PACIFIC ISLANDS
Puna named forum’s head
Former Cook Islands prime minister Henry Puna on Tuesday was named the new secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum after marathon talks that threaten to fracture the grouping, which promotes regional peace, harmony and security. Puna was named after talks stretched for more than 12 hours. He defeated Marshallese Ambassador to the US Gerald Zackious by nine votes to eight. Puna is to lead the region’s push for more aggressive global action in tackling climate change. However, the process threatens to fracture the 50-year-old grouping. “This has been an incredibly damaging 24 hours for Pacific regionalism and unity, the repercussions of which will be felt for years to come,” said Jonathan Pryke, director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based think tank.
CANADA
Proud Boys named terrorists
The government on Wednesday designated the Proud Boys group as a terrorist entity, saying that it played a pivotal role in the storming of the US Capitol on Jan. 6. Senior officials speaking at a technical briefing said that authorities had been monitoring and collecting evidence about the Proud Boys before the Capitol Hill insurrection, but confirmed that the event provided information that helped with the decision to list the organization. Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair said that they had revealed themselves. “Their intent and their escalation toward violence became quite clear,” Blair said. Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio criticized the designation. “There is no basis for it. It’s infringement of free speech rights. All the Canadian Proud Boys have ever done is go to rallies,” Tarrio said in a telephone interview. “They used what happened at the Capitol to push for this.”
UNITED STATES
Man, 95, held over shooting
A 95-year-old resident of an assisted-living center near Denver, Colorado, was arrested on Wednesday amid an investigation of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a facility employee who might have owed him money, police said. The shooting occurred at about 7am in the lobby of the Legacy Assisted Living facility in Lafayette, Colorado, when the victim arrived for work, Deputy Police Chief Brian Rosipajla told reporters. The worker, identified only as a man in his 40s who was the facility’s maintenance director, was confronted by resident Okie Payne, who pulled out a handgun and fired one round, striking the employee, Rosipajla said. As two people came to the victim’s aid, Payne pointed the gun at them before retreating to his living quarters, where he was arrested without incident, Rosipajla said. The facility has a gun policy that prohibits firearms on site.
UNITED STATES
Dove of Prince dies
One of the original white doves that Prince kept at his iconic Paisley Park compound has died, officials at the rock legend’s mansion-turned-estate announced on Wednesday. The dove, a female named Divinity, lived to be 28 years old, surpassing the average lifespan of most doves. Paisley Park officials said that her health had been declining and she died on Tuesday. Prince was 57 when he died of an accidental fentanyl overdose on April 21, 2016. “Divinity’s beautiful coo has welcomed visitors since Paisley Park first opened its gates to the public in October 2016,” Paisley Park executive director Alan Seiffert said in a statement. “She was one of the enduring links to Prince for thousands of fans. She will be missed.”
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
RSS