FRANCE
Methane emissions rising
Record fossil fuel production kept planet-heating methane emissions near historic highs last year, the International Energy Agency said yesterday, warning of a surge in massive leaks from oil and gas facilities. Slashing emissions of methane — second only to carbon dioxide for its contribution to global warming — is essential to meeting international targets on climate change and one of the fastest ways to curb temperature rise. The agency warned that countries are considerably underestimating their energy sector methane pollution, estimating that emissions are about 80 percent higher than the total reported by governments to the UN.
HONG KONG
Buddha gems auction halted
Sotheby’s yesterday postponed an auction of gems with ties to early Buddhism after opposition from India, which said the jewels were the country’s religious and cultural heritage. The Piprahwa gems dated back to about 200 BC and were unearthed in 1898 by Englishman William Claxton Peppe in northern India, the auction house said. The Indian Ministry of Culture on Monday issued a legal notice calling the jewels “inalienable religious and cultural heritage of India and the global Buddhist community” and said the sale violated Indian and international law.
UNITED STATES
Smokey Robinson sued
Four anonymous housekeepers on Tuesday sued legendary Motown singer and songwriter Smokey Robinson for US$50 million, alleging that he sexually assaulted them for years while his wife covered up the abuse and contributed to a hostile work environment. Representatives for Robinson did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and the accusations could not be independently verified. The plaintiffs, who sued under Jane Doe pseudonyms to protect their privacy, accused Robinson, 85, of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment and gender violence at Robinson’s home in Los Angeles, starting as early as 2007 and continuing until last year.
COLOMBIA
Bogota eyes China deal
President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday said he intends to sign an accord to join Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative during an upcoming China trip, a move sure to damage already frayed relations with Washington. The leftist leader said he would sign a “letter of intent” to join the pact when he meets his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping (習近平) face-to-face in the coming days. Until now Colombia had been one of the US’ closest and most steadfast trade and security partners in Latin America. However, following tension between Petro and US President Donald Trump, the Colombian president said the country needed to steer trade toward China.
UNITED STATES
Child buys 70,000 lollipops
A Kentucky woman was in a sticky mess when she found stacks of boxes containing lollipops on her front doorstep, after her eight-year-old son ordered about 70,000 Dum-Dum suckers, while playing on her cellphone. Holly LaFavers said she tried stopping the Amazon order, but it was too late. Amazon had already delivered 22 cases to her home. “He told me that he wanted to have a carnival, and he was ordering the Dum-Dums as prizes for his carnival,” LaFavers said. “Again, he was being friendly, he was being kind to his friends.” The surprise got worse after a quick check of her bank account. She owed about US$4,000 for the order. “When I saw what the number was, I just about fainted,” LaFavers said.
Kehinde Sanni spends his days smoothing out dents and repainting scratched bumpers in a modest autobody shop in Lagos. He has never left Nigeria, yet he speaks glowingly of Burkina Faso military leader Ibrahim Traore. “Nigeria needs someone like Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso. He is doing well for his country,” Sanni said. His admiration is shaped by a steady stream of viral videos, memes and social media posts — many misleading or outright false — portraying Traore as a fearless reformer who defied Western powers and reclaimed his country’s dignity. The Burkinabe strongman swept into power following a coup in September 2022
‘FRAGMENTING’: British politics have for a long time been dominated by the Labor Party and the Tories, but polls suggest that Reform now poses a significant challenge Hard-right upstarts Reform UK snatched a parliamentary seat from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor Party yesterday in local elections that dealt a blow to the UK’s two establishment parties. Reform, led by anti-immigrant firebrand Nigel Farage, won the by-election in Runcorn and Helsby in northwest England by just six votes, as it picked up gains in other localities, including one mayoralty. The group’s strong showing continues momentum it built up at last year’s general election and appears to confirm a trend that the UK is entering an era of multi-party politics. “For the movement, for the party it’s a very, very big
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
SUPPORT: The Australian prime minister promised to back Kyiv against Russia’s invasion, saying: ‘That’s my government’s position. It was yesterday. It still is’ Left-leaning Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday basked in his landslide election win, promising a “disciplined, orderly” government to confront cost-of-living pain and tariff turmoil. People clapped as the 62-year-old and his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, who visited his old inner Sydney haunt, Cafe Italia, surrounded by a crowd of jostling photographers and journalists. Albanese’s Labor Party is on course to win at least 83 seats in the 150-member parliament, partial results showed. Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s conservative Liberal-National coalition had just 38 seats, and other parties 12. Another 17 seats were still in doubt. “We will be a disciplined, orderly
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