BELARUS
Lukashenko rumored unwell
President Alexander Lukashenko, who has not been seen in public since Tuesday last week, did not appear on Sunday at a ceremony in Minsk, triggering speculation that he is seriously ill. The BelTA state news agency reported that Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko read a message from Lukashenko during an annual ceremony at which young people swear allegiance to the former Soviet state’s flag. The agency gave no reason for Lukashenko’s absence five days after he appeared unwell and skipped parts of commemorations in Moscow marking the Soviet Union’s World War II victory over Germany. Lukashenko also did not speak at an event in Minsk marking the anniversary for the first time in his long presidency. Lukashenko’s office has declined to comment. Opposition news outlet Euroradio said that he was taken to an elite Minsk clinic on Saturday.
UNITED STATES
Cyberattack hits newspaper
The Philadelphia Inquirer experienced the most significant disruption to its operations in 27 years due to what the newspaper has called a cyberattack. The company was working to restore print operations after a cyberincursion that prevented the printing of the newspaper’s Sunday print edition, the Inquirer reported on its Web site. The Inquirer “discovered anomalous activity on select computer systems and immediately took those systems off-line,” Inquirer publisher Lisa Hughes said. The cyberattack has caused the largest disruption to publication of Pennsylvania’s largest news organization since a massive blizzard in January 1996, the Inquirer reported. The cyberattack precedes a mayoral primary election scheduled for today. Hughes said the operational disruption would not affect news coverage of the election, but journalists would be unable to use the newsroom on election night.
CHAD
Pardon for coup suspects
Eleven men accused of planning a “coup d’etat” have been sentenced to 20 years in prison, the attorney general in N’Djamena said on Sunday, but the presidency said they would be pardoned. In early January, the government announced that 10 army officers and prominent rights campaigner Baradine Berdei Targuio had been arrested, accused of “attempting to destabilise ... the constitutional order” and the country’s institutions. On April 21, President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno vowed to free the men. “The president will keep his promise,” presidency spokesman Brah Mahamat said, adding that the sentence must be announced before a pardon can be given.
UNITED STATES
Kelly Clarkson on allegations
Kelly Clarkson has responded to a Rolling Stone report accusing her daytime talk show of being a toxic workplace. Eleven current and former employees complained about being overworked and underpaid on The Kelly Clarkson Show and called their work “traumatizing to their mental health” in the report on Friday. The anonymous employees said Clarkson was “fantastic,” but the show producers were “monsters” who made their lives “hell.” “To find out that anyone is feeling unheard and or disrespected on this show is unacceptable,” Clarkson said. “As we prepare for a move to the East Coast, I am more committed than ever to ensuring that not only our team is moving, but also our new team in NY is comprised of the best and kindest in the business,” she said. “Part of that build will include leadership training for all of the senior staff, including myself.”
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
‘HEART IS ACHING’: Lee appeared to baffle many when he said he had never heard of six South Koreans being held in North Korea, drawing criticism from the families South Korean President Lee Jae-myung yesterday said he was weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December last year. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of imprisoned former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated power grab, Lee — a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon’s removal from office in April — stressed his desire to repair ties with Pyongyang. A special prosecutor last month indicted Yoon and two of his top
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
The Philippines deferred the awarding of a project that is part of a plan to build one of the world’s longest marine bridges after local opposition over the potential involvement of a Chinese company due to national security fears. The proposals are “undergoing thorough review” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which acts as a lender and an overseer of the project to ensure it meets international environmental and governance standards, the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways said in a statement on Monday in response to queries from Bloomberg. The agency said it would announce the winning bidder once ADB
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