Firemen, the police and wildlife authorities with the 15ft-long crocodile after it was shot dead.
(ANN/THE STAR) – A 15-foot-long crocodile was shot dead by wildlife officers after it killed a plantation worker in the Lahad Datu district on the East coast of Sabah on Thursday (Sept 12).
The victim, identified as Rusdi Tambah, was found in the jaws of the crocodile when authorities shot the reptile at Sungai Matamba, near Jalan Silabukan.
Assistant chief of the Sabah Fire and Rescue Department’s operations centre, Riki Mohan Singh Ramday, reported that the crocodile was located approximately 50 meters from where the victim was last seen during the search and rescue operation.
Firemen, the police and wildlife authorities with the 15ft-long crocodile after it was shot dead. PHOTO: ANN/THE STAR
The search efforts involved personnel from the police, the Fire and Rescue Department, and the state Wildlife Department.
“Wildlife officers fired five shots at the crocodile,” Riki said. “After confirming the reptile was dead, firemen entered the river to recover the victim’s body.”
The body was handed over to the police for further procedures, while the crocodile’s carcass was taken by wildlife authorities. The operation concluded at 1.10pm.
The Fire and Rescue Department had been alerted of the attack earlier in the day, at around 10.07am. An eight-man team was dispatched to the scene, located approximately 40km away, arriving at 11.32am.
According to reports, Rusdi was fishing on the riverbank when the crocodile attacked, dragging him into the water.
This photo taken on September 12, 2024 shows employees producing basketballs at a factory in Sihong, in eastern China's Jiangsu province. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) / China OUT
BEIJING (AFP) – China said on Friday it would gradually raise its statutory retirement age.
“The statutory retirement age for male workers will be gradually extended from the original 60 years to 63 years,” a decision by Beijing officials shared by Xinhua said.
For women workers the retirement age will be extended “from the original 50 or 55 years to 55 and 58 years, respectively”, depending on the type of job.
The retirement age will begin to be gradually raised over 15 years from 2025, state media said.
Employees producing basketballs at a factory in Sihong, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. PHOTO: AFP
“Starting 2030, the minimum year of basic pension contributions required to receive monthly benefits will be gradually raised from 15 years to 20 years at the pace of an increase of six months annually,” Xinhua said.
The new rules will also allow Chinese people “to postpone retirement to an even later date if they reach an agreement with employers”, it added.
China’s retirement age had not been raised for decades.
An inevitable choice
Prior to Friday’s announcement, state media had published articles touting the proposed retirement age.
“This reform will adapt to the objective situation of our country’s widespread increase in life expectancy and years of education,” an article in the People’s Daily newspaper said this week.
It will also “raise the efficiency of the development and utilisation of human resources,” the article.
Mo Rong, director of the Chinese Academy of Labour and Social Security, told the People’s Daily that raising the retirement age “is an inevitable choice for our country to adapt to the new normal of population development”.
He added that the change “is conducive to stabilising the labour participation rate (and) maintaining the momentum and vitality of economic and social development”.
This photograph shows a detail of the lake of Koronia drained due to the prolonged drought and the very high temperatures that occurred this summer, causing experts to worry about the balance of the region's natural ecosystems, near Thessaloniki, on September 9, 2024. Lake Koronia, near Thessaloniki, is suffering the effects of the record temperatures recorded this summer, just like the other three natural lakes in the region, Pikrolimni, Volvi and Doirani. Experts are looking for solutions to preserve the balance of natural ecosystems. The Minister of the Environment and Energy, Theodoros Skilakakis, presented a multi-billion dollar plan on September 11, 2024 to improve water quality and limit losses. (Photo by Sakis MITROLIDIS / AFP)
THESSALONIKI (AFP) – Lake Koronia, one of largest in Greece, is shrinking after a prolonged drought and a summer of record-breaking temperatures, leaving behind cracked earth, dead fish and a persistent stench.
Where once fishermen pulled trout and tench into their boats, youths on motorbikes now joyride in the dust.
