United States
Rushdie makes appearance
Author Salman Rushdie made his first in-person public appearance after being stabbed repeatedly and hospitalized nine months ago. He on Thursday night attended the annual gala of PEN America, the literary and free expression organization for which he once served as president. “I feel great,” Rushdie said. “I have a long association with PEN America, and I’m just happy to be among writers and book people,” he said. In August last year, Rushdie was at an event at the Chautauqua Institution, a nonprofit education and retreat center in western New York, when he was assaulted by a young man carrying a knife. Rushdie sustained multiple wounds, leaving him blind in his right eye and struggling to write.
New Caledonia
Tsunami warning lifted
The government lifted a tsunami warning yesterday, after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean off the archipelago. The police had evacuated the coast of the territory, and tsunami sirens had been activated on the coast urging people to evacuate.
United States
Group disputes TikTok ban
A group of Montana TikTok creators with hundreds of thousands of followers sued to challenge the first statewide ban of the popular app, saying that the law contravenes free-speech rights and would disrupt their livelihoods. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed a measure on Wednesday that would prohibit the app’s download by the general public beginning next year. The law “attempts to exercise powers over national security that Montana does not have, and to ban speech Montana may not suppress,” the complaint said.
New Zealand
Alleged arsonist charged
A 48-year-old man accused of igniting a New Zealand hostel fire that killed at least five people said that someone else started the blaze during a court appearance yesterday. During the hearing, he shouted: “I need bail, I need a good lawyer. Someone else done it.” Prosecutors charged him with two counts of arson: setting the four-story Loafers Lodge on fire in the early hours of Tuesday, and earlier burning a couch in the building. Wearing a dark hooded top, he gestured frantically with his hands and paced from side to side in the dock during his first hearing at Wellington District Court. The man, whose name was not released by the court, was remanded in custody.
United States
Ford attends film premiere
Harrison Ford was in Cannes for the much-anticipated premiere of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny on Thursday evening, 15 years after the actor last picked up the adventurous archaeologist’s iconic bullwhip and hat on the big screen. The new film, which also stars Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen and Phoebe Waller-Bridge of British dramedy Fleabag, is the fifth in the series and the first not directed by Steven Spielberg. The director was James Mangold of Ford v Ferrari. Celebrities and fans turned out on the Boulevard de la Croisette for the film. A visibly-moved Ford, 80, received an honorary award for his cinema career ahead of the premiere. “They say when you’re about to die, you see your life flash before your eyes, and I just saw my life flash before my eyes, a great part of my life,” he told the audience.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
A colossal explosion in the sky, unleashing energy hundreds of times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. A blinding flash nearly as bright as the sun. Shockwaves powerful enough to flatten everything for miles. It might sound apocalyptic, but a newly detected asteroid nearly the size of a football field now has a greater than 1 percent chance of colliding with Earth in about eight years. Such an impact has the potential for city-level devastation, depending on where it strikes. Scientists are not panicking yet, but they are watching closely. “At this point, it’s: ‘Let’s pay a lot of attention, let’s
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
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