AUSTRALIA
Lawmaker refuses to quit
A politician has refused to stand down despite being jailed for rape, sparking an urgent court battle to expel the sex offender from a state parliament. New South Wales state politician Gareth Ward last month was found guilty of sexually abusing two young men, aged 18 and 24, between 2013 and 2015. The 44-year-old right-leaning politician has refused to stand down from state parliament, despite sitting in prison while awaiting sentencing for his crimes. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said Ward had “no shame,” pledging to implement a motion that would expel him from parliament, but Ward has so far stymied those efforts, obtaining a temporary injunction late on Monday that prevented the Labor government from removing him. Leader of the House Ron Hoenig said the government would seek an urgent hearing this week to have the injunction lifted. “The issue is, as you would appreciate, of considerable significance,” Hoenig told reporters yesterday. “The House needs to be able to make its judgement to protect itself and we will be seeking a review of the judge’s decision.” Ward said he planned to appeal his convictions and should remain in parliament until the appeal is heard.
DENMARK
Zoo seeking pets as food
A city zoo is asking for donations of small pets as food for its predators. Aalborg Zoo said it is trying to mimic the natural food chain of the animals housed there “for the sake of both animal welfare and professional integrity,” and offers assurances the pets would be “gently euthanized” by trained staff. The zoo in a Facebook post said that “if you have a healthy animal that needs to be given away for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us.” The zoo said that guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens are possible donations. After being euthanized, the animals would be used as fodder, the zoo said. “That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators,” it said. The online call for pet donations is accompanied by a picture of a wildcat baring its teeth with its mouth wide open and a link to the zoo’s Web site, adding that the facility also is interested in receiving horses. The zoo, which could not immediately be reached for additional details, does not list other pets or animals as possible donations.
UNITED KINGDOM
Migrant deal commences
A deal between London and Paris under which the UK can return some migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats back to France came into force yesterday, the Home Office announced. The agreement, which was struck between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron during the latter’s state visit to the UK last month, involves a “one in, one out” scheme to curb record levels of irregular crossings. The two governments signed the final text last week, with the EU Commission giving its “green light on this innovative approach,” the Home Office said in a statement on Monday. British authorities are “operationally ready” and migrant detentions are expected to begin “within days,” it added. Under the scheme, migrants arriving in the UK shores on small boats can be detained and returned to France if they are deemed ineligible for asylum. In exchange, the UK would accept an equal number of migrants from France who can apply for asylum via an online platform, giving priority to nationalities most vulnerable to smugglers and to people with ties in Britain.
In the sweltering streets of Jakarta, buskers carry towering, hollow puppets and pass around a bucket for donations. Now, they fear becoming outlaws. City authorities said they would crack down on use of the sacred ondel-ondel puppets, which can stand as tall as a truck, and they are drafting legislation to remove what they view as a street nuisance. Performances featuring the puppets — originally used by Jakarta’s Betawi people to ward off evil spirits — would be allowed only at set events. The ban could leave many ondel-ondel buskers in Jakarta jobless. “I am confused and anxious. I fear getting raided or even
Eleven people, including a former minister, were arrested in Serbia on Friday over a train station disaster in which 16 people died. The concrete canopy of the newly renovated station in the northern city of Novi Sad collapsed on Nov. 1, 2024 in a disaster widely blamed on corruption and poor oversight. It sparked a wave of student-led protests and led to the resignation of then-Serbian prime minister Milos Vucevic and the fall of his government. The public prosecutor’s office in Novi Sad opened an investigation into the accident and deaths. In February, the public prosecutor’s office for organized crime opened another probe into
RISING RACISM: A Japanese group called on China to assure safety in the country, while the Chinese embassy in Tokyo urged action against a ‘surge in xenophobia’ A Japanese woman living in China was attacked and injured by a man in a subway station in Suzhou, China, Japanese media said, hours after two Chinese men were seriously injured in violence in Tokyo. The attacks on Thursday raised concern about xenophobic sentiment in China and Japan that have been blamed for assaults in both countries. It was the third attack involving Japanese living in China since last year. In the two previous cases in China, Chinese authorities have insisted they were isolated incidents. Japanese broadcaster NHK did not identify the woman injured in Suzhou by name, but, citing the Japanese
RESTRUCTURE: Myanmar’s military has ended emergency rule and announced plans for elections in December, but critics said the move aims to entrench junta control Myanmar’s military government announced on Thursday that it was ending the state of emergency declared after it seized power in 2021 and would restructure administrative bodies to prepare for the new election at the end of the year. However, the polls planned for an unspecified date in December face serious obstacles, including a civil war raging over most of the country and pledges by opponents of the military rule to derail the election because they believe it can be neither free nor fair. Under the restructuring, Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is giving up two posts, but would stay at the
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