2 million stimulant tablets seized in southern Myanmar
Acting on a tip-off, a joint anti-narcotic task force confiscated the drugs worth about 3 billion kyats (about US$1.42 million) in Padaung township of Bago region on July 21, the report said.
According to the investigation, the seized drugs were intended to be transported to Rakhine state, it said.
The suspects who were involved in the case were charged under the country's Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law, it added. - Xinhua
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New Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
World Cup host Morocco under pressure to save stray dogs
TANGIERS, Morocco: Animal welfare groups have accused Morocco of culling stray dogs as it prepares to host football's 2030 World Cup, but the kingdom denies the accusations, vowing to protect the canines. Advocates have charged that Morocco was indiscriminately ridding its streets of strays ahead of the global sporting event it will jointly host with Portugal and Spain. Authorities in the North African country, however, insist they had endorsed a non-lethal method known as TNVR -- to trap, neuter, vaccinate, and then release the dogs -- aimed at reducing public health risks while controlling the stray population. And a bill aimed at protecting street animals was adopted earlier this month, still pending parliament review. It would set fines of up to US$1,500 or jail terms of up to three months for harming stray dogs, according to a copy of the bill seen by AFP. Yet the culling accusations persist as online videos show dogs being shot or poisoned with strychnine, a toxic alkaloid which is sometimes used as a pesticide. In the videos from across the country, some of the dogs appear to already have marks on their ears indicating they had been sterilised and vaccinated. Mohammed, a resident of Tangiers in Morocco's north who refused to give his last name for fear of retribution, said he witnessed a dog he had often seen in the neighbourhood where he works get poisoned and killed. "I heard her cry before I saw her die," he recalled. That dog, too, had its ear tagged, he said. An online petition launched by the International Animal Coalition to end the "violent killing of dogs on the streets and beaches of Morocco" has gathered nearly 75,000 signatures. In June, an activist interrupted a FIFA Club World Cup match, invading the pitch with a sign that read: "Morocco: stop shooting dogs and cats". France's Brigitte Bardot Foundation, created by the movie star in 1986 to promote animal protection, has called on FIFA to block Morocco from hosting the 2030 tournament. Moroccan Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit has decried "media attacks" against the government with "wrong and out-of-context information". Advocates say Morocco has around three million stray dogs, but no official figures exist. Each year, there are about 100,000 stray dog bites nationwide, according to official data. In 2024, authorities said 33 people died from rabies, which is often transmitted by unvaccinated animals. "Local officials still see dogs on the streets as presenting a bad image," said Salima Kadaoui, 52, who launched the Hayat project, using the TNVR method to help control the stray dog population in Tangiers and aiming at eradicating rabies. Kadaoui commended government efforts to protect animals, saying she was "fully available" to work with authorities and build up on the success of Hayat -- meaning "life" in Arabic -- which has treated more than 4,600 dogs in Tangiers alone since 2016. She said it was "essential" not to kill TNVR-tagged dogs and to return them to the same place. "They're like police against rabies. If a rabid dog shows up, they drive it away and protect the community." The government has invested more than $24 million in creating clinics capable of implementing TNVR en masse, said Mohammed Roudani, head of hygiene and green spaces at the interior ministry. One clinic is already active in Al Arjat, near the capital Rabat, where veterinarian Youssef Lhor said more than 500 dogs had been treated this year and nearly half of them released back to the areas where they had been captured. A young female dog, tagged "636", was recovering at the clinic after being sterilised, and will soon be released. "Sometimes people tell us: 'You took the dogs away, why are you bringing them back?'" said Lhor, highlighting the need for public awareness on the issue. Moroccan authorities have developed a mobile app explaining what these clinics do, and allowing users to report sightings of stray dogs.
