Latin superstar Bad Bunny is supporting Harris for president

Latin superstar Bad Bunny is supporting Harris for president
Bad Bunny poses in the press room at the Oscars, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. (AP/File)
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Updated 28 October 2024
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Latin superstar Bad Bunny is supporting Harris for president

Latin superstar Bad Bunny is supporting Harris for president
  • Bad Bunny has been vocal about criticizing Puerto Rico’s electric system, which was razed by Hurricane Maria

Bad Bunny is throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris by sharing a video of the Democratic presidential nominee to his more than 45 million followers on Instagram.

Bad Bunny, whose official name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is one of the most famous artists of the moment. His backing could be a boost for the Harris campaign as it tries to bolster its support with Latino voters, among whom Trump has been working to gain ground.

The 30-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton artist, who has popular songs such as “Dakiti” and “Titi Me Preguntó,” has won three Grammy Awards. He was the most streamed artist on Spotify in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and was only surpassed by Taylor Swift in 2023. He was named Artist of the Year by Apple Music in 2022.

The video shared by Bad Bunny on Instagram shows Harris saying “there’s so much at stake in this election for Puerto Rican voters and for Puerto Rico.” A representative of the artist confirmed that Bad Bunny is supporting Harris.

The artist then shared several times another part of the clip where Harris says, “I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader,” she says.

His endorsement came shortly after a comedian who spoke at the opening of Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” The remarks by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe were immediately criticized by Harris’ campaign and were also criticized by Puerto Rican star Ricky Martin, who was among the first to support Harris as she launched her presidential bid in July.

“That’s what they think of us,” Ricky Martin shared on Instagram, and encouraged followers to vote for Harris.

The Puerto Rican vote is sizable in Pennsylvania, which is arguably the hardest fought of the swing states in the 2024 election. Other Puerto Rican singers such as Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony had already expressed support for Harris. Trump has also attracted support from other popular stars from the island such as Anuel AA and Nicky Jam.

Bad Bunny has been vocal about criticizing Puerto Rico’s electric system, which was razed by Hurricane Maria. In a 2022 music video for his song “El Apagon,” the artist called out the company Luma Energy, which handles transmission and distribution, for the constant power outages that plague the island.

One of his most recent songs, “Una Velita,” is also a protest against the government response following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017.

A year after the storm, public health experts estimated that nearly 3,000 perished because of the effects of Hurricane Maria. But Trump, whose efforts to help the island territory recover have been persistently criticized, repeatedly questioned that number saying it rose “like magic.”

His visit to the island after the hurricane elicited controversy such as when he tossed paper towels. His administration released $13 billion in assistance years later, just weeks before the 2020 presidential election. And a federal government watchdog found that officials hampered an investigation into delays in aid delivery.

Bad Bunny also shared a part of the clip showing Harris saying that Trump “abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.”

Harris visited a Puerto Rican restaurant in North Philadelphia earlier on Sunday and released her policy related to the island saying she wants to create a task force to attract investment to fix the electrical grid. And Trump is headed on Tuesday to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where more than half of its population is Hispanic and a majority of them from Puerto Rico.

In 2020, Bad Bunny allowed the Biden campaign to use one of his hits “Pero Ya No” in a TV ad.


World plastic pollution treaty talks collapse with no deal

World plastic pollution treaty talks collapse with no deal
Updated 17 sec ago
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World plastic pollution treaty talks collapse with no deal

World plastic pollution treaty talks collapse with no deal
  • Countries trying to break the deadlock and strike a landmark global treaty on combating plastic pollution negotiated through the night into Friday on a last-minute revised proposal

GENEVA: Talks aimed at striking a landmark global treaty on plastic pollution fell apart Friday without agreement, as countries failed to find consensus on how the world should tackle the ever-growing scourge.

Negotiators from 185 nations worked beyond Thursday’s deadline and through the night in an ultimately futile search for common ground between nations wanting bold action such as curbing plastic production, and oil-producing states preferring to focus more narrowly on waste management.

Several countries voiced bitter disappointment as the talks unraveled, but said they were prepared for future negotiations – despite six rounds of talks over three years now having failed to find agreement.

“We have missed a historic opportunity but we have to keep going and act urgently. The planet and present and future generations need this treaty,” said Cuba.

