DOZEN OF CROCODILE HEADS DUMPED IN AUSTRALIAN TOWN?
DARWIN, Australia – Up to 70 rotting
crocodile heads have been found in an old freezer dumped at a remote Australian
town, police said Tuesday, with the culprits facing large fines and jail time
if convicted of the killings.
Several teenagers made the grisly
find behind a row of shops at Humpty Doo, 40 kilometres (25 miles) outside
Darwin on Sunday and contacted authorities.
Police said at least 50 saltwater
crocodile heads, and as many as 70, were stuffed inside.
No one has been arrested but anyone
convicted of killing protected wildlife faces a fine of up to Aus$76,500 (US$55,000)
or five years in jail.
It was not clear why the heads
had been severed but crocodile skins are highly prized and there is a thriving
market.
It was not clear why the heads
had been severed but crocodile skins are highly prized and there is a thriving
market.
Saltwater crocodiles, which can
grow up to seven metres (23 feet) long and weigh more than a tonne, have become
increasingly common in Australia’s Northern Territory since they were declared
a protected species in 1971.
Each year more than 500 are
culled to protect the public and livestock, with the animals killing an average
of two people a year.
Keeping them as pets is legal in
the Northern Territory if they are under 60 centimetres.
Source: AFP
SARAWAK REPORT EDITOR TO BE ARRESTED BY MALAYSIAN POLICE
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia – Malaysian Police have obtained an
arrest warrant for Sarawak Report founder and editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown
(pic).
Bukit Aman CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh said
in a statement on Tuesday that the arrest warrant issued by a Kuala Lumpur
court was for activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy under Section 124B
and 124I of the Penal Code.
Section 124I deals with publication of false reports or
makes false statements likely to cause public alarm via newspapers, periodicals
or other printed publication or electronic means.
Jail term for the offences can be extended to between five
and 10 years.
"We will proceed with applications to place her on the
Aseanpol wanted list, as well as the Interpol red notice," Comm Mohmad
said.
The warrant for Ms Brown's arrest comes a day after a Special Task Force concluded that RM 2.6 billion (US$700 million) transferred into Mr Najib's accounts, were from donations and not 1MDB.
Her website was already blocked by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on July 19, citing national stability concerns.
The warrant for Ms Brown's arrest comes a day after a Special Task Force concluded that RM 2.6 billion (US$700 million) transferred into Mr Najib's accounts, were from donations and not 1MDB. Her website was already blocked by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on July 19, citing national stability concerns.
Her
website was already blocked by the Malaysian Communications and
Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on July 19, citing national stability
concerns.
Since early this year, she had published a series of damning exposes against state investment arm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and those behind it, including Najib.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/sarawak-report-editor-unfazed-by-arrest-warrant-calls-it-ridiculous#sthash.ceYhudtD.dpuf
Since early this year, she had published a series of damning exposes against state investment arm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and those behind it, including Najib.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/sarawak-report-editor-unfazed-by-arrest-warrant-calls-it-ridiculous#sthash.ceYhudtD.dpuf
Source: The Star
THOUSANDS EVACUATED AS WILDFIRES RAGE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
LOWER LAKE,California, U.S.A. - Fire officials called for thousands
of evacuations as numerous homes remained threatened by Northern California
wildfires on Monday, while more than 9,000 firefighters battled 21 major fires
in the state, officials said.
Wildfires were also burning in Washington and Oregon as the
West Coast suffered from the effects of drought and summer heat.
The largest California wildfire was raging in the Lower Lake
area north of San Francisco. It nearly tripled in size over the weekend to 84
square miles.
The largest California wildfire was raging in the Lower Lake
area north of San Francisco. It nearly tripled in size over the weekend to 84
square miles.
The fire has destroyed 24 homes and 26 outbuildings and was
threatening 6,300 homes, many of them ranches scattered in rural areas ranging
from grasslands to steep hills, officials said.
Officials have ordered 12,000 people to evacuate homes, the
Sacramento Bee reported (http://bit.ly/1Ie4toA). Several roads have been
closed.
Officials have ordered 12,000 people to evacuate homes, the
Sacramento Bee reported (http://bit.ly/1Ie4toA). Several roads have been
closed.
