US/ HEAVY STORMS SOAK HAWAII: A large funnel cloud was spotted at 11:25am on Sunday N of Waipahu on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu, but it didn't touch down. The Islands are beginning to dry out, after days of storms and heavy rain. The worst storm hit on Saturday delivered an estimated 13,387 lightning strikes over Hawaii. It also dropped several inches of snow on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, a relatively rare sight in June. Park rangers reported up to 8 inches of snow on the road leading to the summit of Mauna Kea, the National Weather Service said. By late Saturday evening, rain was falling at the rate of 4 inches per hour on Oahu, leading to flooded streets and home basements. Weather forecasters say the worst is likely over, but another weather system could move back over the islands on Wednesday.
WORLD/ AMNESTY FIGHTS TO FREE GAY MAN IN CAMEROON: Thousands of Amnesty International supporters are appealing to the authorities in Cameroon for the immediate release of a man jailed for charges of “homosexuality and attempted homosexuality”. Jean-Claude Roger Mbede was arrested in March by members of Cameroon’s security service while meeting an acquaintance. Prior to their meeting, the acquaintance had shown to the police text messages he had received from Mbede. Mbede was then taken into custody on suspicion of being gay. He was held at the Gendarmerie du Lac detention centre in the capital, Yaounde. A week later he was charged with homosexuality and attempted homosexuality and transferred to Kondengui central prison on March 9. On April 28, Mbede was found guilty of the aforementioned charges and sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment. He is currently serving his sentence at Kondengui central prison where he is at risk of attacks from fellow inmates and prison staff owing to his sexual orientation, whether it is real or perceived. Cameroon is an adamantly homophobic country and the arrests, prosecutions and trials of gay men occur regularly, said Amnesty International.
WORLD/ JAPAN DOUBLES FUKUSHIMA LEAK ESTIMATE: Japan has more than doubled its estimate of radiation that escaped from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, pictured, in the 1st week after the disaster on March 11. Japan's nuclear safety agency also said meltdowns took place in 3 reactors more quickly than earlier believed. The assessment comes as an expert panel begins an inquiry into the crisis. The plant's operator is hoping to shut down the facility by January, although there is concern it may take longer, the plant is still leaking radiation. More than 80,000 local residents living within a 20km (12 mile) radius of the plant have been evacuated from their homes. A voluntary evacuation policy is operating in the area 20-30km from the plant. Some towns further away have also been affected. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary said today more evacuations are being considered. Monitoring shows the lie of the land and wind patterns may be causing a build-up of radiation in other areas. Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (Nisa) now says 770,000 terabecquerels escaped into the atmosphere following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster, more than double its earlier estimate of 370,000 terabecquerels.
China executed a piano student today who accidentally drove into a young mother and then stabbed her to death so she would not demand compensation. The high-profile case has become a focus of public resentment towards a privileged elite, as well as a source of concern that lethal justice is being handed down to placate internet mobs. Yao Jiaxin, a 21 year old student of the Xian Conservatory of Music, was killed, probably by lethal injection, shortly after losing an appeal at the supreme people's court. He was sentenced in April for the murder of 26 year old Zhang Miao in Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province. Yao knocked his victim off her bike and then flew into a fury when he saw her noting down his licence plate, apparently to seek compensation for her minor injuries. The road-rage incident gained notoriety among China's online community, who are inclined to suspect the so-called "rich second generation," young people with power and money, can avoid justice by using their connections. Yao was not from a particularly wealthy or powerful family, but his piano education and the fact that his parents are employed by the defence industry appear to have added to public anger. Suspicions were raised further when the propaganda department insisted media outlets could use only Xinhua reports about the issue rather than making independent investigations. There were tens of thousands of comments on internet chatrooms, the vast majority of which called for his death. Many feared this put undue pressure on judges, particularly after a lower court acknowledged that public opinion would be taken into account when delivering a verdict.
WORLD/ YEMEN PRESIDENT GRAVELY WOUNDED: Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh was more seriously injured in a rocket attack on his compound last week than thought, officials have told US media. Saleh suffered 40% burns and has bleeding inside his skull after Friday's attack, according to the new media reports. The president is receiving treatment in Saudi Arabia after the attack on his palace in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. A senior administration official said that they were not going to comment on Saleh's health. "We're not doctors. As the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday, we're focused here and in Sanaa on working toward a peaceful, orderly, non-violent transition, consistent with Yemen's constitution," the official said. The country's acting leader, Vice-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, has said Saleh intends to return within days. But analysts say that the severity of his injuries will have a direct impact on when, and if, he can come back to the strategically important country he has governed for 33 years, and on who will take power if he cannot.
One of the heaviest flying birds in the world is in danger of going extinct, conservationists are warning. Great Indian bustards stand a metre tall and weigh up to 15kg, yet as few as 250 may now survive. That is according to the latest edition of the IUCN Red List for Birds, which reports that the total number of threatened birds species has risen to 1253. That means 13% of all surviving bird species are now threatened. The 2011 edition of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List for Birds records the changing prospects for the world's bird species. "In the space of a year another 13 bird species have moved into the threatened categories," said the deputy director of the IUCN Global Species Program. In all, 189 species are now considered to be Critically Endangered, including the Great Indian bustard. The bustard was once widespread across the grasslands of India and Pakistan. But now its range is restricted to small isolated fragments, with its last stronghold in Rajasthan. Other species on the brink of extinction include the Bahama oriole (Icterus northropi), also newly listed as Critically Endangered. Recent surveys suggest that perhaps just 180 individuals of this black and yellow Caribbean bird may survive. Full details on this year's list can be foun on the IUCN website.
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