On the second day of a major international AIDS conference in Amsterdam, the two lent their mega-wattage star power to calls for action to end the lingering stigma around the virus and protect generations to come.

“Young people are the only age group where HIV infections are rising, not falling,” warned rock star and veteran AIDS campaigner Elton John as he announced the launch of the MenStar Coalition.

“We have to do much, much more to bring men, especially younger men more fully into the fold,” he insisted.

The coalition brings together different partners, including the UN’s Unitaid and the US fund PEPFAR, as John warned that 24- to 35-year-old men were accessing HIV testing and treatment at “unacceptably low rates”.

Much work has been done to protect women and girls but “we can’t solve the whole problem if we are only addressing half the situation,” John said.

“If we want to win this fight, if we want to end AIDS once and for all, we must make men part of the solution” and teach them to protect themselves, “not only their wives and girlfriends, their sisters, and daughters, but also critically their brothers and their sons.”

– ‘Dangerous complacency’ –

Some 15,000 delegates — researchers, campaigners, activists and people living with the HIV virus which causes AIDS — have gathered for the five-day war council, amid dire warnings the AIDS epidemic could yet spiral out of control.

“The progress we have fought so hard for is at risk from a dangerous complacency,” Prince Harry told conference delegates.

“Too many around the world are still ignoring the damaging knock-on effects on education and other community services for not prioritising HIV prevention and treatment.”

The new initiative was focused on “the tough but essential work of truly changing mindsets,” the Duke of Sussex said.

“Inspired by the growing alarm of the rate of new HIV infections among young women, this campaign is bravely tackling the root of this problem — the lack of awareness of HIV prevention amongst hard-to-reach young men.”

He urged people to unite around the “smashing of a deadly stigma” surrounding HIV, “and calling out the prejudice that is still there”.

South African actress Charlize Theron agreed as she addressed the day’s opening plenary session entitled: “Breaking the barriers of inequity”.

“We have come a long way as a global community from that moral panic that defined early stages of this epidemic,” she told the audience.

But she warned that “most of us now know and understand that HIV is not just about sex or sexuality… We know it is linked to the second-class status of women and girls worldwide.”//AFP

It landed safely around 12.18pm with 145 passengers – all unhurt, SN Wahidur Rahman, deputy director of Special Air Traffic Control, told The Daily Star.

He said, the Dhaka-bound flight coming in from Thailand informed the traffic control tower of the burst wheel moments before landing.

Last reported, all the passengers were safely evacuated from the plane and the runway was kept shut for three hours – causing delay in take-off and landing of some planes.

A highly placed official at the civil aviation ministry, who is at the spot, told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity that six of the plane’s rear wheels have suffered serious damage.

However, it is not clear as to when or how the wheels have burst, reported the Star.

According to what could be known, due to damaged wheels, the plane veered off the tracks initially, but was steered back on to the runway by the pilot.

The plane ploughed the grounds outside the runway and brought over debris and mud on to the tracks – resulting in temporary halt in the use of the runway.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the incident will be carried out by Thai authorities.

The PM, his cabinet members and other senior officials went to nearby Sanamxay to monitor the rescue and relief efforts underway for flood victims.

The collapse of the Xe-Pian Xe-Nam Noy hydropower dam on Monday night caused flash flooding in six villages of Sanamxay district, including Yai Thae, Hinlad, Mai, Thasengchan, Tha Hin, and Samong. Hinlad and Mai villages were hard hit.

The disaster has reportedly claimed several lives, left hundreds of people missing and more than 1,300 families (6,600 people) homeless.

The Attapeu Provincial Administration Office has asked for emergency relief aid for flood victims in Sanamxay district. The authority has requested clothing, food items, drinking water, medicine, cash and other relief items, reported KPL online.

Being built by the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy Power Company (PNPC), the 410 MW Xe PianXe Namnoy hydroelectric power project is located in the southern region of the Lao PDR and is estimated to annually generate energy of approximately 1,860 GWh, according to http://www.powertechnology.com.

