JAPAN
Punch not bullied, zoo says
A zoo caring for a baby monkey who has become an Internet sensation was forced to issue a statement denying he was being bullied, following an outpouring of concern online. Punch, a seven-month-old macaque, was abandoned by his mother and shot to stardom after he began clinging to a plush orangutan toy from IKEA for comfort at Ichikawa City Zoo. After the zoo last month posted on social media that Punch “had been scolded many times by other monkeys,” videos showing him being chased by members of the troop were spread online, alongside claims that he was being bullied. “While dominant individuals may show disciplining actions toward their subordinates, as macaques do naturally, these actions in the macaque society ‘differ from human abuses,’” the zoo said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that “Punch spends most of the day peacefully.” The zoo said that Punch was becoming less reliant on the stuffed orangutan toy because increasing numbers of monkeys were looking after or playing with him.
Photo: AFP
SWITZERLAND
Bus fire deliberate: police
A bus fire that killed at least six people in Kerzers, about 20km west of Bern, was likely ignited deliberately, but probably not as an act of terror, police said yesterday. The fire broke out on the bus in the main street at about 6:25pm on Tuesday. Videos shared on social media showed flames several meters high bursting out from the windows, and black smoke rising into the sky. In an interview with Swiss national broadcaster RTS, Fribourg Canton Police Communications Chief Martial Pugin confirmed that while “an intentional act is the most likely scenario,” “at present there is no evidence” it was a terror attack. It is the second major multiple-casualty fire in Switzerland in less than three months, after a bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana caught fire on Jan. 1, killing 41 people and injuring 115 others.
SOUTH KOREA
Security tight for BTS
A free comeback concert by boy band BTS in central Seoul next week is expected to draw up to 260,000 people, Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung said yesterday, making it one of the largest public gatherings in the area since the 2002 World Cup. The chart-topping K-pop group is marking the release of its first new album in more than three years with the free concert on March 21, before it embarks on a global tour next month. Authorities plan to deploy about 4,800 police officers and 3,400 officials from Seoul and related organizations to manage crowd flow, emergency response and anti-terrorism measures, local media reported. “This event will showcase not just K-culture, but K-safety,” Yun said.
UNITED STATES
Musk again tops ‘Forbes’ list
Elon Musk’s estimated US$839 billion net worth has made him the wealthiest individual ever recorded, Forbes said on Tuesday, as billionaires worldwide saw their combined fortunes surge in the past year to an all-time high of US$20.1 trillion. Musk topped the Forbes World’s Billionaires list for the second consecutive year after his fortune swelled by about US$500 billion over the past 12 months, driven by rising valuations at Tesla and Space Exploration Technologies Corp, which is targeting a public offering. He is the first person ever to surpass the US$800 billion mark and is on course to become the world’s first trillionaire.
Australians were downloading virtual private networks (VPNs) in droves, while one of the world’s largest porn distributors said it was blocking users from its platforms as the country yesterday rolled out sweeping online age restriction. Australia in December became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on teenagers using social media. A separate law now requires artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot services to keep certain content — including pornography, extreme violence and self-harm and eating disorder material — from minors or face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$34.6 million). The country also joined Britain, France and dozens of US states requiring
Hungarian authorities temporarily detained seven Ukrainian citizens and seized two armored cars carrying tens of millions of euros in cash across Hungary on suspicion of money laundering, officials said on Friday. The Ukrainians were released on Friday, following their detention on Thursday, but Hungarian officials held onto the cash, prompting Ukraine to accuse Hungary’s Russia-friendly government of illegally seizing the money. “We will not tolerate this state banditism,” Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said. The seven detained Ukrainians were employees of the Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank, who were traveling in the two armored cars that were carrying the money between Austria and
Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani on Friday after dissolving the Kosovar parliament said a snap election should be held as soon as possible to avoid another prolonged political crisis in the Balkan country at a time of global turmoil. Osmani said it is important for Kosovo to wrap up the upcoming election process and form functional institutions for political stability as the war rages in the Middle East. “Precisely because the geopolitical situation is that complex, it is important to finish this electoral process which is coming up,” she said. “It is very hard now to imagine what will happen next.” Kosovo, which declared
MORE BANS: Australia last year required sites to remove accounts held by under-16s, with a few countries pushing for similar action at an EU level and India considering its own ban Indonesia on Friday said it would ban social media access for children under 16, citing threats from online pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud and Internet addiction. “Accounts belonging to children under 16 on high-risk platforms will start to be deactivated, beginning with YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox,” Indonesian Minister of Communications and Digital Meutya Hafid said. “The government is stepping in so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the giants of the algorithm. Implementation will begin on March 28, 2026,” she said. The social media ban would be introduced in stages “until all platforms fulfill their
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