MEXICO
Storm gains strength
Hurricane Norma on Thursday strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it headed toward Mexico’s Pacific coast with maximum sustained winds exceeding 209kph, the US National Hurricane Center said. “Norma is a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale,” said the center, which grades such storms up to a maximum Category 5. “Small intensity fluctuations are possible today [Thursday], followed by gradual weakening beginning Friday [yesterday] and continuing into the weekend,” the center said in a statement. Norma was moving northward at about 11kph, and was expected to approach the Baja California peninsula last night and today, with tropical storm conditions possible by early today.
AUSTRALIA
Opera House marks birthday
Sydney Opera House yesterday celebrated its 50th birthday, with a laser show planned to illuminate the iconic building. Officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on Oct. 20, 1973, the Opera House is widely regarded as one of the greatest architectural designs of the 20th century, with 10.9 million people visiting every year. The building was to be illuminated last night by a light show created by Australian audio-visual artist Robin Fox, before welcoming an expected 37,000 people today for free tours, its first open day in eight years. “A symbol around the world and a national treasure turns 50,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a post on X. “Happy Birthday to an Australian icon.” As part of the 1956 Opera House international design competition, 233 designs were submitted by architects from around the world, with Jorn Utzon from Denmark chosen as the winner. Construction began in 1959, with the project meant to take four years to complete, but after Utzon resigned due to a change in government, design differences and a blow-out in costs, the structure took 14 years to complete. The Sydney Opera House was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2007.
UNITED STATES
X to launch subscriptions
X would soon launch two new tiers of premium subscriptions, CEO Elon Musk wrote early yesterday on the social media platform. “One is lower cost with all features, but no reduction in ads, and the other is more expensive, but has no ads,” Musk wrote. Musk did not provide more detail on the subscription plans. Earlier this week, the company started charging new users US$1 in New Zealand and the Philippines as a test case for accessing the platform. New users who opted out of subscribing would only be able to take “read only” actions, such as: read posts, watch videos, and follow accounts, the company said on its Web site.
EUROPEAN UNION
EU demands report
The EU on Thursday demanded that Meta and TikTok detail their efforts to curb illegal content and disinformation during the Israel-Hamas war, flexing the power of a new law that threatens billions in fines, if tech giants fail to do enough to protect users. The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive branch, formally requested that the social media companies provide information on how they’re complying with pioneering digital rules aimed at cleaning up online platforms. The commission asked Meta and TikTok to explain the measures they have taken to reduce the risk of spreading and amplifying terrorist and violent content, hate speech and disinformation.
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
‘DISCRIMINATION’: The US Office of Personnel Management ordered that public DEI-focused Web pages be taken down, while training and contracts were canceled US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. The moves follow an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs. Trump has called the programs “discrimination” and called to restore “merit-based” hiring. The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by former US president Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It is using one of the
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