PNPC is a joint venture formed in March 2012 by SK Engineering and Construction (SK E&C), Korea Western Power (KOWEPO), Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding (RATCH), and Lao Holding State Enterprise (LHSE). SK E&C hold a 24 per cent stake in PNPC, LHSE 26 per cent, and RATCH and KOWEPO equally own the remaining share in the project.

The project, which is estimated to cost US$1.02 billion (Bt34.1 billion), is the first build-operate-transfer (BOT) project to be undertaken by South Korean companies in Laos.

The feasibility study for the hydroelectric project was completed in November 2008. Construction of the project began in February 2013 and commercial operations were expected to begin in 2018.

Photos posted on the Facebook page of ABC Laos News showed dozens of Laotian people stranded on the roofs of their houses and other buildings while others were shown being evacuated by boat.

The flooding took place around 8pm, the same day XePian XeNamnoy Power Company (PNPC), that constructed XePian dam, issued a warning of the possibility that water could overflow the dam.

In a the warning letter from the company’s head of resettlement, Lee Kan Yeol told his colleagues in Champasak and Attapeu provinces that “the saddle dam D was not safe and was in a very dangerous condition” due to heavy rainfall.

“If the section fails, over five thousand million tonnes of water would flow out and down the Xe Pian river,” read the letter.

Lee said the villagers living near the XePian River downstream from the dam should move to higher land to avoid “the unfortunate accident” caused by the heavy downpours.

Rescue teams in Laos were on Tuesday working to rescue those affected by the flooding.

According to Hydroworld website, XePian Dam is one of three being constructed under the XeNamnoy hydroelectric power project along the Mekong River in Attapeu and Champasak provinces near the border with Thailand.

It is about 80 kilometres east of Pakse on the Mekong River and 35km northwest of Attapeu, (and approximately 550km southeast of Vientiane, the capital city of Laos), in the country’s southern region.

The two other dams under construction under the project are XeNamnoy Dam and Houay Makchan Dam.

XePian and XeNamnoy are rockfill dams located on the Bolaven plateau, along with saddle dams and Houay Makchan Dam. The powerhouse will be located at the plateau base, giving the scheme a head of more than 630 metres. Water will be discharged to the Xe Kong River.

The feasibility study for the project was completed in November 2008, construction began in February 2013 and commercial operations are expected to begin in 2019.

The scheme will also have a storage reservoir on the Xe Namnoy River, underground tunnels, shaft waterways, and a powerhouse that features three Francis and one Pelton turbine.

PNPC is a joint venture formed in March 2012 by SK Engineering and Construction, Korea Western Power, Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding, and Lao Holding State Enterprise.

Cave diving mates Richard Harris and Craig Challen and seven other Australians were rewarded for their courageous roles in rescuing 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded Thai cave with bravery medals and Australia’s highest civilian honor on 24 July.

Australian members of the Thai cave rescue team, including Dr Richard Harris (front, 2-L) and Craig Challen (front, 2-R) are honored with the Order of Australia at Government House in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 24 July 2018. Cave diving mates Richard Harris and Craig Challen and seven other Australians were rewarded for their courageous roles in rescuing 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded Thai cave with bravery medals and Australia’s highest civilian honor on 24 July. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (R) addresses the reception for members of the Thai cave rescue team (L-R) Chief Petty Officer Troy Eather, Robert James, Kelly Bores, Benjamin Cox, Matthew Fitzgerald, Justin Bateman, Chris Mark-Crow, Craig Challen and Dr Richard Harris, who are honored with the Order of Australia by Governor General Peter Cosgrove (not pictured) at a function at Government House in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 24 July 2018.// EPA-EFE PHOTO

Australian members of the Thai cave rescue team, Dr Richard Harris (R) and Craig Challen (C) are honored with the Order of Australia and the Star of Courage by Governor General Peter Cosgrove (not pictured) at a function at Government House in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 24 July 2018. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

Australian member of the Thai cave rescue team, Richard Harris is honored with the Order of Australia and the Star of Courage by Governor General Peter Cosgrove (not pictured) at a function at Government House in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 24 July 2018. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

Australian members of the Thai cave rescue team, Craig Challen (L, front) and Dr Richard Harris (rear, partially obscured) are honored with the Order of Australia and the Star of Courage by Governor General Peter Cosgrove (R) at a function at Government House in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 24 July 2018. .// EPA-EFE PHOTO

