US ACTOR, PLAYWRIGHT SAM SHEPARD DEAD AT 73
NEW YORK: Sam Shepard, the preeminent US playwright of his generation celebrated for depicting a darkness to contemporary American life and Oscar-nominated actor, has died. He was 73. The actor, director and writer passed away Thursday at home in Kentucky of complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, a family spokesman confirmed to Agence France-Presse on Monday. Shepard, who wrote nearly 50 plays, won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child and was nominated for an Academy Award in 1984 for best actor in a supporting role for The Right Stuff. He went on to star in dozens of films with acting credits on the likes of Steel Magnolias with Dolly Parton and Julia Roberts, 2001 war drama Black Hawk Down, and 2013 family saga August: Osage County with Meryl Streep. His writing career extended to cinema and he wrote the screenplay for Paris, Texas, which won the Palme D’Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival. On television, his most recent work was in the first two seasons of Netflix series Bloodline in 2015 and 2016, which marked his final on- camera appearance.
INDONESIA TO DEPORT 153 CHINESE FOR $450 MILLION SCAM
JAKARTA: Indonesia will deport 153 Chinese nationals arrested for alleged involvement in a multimillion- dollar cyber fraud ring targeting wealthy businessmen and politicians in China, police said Tuesday. The syndicate, who ran their operation from abroad to avoid detection by Chinese officials but did not target any victims in their host country, made around six trillion rupiah ($ 450 million) since beginning operations at the end of 2016, Indonesia police said. They were arrested following a tip- off from Chinese authorities. The group, based in several locations across Indonesia, contacted victims pretending to be Chinese police or law officials, promising to help resolve their legal cases in return for immediate cash transfers, Jakarta police said. The criminal network included IT specialists who would retrieve information on victims and develop communications systems for contacting them, he said. Chinese nationals were arrested in
SAUDI ARABIA TO LAUNCH RED SEA TOURISM RESORTS
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced the launch of a massive tourism project that will turn 50 islands and a string of sites on the Red Sea coast into luxury resorts. The plan is part of efforts to diversify the ultraconservative kingdom’s oil-dependent economy following a slump in energy prices. It covers more than 180 kilometers (112 miles) on Saudi Arabia’s western coastline, stretching from Umm Lajj to Al-Wajh. Initial investments will be provided by the Public Investment Fund before the project is opened to international investors, state news agency SPA reported. Construction will begin in the third quarter of 2019 with a first phase that includes expanding a domestic airport and developing luxury hotels and housing, expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2022, it said. Saudi Arabia aims to increase family spending on recreation and launch hundreds of recreation centers across the kingdom by 2020 as part of its Vision 2030 plan to reduce its dependence on oil.
INDONESIA SAYS CONVICT ORGANIZED MAJOR DRUG TRAFFICKING RING
JAKARTA: A convict in a maximum-security Indonesian prison masterminded an operation to import 1.2 million ecstasy tablets which led to two arrests and the death of another suspect, authorities said Tuesday. They told a press conference the arrested pair could face the death penalty if convicted of importing the drugs from the Netherlands. The alleged mastermind— currently serving a 15-year sentence in the maximum security prison at Nusakambangan—would also be charged in the new case and could face death if convicted, said national police chief Tito Karnavian. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati warned that Indonesia has been targeted by major trafficking syndicates who see it as a highly lucrative market. Police, national narcotics agency staff and customs raided a warehouse in Banten province outside Jakarta on July 21 after investigating a syndicate for two months. Hundreds of thousands of ecstasy tablets were seized and police arrested a 39-year- old man who told them the drugs had been shipped from the Netherlands. The 39-year- old said the smuggling was organized by the drugs convict.