s: ‘Let’s pay a lot of attention, let’s
UNDAUNTED: Panama would not renew an agreement to participate in Beijing’s Belt and Road project, its president said, proposing technical-level talks with the US US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday threatened action against Panama without immediate changes to reduce Chinese influence on the canal, but the country’s leader insisted he was not afraid of a US invasion and offered talks. On his first trip overseas as the top US diplomat, Rubio took a guided tour of the canal, accompanied by its Panamanian administrator as a South Korean-affiliated oil tanker and Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship passed through the vital link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. However, Rubio was said to have had a firmer message in private, telling Panama that US President Donald Trump
The administration of US President Donald Trump has appointed to serve as the top public diplomacy official a former speech writer for Trump with a history of doubts over US foreign policy toward Taiwan and inflammatory comments on women and minorities, at one point saying that "competent white men must be in charge." Darren Beattie has been named the acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, a senior US Department of State official said, a role that determines the tone of the US' public messaging in the world. Beattie requires US Senate confirmation to serve on a permanent basis. "Thanks to