Colombia added: “The negotiations were consistently blocked by a small number of states who simply don’t want an agreement.”

Tuvalu, speaking for 14 Pacific small island developing states, said they were once again leaving empty-handed.

“For our islands this means that without global cooperation and state action, millions of tonnes of plastic waste will continue to be dumped in our oceans, affecting our ecosystem, food security, livelihood and culture,” the Polynesian archipelago said.

The High Ambition Coalition, which includes the European Union, Britain and Canada, and many African and Latin American countries, wanted to see language on reducing plastic production and the phasing out of toxic chemicals used in plastics.

A cluster of mostly oil-producing states calling themselves the Like-Minded Group want the treaty to have a much narrower remit.

“Our views were not reflected... without an agreed scope, this process cannot remain on the right track and risks sliding down a slippery slope,” said Kuwait.

Bahrain said it wanted a treaty that “does not penalize developing countries for exploiting their own resources.”

France’s Ecological Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said: “I am disappointed, and I am angry,” saying a handful of countries, “guided by short-term financial interests,” had blocked the adoption of an ambitious treaty.

“Oil-producing countries and their allies have chosen to look the other way.”

The future of the negotiations was not immediately clear.

Some countries called for a seventh round of talks in future, with the EU saying the latest draft was a “good basis for a resumed session,” and South Africa insisting: “It cannot end here.”

The talks in Geneva – called after the collapse of the fifth and supposedly final round of talks in South Korea late last year – opened on August 5.

With countries far apart, talks chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso produced a draft text Wednesday based on the limited areas of convergence.

But it was immediately shredded by all sides, plunging the talks into disarray, with the high ambition group finding it shorn of all impact, and the Like-Minded Group saying it crossed their red lines and lacked scope.

Vayas spend Thursday in a frantic round of negotiations with regional groups, and produced a new version after midnight.

Lead negotiators then held a meeting behind closed doors to thrash out whether there was enough in the text to keep talking. But shortly before sunrise, the game was up.

More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year, half of which is for single-use items.

While 15 percent of plastic waste is collected for recycling, only nine percent is actually recycled.

Nearly half, or 46 percent, ends up in landfills, while 17 percent is incinerated and 22 percent is mismanaged and becomes litter.

The plastic pollution problem is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body.

On current trends, annual production of fossil-fuel-based plastics will nearly triple by 2060 to 1.2 billion tonnes, while waste will exceed one billion tonnes, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.


India’s ambitious space plans: Missions to Moon, Mars and Venus

India’s ambitious space plans: Missions to Moon, Mars and Venus
Human space flight — to fly an Indian citizen on an Indian rocket from Indian soil — is also taking shape fast. (Reuters)
Updated 19 min 10 sec ago
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India’s ambitious space plans: Missions to Moon, Mars and Venus

India’s ambitious space plans: Missions to Moon, Mars and Venus
  • New Delhi achieved its 100th rocket launch in January this year
  • Prime Minister Modi has outlined a bold vision: Establish an Indian space station by 2035 and land an Indian on the moon by 2040

Reaching for the stars is becoming an everyday affair at India’s space agency. Having visited the Moon and Mars with orbital missions, eyes are set on a mission to Venus and a sample return from the Moon.

Human space flight — to fly an Indian citizen on an Indian rocket from Indian soil where the countdown will also be by India — is also taking shape fast.

India’s space journey reached new heights with the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 nearer the Moon’s South Pole on Aug. 23, 2023, making India the first country to achieve this feat.

This mission demonstrated Indian Space Research Organization’s capability in precision lunar landing and roving. The Vikram lander performed a hop experiment, and the propulsion module was later maneuvered into Earth’s orbit for extended operations.

Building on this momentum, ISRO achieved its 100th rocket launch in January 2025, launching a navigation satellite, showcasing India’s indigenous cryogenic engine technology.

The pinnacle came with the July 30, 2025 launch of the nearly $1.3 billion NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar or NISAR satellite, a joint Indo-US Earth observation mission. Launched aboard India’s GSLV F-16, NISAR features dual-frequency SAR payloads from NASA and ISRO, and will monitor climate change, disasters, and agriculture.

ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan hailed it as a symbol of India’s technological leadership and global collaboration, emphasizing the precision and reliability of India’s cryogenic launch systems.

In a landmark achievement for India’s space program, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla completed a 20-day mission, including 18 days aboard the International Space Station, as part of the multinational Axiom-4 mission — dubbed Mission Akash Ganga. This marks India’s first human spaceflight since that of Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Shukla’s courage and dedication had inspired “a billion dreams.”

Launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9, Shukla served as mission pilot and conducted seven India-specific experiments. Despite delays, the mission concluded successfully with a splashdown near San Diego. It lays the foundation for India’s Gaganyaan mission, targeting a 2027 launch from Indian soil.

India’s roadmap does not stop at Gaganyaan. Prime Minister Modi has outlined a bold vision: Establish an Indian space station by 2035 and land an Indian on the moon by 2040. If successful, India will join the elite club of nations— Russia, the US and China — with independent indigenous human spaceflight capabilities.

India’s lunar legacy is already formidable. India’s first foray to the moon with the Chandrayaan-1 mission in 2008 discovered the presence of water molecules on the moon, fundamentally altering lunar geological history. Chandrayaan-2 provided the first independent images of Apollo mission artefacts left on the lunar surface, and Chandrayaan-3 made global headlines by landing nearer the moon’s South Pole — now considered the gold rush zone for lunar exploration.

With cost-effective yet reliable space missions, India is poised to become a major player in the global space race. The government has already allocated billions of dollars for the human spaceflight program, underscoring its commitment to cosmic exploration.

India’s Science Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, who also looks after the affairs of the department of space, says “India’s quantum leap in space research with India’s space economy standing at $8 billion has been only possible due to the courageous decision to open up or unlock the space sector from the shackles of the past,” further highlighting that “India’s space economy is projected to grow beyond $40 billion by 2040, which is going to be a gigantic jump.”

The future space missions include a lunar sample return mission named Chandrayaan-4; a mission to Venus; the development of the new mighty rocket. As part of this ambitious roadmap, India plans to establish its own space station, the Bhartiya Antariksha Station, by 2035. A precursor to this will be the launch of a space module in 2028. The culmination of this vision is the planned landing of an Indian astronaut on the moon by 2040.

“When we celebrate the 100th year of India’s independence, in 2047, an Indian flag will already be flying on the moon,” Singh said.

New Delhi achieved its 100th rocket launch in January this year

Pallava Bagla

In a historic collaboration between the US and India, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite, also known as NISAR, is poised to revolutionize how we observe and understand our planet. It launched successfully on July 30, 2025 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota in southern India.

At its core, NISAR is designed to monitor changes in the Earth’s surface with unprecedented precision, capturing movements as small as a centimeter. This capability is vital for tracking natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity and glacial shifts, as well as human-induced changes such as urban expansion, agricultural development and infrastructure stress.

ISRO says the NISAR satellite weighs 2,392 kg, and it will scan the globe and provide all-weather, day-and-night data at a 12-day interval and enable a wide range of applications.

The NISAR satellite, which cost upwards of $1.3 billion, can detect changes in the Earth’s surface, such as ground deformation, ice sheet movement and vegetation dynamics.

Further applications include sea and ice classification, ship detection, shoreline monitoring, storm characterization, changes in soil moisture, mapping and monitoring of surface water resources and disaster response. It has been dubbed a lifesaving satellite.

Today, more than 250 space start-ups are driving innovation and fueling India’s space sector. Among these, Agnikul Cosmos and Skyroot Aerospace made headlines by launching sub-orbital rockets and Pixxel Aerospace makes high-resolution satellites.

A recent study estimates that for every dollar spent on space, India has reportedly received a return of $2.52.

India has end-to-end capabilities in space, as the country makes its own rockets, satellites and has an enviable space technology applications portfolio. Today, India has more than 50 operational satellites in space, which help to power India’s burgeoning economy. India’s vast space ecosystem touches the lives of every Indian.