The lake of Koronia drained due to the prolonged drought and the very high temperatures that occurred this summer. PHOTO: AFP
Locals say they can see the 42-square-kilometre expanse of water near Thessaloniki retreating day by day – a fate shared by three other important natural lakes in Greece’s Central Macedonian breadbasket.
“The stench from the lake is getting very bad. If we don’t get enough snow and rain, the problem will get worse next year,” said local community leader Kostas Hadzivoulgaridis.
“We need (officials) to take immediate action to protect the lake,” the 50-year-old told AFP.
Water levels at three other natural lakes in the region – Doirani, Volvi and Pikrolimni – are also at their lowest in a decade, according to data last month from the Greek Biotope Wetland Centre.
Over the last two years, rainfall in the region has been “very low” and the temperatures recorded this year were the highest in the last decade, according to Irini Varsami, a local hydrologist.
The lake of Koronia drained due to the prolonged drought and the very high temperatures that occurred this summer. PHOTO: AFP
As well as losing water directly through evaporation, the lake is being drained by the “increasing irrigation needs of (farmers in) the surrounding area”, one of the important food-producing plains in the country.
We hope for rain
While the shores look like a lunar landscape bereft of life, flocks of migratory pink flamingos graze in the low water further in.
Anthi Vafiadou, a regional supervisor for the Greek state environmental protection agency, said it was “too early” to draw conclusions on the impact of the drought on the lake’s biodiversity.
“We must see how the winter season evolves. We hope there will be more rain,” she told AFP.
But what is certain, according to the Biotope Wetland Centre, is that climate change is putting huge pressure on the lakes.
According to the national observatory, Greece had the warmest winter and summer on record since reliable data collection began in 1960.
Greece’s environment ministry this week unveiled a multi-billion-euro plan to boost the water supply and limit rampant water loss through poor management.
Completely disappeared
Less than an hour’s drive to the north is a bleak vision of what the future might hold.
Pikrolimni, or “Bitter Lake”, is the only salt lake in mainland Greece.
But Pikrolimni is a lake in name only now. All that remains are the patterns formed by the water that evaporated during the prolonged drought.
Hotels and a mud spa around its edge lie abandoned.
An abandoned hotel on the lake of Pikrolimni drained due to the prolonged drought and the very high temperatures. PHOTO: AFP
“This is the first summer that the lake has been in such a state. There has been no rain, the water has completely disappeared and the lake has literally dried up,” said Argyris Vergis, an 80-year-old local.
“This area used to be busy with tourists, but now you can see motorcyclists racing on the lake on the internet. It’s tragic,” the retired bank worker said.
JAKARTA (AFP) – A new Javan rhino calf has been spotted in an Indonesian national park, the facility’s head said Friday, further boosting hopes for one of the world’s most endangered mammals after two other sightings this year.
The female calf, believed to be between three and five months old, was spotted in camera trap footage taken in May at Java’s Ujung Kulon National Park, a find only made public Thursday by Indonesia’s environment and forestry ministry.
The mammal named Iris was seen walking with her mother, said Ardi Andono, head of the park.
“This is positive news for the wider community that the Javan rhino is still sustainable,” Ardi told AFP on Friday.
The park official said Iris, the third calf identified this year, was found after authorities deployed more than 100 camera traps across the national park in February.
“We always use the assumption that every location has the same potential… to obtain the rhinos’ photos,” said Ardi.
He said two more calves were spotted earlier this year at the park, which is the only habitat left for the critically endangered animal.
After years of population decline, authorities believe there are 82 Javan rhinos left inside the 120,000-hectare sanctuary of lush rainforest and freshwater streams.
The rhinos, which have folds of loose skin giving them the appearance of wearing armour plating, once numbered in the thousands across Southeast Asia but have been hard hit by rampant poaching and human encroachment.
Activists have disputed official figures after authorities recently uncovered a poaching gang that claimed to have killed 26 rhinos since 2018.
