Afghanistan buries woman beaten to death by mob
Kabul: An Afghan woman who was beaten to death by a mob was buried in Kabul today, her coffin carried aloft by women’s rights activists. Hundreds of people gathered in northern Kabul for the funeral of 27-year-old Farkhunda, who like many Afghans is known by only one name.
She was killed late Thursday by a mob of mostly men who beat her, set her body on fire and then threw it into the Kabul River, according to police accounts. Police are still investigating what prompted the mob assault. President Ashraf Ghani condemned Farkhunda’s killing as a “heinous attack” and ordered an investigation. Following allegations that police stood by and did nothing to stop the fatal attack, Ghani said it revealed “a fundamental issue” – the country’s police were too focused on the fight against the Taliban insurgency to concentrate on community policing.
His comments followed wide condemnation of the killing. In Afghanistan, women are generally regarded as inferior, despite constitutional guarantees of equality. Violence against women often goes unpunished. Some Afghan officials and religious leaders sought to justify Farkhunda’s killing, alleging that she had burned a Quran; these claims remain unproven. The city’s head of criminal investigation, Mohammad Farid Afzali, has said Farkhunda suffered an unspecified psychiatric illness, but a neighbour told The Associated Press that she was nearing the end of a religious studies course and preparing to become a teacher. “Everyone respected her, she was very religious and never left her home without covering her face with a hijab,” said Mirwais Afizi, 40, who said he had lived on the same lane as Farkhunda’s family all his life. (AP)
Burger fetches over Rs 4 lakh in UAE
Dubai: A single burger served up in Dubai during a charity auction has fetched Rs 4.40 lakh (USD 7,000), breaking the record for highest price paid for the fast food. With an aim to spread awareness about the importance of early detection to fight breast cancer, Pink Caravan group organised the 45-minute ‘Pink Bite’ charity auction at Dubai Mall to raise funds. The burger prepared by Chairman of the Department of Statistics and Community Development in Sharjah Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani fetched 25,960 dirhams (Rs 4.40 Lakh) at the auction, UAE’s state-run news agency WAM said. Pink Caravan ambassadors were divided into three teams to prepare burgers and sell them at the highest price during the 45-minute auction. The previous most expensive burger in the world was sold for USD 5,000 in Las Vegas in US. “I am proud of Pink Caravan ambassadors who have always proved their supportive stand by the Pink Caravan to enable it to achieve its goals,” Ameera BinKaram, President of the Board of Trustees at the group was quoted as saying by WAM. “We have succeeded once again in delivering our message in supporting the Pink Caravan’s mission and highlighting breast cancer in a fun and entertaining manner during the Pink Bite event whose revenues will go to the Pink Caravan Ride, to raise awareness about early detection of breast cancer,” she said. (PTI)
World’s smallest power drill created using 3D printer
Melbourne: A man in New Zealand has used a 3D printer to create what may be the world’s smallest working power drill at just 1.3cm long. The cordless tool designed by Lance Abernethy has a motor and battery and can drill through soft objects. Abernethy decided to make the world’s smallest working drill, so he set about creating a 3D design, using the outline of a normal drill as a reference. He then 3D printed the plastic casing and then the drill “chuck” which is pressed into the motor shaft. The tiny drill measuring 1.7cm high, 0.75cm wide and 1.3cm long is powered by a hearing aid battery, has a small button and a miniature motor, according to ‘mirror.co.uk’. Abernethy borrowed wiring from a headphone cable. Getting all the components soldered together took him three hours, Abernethy told ‘3Dprint.com’. “The wires kept on breaking off when I was trying to connect them and it was a nightmare trying to hold them in place and try to not short the battery,” Abernethy said. (PTI)
Chile wildfires damage unique flora, fauna
Santiago: Massive wildfires raging in drought-stricken southern Chile have wiped out hundreds of plant species, and are now threatening animal life and a national park as well, officials have warned. “We are witnessing a massive environmental catastrophe” in southern Chile, Accion Ecologica chief Luis Mariano Rendon told AFP yesterday from Mexico. “There have been whole species lost, such as the Araucaria araucana (monkey puzzle tree). They are trees that take hundreds of years to reach maturity. So this is a practically irreparable loss for curent generations.” The trees, a distant relative of better known pine, are considered sacred by indigenous Mapuche people. And Chile itself has declared them part of its unique national natural heritage. Fires in the country’s south have ravaged more than 9,100 acres of forest, and have been contained but not put out entirely, firefighters said. There are still 25 active fires, potentially threatening Conguillio National Park. (AFP)