 Australian members of the Thai cave rescue team, including Dr Richard Harris (middle row, 2-L) and Craig Challen (middle row, C), and members of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are honored with the Order of Australia by Governor General Peter Cosgrove (3-L, front) at a function at Government House in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 24 July 2018. In picture are seen (L-R, first row), Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten, Lynne Cosgrove, Governor General Peter Cosgrove, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Ambassador of Thailand to Australia Nantana Sivakua. Cave diving mates Richard Harris and Craig Challen and seven other Australians were rewarded for their courageous roles in rescuing 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded Thai cave with bravery medals and Australia’s highest civilian honor on 24 July. //EPA-EFE PHOTO

The Friends of the Orangutans Malaysia (Foto) claims that the ongoing cruel treatment of Lasah in the premises of now-defunct tourism operator Langkawi Elephant Adventures (LEA) is the result of wildlife authorities not only ignoring the elephant’s plight but also its failure to enforce wildlife laws.

“LEA has shutdown. All it needs now is the government’s approval for Lasah’s freedom. Our new Prime Minister can hit the ground running regarding wildlife matters and show Malaysians that the Pakatan Harapan Government not only care about the public but animals too,” said Foto director Upreshpal Singh in a statement on Monday (July 23).

In July 2016, photos of the wild-born elephant shackled on four legs went viral and led to global public outcry.

However, Upreshpal said the latest photos that Foto received showed that nothing has changed for the elephant since a campaign was started in 2016.

He added that the welfare of the elephant has further deteriorated.

“The photographs are heartbreaking and Lasah’s treatment all these years is immoral to say the least. He was chained beyond LEA’s operational hours when not exploited for rides to paying visitors. Now that LEA has closed, nobody knows how long he is chained for,” said Upreshpal.

Foto also claimed that Lasah was once forced to work in brutal conditions at a

logging camp in Kelantan and has been used in the tourism and entertainment industry for over 25 years, including in Langkawi.

The statement added that LEA had ceased operations at its Oriental Village Langkawi premises several months ago after using Lasah for rides and other commercial ventures since 2006.

After news and photos of the elephant made headlines two years ago, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) said the department had conducted annual audit checks of the LEA premises and guidelines on the management of the elephant were being followed.

In the same month, said Foto, LEA hit back at the NGO’s accusations of abuse and denied any ill-treatment.

According to Upreshpal, zoos which chain elephants when closed do so because they refuse to spend to provide a chain-free environment yet hope the public never finds out.

“It is also common knowledge now that elephants in the tourism industry are exposed to terrible abusive lives and yet Perhilitan continues to turn a blind eye to Lasah’s plight,” he added.

Commenting on the situation, Dr Chris Draper, head of Animal Welfare and Captivity at British organisation Born Free Foundation said, “Reports of Lasah’s situation are extremely concerning: for example, the use of chaining and being kept in social isolation are both likely to be extremely detrimental to his welfare.”

“After everything he has been through, Lasah deserves better than this – the eyes of the world are on the Malaysian authorities to ensure the best possible outcome for him,” he added.

According to Foto, it sent a proposal to the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry in March 2018, then under the previous government’s administration, and to Perhilitan, to ask for approval to retire Lasah to a sanctuary in Cambodia which had offered to cover all costs involved in the transfer of the elephant to its permanent home.

“We didn’t hear back from the ministry and no news from Perhilitan to this day. He could be living free, happy and with other elephants now but instead he is still in misery,” said Upreshpal.

“My deputies and I are optimistic in allowing the media into the Parliament lobby.

“However, if there is a lack of cooperation from the media, we will be forced to revoke this change one of these days,” he said in his speech when hosting a gathering of editors and media representatives here Tuesday (July 24).

Mohamad Ariff threatened that this would happen if media personnel continued to randomly “door-stop” lawmakers, ministers and their deputies at undesignated areas in the lobby – that is, to corner these leaders into answering queries.

He said that media personnel were free to interview or question lawmakers, ministers and their deputies, but only at designated areas in the lobby.