 •  Pallava Bagla is an award-winning science journalist. He is science editor for New Delhi Television and co-author of “Reaching for the Stars.” He can be reached at pallava.bagla@gmail.com


Floods and landslides in Indian Kashmir kill 60, over 100 missing

Floods and landslides in Indian Kashmir kill 60, over 100 missing
Updated 53 min 53 sec ago
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Floods and landslides in Indian Kashmir kill 60, over 100 missing

Floods and landslides in Indian Kashmir kill 60, over 100 missing
  • Gushing mudslides and floodwaters inundated the village of Chasoti in Indian Kashmir on Thursday
  • Deluge washed away pilgrims gathered for lunch before trekking up the hill for a popular pilgrimage site

SRINAGAR: At least 60 people have died and more than 100 are missing, a day after sudden, heavy rain caused floods and landslides in Indian Kashmir, authorities and local media said on Friday, the second such disaster in the Himalayas in a little over a week.

Gushing mudslides and floodwaters inundated the village of Chasoti in Indian Kashmir on Thursday, washing away pilgrims who had gathered for lunch before trekking up the hill for a popular pilgrimage site.

“We heard a huge sound and it was followed by a flash flood and slush. People were shouting, and some of them fell in the Chenab River. Others were buried under the debris,” said Rakesh Sharma, a pilgrim who was injured.

Bags, clothes and other belongings, caked in mud, lay scattered amid broken electric poles and mud on Friday, as rescue workers used shovels, ropes and crossed makeshift bridges in an attempt to extricate people out of the debris.

“We were told that another 100-150 people might be buried under the debris,” one rescue worker told news agency ANI.

The Machail Yatra is a popular pilgrimage to the high altitude Himalayan shrine of Machail Mata, one of the manifestations of Goddess Durga, and pilgrims trek to the temple from Chasoti, where the road for vehicles ends.

Thursday’s incident comes a little over a week after a flood and mudslide engulfed an entire village in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

“Nature has been testing us. In the last few days, we have had to deal with landslides, cloudbursts and other natural calamities,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the start of a nearly two-hour speech on the country’s 79th independence day.

A cloudburst, according to the Indian Meteorological Department, is a sudden, intense downpour of over 100mm (4 inches) of rain in just one hour that can trigger sudden floods, landslides, and devastation, especially in mountainous regions during the monsoon.


Japan emperor expresses ‘deep remorse’ 80 years after WWII

Japan emperor expresses ‘deep remorse’ 80 years after WWII
Updated 15 August 2025
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Japan emperor expresses ‘deep remorse’ 80 years after WWII

Japan emperor expresses ‘deep remorse’ 80 years after WWII
  • Emperor Naruhito: ‘My thoughts are with the numerous people who lost their precious lives in the last war and their bereaved families’

TOKYO: Tens of thousands of people braved blazing heat to pay their respects at a controversial Japanese shrine Friday, as Emperor Naruhito spoke of his “deep remorse” on the 80th anniversary of the nation’s World War II surrender.

A cabinet minister was among the visitors to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honors 2.5 million mostly Japanese soldiers who perished since the late 19th century, but also enshrines convicted war criminals.

Trips to the shrine by government officials have angered countries that suffered Japanese military atrocities, particularly China and South Korea.

It came as Naruhito said he felt “a deep and renewed sense of sorrow” in a somber speech alongside Empress Masako in an indoor arena in the center of the city, where the national flag flew half-mast outside.

“My thoughts are with the numerous people who lost their precious lives in the last war and their bereaved families,” the 65-year-old said.

“Reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse, I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never again be repeated.”

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also addressed the ceremony, pledging “to uphold the painful memories of war... passing them down across generations, and pursue actions toward lasting peace.”

Ishiba, a political moderate, sent a customary offering to Yasukuni, according to Kyodo news.

No Japanese prime minister has visited the shrine since 2013, when a trip by then-premier Shinzo Abe sparked fury in Beijing and Seoul, and a rare diplomatic rebuke from close ally the United States.

With temperatures above 30°C in the picturesque grounds around the shrine, there was a sea of umbrellas as people tried to shelter from the sun. At least two people became unwell in the heat and were forced to seek help.

Takashi Eguchi, a 53-year-old graphic designer from Tokyo, said Yasukuni served as an accessible place in the heart of the city for ordinary people to reflect on the nation’s history.

“We live in a moment when wars have broken out or are likely to break out in various places,” he said. “So I came here to look back at what Japan has done, including its failures.”

