Karachi to award citizens who identify people throwing trash
Karachi: The government of Pakistan’s Sindh province has decided to award $639 to any person who “films and identifies people who throw garbage” on the streets of Karachi.
While addressing the media on Tuesday, Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani announced two mobile numbers where citizens will be able to send videos of people throwing trash around the city through WhatsApp, Dawn news reported.
Ghani said that he had personally witnessed people purposely dumping heaps of garbage on roads and said that those who “claimed that they have inherited the city” were polluting Karachi.
“This is a conspiracy to damage the cleanliness drive,” he said, adding that the identity of citizens who report such incidents will be kept secret.
The Sindh government last week initiated a cleanliness campaign dubbed ‘Clean My Karachi’ after facing criticism over failure to clean the metropolis. (IANS)
Australian capital city to legalise recreational cannabis
Canberra: The possession and cultivation of marijuana for recreational purposes will be legal in the Australian Capital Territory, whose parliament on Wednesday became the country’s first to pass a law to regulate its consumption and possession.
Residents over 18 will now be able to possess 50 grams of dry cannabis or 150 grams of wet cannabis under this law, proposed by Labor lawmaker Michael Petterson, reports Efe news.
Each individual is also allowed to grow two plants, while every house can have a maximum of four plants. Cultivating cannabis plants hydroponically will remain prohibited.
Under the law — which was approved with 10 votes in favour and seven against — supplying or sharing cannabis will remain an offence, as will driving with detectable levels.
The territory’s health minister is yet to sign off on the bill, which will not take effect until January 31, 2020 and be reviewed within every three years.
Legal experts warn that the legislation may clash with the country’s federal laws.
The Law Society of the capital territory said earlier this week that police would still be able to charge someone with cannabis possession under federal law.
Australia’s federal government does not support legalising the use of marijuana for recreational use although in 2016, Canberra’s parliament approved the cultivation of cannabis for medical and scientific use.
In neighbouring New Zealand, where the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes is allowed, a binding referendum will be held in 2020 on the legalization of recreational marijuana. (IANS)
Emaciated Lankan elephant dies
Colombo: A 70-year-old elephant in Sri Lanka, whose emaciated state sparked a backlash earlier this year, has died, an animal rights charity said.
Tikiri was among 60 elephants who were forced to march at the Perahera festival in Kandy every year, reports the BBC.
Lek Chailert, founder of Save Elephant Foundation (SEF), posted late on Tuesday that Tikiri had passed away.
“Tikiri’s suffering has ended, her soul is now free. No more harm can come to her,” said Chailert in an Instagram post.
“RIP dear Tikiri. Never look back to this world so cruel toward you and your friends,” she added.
In August, the SEF had posted photos of the tusker showing her perform at the festival with her frail body covered by a colourful costume. However, a spokesman from the Buddhist Sacred Tooth Relic temple that organises the festival had told Sri Lankan news site Metro that Tikiri suffered from a “digestive ailment” that prevented her from putting on weight. The spokesman said this ailment had not “affected her strength and abilities.”
Animal rights group PETA had earlier told the BBC that many elephants in Sri Lanka were suffering “similar or worse treatment in service to an exploitative and abusive tourism industry”.
The animal rights group called for stronger enforcement of animal-protection laws and for tourists to avoid places that offered elephant rides or performances. (IANS)