NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

WORLD/ STOLEN KOALA RETURNED UNHARMED: An ageing koala stolen from a wildlife park on the NSW central coast of Australia 2 days ago has been returned. Banjo, a 13 year old male koala, was found missing from his enclosure at the Australian Reptile Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Somersby yesterday morning. Bolt cutters were used to open Banjo's enclosure. The Australian Reptile Park operations manager told local media  he was worried for Banjo's health as he had a specific diet and would "not last long" with the right food. But about 2:00pm today, local time, park staff received an anonymous call informing them that Banjo had been dumped in the facility's car park. "We rushed out and there he was in a little rubbish bin," Park officials said. Banjo, pictured left, then underwent a physical examination and had no signs of trauma. "He started to eat straight away, which is very good. He climbed straight up on to the perch, settled in and started to eat leaves." said Park officials, adding that Banjo was "not too much of an affectionate koala" and had spent his life mating with a lot of females for the breeding program.  It was the first time a koala had been nabbed from the park. Koalas have a life expectancy of up to 15 years. As Banjo was already 13, he was on a special diet that included vitamins and minerals supplements fed to him daily through a syringe. Officials said that Banjo was a fussy eater and only liked certain species of eucalyptus such as swamp mahogany.

WORLD/ MAN COMMITS SUICIDE FROM BURJ KHALIFA: A man has committed suicide by jumping from the world's tallest skyscraper in Dubai, according to its owner. The man, in his 20s, fell from the 147th floor of the 2717ft Burj Khalifa, landing on a deck on the 108th floor, local media reported. The building's owner confirmed "an incident involving a male" took place on Tuesday morning. It would be the 1st known suicide from the 160 story landmark, which opened in January 2010. Local media reports said the man had jumped after a dispute with his employer. Police statements showed that a holiday he had requested was turned down. The Burj Khalifa was designed by Chicago-based architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. It is the tallest freestanding structure in the world, according to its developer.

US/ NAVY REVERSES SAME-SEX UNION DECISION: Under pressure from more than 5 dozen House lawmakers, the Navy late Tuesday abruptly reversed its decision that would have allowed chaplains to perform same-sex unions if the Pentagon decides to recognize openly gay military service later this year. In a one sentence memo, the Rear Admiral chief of Navy chaplains, said his earlier decision has been "suspended until further notice pending additional legal and policy review and interdepartmental coordination". The Navy said its lawyers wanted to do a more thorough review of the legal decision that allowed Navy chaplains to receive training to perform civil unions on military bases, but only in states where it is legal. Military training to apply the new law allowing gays to serve openly began earlier this year and is expected to be completed by midsummer.House members wrote to the US Navy Secretary  to object to the Navy's initial ruling, saying the service was violating the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act by appearing to recognize and support same-sex marriages. That law defines marriage as only between a man and a woman, and it also says states don't have to recognize gay marriages performed in other states where they are legal. "We find it unconscionable that the United States Navy, a federal entity sworn to preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States, believes it is their place alone to train and direct service members to violate federal law," said the lawmakers' letter, which was signed by 63 House members. The lawmakers asked Mabus to direct the Navy to defend the Constitution, adding that individuals should not be allowed to pick and choose the laws they will follow. The Navy's decision triggered an uproar, particularly since the Army and Air Force had not made similar decisions, and there was no overall Defense Department guidance issued on the same-sex union issue. The military dust-up comes against the backdrop of the Obama administration's decision in February to no longer defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. Attorney General Eric Holder said at the time that President Barack Obama concluded that the law was unconstitutional.