Another visitor, who identified himself only by his surname Harada, came dressed in a Japanese imperial army uniform to honor the sacrifice of the war dead.

“I know the time will come when war veterans will no longer be with us. I wanted to do my part to continue their legacy,” said the 39-year-old from the central prefecture of Nagano.

“You have to look at all aspects of wars. Good things and bad things happened.”

Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi, seen as potential future prime minister paid a visit to the shrine early morning, as he does annually on August 15.

Ishiba’s chief political rival Sanae Takaichi – who leads the nationalist wing of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was also there – as were members of the “Japanese first” Sanseito party which made strong gains in July’s upper house election with its “anti-globalist” drive.

Naruhito, Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko are next month due to visit Nagasaki to meet survivors of the devastating atomic bomb and honor the war dead in what is reportedly the emperor’s first trip there since he acceded to the throne in 2019.


On India’s Independence Day, Modi vows to punish Pakistan for future attacks

On India’s Independence Day, Modi vows to punish Pakistan for future attacks
Updated 15 August 2025
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On India’s Independence Day, Modi vows to punish Pakistan for future attacks

On India’s Independence Day, Modi vows to punish Pakistan for future attacks
  • Modi made the remarks Friday while marking 78 years of India’s independence from British colonial rule
  • India and Pakistan exchanged tit-for-tat military strikes in May that brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of war

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Pakistan that India will punish its neighbor if there are future attacks on India as he marked 78 years of independence from British colonial rule.

Modi’s remarks Friday come three months after nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan engaged in four days of intense fighting, their worst clash in decades.

Modi addressed the country from New Delhi’s 17th-century, Mughal-era Red Fort, saying India has established a “new normal” that does not differentiate between “terrorists” and those who support terrorism. He said he would not tolerate what he called Islamabad’s “nuclear blackmail.”

“India has decided that it will not tolerate nuclear threats. For a long time, nuclear blackmail had been going on but this blackmail will not be tolerated now,” Modi said.

Pakistan previously has rejected India’s statements about nuclear blackmail as provocative and inflammatory.

India celebrates its Independence Day one day after Pakistan. The two states came into existence as a result of the bloody partition of British India in 1947. The process sparked some of the worst communal violence the world has seen and left hundreds of thousands dead. It triggered one of the largest human migrations in history and some 12 million people fled their homes.

India and Pakistan exchanged tit-for-tat military strikes in May that brought them to the brink of a war. The fighting between the two countries was sparked by an April massacre by gunmen in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists. India blamed the attack on Pakistan-backed militants. Islamabad denied responsibility while calling for a neutral investigation.

Days after the massacre, India launched strikes on Pakistan and said it had hit nine “terrorist infrastructure” sites.

“Terror infrastructure was turned to rubble,” Modi said in his speech Friday.

Pakistan responded by sending waves of drones into India, as well as missile and artillery bombardments. Dozens of people were killed on both sides until a ceasefire was reached May 10 after US mediation.

Pakistan immediately claimed it shot down six Indian aircraft during the clashes, including a French-made Rafale fighter. India acknowledged some losses but did not provide details.

Last week, India’s air force chief said India shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during clashes in the first such public claim by India. Pakistan rejected it, saying both sides should open their aircraft inventories to independent verification.

During his Friday speech, Modi also hinted India would continue its unilateral suspension of the Indus Water Treaty. The treaty, which India suspended after the April massacre, allows sharing of the Indus River that runs about 2,897 kilometers (1,800 miles) through South Asia and is a lifeline for both countries.

“Rivers from India were irrigating the lands of enemies while my country’s farmers and land faced a deficiency of water,” Modi said. “India has now decided that blood and water will not flow together.”

Pakistan has said any effort by India to stop or divert the water from flowing into Pakistan would be considered an “act of war.”

Modi did not directly mention US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on India in his Independence Day speech but said he would not compromise on the agriculture sector, one of the main sticking points in trade negotiations with the US

Earlier this month, Trump imposed a 25 percent penalty on India in addition to 25 percent tariffs for buying oil and weapons from Russia.

India has resisted US pressure to open its markets to some farm products as Modi’s government is unwilling to risk angering farmers, who are a powerful voting bloc.

“India will not compromise on interest of farmers,” Modi said.