UGANDA
UN relief food under probe
The government is investigating a supply of food from the World Food Programme after three people died and more than 150 others became sick in recent days, police said late on Monday. The food was part of a community feeding program in northeast Karamoja region, a semi-arid area where the UN agency has long provided food aid for people facing poor harvests. People had diarrhea, nose bleeds and other health problems after eating the food, police said in a statement. Police are “actively investigating the death of three people ... from eating adulterated or poisonous food supplied by the World Food Programme,” it said. Samples of the food and patients’ urine and blood had been sent to a government laboratory for analysis.
HAITI
Parliament ousts PM
Prime Minister Henry Ceant was thrown out of office by a no-confidence vote on Monday, prompted by government dysfunction and inability to quash inflation, blackouts and frequent opposition protests that have paralyzed the nation. The Chamber of Deputies voted 93-6, with three abstaining, to replace Ceant as soon as President Jovenel Moise and the heads of parliament’s two houses agree on a replacement. Until then, Ceant and his Cabinet are to remain in place with limited powers, raising the prospect of even rockier government performance.
UNITED STATES
Tabloid paid for Bezos texts
The National Enquirer’s publisher paid US$200,000 to obtain intimate texts between Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his mistress Lauren Sanchez, the Wall Street Journal reported. American Media, the supermarket tabloid’s publisher, reportedly paid that sum to Laurent’s brother, Michael. The Journal’s finding, attributed to people familiar with the matter, parallels the conclusion reached by private investigators working for Bezos as of early last month. Those investigators reportedly found that Michael Sanchez had leaked the texts to the Enquirer, although they did not appear to conclude who might have paid for them.
THAILAND
Tycoon guilty of poaching
A billionaire construction tycoon was yesterday convicted on charges related to a high-profile poaching case last year, but was found not guilty of possessing the carcass of an endangered black panther seen in photographs that had sparked the public outcry. The Thong Pha Phum Provincial Court sentenced Premchai Karnasuta to 16 months in prison for possessing the carcass of an endangered Kajij pheasant and possessing firearms in public areas. He has been released on bail. Premchai was arrested in February last year after park rangers found that he and three of his employees had set up camp at the Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, where they were found with guns and animals carcasses.
UNITED STATES
Warner CEO stepping down
Warner Bros chief executive Kevin Tsujihara is leaving the AT&T-owned studio following allegations that he had a sexual relationship with an actress he helped promote. “It is in the best interest of WarnerMedia, Warner Bros, our employees and our partners for Kevin to step down as Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros.,” WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey said in a statement. The 54-year-old executive had an affair with actress Charlotte Kirk and helped her get roles in movies, according to a report in the Hollywood Reporter.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was