MALAYSIA
Bleaching hits 50% of reefs
More than 50 percent of the coral reefs in the nation’s marine parks have been affected by mass bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures, the Department of Fisheries said in a statement on Sunday, citing a study conducted from April to this month. Severe or prolonged heat stress leads to corals dying off, though there is a possibility for recovery if temperatures drop and other stressors such as overfishing and pollution are reduced. The department urged tour operators to control the number of tourists involved in recreation activities to reduce pressure on reefs. “If bleaching is greater than 80 percent, further management interventions may include temporary access restrictions to protect affected reefs,” it said.
KOREAS
Parasites found in balloons
Parasites from human feces and defaced Western clothing were found in the bags of garbage carried by North Korean balloons into the South, Seoul said yesterday. Pyongyang has sent more than 1,000 trash-carrying balloons into the South in recent weeks, in retaliation for leaflets sent northward by activists opposed to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. An analysis of the contents of some 70 of the balloons found that they contained soil in which “numerous parasites, such as roundworms, whipworms and threadworms” were detected, the Ministry of Unification said in a statement. This is likely because human feces was used in the soil instead of chemical fertilizers, it said, adding that there was “no risk of land pollution [or] infectious diseases” from the balloons, as the volume of soil sent was relatively low.
NETHERLANDS
Man honored for honesty
A homeless man found a wallet containing about 2,000 euros (US$2,140) on an empty train at Amsterdam station and handed it to the police, receiving a gift voucher for his honesty. Hadjer al-Ali, who has been homeless for 18 months, found the wallet at Amsterdam central station while he was “doing his rounds” looking for empty plastic bottles to exchange for cash. Police said the 33-year-old turned in the wallet with “approximately 2,000 euros ... but unfortunately no identity papers or anything that would allow us to contact the owner.” Authorities said that “because we think that honesty should pay, he got a ‘silver thumb’ prize that we sometimes give to citizens and a gift voucher worth 50 euros.” If the money is not claimed within one year, it will go to the finder. “No matter what I find, I always give it back,” al-Ali said in a video posted on local media De Stentor, adding: “Maybe the owner has a business and can give me work, maybe a building I can live it. You never know what can happen.”
AUSTRALIA
‘Bicycle bandit’ gets jail
A bank robber known as the “bicycle bandit” was yesterday sentenced to 35 years in jail — though he reportedly has advanced cancer and is seeking an imminent voluntary assisted death. Kym Allen Parsons, 73, admitted to a string of aggravated robbery charges, documents from the South Australian Supreme Court in Adelaide showed. Parsons earned his moniker for fleeing some of his hold-ups on a bicycle. Justice Sandi McDonald ordered him to serve 35 years, with a minimum period of 28 years before being eligible for parole, court papers showed. Parsons carried out the robberies over a decade until 2014, often brandishing a rifle and wearing a balaclava or motorcycle helmet, public broadcaster ABC said. He reportedly got away with more than A$350,000 (US$233,000).
BEYOND WASHINGTON: Although historically the US has been the partner of choice for military exercises, Jakarta has been trying to diversify its partners, an analyst said Indonesia’s first joint military drills with Russia this week signal that new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto would seek a bigger role for Jakarta on the world stage as part of a significant foreign policy shift, analysts said. Indonesia has long maintained a neutral foreign policy and refuses to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict or US-China rivalry, but Prabowo has called for stronger ties with Moscow despite Western pressure on Jakarta. “It is part of a broader agenda to elevate ties with whomever it may be, regardless of their geopolitical bloc, as long as there is a benefit for Indonesia,” said Pieter
US ELECTION: Polls show that the result is likely to be historically tight. However, a recent Iowa poll showed Harris winning the state that Trump won in 2016 and 2020 US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris courted voters angered by the Gaza war while former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump doubled down on violent rhetoric with a comment about journalists being shot as the tense US election campaign entered its final hours. The Democratic vice president and the Republican former president frantically blitzed several swing states as they tried to win over the last holdouts with less than 36 hours left until polls open on election day today. Trump predicted a “landslide,” while Harris told a raucous rally in must-win Michigan that “we have momentum — it’s
‘SHARP COMPETITION’: Australia is to partner with US-based Lockheed Martin to make guided multiple launch rocket systems, an Australian defense official said Australia is to ramp up missile manufacturing under a plan unveiled yesterday by a top defense official, who said bolstering weapons stockpiles would help keep would-be foes at bay. Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said the nation would establish a homegrown industry to produce long-range guided missiles and other much-needed munitions. “Why do we need more missiles? Strategic competition between the United States and China is a primary feature of Australia’s security environment,” Conroy said in a speech. “That competition is at its sharpest in our region, the Indo-Pacific.” Australia is to partner with US-based weapons giant Lockheed Martin to make
TIGHT CAMPAIGN: Although Harris got a boost from an Iowa poll, neither candidate had a margin greater than three points in any of the US’ seven battleground states US Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the final days before the election, as she and former US president and Republican presidential nominees make a frantic last push to win over voters in a historically close campaign. The first lines Harris spoke as she sat across from Maya Rudolph, their outfits identical, was drowned out by cheers from the audience. “It is nice to see you Kamala,” Harris told Rudolph with a broad grin she kept throughout the sketch. “And I’m just here to remind you, you got this.” In sync, the two said supporters