A Cessna Citation Longitude aircraft becomes the first jet aircraft carrying passengers to land at the Nusantara airport in East Kalimantan on Sept. 12, 2024. The aircraft carried Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi and his entourage in a proving flight. (Courtesy of Transportation Minister/-)
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JAKARTA (Xinhua) – The Indonesian government completed the construction of the runway at the new capital Nusantara on Thursday, with Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi successfully conducting the first landing test.
“After undergoing various calibration processes and a series of flight safety tests, a Longitude jet owned by the Calibration Institute successfully landed on the Nusantara airport runway safely and perfectly,” Budi wrote on his social media account.
Captain Wirasono, one of the pilots operating the jet, assessed that the Nusantara airport infrastructure is ready for use. He flew the aircraft at a speed of 880 km/h, comparable to that of narrow-body aircraft like the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320.
A Cessna Citation Longitude aircraft becomes the first jet aircraft carrying passengers to land at the Nusantara airport in East Kalimantan on Sept 12, 2024. PHOTO: Courtesy of Indonesian Transportation Minister
Transportation Ministry spokesperson Adita Irawati added that the runway verification was carried out from Sept 8 to 9 and the calibration on Sept 10 to ensure flight safety and security.
The construction of the VVIP terminal at the airport has reached 90 per cent completion, and the VIP terminal is 80 per cent complete, while supporting facilities, including the Air Traffic Controller tower and administrative building, are still under development.
Boeing workers arrive to vote on a proposed contract between Boeing and union leaders and whether or not to strike if the contract is rejected, at the Aerospace Machinists Union building in Renton, Washington, on September 12, 2024. Boeing faces a potentially crippling strike in the Seattle region, depending on how 33,000 workers vote September 12 on a new contract that has angered many employees despite solid wage gains. (Photo by Jason Redmond / AFP)
Boeing workers arrive to vote on a proposed contract between Boeing and union leaders and whether or not to strike if the contract is rejected, at the Aerospace Machinists Union building in Renton, Washington. PHOTO: AFP
SEATTLE (AFP) – Boeing workers in the Seattle region overwhelmingly voted to strike on Thursday, spurning a contract the embattled aviation giant characterized as a boon for manufacturing staff given the company’s stressed financial condition.
Hourly workers rejected the contract with a vote of 94.6 per cent and to strike with 96 per cent, said Jon Holden, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751.
“Our members spoke loud and clear tonight,” said Holden, who represents about 33,000 workers in the Pacific Northwest. “We strike at midnight.”
A strike will shutter two major plane assembly plants in the Puget Sound region and sideline some 33,000 workers.
Thursday’s vote marks a decisive rejection of a deal that line workers said was far less generous than depicted by Boeing executives, marking the latest show of defiance by unions following earlier strikes in the auto, entertainment and other industries.
Led by new CEO Kelly Ortberg, Boeing had hoped a 25-percent wage hike over four years and a commitment to invest in the Puget Sound region would avert a costly strike as the company struggles to right the ship.
Ortberg argued in a message to staff that the general wage hike marked the largest in history and that a strike “would put our shared recovery in jeopardy, further eroding trust with our customers and hurting our ability to determine our future together”.
But rank-and-file workers reacted with fury to the agreement, which was initially backed by IAM leadership.
Boeing Machinists union members count votes to accept or reject a proposed contract between Boeing and union leaders and whether or not to strike if the contract is rejected, at the Aerospace Machinists Union Hall in Seattle, Washington. PHOTO: AFP
‘Hollow’ commitments
Workers had sought a 40 per cent wage hike and critics have said the 25 per cent figure is inflated because the new deal also eliminates an annual company bonus.
Other points of contention include the deal’s failure to restore a pension, as well as a Boeing pledge to build its next plane in the Seattle region, which critics view as a “hollow” commitment to the region because it offers no promises beyond the four-year contract.
“They’re talking about a 25 per cent increase and it’s not,” said Paul Janousek, an electrician in Everett who voted to strike after concluding Boeing’s spin was “misleading”.
Janousek, 55, who has worked at Boeing for 13 years, figures his raise is only about nine per cent after Boeing dropped the annual bonus.
