HONG KONG
Irish journalist denied visa
News Web site the Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) said that the Immigration Department denied a change in journalist Aaron McNicholas’ work visa “without any official reason.” He previously worked at Bloomberg without visa issues. “We are a local news outlet and our prospective editor was a journalist originally from Ireland, so this is not another tit-for-tat measure under the US-China trade dispute,” HKFP editor-in-chief Tom Grundy said. “It appears we have been targeted under the climate of the new security law, and because of our impartial and fact-based coverage.” The immigration department did not respond to media enquiries about the rejection.
NORTH KOREA
Typhoon hits, barrels north
A typhoon that grazed South Korea, ripping off roofs and knocking out power to more than 1,600 households, made landfall across the border early yesterday. Authorities in Seoul said that there were no immediate reports of casualties, and Pyongyang did not report any damage. Packing maximum winds of 133kph, Typhoon Bavi was barreling north and just 70km southwest of Pyongyang, after passing over a western coastal region known for fishing and other industries, the Meteorological Administration said, adding that strong winds would continue in the country’s central region through yesterday morning.
POLAND
Elephants take cannabis
The Warsaw Zoo on Wednesday said that it would start giving its elephants medical cannabis as part of a pilot project to test how it reduces their stress levels. Medical cannabis has been used worldwide to treat dogs and horses, but “this is probably the first initiative of its kind for elephants,” said Agnieszka Czujkowska, the veterinarian in charge of the project. The zoo’s three African elephants are to be given liquid doses of a high concentration of the relaxing cannabidiol (CBD) through their trunks. “It’s an attempt to find a new natural alternative to the existing methods of combating stress, especially pharmaceutical drugs,” Czujkowska said. “The female Fryderyka has already had a chance to try it and she didn’t say no.”
BELARUS
Minsk police detain dozens
Police on Wednesday dispersed protesters who gathered on Minsk’s Independence Square, detaining dozens in an effort to end 18 straight days of protests pushing for the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko. Officers grabbed demonstrators and dragged them into trucks, tearing away their flags and placards. “It’s a clear act of intimidation,” said Valiantsin Stefanovich of the Viasna Human Rights Center. “The authorities have stopped beatings, but fear and threats remain their main weapon.”
UNITED STATES
Pense delivers dark message
Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday accepted the Republican vice presidential nomination, promising to “make America great again, again.” Pence delivered a dark message about his Democratic opponents to push voters to support President Donald Trump. “The hard truth is you won’t be safe in [former vice president] Joe Biden’s America,” Pence said. “Joe Biden would set America on a path of socialism and decline.” The message seemed odd given that the Democratic nominee is not a socialist and the country’s unemployment rate is 10.2 percent. Pence sought to downplay COVID-19 by focusing on the strength of the economy before the virus struck and the potential development of a vaccine by the end of the year.
An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday. Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncy pork,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month. The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merchandise, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home. A zoo spokesperson said that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost
‘BARBAROUS ACTS’: The captain of the fishing vessel said that people in checkered clothes beat them with iron bars and that he fell unconscious for about an hour Ten Vietnamese fishers were violently robbed in the South China Sea, state media reported yesterday, with an official saying the attackers came from Chinese-flagged vessels. The men were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), which Taiwan claims, as do Vietnam, China, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. Vietnamese media did not identify the nationalities of the attackers, but Phung Ba Vuong, an official in central Quang Ngai province, told reporters: “They were Chinese, [the boats had] Chinese flags.” Four of the 10-man Vietnamese crew were rushed
CHINESE ICBM: The missile landed near the EEZ of French Polynesia, much to the surprise and concern of the president, who sent a letter of protest to Beijing Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere called for “respect for our region” and a stop to missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, after China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Katonivere recalled the Pacific Ocean’s history as a nuclear weapons testing ground, and noted Wednesday’s rare launch by China of an ICBM. “There was a unilateral test firing of a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. We urge respect for our region and call for cessation of such action,” he said. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the
As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy’s hands. With a focus on easing its isolation and reviving its battered economy, Iran is aware that war could complicate efforts to secure relief from crippling sanctions. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, has intensified, especially after last week’s sabotage on Hezbollah’s communications that killed 39 people. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon followed, killing hundreds. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket barrages. Despite the surge in
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