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.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was