Some workers also expressed anger about Dennis Muilenburg and Dave Calhoun, two former CEOs who received multi-million dollar compensation even as the company faced turmoil upon their departure.
“Striking isn’t ideal, but it’s for the best for your long-term well being,” said Joe Philbin, a structural mechanic who has been at Boeing for six months.
Philbin said he will work side jobs if a strike drags out, but that he and his wife have been holding off on having kids until the situation stabilizes.
“(Boeing) is a huge company, they can survive paying the people who do the work a little more,” he said.
Big impact from strike?
The IAM has a history of striking, with the most recent stoppage in 2008 lasting 57 days.
Holden has said he initially backed the deal as the best that could be achieved without striking.
But the “real power” in the union resides with the workers, according to Holden who said at a press conference that “awesome” wins by other unions had given the IAM “something to aspire to achieve as well”.
Richard Aboulafia, managing director of the AeroDynamic Advisory consultancy, said a lengthy strike would damage Boeing’s turnaround prospects, but noted that a 2023 strike at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems lasted less than two weeks.
Boeing has been under renewed scrutiny since a January incident in which a fuselage panel blew out of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX plane mid-flight, necessitating an emergency landing.
Holden said he looked forward to getting back to the bargaining table.
Thursday’s vote “sends a strong message that our members deserve better,” he said.
Believers are commanded by Allah the Almighty to love and honor Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by adhering to the Sunnah he brought forth.
One of the ways to express this love and devotion is through the increased recitation of Selawat, Imams highlighted in the Friday sermon.
Reciting Selawat is a noble act that brings great rewards from Allah the Almighty. It is a supplication exalting the Prophet’s greatness, asking that he may continuously receive abundant blessings from Allah the Almighty.
For illustration purposes only. PHOTO: FREEPIK
The Imams also urged the Muslim Ummah to recite Salawat with sincere intentions, not merely for personal gain or advantage.
Whenever the name of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is mentioned, believers should recite Selawat upon him. The most complete and perfect form is the Selawat Ibrahimiah, which is regularly recited during prayers. – AZLAN OTHMAN
His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office inspects the guard of honour. PHOTO: INFOFOTO
His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office visited the Singapore Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance (CESP) on Friday.
Upon arrival at Pasir Laba Camp, His Royal Highness at the Pasir Laba Camp was greeted by Singaporean Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How and Singaporean Chief of Defence Force Vice Admiral Aaron Beng.
His Royal Highness then received the salute, and then inspected the guard of honour, accompanied by the Chief of the Welcome Guard Parade.
His Royal Highness views a static display. PHOTO: INFOFOTO
His Royal Highness joined a group photo, and proceeded to the Leader’s Hall and signed the visitor’s book.
In the Leader’s Hall, His Royal Highness saw a presentation on the centre by CSEP Head presented by Senior Lieutenant Colonel Russell Gan.
The presentation included the centre’s procedures to improve fitness and nutrition, prevent injuries, strengthen soldier resilience and develop military systems and equipment to achieve optimal performance.
ABOVE & BELOW: His Royal Highness views equipment on display. PHOTOS: INFOFOTO
His Royal Highness then proceeded to view the static display, which included Singapore Armed Forces personal equipment; rehabilitation equipment; remote core temperature monitoring and heart rate monitoring system and the designing of fitness programmes.
Residents walk through flood waters in Pyinmana in Myanmar's Naypyidaw region on September 13, 2024, following heavy rains in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi. Typhoon Yagi brought a colossal deluge of rain that has inundated a swathe of northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, triggering deadly landslides and widespread river flooding. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP)
Residents walk through flood waters in Pyinmana in Myanmar’s Naypyidaw region. PHOTO: AFP
PYINMANA (AFP) – Hundreds of villagers in Myanmar waded or swam through chin-high waters, fleeing severe floods around remote capital Naypyidaw on Friday, as Vietnam began clearing up after Typhoon Yagi.
