HONG KONG
Money launderers busted
The authorities arrested six people suspected of money laundering involving HK$2.5 billion (US$322 million). Five men and one woman aged 23 to 50 allegedly laundered money through 59 personal accounts at nine banks, the Customs and Excise Department said yesterday. They were involved in more than 2,600 transactions from January 2018 to February last year, it said, without naming the banks. Last month, police arrested 12 people for running alleged “ramp and dump” stock scams and money laundering, after they raided luxury homes and brokerages across the territory.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
PM sidesteps ouster bid
Prime Minister James Marape was due this week to face a vote of no confidence, but the government, citing a COVID-19 outbreak, proposed an adjournment of parliament and the speaker agreed to a four-month recess, the Guardian reported. The country’s constitution prohibits the removal of a prime minister within a year of an election, so the adjournment should see Marape keep his position until the next election in July next year. “The opposition has said it will challenge the adjournment,” said Jonathan Pryke, director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based think tank.
UNITED KINGDOM
MI5 signs up for Instagram
The domestic intelligence service, MI5, yesterday opened an official Instagram account, in the latest step by the kingdom’s spy agencies to come out of the shadows. The Security Service, as it is formally known, took the handle @mi5official, and uses the account to bust popular myths and reveal never-before-seen archive material, the Press Association (PA) reported. MI5 plans to host online question-and-answer sessions with serving intelligence officers and promote career opportunities, PA added. The agency, once famous for approaching potential new recruits in discreet, shadowy encounters, began publicly advertising vacant positions in recent years.
UNITED STATES
Man walks coast in bear suit
Jesse Larios said that he does not know exactly what inspired him to dress up as the character he has named Bearsun and start the more than 644km trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco, but he has been pleased with the attention received. “It was an impulsive decision for sure. I didn’t plan it out,” the 33-year-old said in the brown-and-white bear suit that he designed. Drawing fans from all over, Larios has started a GoFundMe account, which as of Wednesday had raised US$7,100. Upon reaching San Francisco, he said that he plans to hold an online vote to determine where to donate the money. “I just want to help people out,” Larios said.
SPAIN
Mother-eater faces 15 years
Prosecutors are demanding a 15-year sentence for a man who went on trial in Madrid this week for strangling his mother and then eating some of her remains. Known as the “cannibal of Ventas” after the district where police discovered the blood-stained apartment, Albert S.G. is charged with murder and desecrating a body. The indictment said that in early 2019, the suspect had a row with his 69-year-old mother at their shared apartment. An officer on the scene testified that the suspect said he had eaten some of the remains raw, while others parts he had cooked or given to the dog. When he was arrested on Feb. 23, 2019, the suspect was asked at the door if his mother was inside, he said she was and let the officers in.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
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
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
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