SINGAPORE
Hoax bomb call reported
The air force mobilized two fighter jets late on Tuesday in response to a bomb threat on an Air India Express flight bound for the city-state, the defense minister said. Two air force F-15SG jets scrambled and escorted Air India flight AXB684 away from populated areas after the airline received an e-mail that there was a bomb on board its plane, Minister of Defense Ng Eng Hen (黃永宏) said in a Facebook post. Ng said the plane was escorted and landed safely at Changi Airport at 10:04pm on Tuesday, adding that ground-based air defence systems and explosive disposal team were also activated. The police said that “no threat items were found” on board the plane after completing security checks, adding that investigations were ongoing. “Air India notes that it, and other local airlines, have been subject to a number of threats in recent days. Though all have subsequently been found to be hoaxes, as a responsible airline operator all threats are taken seriously,” the airline said on social media.
UNITED STATES
Pandas arrive in Washington
A pair of giant pandas arrived in Washington from China on Tuesday to move into their new home at the National Zoo, which has been without the black-and-white bears, one of its most popular attractions, for about a year. China sent the pandas as part of an agreement announced earlier this year by US and Chinese government officials intended to warm relations between the two superpowers. The zoo returned three other giant pandas — two adults and their cub — which had been on loan from China. The new male and female pandas, named Bao Li (寶力) and Qing Bao (青寶), arrived at Dulles International Airport on a FedEx plane, transported in large white crates with breathing holes along the side, and were driven by truck to the zoo. Bao Li and Qing Bao are to stay inside the National Zoo’s panda house for 30 days under quarantine, the zoo said.
AUSTRALIA
‘Mysterious’ objects seen
Hundreds of mysterious black tar-like balls have washed up on two popular Sydney beaches, prompting lifeguards to close the strands to swimmers. “Mysterious, black, ball-shaped debris” began appearing on Coogee Beach on Tuesday afternoon, the local mayor said, leaving flummoxed authorities scrambling to find out what they might be, and where they might have come from. Hundreds of golf-to-cricket-ball-sized spheres could be seen littering the coast, which is usually thronged with Sydneysiders and tourists. “At this stage, it is unknown what the material is,” Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker said in a social media post. “However, they may be ‘tar balls’ which are formed when oil comes in to contact with debris and water, typically the result of oil spills or seepage.”
EGYPT
Museum starts trial run
The Grand Egyptian Museum is to open 12 halls with exhibits about ancient Egypt in its main galleries starting this week in a trial run ahead of the still-unannounced official opening, officials said on Tuesday. The museum, a mega-project near the famed Giza Pyramids which has cost well over US$1 billion so far, was to open the halls for 4,000 visitors per day starting yesterday, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities al-Tayeb Abbas said. The museum has been under construction for more than a decade, and an overall opening date has not yet been set, having been repeatedly delayed for various reasons.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
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
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
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