RUSSIA
Presidential race closes
Registration of candidates for next month’s presidential election has closed, TASS reported yesterday, with a list including President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to win, and three politicians who all support Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The list did not include the anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin after the Central Election Commission on Thursday barred him from running, saying it had found flaws in the collection of signatures required for the support of his candidacy. The commission registered Vladislav Davankov, deputy chair of the Russian Duma and a member of the New People caucus; Leonid Slutsky, the leader of the Kremlin-loyal ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party; and the Communist Party nominee, Nikolai Kharitonov.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
Oil spill after shipwreck
Emergency workers were on Saturday scrambling to clean up a massive oil spill after a mystery vessel ran aground near the Caribbean island, casting a pall over Carnival tourism. At least 15km of coastline have been affected in Tobago and authorities were poised to declare a national emergency, Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Farley Augustine told reporters. Environmental officials said the spill has damaged a reef and Atlantic beaches, boding ill for the island’s resorts and hotels. The government might elevate the accident to a Level 3 disaster, Augustine said, adding: “Everything indicates that we are going in that direction.” The mystery vessel, identified as The Gulfstream, capsized on Wednesday off the coast of the Cove Eco-Industrial Park in southern Tobago, and currents have dragged the boat shoreward. When sighted on Wednesday, the ship was sailing under an unidentified flag and made no emergency calls. Emergency Management Agency said there were no signs of life on the vessel, whose cargo was initially believed to consist of sand and wood.
UNITED KINGDOM
King thanks well-wishers
King Charles III on Saturday expressed his “heartfelt thanks” to well-wishers, in his first statement since being diagnosed with cancer. In a message to the public on X, the 75-year-old monarch added that it was “equally heartening” to hear how sharing his diagnosis has helped promote understanding of the condition. “I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days,” Charles wrote. “As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.”
UNITED STATES
Reward for dead wolves info
A federal agency is offering a US$50,000 reward for information about the deaths of three endangered gray wolves from the same pack in southern Oregon. The collars from two gray wolves sent a mortality signal on Dec. 29. State wildlife officials responded and found three dead wolves, two with collars and one without, the Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement. The collared wolves were an adult breeding female and a subadult from the Gearhart Mountain Pack. The other wolf killed was also a subadult. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said it is aware of seven wolves remaining in the pack, including a breeding male. Officials did not indicate in the statement how the wolves died. A phone message left Saturday seeking more information was not immediately returned.
A beauty queen who pulled out of the Miss South Africa competition when her nationality was questioned has said she wants to relocate to Nigeria, after coming second in the Miss Universe pageant while representing the West African country. Chidimma Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian, was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania and was runner-up to Denmark’s Victoria Kjar Theilvig in Mexico on Saturday night. The 23-year-old law student withdrew from the Miss South Africa competition in August, saying that she needed to protect herself and her family after the government alleged that her mother had stolen the identity of a South
BELT-TIGHTENING: Chinese investments in Cambodia are projected to drop to US$35 million in 2026 from more than US$420 million in 2021 At a ceremony in August, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet knelt to receive blessings from saffron-robed monks as fireworks and balloons heralded the breaking of ground for a canal he hoped would transform his country’s economic fortunes. Addressing hundreds of people waving the Cambodian flag, Hun Manet said China would contribute 49 percent to the funding of the Funan Techo Canal that would link the Mekong River to the Gulf of Thailand and reduce Cambodia’s shipping reliance on Vietnam. Cambodia’s government estimates the strategic, if contentious, infrastructure project would cost US$1.7 billion, nearly 4 percent of the nation’s annual GDP. However, months later,
Texas’ education board on Friday voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools, joining other Republican-led US states that pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, is optional for schools to adopt, but they would receive additional funding if they do so. The materials could appear in classrooms as early as next school year. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has voiced support for the lesson plans, which were provided by the state’s education agency that oversees the more than
The Philippine Department of Justice yesterday labeled Vice President Sara Duterte the “mastermind” of a plot to assassinate the nation’s president, giving her five days to respond to a subpoena. Duterte is being asked to explain herself in the wake of a blistering weekend press conference where she said she had instructed that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr be killed should an alleged plot to kill her succeed. “The government is taking action to protect our duly elected president,” Philippine Undersecretary of Justice Jesse Andres said at yesterday’s press briefing. “The premeditated plot to assassinate the president as declared by the self-confessed mastermind
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