SOUTH KOREA
Yoon released from jail
Impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol was yesterday released from prison, a day after a Seoul court canceled his arrest to allow him to stand trial for rebellion without being physically detained. TV footage showed Yoon waving and bowing deeply to his supporters. In a statement distributed by his lawyers, Yoon said that he “appreciates the courage and decision by the Seoul Central District Court to correct illegality,” in an apparent reference to questions over his arrest. He said he also thanks his supporters and asked those who are on hunger strike against his impeachment to end it.
Photo: Reuters
SYRIA
Hundreds of Alawites killed
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights yesterday reported that 311 Alawite civilians have been killed in the past few days by security forces and their allies, as authorities clash with militants loyal to the administration of former president Bashar al-Assad. The new government, installed after Islamist-led forces ousted al-Assad late last year, are facing fierce attacks by members of the al-Assad clan’s Alawite minority and have launched a major counteroperation following deadly clashes on Thursday. The war monitor said the civilians were killed in “executions” carried out by security personnel or pro-government fighters and accompanied by “looting of homes and properties.”
Photo: Reuters
CANADA
Pub shooting injures 12
At least 12 people were injured when masked shooters indiscriminately opened fire at a pub in Toronto, police said yesterday, adding they were looking for three male suspects. Police did not provide a motive for the attack, which took place late on Friday. “Twelve injured, including six with gunshot wounds... Injuries non-life-threatening,” Toronto police wrote on X. All of the victims were hospitalized, but their lives were not in danger, the police said. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she had spoken to police Chief Myron Demkiw and was told “all necessary resources” had been deployed.
Photo: Reuters
UNITED STATES
Measles outbreak kills two
A measles outbreak in the southwest has killed two people and infected more than 200, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a travel warning. As of Friday, Texas had reported 198 cases and New Mexico 30, bringing the total to 228. Each state confirmed one death, and both, a child and an adult, were unvaccinated. “More cases are expected as this outbreak continues to expand rapidly,” the CDC said in a health alert network advisory to healthcare workers, public health officials and potential travelers.
Photo: REUTERS
JAPAN
Woman named oldest barber
A 108-year-old woman has been certified the world’s oldest barber, Guinness World Records said — and she has pledged to keep working until at least 110. Shitsui Hakoishi, born in 1916, decided to become a barber at the age of 14 when a friend’s mother asked if she wanted to become an apprentice at a hair salon in Tokyo. She still holds her own scissors, and this week participated in a celebration ceremony reportedly attended by her two children, an 85-year-old daughter and an 81-year-old son. “I’m very happy. My heart is full,” she said at the ceremony in Nakagawa. Guinness World Records said that the oldest barber category is split into male and female categories, but the oldest male barber — Anthony Mancinelli, who worked in New York until at least 107 years old — has passed away.
Photo: Kyodo Photo via AP
RARE EVENT: While some cultures have a negative view of eclipses, others see them as a chance to show how people can work together, a scientist said Stargazers across a swathe of the world marveled at a dramatic red “Blood Moon” during a rare total lunar eclipse in the early hours of yesterday morning. The celestial spectacle was visible in the Americas and Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as in the westernmost parts of Europe and Africa. The phenomenon happens when the sun, Earth and moon line up, causing our planet to cast a giant shadow across its satellite. But as the Earth’s shadow crept across the moon, it did not entirely blot out its white glow — instead the moon glowed a reddish color. This is because the
DEBT BREAK: Friedrich Merz has vowed to do ‘whatever it takes’ to free up more money for defense and infrastructure at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty Germany’s likely next leader Friedrich Merz was set yesterday to defend his unprecedented plans to massively ramp up defense and infrastructure spending in the Bundestag as lawmakers begin debating the proposals. Merz unveiled the plans last week, vowing his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) bloc and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) — in talks to form a coalition after last month’s elections — would quickly push them through before the end of the current legislature. Fraying Europe-US ties under US President Donald Trump have fueled calls for Germany, long dependent on the US security umbrella, to quickly
Romania’s electoral commission on Saturday excluded a second far-right hopeful, Diana Sosoaca, from May’s presidential election, amid rising tension in the run-up to the May rerun of the poll. Earlier this month, Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau barred Calin Georgescu, an independent who was polling at about 40 percent ahead of the rerun election. Georgescu, a fierce EU and NATO critic, shot to prominence in November last year when he unexpectedly topped a first round of presidential voting. However, Romania’s constitutional court annulled the election after claims of Russian interference and a “massive” social media promotion in his favor. On Saturday, an electoral commission statement
Chinese authorities increased pressure on CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd over its plan to sell its Panama ports stake by sharing a second newspaper commentary attacking the deal. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office on Saturday reposted a commentary originally published in Ta Kung Pao, saying the planned sale of the ports by the Hong Kong company had triggered deep concerns among Chinese people and questioned whether the deal was harming China and aiding evil. “Why were so many important ports transferred to ill-intentioned US forces so easily? What kind of political calculations are hidden in the so-called commercial behavior on the
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