Qatar amended its residency laws to allow most foreign workers to leave the country without exit permits from their employers, a provision which labour rights groups have long said should be abolished. Employers will still be allowed to require up to 5% of their workforce to request permission to leave, after submitting their names to the government “with justifications based on the nature of the work”, Qatar said in a statement. Labour groups have attacked Qatar for its “kafala” sponsorship system. Qatar’s system still requires the country’s 1.6 million mainly Asian foreign workers to obtain their employers’ consent before changing jobs, which the groups say leaves workers open to abuse. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) hailed the move as a “significant step.”
Indian man in UAE wins £2.3 mn Abu Dhabi lottery
An Indian national in UAE has won a Dh12 million in a monthly raffle, according to a media report. George Mathew, who purchased ticket the Big Ticket Abu Dhabi, was announced as the winner of the bumper prize. Six other Indians also won prizes at the same lottery. Several Indians living in the UAE have won the lottery in the recent times. Tajo Mathew,30, from Kerala, had hit a jackpot by winning a whopping USD 1.9 million in a monthly raffle in July this year. Earlier, an Indian driver in Dubai had won dirham 12 million in a raffle draw in Abu Dhabi in April. In January, another Keralite in the UAE had won a dirham 12 million in the biggest-ever raffle prize money in Abu Dhabi.
Indian youth among 3 killed in US bank shooting
An Indian youth was among the three people who were killed when a gunman opened fire at a bank in the US state of Ohio. Pruthviraj Kandepi 25, who hailed from Andhra Pradesh, and two others, Luis Felipe Calderon, 48, and Richard Newcomer, 64, were shot dead by the gunman identified as Omar Perez, 29. Perez was later shot dead by the police. Five others were also injured in the incident that took place at the headquarters for the Fifth Third Bank near Fountain Square, Cincinnati. Kandepi was working as a consultant with the bank. Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said Perez acted alone and he entered multiple businesses before going to the bank. He opened fire in the building's loading dock before continuing into the lobby area and firing more shots.
Pak woman penalised for lip-synching to Indian song
Pakistan’s Airport Security Force has penalised a young female staffer for lip-synching an Indian song while wearing a cap with the country’s flag on it. The video of the song had gone viral on social media, prompting the authorities to order a probe into the matter. The Airport Security Force has withheld increments and perks for two years of the 25-year-old woman’s service for violating the code of conduct. The officials also warned her of strict action if she is found involved in any other violation in the future. The ASF administration has also warned its staff not to indulge in any controversial activity on social media. The staff has been working in at the Sialkot airport for the last two years.
Pak court orders probe in Zardari ‘graft’ cases
The Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered constitution of a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the money-laundering and fake accounts case, allegedly involving former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur. The decision was taken as a three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, resumed hearing into a suo moto case regarding an investigation into the fake transactions worth billions of rupees. The Federal Investigation Agency has been probing the case since 2015. Twenty-nine ‘benami’ accounts were allegedly used to channel funds received through kickbacks. Zardari, Faryal and five other individuals are respondents in the case.
6 die as copter crashes into Nepal hillside
A helicopter crashed into a hillside in central Nepal, killing six on board, including a Japanese tourist, officials said. One woman survived the crash with injuries and has been airlifted to the capital. District police chief Basanta Bahadur Kunwar said the cause of the accident remained unknown. The single pilot Kathmandu-bound Altitude Air helicopter lost contact with air traffic control after taking off from the central district of Gorkha.
55 killed as quake, typhoon batter Japan
At lease 55 people were killed as an earthquake and typhoon batter Japan last week. The death toll from a powerful earthquake that triggered massive landslides in northern Japan rose to 44 with tens of thousands of police and troops still on the ground to support survivors. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said no one was left on a missing list, which suggested the figure could be the final death toll. Earlier, 11 people were killed when a powerful typhoon struck the country. The typhoon had lifted heavy trucks off their wheels and triggered major flooding in western Japan, and damaged the main airport near Osaka and Kobe.
