CENTRAL AMERICA
Quake hits Gulf of Darien
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck in the Gulf of Darien near the border of Panama and Colombia late on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, with tremors felt in both countries. Nine minutes later, the USGS reported a magnitude 4.9 aftershock at the same location. In Panama, civil protection agency Sinaproc said there had been no immediate reports of damage and it was monitoring the situation. In the Colombian city of Medellin, local officials said no damage had been reported. The quakes struck at a depth of 10km, the USGS said.
UNITED STATES
Memorial marks shooting
An emotional President Joe Biden marked the first anniversary of the Uvalde, Texas, school massacre on Wednesday, saying that mass shootings have spread “killing fields” across the US. Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visibly struggled to hold back tears at the ceremony in the White House in front of 21 white candles representing the 19 children and two school staff killed at Robb Elementary School.
HONG KONG
Four arrested in bomb plot
Four Hong Kong students, including two minors, were yesterday sentenced over their roles in an anti-government plot to set off bombs in public spaces. A court sentenced the oldest of the four to more than five years in prison, and sent the other three to juvenile rehabilitation centers in a case handled under the National Security Law, which China imposed on the territory in 2020 to quell dissent. The four defendants, aged 17 to 21, were members of a group called “Returning Valiant,” which promoted independence from China and had called for resistance after the security law was imposed.
DENMARK
Abortion rules unveiled
The government plans to allow women aged 15 to 17 to get an abortion without consent from their parents, as the Nordic country marked the 50th anniversary of the right to choose. “Abortion can be associated with many emotions, guilt and shame,” Minister for Equality Marie Bjerre wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. “It can be humiliating and have major consequences to have to ask for parental consent when you are under 18. We want to put an end to that.” Women living in Denmark have the right to an abortion until the 12th week of pregnancy and do not have to provide a justification.
VIETNAM
Noodle vendor jailed
A noodle vendor famous for imitating a celebrity chef to allegedly mock a top government official was yesterday sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison, police said, after a court found him guilty of anti-state propaganda. The conviction is the latest in what rights groups say is the government’s wide-ranging attempt to silence voices critical of the ruling Vietnamese Communist Party. A video of Bui Tuan Lam, 39, went viral in November 2021 when it was posted days after a top Vietnamese official was caught on camera eating gold-encrusted steak at the London restaurant of Turkish chef Nusret Gokce, known as “Salt Bae.” Lam, who described himself in a Facebook post uploaded alongside the video as “Green Onion Bae,” was convicted of “making, storing, distributing, or disseminating information, documents, and items against the state,” the Da Nang Police Department said after a one-day trial.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
Africa has established the continent’s first space agency to boost Earth observation and data sharing at a time when a more hostile global context is limiting the availability of climate and weather information. The African Space Agency opened its doors last month under the umbrella of the African Union and is headquartered in Cairo. The new organization, which is still being set up and hiring people in key positions, is to coordinate existing national space programs. It aims to improve the continent’s space infrastructure by launching satellites, setting up weather stations and making sure data can be shared across
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