A wild deer was found dead after swallowing 7 kilograms (15 pounds) of plastic bags and other trash in Thailand, an official said Tuesday, raising the alarm on waste littering the country's waters and forests.
The Southeast Asian country is one of the world's largest consumers of plastic, with Thais using up to 3,000 single-use plastic bags each per year, whether for wrapping street food, takeaway coffee or packing groceries.
Marine animals like turtles and dugongs have died in its waste-choked waters, and autopsies have found that plastic in the stomach lining contributed to their deaths.
Now the scourge of plastic waste is affecting Thailand's animals on land.
Officials said a 10-year-old deer was found dead in a national park in Nan province, around 630 kilometres (390 miles) north of capital Bangkok.
An autopsy discovered "plastic bags in the stomach, which is one of the causes of his death", said Kriangsak Thanompun, director of the protected region in the Khun Sathan National ...

Dead deer found in Thailand with 7kg of plastic in stomach

PTI Automatic

Donald Trump's top aides must comply with subpoenas to appear in the impeachment investigation against the president, a US appeals court judge ruled.
In a case involving former White House counsel Don McGahn, who was subpoenaed in May by the House Judiciary Committee, judge Ketanji Jackson ruled Monday that administration officials cannot claim absolute immunity from testifying based on their closeness to the US leader.
While Jackson ruled specifically on McGahn's case, she said it had broad application to all current and former presidential aides.
"Presidents are not kings," Jackson wrote in her decision.
"No one, not even the head of the Executive branch, is above the law."
She said Congress has the power to subpoena any of the president's advisors, whether they are involved in domestic policies or sensitive national security issues.
"It goes without saying that the law applies to former White House Counsel Don McGahn, just as it does to other current and former senior-level White ..

Court says White House must comply with impeachment subpoenas

Britain's most senior rabbi on Tuesday suggested Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's handling of anti-Semitism allegations made him "unfit for high office", in an unprecedented intervention ahead of next month's election.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said "a new poison" had taken hold of the party, which had been "sanctioned from the very top" and left British Jews justifiably "gripped by anxiety" before the December 12 poll.
In a scathing comment piece in The Times, Mirvis described Corbyn's claim to have dealt forcefully with all accusations of anti-Semitism as "mendacious fiction" and that he was responsible for "a failure of leadership".
"The way in which the leadership has dealt with anti-Jewish racism is incompatible with the British values of which we are so proud," he wrote.
"How complicit in prejudice would a leader of Her Majesty's opposition have to be to be considered unfit for office?" The chief rabbi added it was not his place to tell anyone who to support next month but he ...

UK chief rabbi suggests Corbyn 'unfit for office'

Russia's anti-doping chief said Tuesday he expected the country to be barred from all sporting competition for four years, after a bombshell recommendation from the World Anti-Doping Agency that shocked Russian athletes.
WADA's Compliance Review Committee recommended the ban on Monday, accusing Moscow of falsifying laboratory data handed over to investigators.
It recommended Russia also face a four-year ban from staging or bidding for major international sporting events -- potentially putting Saint Petersburg's status as a venue for the Euro 2020 football tournament in jeopardy.
The committee's recommendation is set to go before WADA's Executive Committee at a meeting in Paris on December 9.
Asked if he expected the recommendation to be upheld, RUSADA chief Yury Ganus told AFP: "That's the reality."
"We are plunging, for the next four years, into a new phase of Russia's doping crisis," Ganus said, pointing out that the ban would affect Russian athletes at the 2020 Summer Olympics in ..

