UNITED STATES
Judge orders exhibit restored
A federal judge in Pennsylvania on Monday ordered the National Park Service to reinstall a slavery exhibit at a Philadelphia historic site, pending the outcome of litigation after the city sued the government over its removal. The exhibit was dismantled and removed last month in response to US President Donald Trump’s claims of an “anti-American ideology” at historical and cultural institutions. “The government claims it alone has the power to erase, alter, remove and hide historical accounts on taxpayer and local government-funded monuments within its control,” District Judge Cynthia Rufe wrote in her opinion. “Its claims in this regard echo Big Brother’s domain in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four,” Rufe added.
NEW ZEALAND
Man killed in severe storm
Heavy rains and strong winds in the past few days have killed one man, flooded large areas and cut off several communities, authorities said. The severe storm since Friday has prompted a state of emergency in North Island, where the Waikato Regional Council said “one in 100 year” rainfall had caused widespread flooding. Police said a man died on Friday after the car he was driving was trapped in flood waters near North Island’s Otorohanga. The storm reached the capital Wellington on Monday before yesterday moving toward Christchurch in the South Island.
RUSSIA
US citizen sentenced
A court has sentenced a US citizen to four years in jail for trying to take the stocks of Kalashnikov assault rifles out of a Moscow airport, the RIA state news agency reported yesterday. The US citizen, who collects Kalashnikov weapons, bought two Kalashnikov stocks and checked in a suitcase containing the butts at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, but made no customs declaration, RIA said. The man, who was not identified by the news agency, was found guilty under an article in the criminal code dealing with the smuggling of weapons, it added.
AUSTRALIA
Lizard smuggler sentenced
A Sydney man who tried to mail native lizards, bearded dragons and other reptiles out of Australia in bags of popcorn and cookie tins has been sentenced to eight years in jail, authorities said yesterday. The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said. A district court in Sydney gave 61-year-old Neil Simpson a non-parole period of five years and four months. Investigators recovered 101 reptiles from seized parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania, the officials said in a statement. “Lizards, skinks and dragons were secured in calico bags. These bags were concealed in bags of popcorn, biscuit tins and a women’s handbag and placed inside cardboard boxes,” it said.
ITALY
‘Lovers’ Arch’ collapses
A famous rock structure on Italy’s Adriatic coast known as the “Lovers’ Arch” collapsed on Valentine’s Day after days of bad weather, prompting local officials to warn that other stretches of the fragile coastline could be at risk. The natural arch near Melendugno in the southern region of Puglia, had long been a popular backdrop for wedding proposals and tourist photos. “This is an unwanted Valentine’s Day gift,” Melendugno Mayor Maurizio Cisternino told the local Corriere Salentino, calling the collapse “a very hard blow” for the area’s image and for tourism.
Heavy rain and strong winds yesterday disrupted flights, trains and ferries, forcing the closure of roads across large parts of New Zealand’s North Island, while snapping power links to tens of thousands. Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wellington, the capital, although cancelations were still widespread after airport authorities said most morning flights were disrupted. Air New Zealand said it hoped to resume services when conditions ease later yesterday, after it paused operations at Wellington, Napier and Palmerston North airports. Online images showed flooded semi-rural neighborhoods, inundated homes, trees fallen on vehicles and collapsed
‘COST OF DEFECTION’: Duterte’s announcement could be an effort to keep allies in line with the promise of a return to power amid political uncertainty, an analyst said Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte yesterday announced she would run for president of the Southeast Asian nation of 116 million in 2028. Duterte, who is embroiled in a bitter feud with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, was impeached last year only to see the country’s Supreme Court throw the case out over procedural issues. Her announcement comes just days before her father, former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, begins a pretrial hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands over crimes against humanity allegedly committed as part of a brutal crackdown on drugs. “I offer my life, my strength and my future
NOT YET THERE: While the show was impressive, it failed to demonstrate their ability to move in unstructured environments, such as a factory floor, an expert said Dancing humanoid robots on Monday took center stage during the annual China Media Group’s Spring Festival Gala, China’s most-watched official television broadcast. They lunged and backflipped (landing on their knees), they spun around and jumped. Not one fell over. The display was impressive, but if robots can now dance and perform martial arts, what else can they do? Experts have mixed opinions, with some saying the robots had limitations and that the display should be viewed through a lens of state propaganda. Developed by several Chinese robotics firms, the robots performed a range of intricate stunts, including martial arts, comedy sketches and choreographed
POST-UPRISING: Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawmakers were yesterday expected to formally elect Tarique Rahman as their leader and new head of government Bangladesh’s prime minister-to-be Tarique Rahman and lawmakers were yesterday sworn into parliament, becoming the first elected representatives since a deadly 2024 uprising. Rahman is set to take over from an interim government that has steered the country of 170 million people for 18 months since the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina was overthrown. The lawmakers, who promised loyalty to Bangladesh, were sworn in by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) lawmakers are expected to formally elect Rahman as their leader, with President Mohammed Shahabuddin then to administer the oath of office to the prime minister and his ministers
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