Thailand: Village under siege from marauding monkeys
CHACHOENGSAO—In one village homes are raided, property is pinched and locals are attacked by dastardly gangs operating beyond the law - but the perpetrators are monkeys, not men.
“They creep into my house when they see me sleeping, they go into the kitchen and take cooking oil, sugar and even the medicines that I hide in a cabinet,'' said Chaluay Khamkajit, after years battling with pesky primates who are thought to have been drawn into Khlong Charoen Wai village by habitat loss.
“They took my snacks, I can buy more, but the medicines are important to me,'' the 72-year-old said, as she and her husband demonstrated a variety monkey deterrents, including a homemade lock for the fridge and the more direct deterrent of a sling-shot. …
Bangkok Post
Jamaica: Telecoms Firms Lose Millions To Battery Theft At Cell Sites
There are fears that the mushrooming of private solar-energy solution systems may have triggered a spike in the theft of expensive batteries used at cell sites of the island’s telecommunications companies.
While senior police investigators were unable to say if the increase in theft of these batteries was orchestrated, telecommunications company LIME reports that it has lost 70 since March this year, resulting in losses of more than $4 million. ...
Jamaica Gleaner
Mexico: The town that Carlos Slim forgot
A town high in the mountains of Oaxaca state now has a mobile phone network - but it’s not because of Carlos Slim’s Telcel or any other cellular service provider. The townspeople built their own network with the help of some foreigners, and now their cellular bills are about $1.20 a month, a thirteenth the size of average monthly bills in places where the big players offer service. The town is called Villa Talea de Castro. Most of its inhabitants are Zapotec Indians. ...
Mexico Star
New Zealand: Man in cow onesie spotted stealing steak
A man dressed in a cow ‘onesie’ was spotted stealing steak from a food shop in Nelson.
The incident, confirmed by police and the manager of Raeward Fresh happened on Friday afternoon last week.
The man, dressed in in a cow onesie, entered the store with two other people and stole porterhouse steak from the meat section.
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Because onesies were not an uncommon item of clothing, a police spokesperson said the offender was “probably not intending to look like the beef they were stealing”.
New Zealand Herald
Brazil: Rocinha: Two Years After Pacification
RIO DE JANEIRO—Rocinha, in Zona Sul (South Zone), is widely considered Brazil’s largest favela community, and is certainly the most renowned. Situated on the hillside between wealthy neighbors São Conrado and Gávea, Rocinha is home to just under 70,000 people according to a 2010 IBGE census, although unofficial estimates place the number much higher.
Once infamous for being controlled by violent drug gangs who brandished assault riffles openly on street corners, the massive neighborhood was declared pacified in late 2011. …
The Rio Times
Scotland: Cows trample dog-walking pensioner
An 81-year old-man has been seriously injured after being trampled by cows while walking his dog in the Borders, it has emerged.
The pensioner is being treated in Borders General Hospital near Melrose following the incident.
It happened on farmland near historic Marchmont House near Greenlaw in Berwickshire on Sunday afternoon.
The man had been walking among the cows and calves when he suddenly came under attack. …
BBC
Africa: Is Africa the Drunk Continent? How Time Magazine Ignored the Data
A Time.com article recently claimed that “Africa has a drinking problem”. Do Africans drink too much? Data shows that the drinking habits of Africa’s 55 countries are extremely varied. And the majority of Africans don’t drink at all.
Is Africa the drunk continent? Time magazine says it is. “Africa has a drinking problem”, a recent article on its website claimed, and “is in no shape to cope with an influx of alcohol”. Furthermore, it warned, “alcoholism is on the rise as beverage multinationals circle”.
But how true is the claim that “Africa” has an alcohol problem and can the claim really be applied to a continent and 55 states with varied drinking patterns? An Africa Check reader, Gcobani Qambela, asked us to investigate. …
Africa Check
