NICARAGUA
Ortega marks revolution
President Daniel Ortega on Sunday wore a mask as he presided over muted celebrations marking the 41st anniversary of the Sandinista revolution, although he has played down the COVID-19 pandemic and taken no measures to contain it. However, for the first time, the event at the Plaza de la Revolucion was limited to a small group of supporters, all young, and was not announced in advance. The 74-year-old president was accompanied by his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, army and police chiefs and other officials, most of whom are under US sanctions for human rights violations during anti-government protests and corruption.
GREECE
Ship crew kidnapped
Pirates have kidnapped more than a dozen Ukrainian and Russian crew members on a Greek-owned tanker off the coast of Benin in west Africa, the company said yesterday. The Gulf of Guinea, which includes the Nigerian coast, is among the world’s most dangerous waters as pirates regularly loot ships and kidnap sailors for ransom. Alison Management Corp said the MV Curacao Trader “was attacked by pirates approximately 210 miles [322km] off the coast of Benin on 17th July.” “Thirteen out of its 19 Ukrainian and Russian crew members have been taken hostage by the pirates. As a result the ship is currently drifting with limited manpower on board,” the Athens-based company said.
ECUADOR
Ex-leader’s party suspended
The National Electoral Council on Sunday suspended four political organizations, including the Fuerza Compromiso Social (FCS) party of former president Rafael Correa. The registrations for Podemos, FCS, Libertad es Pueblo and Justicia Social were left “without effect,” the council said after a virtual meeting. The nation’s highest electoral body responded to a request from the State Comptroller General’s office, which observed irregularities in the registration processes for the four political groups. The groups will not be able to participate in the elections next year for president and assembly members.
UNITED STATES
Son of judge shot dead
An assailant on Sunday shot and killed the 20-year-old son of a federal judge in New Jersey, and shot and injured her husband at the family home, the state’s chief district judge said. The shootings occurred at the North Brunswick home of District Judge Esther Salas, and killed her son, Daniel, Chief District Judge Freda Wolfson told reporters. Her husband, defense lawyer Mark Anderl, was injured, Wolfson said. The assailant posed as a delivery driver, according to a judiciary official who was not authorized to comment and spoke anonymously to reporters. They said Salas was in the basement at the time and was not injured and her husband is recovering from surgery.
NETHERLANDS
Helicopter crash kills two
A military helicopter has crashed into the Caribbean Sea near the island of Aruba, killing two of the crew, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement yesterday. The NH90 helicopter was nearing the end of a coast guard patrol when it crashed on Sunday afternoon near the island. The cause of the crash is under investigation, the ministry said. A pilot and a tactical coordinator were killed, while the two other crew members escaped without serious injury, Defense Chief Lieutenant Admiral Rob Bauer said.
RARE EVENT: While some cultures have a negative view of eclipses, others see them as a chance to show how people can work together, a scientist said Stargazers across a swathe of the world marveled at a dramatic red “Blood Moon” during a rare total lunar eclipse in the early hours of yesterday morning. The celestial spectacle was visible in the Americas and Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as in the westernmost parts of Europe and Africa. The phenomenon happens when the sun, Earth and moon line up, causing our planet to cast a giant shadow across its satellite. But as the Earth’s shadow crept across the moon, it did not entirely blot out its white glow — instead the moon glowed a reddish color. This is because the
DEBT BREAK: Friedrich Merz has vowed to do ‘whatever it takes’ to free up more money for defense and infrastructure at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty Germany’s likely next leader Friedrich Merz was set yesterday to defend his unprecedented plans to massively ramp up defense and infrastructure spending in the Bundestag as lawmakers begin debating the proposals. Merz unveiled the plans last week, vowing his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) bloc and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) — in talks to form a coalition after last month’s elections — would quickly push them through before the end of the current legislature. Fraying Europe-US ties under US President Donald Trump have fueled calls for Germany, long dependent on the US security umbrella, to quickly
Romania’s electoral commission on Saturday excluded a second far-right hopeful, Diana Sosoaca, from May’s presidential election, amid rising tension in the run-up to the May rerun of the poll. Earlier this month, Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau barred Calin Georgescu, an independent who was polling at about 40 percent ahead of the rerun election. Georgescu, a fierce EU and NATO critic, shot to prominence in November last year when he unexpectedly topped a first round of presidential voting. However, Romania’s constitutional court annulled the election after claims of Russian interference and a “massive” social media promotion in his favor. On Saturday, an electoral commission statement
Chinese authorities increased pressure on CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd over its plan to sell its Panama ports stake by sharing a second newspaper commentary attacking the deal. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office on Saturday reposted a commentary originally published in Ta Kung Pao, saying the planned sale of the ports by the Hong Kong company had triggered deep concerns among Chinese people and questioned whether the deal was harming China and aiding evil. “Why were so many important ports transferred to ill-intentioned US forces so easily? What kind of political calculations are hidden in the so-called commercial behavior on the
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