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2023-01-01 10:36:05

Scarborough's New Year fireworks cancelled to protect walrus

Scarborough's New Year fireworks cancelled to protect walrus

• Published
  1 hour ago

Image source, Stuart Ford / PA
Image caption,
The walrus is believed to be resting on the harbour slipway before travelling north

A New Year's Eve fireworks display had to be cancelled at the last minute to protect an Arctic walrus discovered in Scarborough.

The event was called off over fears it "could cause distress to the mammal".

Council leader Steve Siddons said he was disappointed but "the welfare of the walrus has to take precedence".

The walrus, which has drawn huge crowds since arriving on Saturday, is believed to be the same one spotted on the Hampshire coast three weeks ago.

Mr Siddons said the decision to cancel the event was made on the advice of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), who have been monitoring the marine mammal.

Wildlife experts have suggested the walrus - nicknamed Thor - may be "taking a break" and will move on in a few days once he is rested enough to continue his journey north.

Image source, Stuart Ford / PA
Image caption,
A cordon was put around Thor after large crowds gathered

On Saturday, a cordon was put around the animal after sightseers turned up to catch a glimpse, with one local describing the crowds as like a summer's day in the seaside resort.

Chris Cook, from the BDMLR charity said that Thor should not be disturbed.

"We welcome the decision to call off the fireworks but understand that some people will be disappointed the display isn't going ahead," he said.

"It is extremely rare that an Arctic walrus should come ashore on the Yorkshire coast.

"The creature needs time to rest and recuperate before it continues its journey."

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Retrieved 2023-01-01: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-64139048

Resharing only because #BaliBonkBan is fantastic. Congratulations, Aussie media.

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2022-12-06 21:28:01

Indonesia's new sex laws and what they could mean for tourism

Indonesia's new sex laws and what they could mean for tourism

• Published
  1 hour ago

Image source, Getty Images

By Tiffany Wertheimer
BBC News

Tourism operators in Indonesia are still trying to recover from the devastating impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the country's parliament has passed new laws that some fear could turn tourists away once again - because having sex out of wedlock is set to be outlawed.

The controversial laws, which critics have labelled a "disaster" for human rights, also ban unmarried couples from living together and restrict political and religious freedoms. There were protests in Jakarta this week, and the laws are expected to be challenged in court.

The new criminal codes are set to take effect in three years and apply to Indonesians and foreigners living in the country, as well as visitors.

It has been widely reported in nearby Australia, where some newspapers have dubbed it the "Bali bonk ban".

Indonesia's economy heavily relies on tourism from Australia, which was Indonesia's number one tourist source before the pandemic. Thousands of people fly to the tropical island of Bali every month to bask in its warm weather, indulge in cheap Bintang beers and rave at all-night beach parties.

Bali weddings are quite common, and thousands of Australia's graduate students fly to Bali every year to celebrate finishing high school.

For many young Australians, a trip to Bali is seen as a rite of passage. Others go there a few times a year for quick, cheap getaways.

• Indonesia passes law banning sex outside marriage

But as soon as news trickled through that the raft of new laws were becoming reality, after being mere rumours for years, doubt over future trips set in.

On Facebook pages dedicated to tourism in Indonesia, users tried to make sense of the changes and what they mean for foreign visitors.

Some said they would start travelling with their marriage certificates, while others who were not married said they would go elsewhere if the laws meant they would not be allowed to share a hotel room with their partner.

"You will be bribing your way out", said one user on the group Bali Travel Community.

"Good way to ruin the tourism industry of Bali," wrote another, while others agreed it was "scare tactics" that would be impossible to enforce.

Under the new criminal codes - of which there are 600 - unmarried couples caught having sex can be jailed for up to a year and those found living together could be jailed for up to six months.

Critics say holiday-makers could also become ensnared.

"Let's say an Australian tourist has a boyfriend or a girlfriend who is a local," Andreas Harsono, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

"Then the local parents or the local brother or sister reported the tourist to the police. It will be a problem."

Visitors have been told not to worry too much, because police will only investigate if a family member makes a complaint - such as a parent, spouse or child of the suspected offenders.

But that is dangerous in itself, Mr Harsono said, as it opens the door to "selective law enforcement".

"It means that it will only be implemented against certain targets," he told ABC radio.

"It might be hotels, it might be foreign tourists… that will allow certain police officers to extort bribes or certain politicians to use, let's say, the blasphemy law, to jail their opponents."

'Australians shouldn't be worried'

While much of the chatter online reflected the Aussie attitude of "no worries, mate", there is still a strong undercurrent of concern.

Australians are acutely aware of how serious getting in trouble with the Indonesian authorities can be - even for relatively minor offences.

• The Bali Nine Australian ringleaders
• Why Schapelle's story grips Australia

A spokesperson for Indonesia's justice ministry tried to calm concerns by suggesting that the risk was less for tourists because anyone making the police complaint would most likely be an Indonesian national.

"That means Australian [tourists] shouldn't be worried," Albert Aries was quoted as saying on Australian news website WAToday.com.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
The new law affects Indonesians and foreigners, but police will only investigate if they receive a complaint from a family member

But Bali cannot afford to have another blow to its tourism sector. Its recovery from the pandemic is slow, and many businesses and families are still trying to get back what they lost.

In 2019, a record 1.23 million Australian tourists visited Bali, according the Indonesia Institute, a Perth-based non-government organisation.

Compare that to 2021 - when just 51 foreign tourists visited the island for the entire year because of the pandemic, Statistica's records show.

Indonesia's tourism is strengthening though - in July 2022, the Indonesian National Statistic Bureau recorded over 470,000 foreign tourists arrivals in the country - the highest number since the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in October last year.