Russians shocked over call for four-year sports ban over doping

The Sri Lankan government has put airports on alert to stop police detectives leaving without permission after a top officer who had reportedly received death threats fled the island, police said on Tuesday.
The alleged threats against inspector Nishantha Silva came after the November 16 election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was also under investigation by him.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said the names of 704 Criminal Investigation Division (CID) officers had been sent to immigration authorities.
"The move is to ensure that no officer leaves the country without following the proper procedure of obtaining permission for overseas travel," he said.
The directive came after Silva left Sri Lanka on Sunday, reportedly seeking asylum in Switzerland.
Police have launched an inquiry into his departure.
Silva's investigations included high profile killings and corruption involving administration members under former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, brother of the new president, who ruled for a 

Sri Lanka airports on alert after top cop flees

The world will miss its chance to avert climate disaster without an immediate and all-but-impossible fall in fossil fuel emissions, the UN said Tuesday in its annual assessment on greenhouse gases.
The United Nations Environment Programme said that global emissions need to fall by 7.6 percent, each year, every year until 2030 to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C.
The harsh reality is that emissions have risen on average 1.5 percent annually over the last decade, hitting a record 55.3 billion tonnes of CO2 or equivalent greenhouse gases in 2018 -- three years after 195 countries signed the Paris treaty on climate change.
The World Meterological Organization said Monday that atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations hit an all-time record in 2018.
The Paris deal committed nations to limit temperature rises above pre-industrial levels to "well below" 2C, and to a safer 1.5-C if at all possible.
To do so they agreed on the need to reduce emissions and work towards a low-carbon world .

Slash emissions now or miss 1.5C goal, UN warns

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Tuesday his chief of staff had resigned amid an ongoing probe into the murder of investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Sources told AFP that police called the chief of staff, Keith Schembri, in for questioning on Tuesday after his name was mentioned by the main suspect in the case, Yorgen Fenech, who was arrested last week.

Malta PM says chief of staff resigns over journalist murder case

Dozens of Chinese nationals have been arrested in Indonesia over an online scam that bilked victims out of millions of dollars, authorities said Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off from their Chinese counterparts, Indonesian police said they conducted a half dozen raids Monday evening in the capital Jakarta and Malang city, arresting 85 Chinese nationals and six Indonesians.
The roundup comes several days after almost 700 Chinese nationals were arrested in neighbouring Malaysia where authorities raided a building and busted a major online investment scam operation.
It was not immediately clear if the busts were related.
On Tuesday, Indonesian police said the suspects targeted victims in mainland China and netted some 36 billion rupiah (USD 2.6 million) over a period of four months.
They did not say how many people were scammed.
"They pretended to be police or prosecutors and called their victims, telling them that they had legal problems and demanded money to settle the issue," said Jakarta .

Indonesia arrests dozens of Chinese over online scam

Thirteen soldiers from France's Barkhane force in Mali were killed when two helicopters collided during an operation against jihadists in the country's north, the Elysee said Tuesday.
The accident occurred on Monday evening while the forces were engaging the fighters who have staged a series of deadly strikes in northern Mali in recent weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron's office said.
"The president hails with the greatest respect the memory of these soldiers... who lost their lives in an operation and died for France in the hard fight against terrorism in the Sahel," it added in a statement.
Six officers and a master corporal were among the victims in the deadliest accident since France intervened in Mali in 2013 to drive back an intense Islamic insurgency.
The accident brings to 38 the number of French soldiers killed in Mali since the intervention began.
France has around 4,500 troops in the country as part of its Barkhane operation, which is primarily tasked with building up .

13 French soldiers killed in Mali helicopter collision

Russia's anti-doping chief said Tuesday he expected the World Anti-Doping Agency to uphold a recommendation that Russia be barred from all sporting competition for four years.
"That's the reality," RUSADA chief Yury Ganus told AFP after a key WADA panel made the recommendation on Monday, accusing Moscow of falsifying laboratory data handed over to investigators.
"We are plunging, for the next four years, into a new phase of Russia's doping crisis," Ganus said.
"Four years is a long time, that's two Olympic Games," he said.
Ganus said Russia urgently needed new sports management and called on President Vladimir Putin to intervene.
"Honestly, I am waiting for the president to take an active part in this."
"There are a lot of problems in sports here but the most difficult and tragic thing is that our athletes have become hostages of the actions of our sports officials."
"We need to push through real changes," he said.
"We need new sports leaders."
In a bombshell statement, WADA's ...