The media also have access to the press conference room next to the MPs’ lounge and the media centre.

Mohamad Ariff said that there should be decorum outside the august House, particularly when the lobby was frequented by dignitaries, officers and members of the public.

“The reality is that the media must be responsible and have a role to play in ensuring that the image of Parliament is respected by foreign nations,” he said.

He added that no nation in the world allows media personnel to loiter and sit around freely at their respective Parliament lobbies.

Mohamad Ariff also reminded media personnel to abide by Parliament’s dress code when covering proceedings.

The death toll soared with a Red Cross official reporting the discovery of 26 bodies in the courtyard of a villa at the seaside resort of Mati.

The bodies were entwined and severely burnt, an AFP photographer at the scene said. They appeared to have been caught by the flames trying to reach the sea.

The authorities had previously announced 24 deaths and scores of injuries with the majority of casualties found in their homes or cars in Mati, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of the capital.

Of the injured, 11 people were in serious condition.

Smoke rise over an avenue during a forest fire in Neo Voutsa, a northeast suburb of Athens, Greece, 23 July 2018. After the wildfire in Kineta a second wildfire broke out in the Penteli Mountain. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

Port authorities told AFP they had found four bodies in the sea, including three women and a child who had apparently tried to escape the flames.

There were fears the toll may rise further, as people remained unaccounted for.

– ‘National tragedy’ –

Interior Minister Panos Skourletis said rescue workers were “still searching if there are more missing”.

“It’s a national tragedy,” civil protection agency official Ioanna Tsoupra told public broadcaster ERT.

By dawn Tuesday, fires were still burning around the capital, while others broke out elsewhere during the night.

Authorities were trying to evacuate inhabitants, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said.

Burned cars remain after a fire in Argyra Akti, Mati, close to Nea Makri, in Attica, Greece, 24 July 2018. Another 26 charred bodies were found in Argyra Akti. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

“Fifteen fires had started simultaneously on three different fronts in Athens”, he said, prompting Greece to request drones from the United States, “to observe and detect any suspicious activity”.

Nine coastal patrol boats, two military vessels and “dozens of private boats” assisted by army helicopters were mobilised to help those stuck in the harbour in Rafina, one of the worst affected areas close to Mati.

Evacuees were transferred to hotels and military camps, while worried relatives flocked to the area.

Police in the town said they found two Danish tourists out of a group of 10 in a boat at sea off the town and were trying to locate the others.

Civil protection chief Yannis Kapakis said he had told Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who cut short a visit to Bosnia to return home, that winds up to 100 kilometres (60 miles) an hour were creating “an extreme situation”.

Forecasters said conditions would remain challenging on Tuesday, although showers and falling temperatures were expected in Athens.

In the north, more than 300 firefighters, five aircraft and two helicopters were mobilised to tackle the “extremely difficult” situation, Athens fire chief Achille Tzouvaras said.

– Children evacuated –

Video footage showed inhabitants fleeing the fires by car, with several buildings and homes damaged, as the region of Attica — which includes Athens — declared a state of emergency.

“If I hadn’t left, I’d have been burned,” a 67-year-old resident named Maria told AFP.

Near the town of Marathon, residents fled to safety along the beach, while 600 children were evacuated from holiday camps in the area.

Tsipras said “all emergency forces have been mobilised” to battle fires along at least three fronts.

Memders of Red Cross give fist-aid to residents after a fire in Argyra Akti, Mati, close to Nea Makri, in Attica, Greece, 24 July 2018. Another 26 charred bodies were found in Argyra Akti. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

“I am really concerned by the parallel outbreak of these fires,” he said, with officials raising the possibility they could have been started deliberately by criminals out to ransack abandoned homes.

Fires are a common problem in Greece during the summer and can be major killers.

Fires in 2007 on the southern island of Evia claimed 77 lives.

– Sweden battles 27 fires –

The Greek government has asked the European Union for help fighting the fires.

In recent days, wildfires have also caused widespread damage in northern Europe.

Sweden is experiencing an unprecedented drought and the highest temperatures in a century.

On Monday, the Nordic nation’s civil protection agency MSB said there were 27 active fires across the country, as temperatures were expected to soar as high as 35 Celsius this week.

