MALAYSIA
Trafficking suspects held
Police yesterday announced that last week they arrested six people suspected of being part of a human trafficking network and who may have helped a bomber who killed 20 people at a Bangkok shrine last month escape from Thailand. The suspects joined two people already in detention who might have helped the bomber, who Thai police said was a foreigner of unknown identity, flee the kingdom. Four of the six people are believed to be Uighur Muslims, who come from China’s Xinjiang region, said Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, director of the counterterrorism unit. Ayob said the six were not directly linked to the bombing, but to a human-trafficking gang.
MALAYSIA
‘Balloongate’ hearing held
A woman yesterday was charged with insulting Prime Minister Najib Razak by dropping balloons bearing pro-democracy messages near him during a public event, her lawyer said. The case against Bilqis Hijjas — dubbed “Balloongate” on social media — has drawn public ridicule as an example of government overkill in pressuring its critics. Bilqis Hijjas, 36, a dance producer, dropped yellow balloons with the words “justice,” “democracy” and “media freedom” from an upper floor of a shopping mall while Najib and his wife attended a function below on Aug. 31. Her protest came one day after a massive rally in Kuala Lumpur was held to back demands that Najib resign over allegations of corruption and abuse of power. She has been charged with “insulting behavior” that could affect public order. The penalty is just 100 ringgit (US$23), but Bilqis’ lawyer said she was contesting it on “principle.”
INDIA
Typist just wants to work
A streetside typist in Lucknow who became an overnight star when an image of a policeman kicking his typewriter went viral has said he is fed up with all the attention and just wants to go back to typing letters. The photograph of the officer harassing Kishan Kumar, 60, provoked an outpouring of sympathy from people outraged at his treatment. Local authorities reacted swiftly, suspending the officer who destroyed the typewriter and promising compensation of 100,000 rupees (US$1,500) as well as a new machine. However, Kumar said that his new-found celebrity has made it impossible for him to work. “I just can’t work with so many people surrounding me. I haven’t earned a single penny for the past two days,” he said. “What will I feed my family if I do not get to earn?... I come here to work, not to give media interviews.”
JAPAN
Centenarian sets record
A fleet-footed centenarian yesterday raced into the Guinness World Records book and declared himself a “medical marvel” as he continues to stalk sprint king Usain Bolt. Hidekichi Miyazaki, dubbed “Golden Bolt,” clocked 42.22 seconds in Kyoto to set a 100m world record in the over-105 age category — one for which no mark previously existed — a day after reaching the milestone age. “I’m not happy with the time,” the pint-sized Miyazaki said after recovering his breath. “I started shedding tears during the race because I was going so slowly. Perhaps I’m getting old!” He said he could do better. “My brain might not be the sharpest, but physically I’m tip-top. I’ve never had any health problems. The doctors are amazed by me. I can definitely keep on running for another two or three years.”
SYRIA
Buildup for Russia forces?
A leading defense research group has distributed what it says is satellite imagery that suggests the government might be preparing to receive Russian forces. IHS Jane’s on Tuesday said the images dated a day earlier show construction of new buildings, surface clearing, the grading of terrain and the presence of tents like those used by Russian military units at the Istamo weapons storage complex and al-Sanobar military complex north of the coastal city of Latakia. The publication said images also showed “a substantial increase in fast jets stationed on the runway.” US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday said that Russia’s military support for President Bashar al-Assad could raise the risk of confrontation with coalition forces fighting the Islamic State. In an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa, Kerry said he had told Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov the US was worried by Moscow’s military backing of al-Assad.
UNITED STATES
Pope travels in a Fiat
Pope Francis was hard to spot in the motorcade of more than 20 armed SUVs and police cars that motored into Washington late on Tuesday. The pontiff ditched the fancy wheels in favor of a much more modest ride: a Fiat. After he stepped off his airplane at Joint Base Anderws in Maryland, Francis was driven into town in the back of a tiny charcoal gray Fiat 500L. The four-door model was sandwiched between two enormous black SUVs in the motorcade. A half-hour or so later, the Italian-made car could be spotted rounding the corner at the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican’s diplomatic mission, where Francis was spending the night.
UNITED KINGDOM
Snow by any other name
Researchers at the University of Glasgow have compiled 421 words relating to snow for a new Historical Thesaurus of Scots. They range from “snaw” — plain old snow — to “spitters,” small drops of wind-driven snow, and “flindrikin,” a slight snow shower. The first sections of the thesaurus, covering weather and sports, were published online yesterday. As befits a country renowned for its gray, damp, drizzly climate, Scots also contains multiple words for rain and mist. “It’s a bit surprising that snow would give rain a run for its money,” said Susan Rennie, lecturer in English and Scots language at Glasgow. Rennie said the wide range of weather-related terms shows how important it was for people in Scotland to distinguish “quite subtle gradations of weather.” The compilers of the thesaurus want readers to send in their own words to add to the list, and hope the book may encourage the return of some forgotten terms.
UNITED STATES
Monkey owns selfies: PETA
A rare crested macaque monkey who snapped a well-known grinning “selfie” should be declared the photo’s owner and receive damages for copyright infringement after it was used in a wildlife book, animal rights activists said in a lawsuit filed in the US District Court in San Francisco on Tuesday. Naruto, a six-year-old macaque who lives free in a nature reserve in Sulawesi, Indonesia, took the image and several others about four years ago using a camera left unattended by British photographer David Slater, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said in the suit. Slater said he felt “rather bemused” and persecuted by the lawsuit, which he said seemed to be a publicity stunt. He said he was disappointed PETA did not contact him in advance.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of