Russia anti-doping chief says expects WADA to uphold ban

Thirteen soldiers from France's anti-terrorist Barkhane force in Mali were killed after two helicopters collided during an operation in the country's north, the French presidency said Tuesday.
The accident occurred on Monday evening while the forces were engaging jihadist fighters who have staged a series of deadly strikes in northern Mali in recent weeks, the Elysee Palace said.

13 French soldiers killed in Mali helicopter collision: Elysee

A charter airline in Papua New Guinea on Tuesday said armed men hijacked one of its planes, forced the pilot to fly to an unused airstrip before making off with the cargo.
Tropicair told AFP that eight armed men approached the plan as it was refuelling in Gasmata, on the island of New Britain and forced him to take off.
A company spokesman said there were no other passengers on board.
"Upon arrival at the airstrip, the armed men stole the baggage and cargo that was on board the aircraft and fled the area," Matthew Brutnall said.
"The Captain was not injured during this event and the aircraft was not damaged" and has since been returned to Port Moresby.
The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary confirmed they are now investigating the incident.

'Armed men' hijack Papua New Guinea plane, steal baggage

England players will rally around an "emotional" Jofra Archer after the paceman was racially abused by a spectator in New Zealand, director of cricket Ashley Giles said Tuesday, as local officials scoured CCTV footage to identify the culprit.
"It's a shame that sort of thing is still in society," Giles told reporters after Archer was subjected to racist comments after being dismissed late on day five of the opening Test in Mount Maunganui.
The Barbados-born bowler tweeted after the match that it was "a bit disturbing hearing racial insults today whilst battling to help save my team".
The 24-year-old later told ESPNcricinfo that the abuser was a solitary New Zealand spectator making comments "about the colour of my skin".
Archer has been a powerful advocate for diversity in cricket and Giles, when asked how the player was faring, replied: "The tweet, it was obviously emotional, it hurts.
"We fully support Jof, there is no place for racism in the game... you know what our team is like, .

England support 'emotional' Archer after racist abuse in N Zealand

China has summoned the US ambassador to demand that the United States scrap legislation backing Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, or "bear all the consequences", the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
The Hong Kong bill awaiting President Donald Trump's signature supports human rights and democracy in the city, while threatening to revoke the territory's special economic status.
A separate measure bans the sale of tear gas, rubber bullets and other equipment used by the security forces to suppress pro-democracy protests.
Vice foreign minister Zheng Zeguang summoned US ambassador Terry Branstad on Monday to voice a "strong protest" over the bill, the ministry said in a statement.
The legislation "brazenly interferes in China's internal affairs" and "indulges and supports the violent criminal behaviour by 'anti-China disrupting Hong Kong' forces," the ministry said.
Trump has not indicated whether he will sign the legislation into law, saying last week that while he stood with Hong Kong, .

China summons US ambassador over Hong Kong rights bill

An Australian grandmother won her final appeal against a death sentence for trafficking in Malaysia on Tuesday and walked free, after claiming she fell for an online love scam and was tricked into transporting drugs.
Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto looked delighted and kissed her lawyer in court after the ruling, which brings down the curtain on a saga that began in 2014 when she was arrested with crystal meth in her backpack while transiting in Kuala Lumpur.
The 55-year-old, who was detained while heading home to Australia, had said she was fooled into carrying the bag after travelling to China to meet someone she met online called "Captain Daniel Smith", who claimed to be a US serviceman.
"I thank God and my lawyers for my freedom after almost five painful years in jail," she said in statement through her legal team, after the country's top court overturned her conviction and ordered her release.
Her son Hugo added: "All I want to do is to take my mum home back to Sydney -- she has ...

Australian gran wins Malaysia drugs death sentence appeal

A powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Albania early Tuesday, sparking panic in Tirana and the coastal city of Durres where a building collapsed, according to the Ministry of Defence.
The quake hit in the early hours of the morning, sending people in the capital running into the streets, according to an AFP correspondent.

