CHINA
Tornado leaves 5 dead
A strong tornado on Saturday wreaked havoc through the city of Guangzhou, killing five people and injuring 33, Xinhua news agency said. The tornado, which occurred early afternoon, was accompanied by a hailstorm with hailstones as big as fists, and the extreme weather event lasted until 7pm, the Guangzhou Meteorological Bureau said. The tornado also damaged 141 factories, Xinhua reported. The Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport reported a blackout at one of its terminals late on Saturday, and said that about 70 flights were delayed for more than one hour as of 11pm due to bad weather.
UNITED KINGDOM
Watch sets ‘Titanic’ record
A gold watch found on the body of the richest passenger on the Titanic was on Saturday auctioned in England for ￡1.17 million (US$1.48 million). It was a record sum for an object linked to the notorious 1912 shipping disaster, auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son said. A US buyer won the bidding war, smashing the auctioneer’s presale estimate of between ￡100,000 and ￡150,000. The watch, engraved with the initials JJA, belonged to the US business magnate John Jacob Astor. Astor was 47 when he died as the Titanic sank. He was reputed to be one of the richest men in the world at the time.
RUSSIA
Two journalists arrested
Two Russian journalists were arrested by their government on “extremism” charges and were on Saturday ordered by courts there to remain in custody pending investigation and trial on accusations of preparing materials for a YouTube channel run by a group founded by the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin both denied the charges for which they are to be detained for a minimum of two months before any trials begin. Each faces a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of six years for alleged “participation in an extremist organization,” according to Russian courts.
UNITED STATES
Anti-war protesters detained
Police detained more than 150 people while clearing pro-Palestinian encampments at two US universities on Saturday, in the latest campus clashes triggered by protests over Israel’s war against Hamas. On the East Coast, police in Boston detained about 100 people while clearing a protest camp at Northeastern University, with social media posts showing security forces in riot gear and officers loading tents onto the back of a truck. In the Southwest, Arizona State University police arrested 69 people for trespassing after the group set up an “unauthorized encampment” on campus. The action in Boston was taken after some protesters resorted to “virulent anti-Semitic slurs, including ‘Kill the Jews,’” Northeastern University wrote on X.
UNITED STATES
Harvey Weinstein in hospital
Disgraced Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was hospitalized on Saturday upon his return to New York after the city’s highest court overturned his 2020 conviction on sex crime charges. The 4-3 decision was a reversal of one of the defining cases of the #MeToo movement, but Weinstein is to remain jailed on a separate 16-year rape sentence. Attorney Arthur Aidala said Weinstein was moved to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan after his arrival on Friday to city jails. “It seems like he needs a lot of help, physically. He’s got a lot of problems. He’s getting all kinds of tests. He’s somewhat of a train wreck health wise,” Aidala said.
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
‘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 —
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
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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