A swathe of northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar have been battling floods and landslides in the wake of Typhoon Yagi, which dumped a colossal deluge of rain when it hit the region last weekend.
The overall death toll across the four countries stands at 280, including 233 in Vietnam and 36 in Myanmar, but with many people missing it is expected to rise further.
Myanmar’s national fire service on Friday confirmed the new death toll, up from 17, while more than 50,000 people have been forced from their homes.
Residents are transported on a boat through flood waters by police and military personnel in Pyinmana in Myanmar’s Naypyidaw. PHOTO: AFP
“We walked through neck-high water this morning,” one woman told AFP at Sin Thay village.
“We are very hungry and thirsty. It been about three days we don’t have food.”
Soldiers rescued residents of flooded villages in the complex network of rivers and creeks surrounding the sprawling, low-rise capital, with some forced to wade through deep muddy brown waters.
Houses and nearby banana and sugarcane plantations were all submerged.
“This is the very first time I have experienced such a flood,” another man said near the village, where people had gathered near a small bridge.
“We didn’t have time to prepare. It was a very scary experience.”
Residents wade through high flood waters in Pyinmana in Myanmar’s Naypyidaw region. PHOTO: AFP
State media said flooding in the area around the capital had caused landslides and destroyed electricity towers, buildings, roads, bridges, and houses.
In Mandalay region, one group of villagers rode elephants to reach dry land, in footage posted on social media.
Hanoi clear-up
In Vietnamese capital Hanoi, residents equipped with shovels, brushes and hoses were out clearing up debris and mud from the streets after the waters that had submerged parts of the city receded — and the sun came out for the first time in days.
The Red River through Hanoi reached its highest level in 20 years earlier this week as the rain brought by Yagi funnelled out towards the sea.
“This was the highest flooding I’ve ever seen, it was more than a metre on our first floor,” Nguyen Lan Huong, 40, told AFP.
A resident cleans up muddy debris after flood waters receded in Hanoi, Vietnam. PHOTO: AFP
“The water started to recede yesterday afternoon so we began cleaning up bit by bit. But it will take days for our family to fully recover, and even weeks for the community here I think.”
A total of 130,000 people were evacuated in northern Vietnam since Yagi hit on Saturday – and many have not yet been able to return home – while more than 135,000 homes have been damaged according to the authorities.
In the deadliest single incident, a landslide wiped out a village in mountainous Lao Cai province, killing 48 people.
But in a rare piece of good news, eight people missing in the landslide and feared dead have returned safe. Some had been staying with relatives while others managed to escape in time.
Northern Thailand was also badly affected, with one district on the Myanmar border reporting its worst floods in 80 years.
Officials said Friday a fatality in a landslide in Chiang Rai province had taken the toll in the kingdom to 10.
Local rescue teams pick up schoolchildren who were trapped overnight in a school during flooding in the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai. PHOTO: AFP
Flights to Chiang Rai airport resumed on Friday a day after airlines halted them.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was set to visit Chiang Rai on Friday to see relief efforts, which are being led by the military.
There are flood warnings for several locations along the River Mekong, including Laotian capital Vientiane.
The Mekong River Commission said low-lying areas around Vientiane are expected to be flooded over the next few days.
(FILES) Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada attends the red carpet event for FX's "Shogun" at the Academy theater in Los Angeles, February 13, 2024. "Shogun" is tipped to become the first ever non-English-language winner of the Emmy for best drama -- the most prestigious prize at the small-screen equivalent of the Oscars -- at a glitzy ceremony on September 15, 2024. The epic series about feuding dynasties in the intricate and deadly royal courts of 17th-century Japan is expected to make history with wins for its cast, including veteran leading man Hiroyuki Sanada, at the gala in downtown Los Angeles. Sunday's other big winners could include "The Bear," a dark comedy set in the Chicago restaurant scene that returned for an experimental second season, and Netflix's controversial limited series "Baby Reindeer." (Photo by Michael Tran / AFP)
Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada. PHOTO: AFP
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Shogun is tipped to become the first ever non-English-language winner of the Emmy for best drama – the most prestigious prize at the small-screen equivalent of the Oscars – at a glitzy ceremony on Sunday.