Fire officials “are calling the behaviour of this fire
unprecedented”, state fire spokesman Jason Shanley told the newspaper. “It is
jaw-dropping to see some of the things it is doing.”
Even though the temperature dropped into the 80s on Sunday and the humidity was up, the fire continued to advance.
One firefighter was killed at the scene of a fire at the Modoc National Forest.
Even though the temperature dropped into the 80s on Sunday and the humidity was up, the fire continued to advance.
One firefighter was killed at the scene of a fire at the Modoc National Forest.
Source: Agency
RM2.6 BILLION IN MALAYSIAN PM ACCOUNTS FROM DONORS, NOT 1MDB’S
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia - The RM2.6bil allegedly deposited
into the personal account of the Prime Minister was from donations and not from
1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
(MACC).
"The report on the findings related to RM2.6bil has
been referred to the Attorney-General (A-G).
"Results of the investigation have found that the
RM2.6bil which was allegedly transferred into the account belonging to Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak came from the contribution of donors, and
not from 1MDB," said an MACC statement on Monday.
The MACC said that during the formation of the special task
force, MACC investigations only focused on issues related to 1MDB's former
subsidiary SRC International and the
channeling of RM2.6bil into Najib's personal
account.
channeling of RM2.6bil into Najib's personal
account.
- It said that the police were carrying out investigations related to 1MDB while Bank Negara Malaysia focused its probe on financial procedures.
- The MACC is still continuing its investigations into SRC International involving RM4bil.
- The commission also said that it would give full cooperation to the police but stressed that none of its officers was involved in any conspiracy to topple the Government.
- "The actions taken by the MACC was to carry out duties and functions as an independent commission, without 'fear or favour'," the statement said.
The MACC also wants the public to refrain from speculating
until investigations are completed. A deputy public prosecutor from MACC who was seconded to the
A-G's Chambers was arrested on Saturday.
The suspect is the third person hauled up over the weekend
following the arrest of a former MACC adviser and an A-G's Chambers officer.
Source: The Star
MYANMAR FLOODS LEFT AT LEAST 27 PEOPLE DEAD
The death toll from floods in Myanmar is expected to rise
over the coming days, the United Nations has warned.
Four western regions have been declared disaster zones after
heavy floods, caused by monsoon rains, left at least 27 people dead.
But rescue teams have not yet reached many areas and are
still awaiting reports on the worst-hit regions.
In the neighbouring eastern Indian state of Manipur, a
landslide buried a village, killing at least 21 people.
Heavy rains are normal in monsoon season, but many people in
Myanmar – also known as Burma – told the BBC that the rains were particularly
strong in recent weeks. Wind and rain from Cyclone Komen added to damage.
On Sunday, the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs said some 156,000 people were affected by the floods in 12
districts but the total could be “significantly higher”.
Source: BBC...More...
TOPLESS RALLY IN SUPPORT OF WOMEN RIGHT TAKES PLACE IN CANADIAN WATERLOO
WATERLOO, Ont, Canada — Close to 300 people came out to a
topless rally in uptown Waterloo on Saturday to celebrate the right to bare
breasts in public.
The ‘Bare With Us’ rally, which took place yesterday in Waterloo's
Town Square in Ontario, aimed to educate people about women’s right to
go topless in public, a practice which has been legal since 1996.
The
rally was organised by Alysha Brilla, a musician, and her two sisters.
It is claimed that on 24 July in Kitchener, the trio were stopped by a
male police officer who told them to cover up because it was the law, AP
reported.
Brilla told the officer he was wrong and started filming the
interaction on her phone. The officer said he had only stopped the women
for safety reasons.
- A similar incident in June garnered headlines after eight-year-old Marlee McLean was told by city staff in Guelph, Ont., to cover up while she was in a wading pool wearing only a swim bottom.
- Messages from protesters at the rally included: “Bare With Us! They’re just boobs!”
- Brilla told CBC news: “I had no idea how [polarising] the issue would be. I thought people wouldn’t be so disturbed by the female breast.”
- “We just want to advocate and let people know that they do have the right,” she said.
In a tweet, Waterloo Regional Police said the event had been a “respectful, peaceful, safe demonstration”.
In 1996, the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned the conviction of a student who went topless on a university campus in 1991.
