NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
_1 Stranded whales: Around one third of an estimated 270 pilot whales that became stranded on Australia’s island state of Tasmania have died, with rescuers managing to return 25 to the sea in an ongoing operation, officials said Tuesday. The whales were discovered Monday on a beach and two sand bars near the west coast town of Strahan. Sixty people have joined the rescue effort. Tasmania is prone to whale strandings, but this is the largest mass stranding on Australia’s most southern state in years. Authorities do not know why the whales became stranded.
_2 Slavery links: Britain’s National Trust, which looks after hundreds of the country’s wellloved historic sites, has detailed how dozens of its properties have links to slavery and colonialism. A report published Tuesday by the heritage and conservation organization said 93 of its sites have connections with aspects of the global slave trade or Britain’s colonial history. The survey included sites linked to leading officials in the East India Company, the hugely powerful corporation instrumental to British imperialism and involved in the African slave trade during the 17th and 18th centuries. The National Trust report also listed colonial writer Rudyard Kipling’s home in Sussex, and the family home of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Churchill led the administration of colonies and has been criticized for opposing Indian independence.
_3 Xi critic sentenced: Ren Zhiqiang, the property tycoon nicknamed “Big Cannon,” was notorious for his blunt criticisms of the Communist Party, and yet his wealth and political connections long seemed to shield him from severe punishment. Until now. A court in Beijing sentenced Ren to 18 years in prison Tuesday. The court said he was guilty of graft, taking bribes, misusing public funds and abusing his power during and after his time as an executive at a property development company. Ren’s supporters and sympathizers said that his real crime was criticizing the Communist Party and calling hardline leader, Xi Jinping, a “clown.” They see the prison term as a warning to those thinking about challenging Xi.
_4 Lebanon explosion: A powerful explosion shook a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, sending thick grey smoke billowing over the village, but the cause was not clear. Lebanon’s official news agency, NNA, said the explosion in the southern village of Ain Qana, above the port city of Sidon, coincided with intense Israeli overflights “that did not leave the skies” over the area since Tuesday morning. It said the cause of the explosion, which damaged buildings, shattered windows and caused panic among residents, was not known. The Israeli military said it had no comment. Hezbollah and Israel fought a monthlong war in 2006. Since then, the militant group is believed to have expanded its arsenal, amassing tens of thousands of rockets and missiles that can hit virtually anywhere in Israel.
_5 Assange case: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is very likely to attempt to kill himself if he is sent to the U.S. to face espionage charges, a psychiatric expert said Tuesday at an extradition hearing in London. Michael Kopelman, emeritus professor of neuropsychiatry at King’s College London, said Assange has a history of depression and there is a “very high” risk of suicide if the U.S. extradition attempt succeeds. U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of secret American military documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. Kopelman said Assange has also been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and has an “intense suicidal preoccupation.”