Indonesian walks backwards to highlight deforestation
SRAGEN: An Indonesia man is walking backwards from his home in eastern Java to the capital Jakarta to raise awareness of deforestation in a country with one of the highest rates in the world. The more than 700 km (435 miles) would be arduous enough under any circumstances, but Medi Bastoni is drawing attention to his campaign by doing it walking backwards. Bastoni, 43, started on July 18 from his village on Mount Wilis, a 2,500-meter volcano in East Java province that has been affected by deforestation. He hopes to meet President Joko Widodo when he arrives in Jakarta later this month. Indonesia has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world, with more than 74 million hectares of rainforest – an area nearly twice the size of Japan – logged, burned or degraded in the last half century, according to Greenpeace. Bastoni walks at least 20-30 km (12.4-18.6 miles) a day, carrying only snacks and water. A rear-view mirror attached to his backpack helps him to avoid obstacles. As he passed through the town of Sragen in central Java, residents looked on with amazement. (Reuters)
Australia cancer sufferer first to use new assisted dying law
Sydney: A 61-year-old cancer patient has become the first person in over two decades to die under controversial assisted dying laws in Australia, a charity said. Kerry Robertson died in July, three months after the mother-of-two ceased treatment for metastatic breast cancer, the support group Go Gentle Australia said Sunday. The state of Victoria passed a law in 2017 to legalise the practice, which went into effect this June. Other states are now expected to follow suit. Robertson, who ended her life in the southeastern town of Bendigo, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 – which then spread into her bones, lung, brain, and liver. She decided to stop receiving treatment in March when the side effects of chemotherapy were no longer manageable and took medication to end her life. (AFP)
Boy thrown from London gallery’s 10th floor
London: A six-year-old boy was thrown five floors from the 10th floor of the Tate Modern art gallery in London, police said. He landed on a fifth floor roof and was taken to hospital by air ambulance after the incident occurred on Sunday evening, the BBC reported. The boy’s condition is described as critical. A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, the Met Police said. The six-year-old was thrown from a viewing platform. Visitors were initially locked inside the gallery at Bankside on the South Bank. The Tate Modern opened in the disused power station on the River Thames in 2000. It was the UK’s most popular tourist attraction in 2018 with 5.9 million visitors. (IANS)