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
1st LD Writethru: Shooting at U.S. Army base leaves 5 soldiers injured
NEW YORK, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Five soldiers have been shot and injured during an active shooter incident at the U.S. Army's Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia state on Wednesday, according to an official social media post of the fort. The suspect is identified as Quornelius Radford, an automated logistics sergeant, according to John Lubas, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division. Radford used a personal handgun to open fire on fellow soldiers at his assigned base. "I can confirm it was not a military weapon. And we believe it was a personal handgun," Lubas told a news conference. "We're still not certain about the motivation, but again, he's been interviewed by Army investigators and we believe we'll gain more information here shortly," Lubas said. The shooter has been previously arrested locally for driving under the influence. A lockdown of the base was initiated at 11:04 a.m. (1504 GMT) and was fully lifted in the afternoon. "All soldiers were treated on-site and moved to Winn Army Community Hospital for further treatment. There is no active threat to the community," said the fort. All the victims are now in stable condition in the afternoon and are expected to survive their wounds, according to officials. Located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Savannah city, Fort Stewart is the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River. The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Atlanta said on social media that its Savannah office is coordinating with the Army Criminal Investigation Division. The incident remains under investigation.
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Indonesian ex-minister Thomas Lembong files ethics complaint against judges
FILE PHOTO: Thomas Trikasih Lembong talks with his lawyer after his verdict trial at the Central Jakarta Court following the sugar corruption case, in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 18, 2025. - Reuters JAKARTA: In a move seen as retaliatory against his conviction, former trade minister Thomas Lembong, a former graft convict who recently received a pardon from President Prabowo Subianto, has lodged complaints against judges presiding over his trial with the Supreme Court and Judicial Commission. Following up on what he promised upon his release from prison, Thomas reported alleged 'ethical violations and improper conduct' by three judges handling and ruling on his case, who worked on the case 'based on a presumption of guilt rather than innocence', said lawyer Zaid Mushafi in a video statement on Monday (Aug 4). The three reported judges were Dennie Arsan Fatrika, who presided over the panel of judges, as well as panel members Purwanto Abdullah and Alfis Setyawan. During a hearing on July 18, they ruled that Thomas was guilty of committing corruption pertaining to a raw sugar import policy he issued between 2015 and 2016, when the defendant was serving as the trade minister of then-president Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo. The judges sentenced Thomas to 4.5 years behind bars and ordered him to pay a Rp750 million (US$45,807) fine for his role in the case which prosecutors argued inflicted a Rp 578 billion state loss. The conviction came despite the court acknowledging that Thomas had no criminal intent and received no personal gain, sparking speculations that his case was politically charged from the outset. During the 2024 presidential election, Thomas served as a co-captain of the campaign team of failed candidate Anies Baswedan, a former Jakarta governor known as a vocal critic of Jokowi. While Thomas and his legal team were preparing to appeal the verdict, President Prabowo made a request with the House of Representatives for an abolition for Thomas, using presidential power to throw a defendant or convict's case out of court and abolish the prosecution against them. The request was granted, allowing him to walk free out of the Salemba Detention Centre in Jakarta last Friday. Lawyer Zaid said his client still insisted on lodging formal complaints against the judges in the hope of ushering in correction and improvement in the country's judicial system, particularly in regards to ensuring that everyone can be treated fairly under the principle of presumption of innocence. 'Thomas is not a politician who seeks only his personal gain and could walk free from prison and leave it at that,' the lawyer said. 'Instead, he has kept his promise to continue fighting for the evaluation and improvement of the legal enforcement process going forward.' In addition to the Supreme Court and the Judicial Commission, Zaid added Thomas' legal team would also file complaints with the Indonesian Ombudsman and the Development Finance Comptroller, whose audit of the Trade Ministry's sugar import policy was used as the basis of the Attorney General's Office against Thomas. Separately, another member of Thomas' legal team, Ari Yusuf Amir, said that the process to draft the complaints to the Supreme Court and Judicial Commission had started before Thomas received the abolition from Prabowo. Judicial Commission member and spokesperson Mukti Fajar Nur Dewata confirmed that the commission had received Thomas' complaint on Monday and would proceed to review and verify it. 'The Judicial Commission has been monitoring [Thomas'] case thanks to the heightened public attention it received. The commission will follow up on the report promptly in line with its duties and responsibilities,' Mukti said. He added that the commission was open to the possibility of summoning the three judges presiding over Thomas' trial to gather information regarding their alleged ethical violations. A spokesperson for the Supreme Court was not immediately available at the time of writing when contacted for a comment. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
