SLOVAKIA
Fico’s condition stabilized
Prime Minister Robert Fico’s life is no longer in danger following an assassination attempt, Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak told reporters yesterday. “He has emerged from the immediate threat to his life, but his condition remains serious and he requires intensive care,” Kalinak said. The prime minister, 59, was shot at five times at point-blank range in an attack on Wednesday. The Special Criminal Court on Saturday ruled that the suspect, identified by prosecutors as Juraj C., would remain in custody after being charged with attempted murder.
NEW CALEDONIA
Forces smash roadblocks
French forces smashed through about 60 roadblocks to clear the way from the capital to the airport, but have still not reopened the route, a top government official said yesterday. After six nights of violence that has left six dead and hundreds injured, security forces would launch “harassment” raids to reclaim other parts of the Pacific territory, High Commissioner Louis Le Franc said. “Republican order will be re-established whatever the cost,” he said. The unrest, which started on Monday last week, was sparked by French plans to impose new voting rules.
TUNISIA
Dozens missing for weeks
Twenty-three people trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe from Tunisia have been missing for the past two weeks, the National Guard said in a statement on Saturday. It said that searches were still under way after the group departed early this month. “They set sail overnight between May 3 and 4” from Nabeul, it said, adding that relatives of the missing only contacted the authorities 10 days later. Acting on orders from prosecutors in Nabeul, the National Guard said it had arrested five people allegedly involved in organizing the crossing. It said it recovered four bodies later on Saturday, after intercepting two crossing attempts to Europe and rescuing “52 migrants” near Sfax, a main departure point for Italy.
JAPAN
Police attacked by bears
Authorities have warned residents to be aware of wild bears in the northeast after several people were attacked, including police officers. The bears, measuring about 50cm in height, were seen in the area, including in Akita and Fukushima prefectures. Two police officers were attacked on Saturday in Akita’s Kazuno while recovering the body of a missing man, news reports said. The man had gone hunting for bamboo shoots in the mountains a few days earlier where he was found dead in the area with gash wounds. It remains unclear if he died due to a bear attack. The officers are in a serious condition, although it is not life-threatening, reports said.
UNITED STATES
Not enough Kyles in Kyle
Another attempt by Kyle, Texas, to break the world record for the largest gathering of people with one name fell short on Saturday, despite 706 Kyles of all ages turning up at a park in the suburbs of Austin. The crown is currently held by a town in Bosnia that got 2,325 people named Ivan together in 2017, according to Guinness World Records. It was not the first time the Kyles came gunning for the Ivans. Last year, the official count at what has become known as the Gathering of the Kyles clocked in at 1,490. Kyle is not a chart-topper among popular names in the US, Social Security Administration data showed. Kyle ranked 416th among male names last year, while Ivan ranked 153rd.
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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