CAMBODIA
Ministry explains explosion
A huge explosion at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured many others was an accident caused by a “technical issue” stemming from the old and degraded ammunition that was being moved, the Ministry of Defense said yesterday. The ministry’s statement followed an allegation leveled by an opposition politician-in-exile suggesting that the explosion had been an attack. Opposition leader Sam Rainsy wrote on Facebook that an armed group of anti-government dissidents had caused the blast. The ministry warned that anyone publishing untrue information about the blast could face prosecution.
INDIA
Spice testing ordered
The Food Safety and Standards Authority yesterday said that it had ordered nationwide testing and inspections at all companies making spice mixes as global regulators investigate contamination issues with three spice-blends made by MDH and an Everest spice mix for fish curry. The agency ordered officials to conduct “extensive inspections, sampling and testing at all the manufacturing units” for powdered spices, with a focus on those making curry powders and mixed spice blends for local and foreign sales.
NORWAY
Sex offender seeks ‘right’
A convicted sex offender is asking the Supreme Court to declare social media access to be a human right. The case before the court yesterday involves a man who molested a minor and used the Snapchat messaging app to connect with boys. The unnamed offender was sentenced last year to 13 months in prison and banned from using Snapchat for two years. His lawyers argue that depriving him of his account is unlawful under the European Convention on Human Rights.
FRANCE
Mudslide kills woman
A mudslide killed a 57-year-old woman, local authorities said yesterday. “An intense and highly localized precipitation event triggered ... a mudslide in the village of Courmelles” about 90k northeast of Paris, the local prefecture said in a statement. The mud “plunged into an area with around 10 homes and built up especially in one house,” Courmelles Mayor Arnaud Svrcek said. With about 1.5m of water in the house, “the husband was able to escape with bruises to the head, but the lady was swept away,” he said.
MEXICO
Remains animals, not human
Skeletal remains discovered in an alleged clandestine grave in Mexico City are those of animals, not humans, prosecutors said on Wednesday. “The 14 bone elements found at the site are of animal origin, particularly of the canine species, and none of them correspond to any person,” Mexico City Prosecutor Ulises Lara said in a statement. Cecilia Flores, who leads the Searching Mothers group, posted on social media on Tuesday the discovery of the remains buried in a vacant lot. The group also found photographs and identification, she said. However, as of midday on Wednesday, a woman and a child who some of the documents belonged to were found alive, the first having lost her ID in a robbery and the child having left his in a book that was discarded. Lara said that with a town nearby, it would be difficult to cremate bodies without the townspeople realizing it. “We can categorically affirm that it is neither a crematorium nor a clandestine grave,” he said.
Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting “gringos out!” The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store. Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called “xenophobic expressions” similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries. “We are a city of open arms... there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,” Cravioto told Milenio television. Neighborhoods like Roma-Condesa
‘CONTINUE TO SERVE’: The 90-year-old Dalai Lama said he hoped to be able to continue serving ‘sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma’ for decades to come The Dalai Lama yesterday said he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday. Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution would continue after his death. Many exiled Tibetans
Dozens of residents have evacuated remote islands in southern Japan that have been shaken by nearly 1,600 earthquakes in recent weeks, the local mayor said yesterday. There has been no major physical damage on hardest-hit Akuseki island, even after a magnitude 5.1 quake that struck overnight, said Toshima Mayor Genichiro Kubo, who is based on another island. However, the almost nonstop jolts since June 21 have caused severe stress to area residents, many of whom have been deprived of sleep. Of the 89 residents of Akuseki, 44 had evacuated to the regional hub of Kagoshima by Sunday, while 15 others also left another
CEREMONY EXPECTED: Abdullah Ocalan said he believes in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons, and called on the group to put that into practice The jailed leader of a Kurdish militant group yesterday renewed a call for his fighters to lay down their arms, days before a symbolic disarmament ceremony is expected to take place as a first concrete step in a peace process with the Turkish state. In a seven-minute video message broadcast on pro-Kurdish Medya Haber’s YouTube channel, Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), said that the peace initiative had reached a stage that required practical steps. “It should be considered natural for you to publicly ensure the disarmament of the relevant groups in a way that addresses the expectations
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