Source: The Independent
RACIAL UNITY POSSIBLE IF RACE-BASED EDUCATION ABOLISH IN MALAYSIA?
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia can achieve racial harmony if the country adopts a
single-stream “national” education system and puts an end to vernacular
schools, newly-appointed deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
told an interview with Berita Harian.
In the interview published today, the Umno leader admitted,
however, that implementing such a system would take a long time, perhaps even
“an entire generation” and not just “one or two decades”.
Zahid said Malaysia’s current education system, which comprises
both national-type public schools and vernacular schools, should be replaced
with a universal system that goes beyond race and religion.
“What is happening now, we must look at the country’s
education system that exists in various mediums until there is no meeting
point.
“How can a country have three different systems based on race
and religion with no meeting point. We must have national education that
crosses the barriers of race, religion and ethnicity,” Zahid was quoted by the
Malay-language daily.
He added that while racial unity was already implicitly and
explicitly taught in public schools, it was still important to have an education
system that reflects that same unity.
“The unity agenda in the education system is implicit and not
just written on paper.
“It should be all-encompassing. It should be close to the
people’s conscience.”
- The deputy prime minister’s remarks comes following the July 12 riots at Low Yat Plaza that left five people injured.
- The melee at the popular tech mall reportedly started after a simple phone theft triggered rumours on social media that a Chinese trader had sold a Malay youth a counterfeit unit.
- The rumour subsequently led to calls to boycott the “cheating” Chinese traders and the complex itself, as well as the subsequent violence where five were injured.
The incident both prompted comparisons to the May 13, 1969
race riots as well as renewed attention to the controversial National Civics
Bureau (BTN), an agency under the Prime Minister’s Department tasked with
promoting patriotism but is often accused of spreading racism.
Despite denials by the government and the agency, sporadic
leaks of closed-door events conducted by the BTN.
Or featuring its staff have continued to entrench suspicions that the bureau was a hotbed of racism and “brainwashing”.
Or featuring its staff have continued to entrench suspicions that the bureau was a hotbed of racism and “brainwashing”.
FUEL PRICES DOWN IN MALAYSIA
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia - Retail prices of RON95, RON97 and diesel will
be reduced by 10 sen a liter from midnight.
Petroleum Dealers Association of Malaysia deputy president
Datuk Zulkifli Mokti confirmed the drop in fuel prices.
"Yes that is what is happening," he told The Star
Online on Friday when asked about the 10 sen drop across the board.
The new prices will see RON95 retailed at RM2.05, RON97 at
RM2.45 and diesel at RM1.95 per liter.
In June, prices saw a 10 sen hike across the board with
RON95 selling at RM2.05, RON97 at RM2.35 and diesel at RM2.05.
This was followed by another hike in July - 10 sen for RON
95 and 20 sen for RON97 with diesel remaining unchanged.
Source: The Star
ORTHODOX JEWISH ASSAILANT STABBED 6 PEOPLE AT JERUSALEM GAY PARADE?
Six people have been injured, two of them seriously after an
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man went on a stabbing spree at a gay pride parade in
Jerusalem, police have said.
Witnesses described the terrifying scene as the
knife-wielding man attacked multiple people at the march, which was attended by
about 5000 revellers in the Israeli capital yesterday.
Shai Aviyor told Israel’s Channel 2: “We heard people
screaming, everyone ran for cover, and there were bloodied people on the
ground.”
Israeli police pounced and arrested the man within minutes.
He was later revealed to be Yishai Shlissel an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man who
was previously jailed for 10 years over a similar attack at the annual march in
2005.
He was later revealed to be Yishai Shlissel an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man who
was previously jailed for 10 years over a similar attack at the annual march in
2005.
He was released from prison just three weeks ago, according
to reports.
The march has long been a focus of tension between Israel’s
predominantly secular majority and the ultra-Orthodox Jewish minority, who
object to public displays of homosexuality.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the attacks today
as “a despicable hate crime”.
He said Israel would prosecute those responsible, adding:
“Freedom of individual choice is a basic value in Israel.”
Jerusalem’s annual parade is smaller and more restrained
than the annual gay pride march in Tel Aviv, which was attended by some 100,000
revellers last month.
Source: – Evening Standard
