AUSTRALIA
Authorities shut Bondi Beach
Authorities yesterday closed Sydney’s Bondi Beach after huge crowds flocked to the popular sunbathing spot, despite a government ban on large gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The temporary measure came after photographs of mostly young beachgoers packed on the famous sands were widely shared online, drawing howls of protest in the media and from officials. “What we saw this morning here on Bondi Beach was the most irresponsible behavior of individuals that we’ve seen so far,” New South Wales Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said. “This is not something we are doing because we are the ‘fun police,’” he told a beachside news conference. The ban could be extended to other beaches if social distancing rules are not followed, he added.
BONAIRE
RdK seizes PDVSA facility
State-owned oil refiner Refineria di Korsou (RdK) on Friday seized an oil storage terminal on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire over a payment dispute with Venezuela’s state-run Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), an RdK official said. The government would seek Dutch court approvals to sell Bonaire Petroleum Corp (BOPEC), which is owned by PDVSA, and its 10-million barrel storage terminal if no payments are received, RdK managing director Marcelino de Lannoy said. In the video statement addressed to BOPEC workers, De Lannoy said that RdK would take their interests into account “as long as this is possible.” “RdK hopes that with this PDVSA will comply with its duties,” De Lannoy said. “If this is not the case, there is no alternative left for RdK to use its right to sell the installations in a public auction.” Last year, RdK ended PDVSA’s contract to operate its 335,000 barrel per day Isla refinery on Curacao.
GREECE
Police seize weapons cache
Police on Friday said that they have seized grenade launchers and other weapons in raids against suspected members of a far-left Turkish armed group. The raids were carried out at two properties in Athens on Thursday against alleged members of the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front, a group that is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU. Eleven people were arrested in the operation that involved the counterterrorism division of the police and the National Intelligence Service, authorities said. They were on Friday charged with terrorism-linked offenses. Their lawyers said that the suspects denied the charges. The weapons seized include two anti-tank missile launchers, two grenade launchers, four handguns and an automatic rifle.
UNITED STATES
Kenny Rogers dies aged 81
Country music legend Kenny Rogers, whose career spanned six decades, has died at the age of 81, his family said late on Friday. “Rogers passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family,” his family said in a statement, adding that they were planning a small private service “out of concern for the national COVID-19 emergency.” A three-time Grammy winner, Rogers was known for a string of hits including The Gambler, Lucille and Islands in the Stream. He had 24 No. 1 hits, was a six-time Country Music Awards winner and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Rogers also came to prominence through his collaboration with Dolly Parton and appearances on films and TV programs, including The Muppet Show.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese