CHINA
Tornado leaves 5 dead
A strong tornado on Saturday wreaked havoc through the city of Guangzhou, killing five people and injuring 33, Xinhua news agency said. The tornado, which occurred early afternoon, was accompanied by a hailstorm with hailstones as big as fists, and the extreme weather event lasted until 7pm, the Guangzhou Meteorological Bureau said. The tornado also damaged 141 factories, Xinhua reported. The Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport reported a blackout at one of its terminals late on Saturday, and said that about 70 flights were delayed for more than one hour as of 11pm due to bad weather.
UNITED KINGDOM
Watch sets ‘Titanic’ record
A gold watch found on the body of the richest passenger on the Titanic was on Saturday auctioned in England for £1.17 million (US$1.48 million). It was a record sum for an object linked to the notorious 1912 shipping disaster, auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son said. A US buyer won the bidding war, smashing the auctioneer’s presale estimate of between £100,000 and £150,000. The watch, engraved with the initials JJA, belonged to the US business magnate John Jacob Astor. Astor was 47 when he died as the Titanic sank. He was reputed to be one of the richest men in the world at the time.
RUSSIA
Two journalists arrested
Two Russian journalists were arrested by their government on “extremism” charges and were on Saturday ordered by courts there to remain in custody pending investigation and trial on accusations of preparing materials for a YouTube channel run by a group founded by the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin both denied the charges for which they are to be detained for a minimum of two months before any trials begin. Each faces a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of six years for alleged “participation in an extremist organization,” according to Russian courts.
UNITED STATES
Anti-war protesters detained
Police detained more than 150 people while clearing pro-Palestinian encampments at two US universities on Saturday, in the latest campus clashes triggered by protests over Israel’s war against Hamas. On the East Coast, police in Boston detained about 100 people while clearing a protest camp at Northeastern University, with social media posts showing security forces in riot gear and officers loading tents onto the back of a truck. In the Southwest, Arizona State University police arrested 69 people for trespassing after the group set up an “unauthorized encampment” on campus. The action in Boston was taken after some protesters resorted to “virulent anti-Semitic slurs, including ‘Kill the Jews,’” Northeastern University wrote on X.
UNITED STATES
Harvey Weinstein in hospital
Disgraced Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was hospitalized on Saturday upon his return to New York after the city’s highest court overturned his 2020 conviction on sex crime charges. The 4-3 decision was a reversal of one of the defining cases of the #MeToo movement, but Weinstein is to remain jailed on a separate 16-year rape sentence. Attorney Arthur Aidala said Weinstein was moved to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan after his arrival on Friday to city jails. “It seems like he needs a lot of help, physically. He’s got a lot of problems. He’s getting all kinds of tests. He’s somewhat of a train wreck health wise,” Aidala said.
MONEY MATTERS: Xi was to highlight projects such as a new high-speed railway between Belgrade and Budapest, as Serbia is entirely open to Chinese trade and investment Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic yesterday said that “Taiwan is China” as he made a speech welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to Belgrade, state broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) said. “We have a clear and simple position regarding Chinese territorial integrity,” he told a crowd outside the government offices while Xi applauded him. “Yes, Taiwan is China.” Xi landed in Belgrade on Tuesday night on the second leg of his European tour, and was greeted by Vucic and most government ministers. Xi had just completed a two-day trip to France, where he held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron as the
The most powerful solar storm in more than two decades struck Earth on Friday, triggering spectacular celestial light shows from Tasmania to the UK — and threatening possible disruptions to satellites and power grids as it persists into the weekend. The first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) — expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun — came just after 4pm GMT, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. It was later upgraded to an “extreme” geomagnetic storm — the first since the “Halloween Storms” of October 2003 caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged
CUSTOMS DUTIES: France’s cognac industry was closely watching the talks, fearing that an anti-dumping investigation opened by China is retaliation for trade tensions French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) at one of his beloved childhood haunts in the Pyrenees, seeking to press a message to Beijing not to support Russia’s war against Ukraine and to accept fairer trade. The first day of Xi’s state visit to France, his first to Europe since 2019, saw respectful, but sometimes robust exchanges between the two men during a succession of talks on Monday. Macron, joined initially by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urged Xi not to allow the export of any technology that could be used by Russia in its invasion
INFLUENCE: The French president last year appealed to Xi Jinping to ‘bring Russia to its senses,’ but the call was not followed by any apparent change in stance French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday was to press Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to use his influence to move Russia toward ending the war in Ukraine during a two-day state visit to France. The leaders were also expected to discuss trade disputes over electric vehicles, cognac and cosmetics. Macron’s office said talks about diplomatic efforts to support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia are a top priority for France. Discussions would also include the Middle East, trade issues and global challenges including climate change. The European Commission president was to join part of the meetings to raise broader EU concerns. France is