AUSTRALIA
Kiwi citizenship path eased
The government yesterday announced that it would make it easier for hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders to become citizens, removing a long-festering thorn in ties between the traditionally friendly rivals. Under the new rules starting on July 1, New Zealanders can apply directly for citizenship if they arrived after 2001 and have lived there for at least four years — affecting about 380,000 people, local media said. “We know many New Zealanders are here on a special category visa while raising families, working and building their lives in Australia. So I am proud to offer the benefits that citizenship provides,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement.
THAILAND
Extreme heat notices issued
Authorities yesterday warned residents across large swathes of the country, including the capital, Bangkok, to avoid going outdoors due to extreme heat. In Bangkok, temperatures reached a record high of 54°C in Bang Na District yesterday, the Meteorological Department said. “Sometimes, I take refuge in the 7-Eleven convenience store ... to escape the heat,” said Amporn Supasert, 67, a grilled chicken vendor in Bangkok. Temperatures yesterday were to exceed 40°C in at least 28 provinces, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said.
SPAIN
Flambe fire kills two
Two people died and 10 were injured in a fire sparked when a waiter at a Madrid restaurant on Friday flambeed a dish, accidentally setting decorations ablaze, authorities and local media reported yesterday. Madrid’s SAMUR emergency services “treated 12 people in this disaster,” two of whom died, Montse Marcos, a manager at the organization, told journalists. Witnesses told El Pais daily that the waiter at the Italian restaurant poured alcohol over the dish and set it alight. The waiter “had the plate in flames in one hand, and the blowtorch in the other. He passed by a column of plants and in a matter of seconds it burned everything,” said a diner, who gave her name only as Ruth.
COLOMBIA
Mine blast death toll rises
The death toll from an explosion in a coal mine rose to seven Friday with the discovery of four more bodies, Cundinamarca Fire Department head Alvaro Farfan said. The blast ripped through the mine overnight on Wednesday into Thursday in Cucunuba, about 90km north of the capital, Bogota. Authorities said they suspect pockets of gas trapped in the mine detonated. Rescue teams initially found three bodies and four workers were missing. These bodies were finally spotted on Friday.
SWITZERLAND
Prisoners rapidly aging: ICRC
Inmates who have been held for years in the US’ Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba are showing signs of “accelerated aging,” a senior official of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday. “We’re calling on the US administration and Congress to work together to find adequate and sustainable solutions to address these issues,” said Patrick Hamilton, the ICRC’s head of delegation for the US and Canada. “Action should be taken as a matter of priority.” His comments follow a visit to the facility last month, after a 20-year hiatus. He said he was “struck by how those who are still detained today are experiencing the symptoms of accelerated aging, worsened by the cumulative effects of their experiences and years spent in detention.”
Four people jailed in the landmark Hong Kong national security trial of "47 democrats" accused of conspiracy to commit subversion were freed today after more than four years behind bars, the second group to be released in a month. Among those freed was long-time political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham (岑子杰), who also led one of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy groups, the Civil Human Rights Front, which disbanded in 2021. "Let me spend some time with my family," Sham said after arriving at his home in the Kowloon district of Jordan. "I don’t know how to plan ahead because, to me, it feels
Poland is set to hold a presidential runoff election today between two candidates offering starkly different visions for the country’s future. The winner would succeed Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who is finishing his second and final term. The outcome would determine whether Poland embraces a nationalist populist trajectory or pivots more fully toward liberal, pro-European policies. An exit poll by Ipsos would be released when polls close today at 9pm local time, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Final results are expected tomorrow. Whoever wins can be expected to either help or hinder the
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts said. Footage of the collapse on Wednesday showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside into the hamlet of Blatten. Swiss Development Cooperation disaster risk reduction adviser Ali Neumann said that while the role of climate change in the case of Blatten “still needs to be investigated,” the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere — the part of the world covered by frozen water. “Climate change and
DENIAL: Musk said that the ‘New York Times was lying their ass off,’ after it reported he used so much drugs that he developed bladder problems Elon Musk on Saturday denied a report that he used ketamine and other drugs extensively last year on the US presidential campaign trail. The New York Times on Friday reported that the billionaire adviser to US President Donald Trump used so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that he developed bladder problems. The newspaper said the world’s richest person also took ecstasy and mushrooms, and traveled with a pill box last year, adding that it was not known whether Musk also took drugs while heading the so-called US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after Trump took power in January. In a
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