Elephant receives state-of-the-art artificial leg

Ten years ago an elephant now named Motola stepped on a landmine while working at a logger camp on the Thai-Burmese border. The accident took away her foot and most of her left leg. Now at 48 years old Motola has been fitted with a state-of-the-art artificial limb. Although she has not put her full weight on the leg yet, her carers believe she is happy and comfortable and has enjoyed two strolls since the operation.

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Wildlife crimes are being forgotten

Conservationists have criticised the police for not dealing with crimes against wildlife sufficiently. The RSPB along with many other organisations have instigated a review of how the police are dealing with such issues and protecting Britain’s wildlife. Many worry that inconsistent standards are to blame for reductions in response to the specific crimes. Across the United Kingdom a low priority is given to wildlife crimes and there is also a lack of specialist officers. In October 2006 the National Wildlife Crime Unit was formed to support the police. The group have collected information on wildlife crime and actively supports officers.

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Internet addict camps turn violent

Children across China are being sent to boot camps by their parents in order to ‘cure’ their addiction to the internet and computer games. There have been several reports over the last month of children being subjected to violent beatings in these military-style camps. Earlier this month a teenage boy was beaten to death at a camp and now another teenage boy has been left in a serious condition after being beaten by the principle of the camp he was attending. Pu Liang is 14 years old and was sent to the camp by his mother to stop his computer addiction and control his use of computer games. Pu Laing is now suffering from chest and kidney problems after the attack.

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Save the little devils

Tasmanian Devils are fast becoming an endangered species. The Devils suffer from devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), a disease that has the potential to wipe out the entire species. Research is being carried out to understand how the disease is spread in an effort to stop it. Through the use of radio collars the researchers can track the movements of the mostly solitary animals. By monitoring the Devils social networking movements and interaction, the researchers can map the progress of the spreading disease and hopefully save the Tasmanian Devil before extinction.

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Chicago takes dramatic steps to save money

In order to meet their budget shortfall Chicago’s public services will shut down on three separate days. The city needs to claw back a total of $300 million (£184m) and it is hoped these three days will save $8.3m as all non-essential services will be stopped for the entire day. To help their city the employees in these services will be taking an unpaid day’s holiday. Services such as libraries, healthcare centres and rubbish collections will all be stopped for 24 hours.

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First woman flogged under Islamic law

For the crime of drinking beer in a bar a Muslim model has been sentenced to receive six lashes from a rattan cane. The 32 year old mother of two committed the crime last year and was later arrested in a raid, subsequently admitting guilt in an Islamic court. Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno has asked for her punishment to be given in public so that her message of regret can be witnessed by many. However the authorities are determined not to go against official procedures and Kartika will receive her punishment in a prison.

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Nigeria hopes to control HIV through marriage

In the hope to stop further spread of the disease, the local government in Nigeria has set up a program offering HIV positive couples the encouragement to marry. A report from the United Nations has identified Nigeria as the third-largest HIV population in the world with approximately one third of citizens infected. By helping HIV couples to marry it is hoped to stop those who are not infected coming into contact with the disease. These marriages do provide support for individuals in the form of a wife or husband in their fight against HIV, however, there is a worry these unions will cause stigmas and discrimination within their communities.

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Zimbabwe face new cholera challenges in the economic downturn

At a world humanitarian day ceremony in Harare, a United Nations official announced the continuing severity of the health situation in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe citizens are still at threat from Cholera, with another predicted outbreak in the near future. With the current ongoing economic crisis in the country, starvation is also becoming a serious issue. Diseases such as cholera multiply the fastest in areas with minimal sanitation and limited clean water. More than half the population in Zimbabwe are living in conditions where cholera can thrive. The United Nations launched an appeal earlier in the year to help raise $718 million to address humanitarian issues but so far only 44% of that total has been reached.

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Mexico City goes green

As of 19 August, stores in Mexico City were told that under new solid waste laws they are no longer allowed to give out thin plastic bags. Stores will now have to charge customers for the use of a plastic carrier bag. Nearly nine million people live in Mexico City and under the new law all stores, production and service industries will be affected. The plastic bag is the second most common object of litter but is the ocean’s greatest pollutant, threatening wildlife such as sea turtles who are at risk of ingesting the bags.

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Comet found to carry ‘life chemical’

NASA has found a chemical used in life’s building blocks in a comet for the first time. Glycine is an amino acid, found in proteins, used by organisms to build and maintain their systems. The sample was gathered by NASA’s stardust probe, which collected the material deposits from comet Wild-2 in 2004. This evidence fuels the theory that life was ‘seeded’ on Earth, and adds support to the evolutionist dogma as well as giving credence to the belief in extraterrestrial life.

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