CHINA
Sichuan floods kill at least 8
Floods triggered on Saturday by heavy rain in Ya’an city the southwest have killed at least eight people, with about 30 others still missing, China Central Television (CCTV) reported. Rescue operations in the city in Sichuan Province are continuing, CCTV said, citing a news conference given by local authorities. Extreme weather is affecting large parts of the country, with 12 provinces issuing heat wave alerts, including Xinjiang, Shanxi, Hebei, Zhejiang and Guangxi, CCTV reported separately. Temperatures were expected to top 40°C in some areas yesterday, it added.
SOUTH KOREA
First lady questioned
First lady Kim Keon-hee has been questioned over allegations of stock manipulation and graft involving a US$2,200 luxury handbag, the prosecution said yesterday. The questioning comes as the opposition calls for a special probe into Kim, who has been under scrutiny for accepting a Dior bag in contravention of government ethics rules, and for her alleged role in a stock manipulation scheme. Prosecutors conducted “face-to-face questioning” of Kim on Saturday, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement. Kim’s aide told investigators earlier this month that the first lady told her to return the bag on the same day she had received it, but she had forgotten to, Yonhap news agency reported.
VIETNAM
Leader’s funeral this week
A state funeral is to be held for former Communist Party general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who died on Friday, the government said on Saturday. There would be two days of national mourning on Thursday and Friday, a government statement said, with the state funeral on the second day. During the mourning period there would be no public entertainment, it said. Trong’s duties have been temporarily assigned to President To Lam.
AUSTRALIA
Stroller rolls in front of train
A stroller carrying twin two-year-old girls yesterday rolled into the path of an oncoming train in Sydney, police said, in an accident that killed one of the children and the “heroic” father who dashed to their rescue. One of the girls survived only “through good luck” after she landed between the rails when the stroller fell off a platform at southern Sydney’s Carlton Railway Station, police said. She was “largely untouched” by the train, police said. As they exited the station platform the parents took “their hands off the pram for a very, very short period of time,” New South Wales police superintendent Paul Dunstan said. “Whether it’s a gust of wind or — we’re not quite sure — but it appears that the pram has instantly started to roll in the direction of the train lines,” he said. The father had “just gone into parent mode,” Dunstan said. “In doing so it’s cost him his life, but it’s an incredibly brave and heroic act.”
BANGLADESH
Court scraps job quotas
The Supreme Court yesterday scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs that have sparked student-led protests in which at least 114 people have been killed, local media reported. The court’s Appellate Division dismissed a lower court order that had reinstated the quotas, directing that 93 percent of government jobs would be open to candidates on merit, without quotas, the reports said. The government extended a curfew to 3pm, and it was to continue for an “uncertain time” following a two-hour break for people to gather supplies, local media reported.
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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