Lifeguard dies in shark attack
Hawaii, June 24: A professional lifeguard died after he was attacked by a shark while surfing off the island of Oahu in Hawaii on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
City and County of Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguard Tamayo Perry, 49, died in the attack near Goat Island, Shayne Enright of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department said in a statement.
Honolulu Ocean Safety and the city’s fire, police and emergency medical services departments responded to Malaekahana Beach on Oahu’s North Shore just before 1 pm after a caller reported seeing a man who appeared to have suffered shark bites, Enright said.
Lifeguards brought Perry to shore by jet ski and paramedics assisted with the death pronouncement, Enright said. (AP)
Boy gets world-first epilepsy device fitted in skull
London, June 24: A schoolboy from south-west England has made medical history as the first in the world with severe epilepsy to trial a new device fitted in his skull to control seizures.
The neurostimulator, which sends electrical signals deep into his brain, has reduced Oran Knowlson’s daytime seizures by 80 per cent. The surgery was carried out in October as part of a trial at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London when Oran, who is now 13, was 12. The surgery was part of a trial in partnership with University College London, King’s College hospital and the University of Oxford.
His mother, Justine, told the BBC he was happier and had a “much better quality of life”. (PTI)
German far-right politician on trial again over alleged use of Nazi slogan
Berlin, June 24: A prominent German far-right politician who plans to run for the governor’s job in an eastern state later this year went on trial for the second time Monday on charges of knowingly using a Nazi slogan at a political event.
Bjorn Hocke was fined 13,000 euros (USD 13,900) last month for using symbols of an unconstitutional organisation, a verdict that his lawyers are appealing against. The trial that opened Monday at the state court in Halle involves a second alleged use of the same slogan. The first case centred on a speech in Merseburg in May 2021 in which Höcke, a high-profile figure in the Alternative for Germany party, used the phrase “Everything for Germany!” Judges agreed with prosecutors’ argument that he was aware of its origin as a slogan of the Nazis’ SA stormtroopers. Hocke, a former history teacher, has said he’s innocent and argued it was an “everyday saying.” His lawyers are appealing against the verdict.
The second count against Hocke was added to his first trial shortly before it opened, but judges then decided to try it separately because his defense team had recently changed. Prosecutors allege that he repeated the offense at an Alternative for Germany, or AfD, event in Gera last December, “in certain knowledge” that using the slogan is a criminal offence. (AP)
Malaysian women in a digital fight for rights
Kuala Lumpur, June 24: From individual voices to collective movements, Malaysian women are using online tools to challenge discrimination and fight for equality.
In 2021, Malaysian schools were rocked by a powerful online movement spearheaded by a 17-year-old named Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam.
The #MakeSchoolASaferPlace campaign exposed the prevalence of sexual harassment faced by students, predominantly girls.
Ain’s story, along with countless others shared online, ignited public outrage and forced a national conversation about the need for reform in educational institutions. The high internet penetration rate in Malaysia (97.4 per cent) coupled with the widespread use of social media platforms (83.1 per cent) has empowered women to challenge traditional media gatekeepers and advocate directly for their causes. One study indicated that Malaysian women are increasingly becoming aware of gender-related issues due to their exposure to social media. (AP)