Japanese husband and wife are oldest couple
Masao Matsumoto (born 9 July 1910) married Miyako Sonoda (born 24 November 1917) on 20 October 1937 and officially became the Oldest living married couple, aggregate age on Wednesday 25 July aged 108 years 16 days and 100 years 243 days respectively, giving them a combined age of 208 years and 259 days. The Japanese couple has been together for more than 80 years and they have five daughters, 13 grandchildren and are expecting their 25th great-grandchild in August. However, their impressively long relationship has not always been without adversity. Both born in Oita prefecture were introduced to each other through an acquaintance. The pair wed in 1937, but there was a chance that the marriage may not have taken place.
In Cuba, condom use stretches far beyond sex
Cubans use them to fish, ferment wine, fix punctures or tie up hair; latex condoms have become the ultimate multipurpose tool on the Communist-run island where basic goods are in short supply. Decades of US trade sanctions and a dysfunctional Soviet-style, centralised economy mean the aisles of Cuba’s shops are often bare. And when available, they are very expensive. Yet condoms, both those domestically produced and imported from Asia, are in bountiful supply, partly due to the Caribbean country’s focus on sexual health. Government subsidies mean they are cheap (around 4 dollar cents). Strong and stretchy, they lend themselves to various industrial as well as recreational applications beyond contraception and protection against STDs, Cubans say.
In Indonesia’s Aceh, men & women can’t dine together
A district in Indonesia’s Islamic Aceh province has banned men and women from dining together unless they are married or related, an official said, saying it would help women be “more well behaved’. Under the latest Islamic regulation, women in Bireuen district will not be able to share a table with men unless they are accompanied by their husband or a close male relative. Co-workers on their lunch break would also be forbidden from sharing a meal. “The objective is to protect women’s dignity so they will feel more comfortable, more at ease, more well behaved and will not do anything that violates sharia (Islamic law),” head of the local sharia agency Jufliwan, said.
Stolen ‘Wizard of Oz’ shoes found after 13 years
They are the world’s most recognisable shoes, but had evaded detection for 13 years, since being stolen from a Minnesota museum. But last week, the ruby-red slippers worn by Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ came home again. US authorities said they have recovered the red sequined shoes - one of four pairs worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film. The shoes were snatched in 2005 from a shattered glass case at the Judy Garland Museum in the late actress’s birthplace. A $1 million reward had been offered for their return.
Brazil’s presidential front runner stabbed
The run-up to the presidential election in Brazil was plunged into chaos after a knife attack on far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro put the frontrunner in intensive care unit just a month before the vote. Congressman Jair Bolsonaro, who has enraged many Brazilians for years with controversial comments but has a devoted following among conservative voters, could take two months to fully recover and will spend at least a week in the hospital, following the life-threatening injuries, doctors said. The doctor who operated the candidate said the internal wounds were “grave” and “put the patient’s life at risk.” Doctors were worried about an infection since Bolsonaro’s intestines were perforated, he added.
90 elephants killed for ivory in Botswana
Ninety elephant carcasses have been discovered in Botswana with their tusks hacked off, a charity said. Elephants Without Borders said the grim discovery of scores of elephant carcasses, made over several weeks during an aerial survey, is believed to be one of Africa's worst mass poaching sprees.
The charity's scientists, who carried out the assessment with Botswana's Department of Wildlife and National Parks, found most of the dead animals were large bulls, which would have had heavy tusks. Mike Chase, the charity's director said that the poaching coincided with Botswana's rangers being reportedly disarmed earlier this year. But the Botswana government rejected the charity's tally of the carcasses as well as their explanation for the deaths.
First known 'vegetarian' shark discovered
Researchers from the University of California have identified the world's first known omnivorous shark species, which consumes up to 60 per cent of sea grass. The experts have decided to investigate the bonnethead sharks' dietary habits after reading reports of them munching on sea grass. In the study, five bonnethead sharks were fed on a three-week diet of sea grass and squid. A series of tests indicated that the fish successfully digested the sea grass with enzymes that broke down components of the plants, such as starch and cellulose. All of the sharks put on weight over the course of the study. The researchers said that they were surprised to find that the bonnethead sharks were taking an omnivorous digestive strategy, Samantha Leigh, the study's lead author, said.