6.4-magnitude quake strikes Albania: authorities

A South Korean pop star has become the latest celebrity to spark anger on the Chinese internet after he "liked" a tweet about the divisive issue of pro-democracy unrest in Hong Kong.
Choi Siwon, a member of popular K-pop boy band Super Junior, was forced to apologise after liking a post on Twitter by South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo about the Hong Kong protests.
Twitter is blocked in China, but opinions that rile Beijing regularly make their way across the "Great Firewall" of censorship and go viral on Chinese social media.
Choi apologised on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform Sunday night, saying he hoped that there would soon be an end to "the violence and chaos" in Hong Kong.
"Since the controversy caused by this behaviour makes you all feel disgusted and disappointed, I express my sincerest apologies to all of you," he wrote on his Weibo account, where he has 16.5 million followers.
Choi also unliked the Twitter post.
But the controversy had already spread, with a Choi fan .

China fans desert K-pop star for 'liking' Hong Kong tweet

Hong Kong's deeply unpopular leader Carrie Lam acknowledged Tuesday that public dissatisfaction with her government fuelled a landslide win by pro-democracy candidates in local elections, but offered no new concessions to resolve months of violent protests.
In China, state media sought to downplay and discredit the weekend ballot that delivered a stinging rebuke to the financial hub's pro-Beijing establishment in what was widely seen as a referendum on Lam's handling of the unrest.
The city's chief executive pledged to "improve governance" in the wake of the district council elections, which she acknowledged revealed concern over "deficiencies in the government, including unhappiness with the time taken to deal with the current unstable environment."
In a rout that stunned the semi-autonomous territory, candidates campaigning against greater control by China seized an overwhelming majority of 452 elected seats in the city's 18 district councils, bodies that have historically been ...

Hong Kong leader offers mea culpa, but no concessions

New Zealand Cricket has ordered increased security at the second Test against England in Hamilton after a crowd member racially abused visiting paceman Jofra Archer during the opening match in Mount Maunganui.
Black Caps captain Kane Williamson described the taunt as "horrific", while NZC said the culprit would be reported to the police and barred from cricket grounds if he was identified from the venue's CCTV footage.
"We're incredibly disappointed, it's just not acceptable and we won't tolerate it," NZC chief executive David White told Newstalk ZB radio.
Barbados-born Archer tweeted after the match concluded late Monday that it was "a bit disturbing hearing racial insults today whilst battling to help save my team".
The 24-year-old later told ESPNcricinfo that the abuser was a solitary New Zealand spectator making comments "about the colour of my skin" after he was dismissed and walking toward the pavilion.
The incident has overshadowed the result of the first Test ever played at ...

New Zealand boosts Test security after Archer racially abused

Senior US officials have met with Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar to discuss steps toward ending his offensive on Tripoli, and accused Russia of exploiting the conflict, the State Department said.
The delegation, which included the US ambassador to Libya Richard Norland, aimed to establish "steps to achieve a suspension of hostilities and a political resolution to the Libyan conflict," the statement read on Monday.
The officials underscored full US "support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Libya and expressed serious concern over Russia's exploitation of the conflict at the expense of the Libyan people." The discussions built on talks held by a delegation from Libya's fledgling unity government in Washington earlier this month.
"These include concrete efforts to address militias and extremist elements, and the distribution of resources so they benefit all Libyans," the statement said.
Haftar in April launched an offensive to seize Tripoli that has killed more than ...

US officials meet with strongman to end Tripoli offensive

Tens of thousands have rallied across the world to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, as France unveiled new measures to combat domestic violence.
Demonstrators on Monday gathered in countries as diverse as Guatemala, Russia, Sudan and Turkey, where riot police in Istanbul blocked the path of roughly 2,000 protesters before firing tear gas and plastic bullets to disperse them.
The French government announced it would make it easier for doctors to share information on vulnerable women and write into law the concept of psychological "entrapment", following massive rallies in France over the weekend.
Roughly 87,000 women and girls were murdered across the world in 2017, according to the United Nations.
Monday's rallies - animated by growing anger over the failure of justice systems to punish offenders - follow a weekend of protests against what is being termed femicide.
Crowds marched through the streets of Moscow to highlight the government's ...

AFP

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