Phil Robertson, the Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch tweeted that the new laws will "blow up Bali's tourism".

Passage of #Indonesia's rights abusing criminal code that outlaws sex out of wedlock will blow up #Bali's tourism industry is what I'm hearing at the resort where I'm staying for a just completed conference. Why is @jokowi & his government trying to ruin the country's tourism? pic.twitter.com/EVxIxsxdx5
— Phil Robertson (@Reaproy) December 6, 2022

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

'I really depend on tourism'

A tour guide called Yoman, who has worked in Bali since 2017, told the BBC the impact from the new laws could be "very severe" right across Indonesia, but especially on the holiday island.

"I am very, very worried, because I really depend on tourism," he said.

Bali has a history of events - both man-made and natural disasters - that have affected visitor numbers to the island.

"The Gulf war, Bali bombing, volcano eruptions, Mount Semeru (volcano), Mount Rinjani (volcano) and then Covid. Bali tourism is easily affected," Yoman said.

But the Indonesian government has brought in initiatives to try and lure foreigners back to its idyllic shores.

Just a few weeks ago, it announced a tempting new visa option, allowing people to live on the island for up to 10 years.

• Indian Ocean tsunami: Then and now
• Bali bombing: What happened on 12 October 2002

And of course it is not just tourists from Australia who could be affected.

Canadian travel blogger Melissa Giroux, who moved to Bali for 18 months in 2017, told the BBC she was "shocked" the law actually came through, after years of talk.

"Many tourists will prefer to go elsewhere instead of risking going to jail once the law is enforced," said Ms Giroux, who pens the blog A Broken Backpack.

"And I'm not even thinking about the single people who come to Bali to party or the ones who fall in love during their travels."

Related Topics

• Tourism
• Bali
• Asia
• Indonesia
• Australia

Retrieved 2022-12-06: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63874633

You know, I was going to complain about "what we know so far" headlines (call me back when you know the actual story kthxbye), but here comes the BBC to top that 🤪

BBC News - Home

2022-12-02 12:54:11

Idaho student murders: Everything we don't know

Idaho student murders: The things we still don't know

• Published
  2 hours ago

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
The four victims were all aged 20 or 21

By Bernd Debusmann Jr
BBC News, Washington

Questions continue to swirl around the grisly slaying of four University of Idaho students found dead on 13 November, with no suspects named or arrests made.

The students are believed to have been asleep in their beds when they were stabbed to death.

Officials have reversed course on several aspects of the probe, including about whether the attack was targeted.

The case has been plagued by rumours and amateur web sleuths.

The four students - Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20, and 21-year-olds Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen - were all found fatally stabbed at an off-campus house in the town of Moscow, Idaho at about noon on Sunday, 13 November, after police received a 911 call about an unconscious person. Each victim had been stabbed multiple times, and some had defensive wounds.

A preliminary timeline pieced together of the hours before suggested nothing out of the ordinary. Chapin and Kernodle had spent the previous night at a party on campus, while Mogen and Goncalves were at a bar before ordering a meal from a food truck shortly before 01:45 local time.

All four students are believed to have returned to their home without incident by about 02:00. Another two students - who survived the attack - had returned home about an hour earlier.

In a statement, police said the two survivors had called friends to the residence "because they believed that one of the second-floor victims had passed out and was not waking up". Investigators do not believe the two survivors were involved in the murders.

• Heartfelt tributes for murdered Idaho students

Details of what happened in the house in the early hours of that day remain scant, although police have noted that there were no signs of forced entry or damage to the property.

The murder weapon, which is believed to be a fixed-blade knife, has not been recovered. In the first days of the investigation, businesses across the area were contacted to see if similar knives had recently been sold.

The investigation has also been plagued by conflicting information and rumours.

On 15 November, for example, Moscow Police issued a statement in which they said they believed the attack was "isolated" and "targeted". The statement, and another later that day, also said that investigators believed there was no "imminent" or "ongoing" threat to the public.

An update published on 30 November, however, characterised the statement as a "miscommunication".

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
The murders and subsequent mystery have shaken the town of Moscow, Idaho. (Pictured: University of Idaho students at a vigil)

"Detectives do not currently know if the residence or any occupants were specifically targeted but continue to investigate," the 30 November statement said. Adding to the confusion, the Moscow Police website continues to claim that while police believe the attack was targeted, they have not "concluded if the target was the residence or its occupants".

Authorities have also been forced to repeatedly address unverified rumours or investigative details - some of them being rapidly spread online by an army of web sleuths - including potential connections to a 1999 stabbing in Washington and a 2021 stabbing in Oregon.

Speculation about a connection to a September altercation between local residents and a knife-wielding cyclist led to a referral for misdemeanour charges, although police have said that incident was unrelated to the murders.

Additionally, police dispelled suggestions from friends and family of Kaylee Goncalves that she had a stalker.

"Investigators have looked extensively into information received about Kaylee having a stalker," Moscow Police said in a statement. "They have pursued hundreds of pieces of information related to this topic but have not verified or identified a stalker."

A neighbour of the students, Jeremy Reagan, was also forced to publicly defend himself from "ruthless" social media users who speculated that he may have been involved in the killings.

"I didn't do it," he told NewsNation. "I'm willing to give DNA, fingerprints, whatever they need."

As the investigation continues with the help of state police and the FBI, authorities are urging the public to come forward if they have any information and to avoid spreading baseless rumours.

"There is speculation, without factual backing, stoking community fears and spreading false facts," the most recent police statement said. "We encourage referencing official releases for accurate information and updated progress."

Related Topics

• Idaho
• United States

Retrieved 2022-12-02: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63824776