AUSTRALIA
Nazi artifacts fly off shelves
Militaria shops say there is an “avalanche” of demand for Nazi artifacts in anticipation of an impending ban on the sale of Nazi symbols. A bill introduced to federal parliament in the middle of this month would ban the public display and sale of Nazi symbols, making it an offense to seek to profit from such material in stores or online. It wouls not ban private ownership or transfers of artifacts that are not for profit. Sellers said the bill has prompted a frenzy of buying and selling, with signed pictures of Hitler, Himmler and Rommel sold at an auction last weekend on the Gold Coast. Jamey Blewitt, owner of JB Military Antiques, Western Australia’s largest military antiques store, said he had never seen so much demand. “It’s an avalanche, really. I’ve been a full-time dealer for 14 years and I’ve never seen the number of people ring, e-mail or buy from us. It’s like the fuel station is about to run out of fuel, so they’re filling up,” Blewitt said. “People collect this stuff because they are military fans, they are history nuts, they aren’t neo-Nazis ... I have never once sold anything to a neo-Nazi.”
UNITED STATES
Hasbro brings back Furby
Hasbro Inc is reintroducing its divisive talking Furby toy after a six-year hiatus, capitalizing on a wave of 1990s nostalgia to sell the toy to a new generation. The fuzzy, owl-shaped toy became a cultural phenomenon after its 1998 launch, selling more than 40 million units globally in its first three years. Furby’s new iteration includes 21st-century updates such as voice activation and follows years of research, Hasbro said in a statement on Thursday. The resurrection marks Furby’s 25th anniversary. Furby’s original success stemmed from it seeming more “alive” than other 1990s-era toys — it could talk (in Furbish) and wiggle its ears. However, its high-tech-for-the-time language abilities sparked controversy, even resulting in a ban on US National Security Agency premises due to security concerns. The toymaker said its new version has five voice activated modes and more than 600 responses. It would also react to being hugged, tickled and pretend-fed tiny pizza.
UNITED STATES
Hacker receives five years
A British man was sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement in a social media hack that included hijacking Twitter accounts of top US political and business leaders, and for cyberstalking and threatening several individuals. Joseph James O’Connor, 24, pleaded guilty in New York last month to taking part in numerous online schemes, including a July 2020 hack of Twitter. The guilty plea came after O’Connor, known online as “PlugwalkJoe,” was extradited from Spain on April 26. US District Judge Jed Rakoff said he considered O’Connor’s relatively young age and autism in reaching the sentence.
CANADA
Bureau to probe sub incident
Authorities on Friday said they would launch an investigation into the loss this week of the Titan submersible along with five people onboard during a dive to the Titanic wreck. The Canadian-flagged Polar Prince cargo vessel towed the Titan out to sea last weekend, but lost contact with it about one hour and 45 minutes after the submersible launched into the ocean depths. The Canadian Transportation Safety Board said “as the investigation authority of the flag state of the support vessel” it would “conduct a safety investigation regarding the circumstances of this operation.”
When Shanghai-based designer Guo Qingshan posted a vacation photo on Valentine’s Day and captioned it “Puppy Mountain,” it became a sensation in China and even created a tourist destination. Guo had gone on a hike while visiting his hometown of Yichang in central China’s Hubei Province late last month. When reviewing the photographs, he saw something he had not noticed before: A mountain shaped like a dog’s head rested on the ground next to the Yangtze River, its snout perched at the water’s edge. “It was so magical and cute. I was so excited and happy when I discovered it,” Guo said.
TURNAROUND: The Liberal Party had trailed the Conservatives by a wide margin, but that was before Trump threatened to make Canada the US’ 51st state Canada’s ruling Liberals, who a few weeks ago looked certain to lose an election this year, are mounting a major comeback amid the threat of US tariffs and are tied with their rival Conservatives, according to three new polls. An Ipsos survey released late on Tuesday showed that the left-leaning Liberals have 38 percent public support and the official opposition center-right Conservatives have 36 percent. The Liberals have overturned a 26-point deficit in six weeks, and run advertisements comparing the Conservative leader to Trump. The Conservative strategy had long been to attack unpopular Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but last month he
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
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