The epic series about feuding dynasties in the intricate and deadly royal courts of 17th-century Japan is expected to make history with wins for its cast, including veteran leading man Hiroyuki Sanada, at the gala in downtown Los Angeles.
“Shogun” hit the ground running at the Creative Arts Emmys this past weekend, notching a record-breaking 14 wins in technical and smaller categories, which are handed out ahead of the gala.
Sunday’s other big winners could include The Bear, a dark comedy set in the Chicago restaurant scene that returned for an experimental second season, and Netflix’s controversial limited series Baby Reindeer.
Father-and-son acting duo Eugene and Daniel Levy will host the ceremony, from 5pm (0400 GMT Monday).
Here are four things to look out for:
New Zealand-born Japanese actress Anna Sawai. PHOTO: AFP
Shogun’ to reign?
Based on James Clavell’s historical fiction novel, “Shogun” led the nominations with 25 overall.
Though produced by Disney-owned FX, and shot in Canada, it features Japanese cast and subtitled dialogue, making it only the second non-English-language show to earn a best drama nomination, after South Korea’s “Squid Game” two years ago.
In addition to the night’s biggest prize, for best drama series, wins are predicted for stars Sanada and Anna Sawai. And supporting actor Tadanobu Asano could ride the Shogun wave to victory for his villainous turn as the brutal Kashigi Yabushige.
With its wins in the minor categories, Shogun has already eclipsed the previous record of 12 set by Game of Thrones for number of Emmys for a drama in a single season. It is nearly certain to tack on a few more on Sunday.
Its biggest rival this year is former drama winner The Crown. The final season of Netflix’s British royal saga drew a lukewarm response from critics, but Elizabeth Debicki is tipped for best supporting actress as princess Diana.
Comedy? Yes, chef
In the comedy sections, The Bear and its foodie chefs played by Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach look primed for more Emmys glory.
The show’s intense debut season dominated the last Emmys, and its even more acclaimed and ambitious second season is eligible this time around.
It scooped up seven prizes in minor categories, including a best guest actress award for Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis.
If there is any suspense, it may be over whether the show should even be considered a comedy. Jokes are few and far between in a series dealing with hard-hitting issues from death and mourning to betrayal and emotional abuse.
HBO’s Hacks is expected to limit the Bear rampage, with Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder looking like frontrunners for their roles as a diva comedienne and her dysfunctional millennial assistant.
True story?
Based on a relatively unknown Scottish comedian’s harrowing one-man show about sexual abuse, Baby Reindeer became a huge word-of-mouth hit for Netflix this year.
Part of the attention stemmed from the show’s claim to be “a true story” – an insistence that earned the streamer a USD170 million lawsuit from a British woman who claims she was the inspiration for its obsessive and violent stalker.
But controversy aside, pundits predict Emmy voters will choose Baby Reindeer as best limited series, and its creator Richard Gadd goes head-to-head with Andrew Scott (Ripley) and Jon Hamm (Fargo) for best actor.
The limited series section, for shows that end in a single season, always draws A-list Hollywood stars, and this year is no exception.
Jodie Foster is a best actress favorite for her turn as an Alaskan cop in True Detective: Night Country, up against fellow Oscar winner Brie Larson, as a pioneering female chemist in Lessons in Chemistry.
Strike silver lining?
Unusually, the 76th Emmy Awards will be the second Emmys gala held this year, after the previous edition was shunted to January due to last summer’s Hollywood strikes.
That months-long walkout by actors and writers also crimped the pipeline of new shows that could be released in time for this edition, meaning submissions dropped by a third year-on-year.
With several bigger series skipping this year – and others such as Succession having ended their runs – could this be an opportunity for new titles like Fallout and Mr and Mrs Smith to shine?
Potentially. But even Shogun is a remake of sorts. A previous miniseries based on the same novel, which aired way back in 1980, won three Emmys.