Burned cars remain after a fire in Argyra Akti, Mati, close to Nea Makri, in Attica, Greece, 24 July 2018. Another 26 charred bodies were found in Argyra Akti. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

Several European countries including France, Italy and Germany have sent planes, trucks and firefighters to help tackle the blazes in Sweden, where usual summer temperatures are closer to 23 Celsius.

Some 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) of land has already gone up in smoke or continues to burn — an area twice the size of the city of Paris.

At least four of the fires had not been brought under control, MSB said, and weather conditions were unfavourable.

– No rain since May –

There has been practically no rain since the beginning of May in Sweden.

The Forestry Bureau said Monday put the value of the destroyed forests at 900 million kronor (87 million euros, $102 million).

Meanwhile in Finland’s northernmost Lapland province, fires have ravaged woods and grassland close to the border with Russia.

Norway, which experienced its hottest May temperatures on record, has also seen several small fires, and one firefighter was killed on July 15 trying to contain a blaze.

Fires have raged for five days in Latvia, destroying more than 800 hectares in the Baltic state’s western regions.

Global Witness said it had documented 207 cases where activists were killed while trying to protect land from development, often for the production of consumer staples such as coffee and palm oil, making 2017 the deadliest year on record for environmentalists.

“As global demand for these products increases, there’s a scramble by business actors to get the massive amount of land they need to grow these products,” Ben Leather, senior campaigner at Global Witness, told AFP.

“When people dare to stand up for their rights and demand that the environment be protected they are silenced in the most brutal way.”

The watchdog said it had found evidence that government actors — soldiers or police — were responsible for 53 of the deaths.

“That’s only the triggermen so we can guess that in the cases where criminal gangs or other non-state actors carried out the attacks, the state may well have been involved,” Leather said.

“While in a shocking number of cases state actors pulled the trigger, in other cases where the government allowed businesses to enter without protecting local rights, they’re also complicit in the murders of these activists.”

Global Witness’ report on environmentalist killings documents harrowing crimes around the world against communities daring to speak out against big businesses and government-led development.

These include murder, but also death threats, intimidation, arrests, cyber attacks, sexual assault and lawsuits.

It links the violence to what we put on our shelves: mass-scale agriculture, mining, logging and poaching all produce ingredients for everyday products such as palm oil for cosmetics, soy for beef and timber for furniture.

Brazil was the most dangerous country for land activists in 2017 with 57 killed, while the Philippines accounted for 48.

‘Weakening protection’

“Governments have a legal and ethical duty to protect human rights defenders but they’re usually attacking them verbally and, as our statistics show, through their armed forces who are conducting some of the killings,” Leather said.

Global Witness singled out the government of Brazilian President Michel Temer for special criticism, accusing his administration of seeking to reduce regulation on big agribusiness during what is an election year.

“Michel Temer and the Brazilian legislature are actively weakening the laws and institutions designed to protect land rights and indigenous peoples,” the report said.

“At the same time, they have set about making it easier for big business — apparently unperturbed by the devastating human and environmental cost of their activities — to accelerate their exploitation of fragile ecosystems.”

In addition to being the deadliest single year for environmentalists since Global Witness began documenting their deaths, 2017 saw the most massacres of land activists on record.

The watchdog found seven cases in which more than four activists were killed at the same time, including the massacre of eight villagers protesting a coffee plantation by soldiers in the Philippines.

‘My life is at risk’

By far the most frequent victims of violence were indigenous peoples, who are often already maligned by governments and society.

“Of course, my life is at risk,” said activist Mario do Socorro Costa da Silva, who campaigns with indigenous communities in Brazil against hydro aluminium factories.

“I receive death threats 24 hours a day because I’m not going to shut my mouth in the face of this atrocity.”

As well as calling for more accountability and greater protection for at-risk communities, Leather said agribusiness investors and even consumers could help reduce the violence by demanding better transparency.

“We should be asking questions of those producing the products on our shelves,” he said.

“The palm oil sector absolutely needs to clean itself up and anyone investing needs to do proper due diligence to know that their money is not going to fund land grabs, human rights abuses and ultimately killings of those who denounce it.”