Tuesday, February 25, 2020 – edition no. 3479

CHINA A laundry detergent maker apologized for the harm caused by the spread of an ad in which a black man “washed” by its product was transformed into a fair-skinned Asian man. Shanghai Leishang Cosmetics Ltd. Co. said it strongly shuns and condemns racial discrimination but blamed foreign media for amplifying the ad. PHILIPPINE lawmakers completed the official vote count from May 9 elections on Friday and announced that Mayor Rodrigo Duterte won the presidency by an overwhelming margin, while Rep. Leni Robredo triumphed as vice president. USA Cybersecurity researchers say North Korea might be connected to a recent attack that resulted in the theft of over USD100 million from the Bangladeshi central bank and the attempted thefts of millions more from other Asian banks. UKRAINE’s emergency services say a pre-dawn fire has swept through a private home for the elderly, killing 17 people and injuring five others. No cause has yet been determined for the fire that broke out Sunday at the home for 35 residents in Litochki, a village 42 kilometers north of Kiev, the capital. FRANCE The leaders of France and Germany criticized opponents of the European Union during an event marking the 100th anniversary of a World War I battle that left 700,000 of their nations’ soldiers dead or maimed. BRAZIL The World Health Organization on Saturday rejected a call from 150 health experts to consider postponing or moving the Rio Summer Olympics due to the Zika virus in hard-hit Brazil, arguing that the shift would make no significant difference to the spread of the virus. MALI The United Nations mission in Mali says at least five Togolese peacekeepers have been killed in an attack by extremists in central Mali. Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman for the mission, said another peacekeeper was injured in yesterday’s attack about 30 kilometers west of Sevare on the road to Tenenkou. EGYPT A military court sentenced eight alleged Muslim Brotherhood members to death on terrorism charges yesterday, a security official and the website of state newspaper Al-Ahram said.