AUSTRALIA
Victim donates to charity
A boy with dwarfism whose distress from bullying became a viral video is to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to charity rather than a trip to Disneyland. The clip of nine-year-old Quaden Bayles was watched millions of times and prompted US comedian Brad Williams to start a GoFundMe page that eventually raised almost US$475,000. Although the funds were meant to send Bayles and his mom to Disneyland, his aunt told NITV News that the money would be used for charities instead. “What kid wouldn’t want to go to Disneyland, especially if you have lived Quaden’s life,” she was quoted as saying. “But my sister said: ‘You know what, let’s get back to the real issue.’ This little fella has been bullied. How many suicides, black or white, in our society have happened due to bullying. We want the money to go to community organizations that really need it. They know what the money should be spent on.”
BELGIUM
Flight delay claim nixed
Air travelers cannot receive cash compensation if their flight is delayed by a passenger biting others and assaulting crew members, an adviser at the European Court of Justice said on Thursday. Such incidents were “extraordinary circumstances,” advocate general Priit Pikamae wrote in a non-binding opinion, a form of guidance that is normally followed by the court. A traveler flying from Brazil to Norway via Portugal in August 2017 sought 600 euros (U$663) compensation after his flight departed late. The plane had to be diverted to disembark a passenger biting and assaulting crew members, delaying the following outgoing flight. “A passenger biting other passengers and attacking the cabin crew trying to calm him down ... leading to a flight delay, falls under the concept of extraordinary circumstances,” Pikamae said. The court typically follows the opinions of its advocates general.
BELGIUM
Laced wine alert issued
Prosecutors have issued an alert after a woman died after taking a sip of wine from a bottle suspected of being used to transport the drug MDMA. The 41-year-old collapsed shortly after opening the French red to enjoy with a colleague after work. She took a sip from a glass, which left an unpleasant taste, and the intake was enough to give her a fatal dose of MDMA. The unnamed woman, from Puurs near Antwerp, died five days later in hospital. “[She] was 100 percent against drugs... We also do not understand where that bottle came from. She only drank one sip,” her sister told Het Nieuwsblad. Prosecutors in Antwerp confirmed that there was no link between the woman and drug use, and said there was evidence of tampering with the bottle’s cork. Drug traffickers have been known to use wine bottles to conceal drugs during transportation.
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,
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
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
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
RSS