Syachrul Anto, 48, who died on Friday, was part of the team searching for body parts and debris from the jet in the Java Sea.

“He was a volunteer with the Search and Rescue Agency,” Isswarto, commander of the Indonesian navy’s search and rescue division, told AFP.

It is believed he died from decompression, he added.

Anto had previously served in Palu which suffered from an earthquake and tsunami in September and also took part in the evacuation process of an Air Asia plane crash nearly four years ago.

The Lion Air plane which plummeted Monday was on route from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang city on Sumatra island.

It plunged into the water just minutes after takeoff, killing everyone on board.

Officials on Thursday retrieved the Flight Data Recorder but are still searching for the second black box, the Cockpit Voice Recorder, which could answer the question as to why the brand new Boeing-737 MAX 8 crashed.

The budget carrier’s admission that the doomed jet had a technical issue on a previous flight — as well its abrupt fatal dive — have raised questions about whether it had mechanical faults specific to the new model.

At least 73 bags containing body parts have been retrieved from the waters so far but only four have been identified.

Founded in 1999, Lion Air is a budget airline operating in Indonesia and in some parts of Southeast Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

But it has been plagued by safety concerns and customer complaints over unreliable scheduling and poor service.

The carrier has been involved in a number of incidents including a fatal 2004 crash and a collision between two Lion Air planes at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport.

Oxford Internet Institute researchers concluded that Facebook and Twitter remain filled with “extremist, sensationalist, conspiratorial, masked commentary,” and other forms of “low-quality” news.

In analyzing some 2.5 million tweets and 6,986 Facebook pages over a 30-day period, the study found that less than five percent of the sources referenced on social media were from public agencies, experts or political candidates themselves.

“We found that the proportion of junk news circulating over social media has increased in the US since 2016, with users sharing higher proportions of junk news than links to professional content overall,” the report released Thursday said.

It added that “junk news once concentrated among President (Donald) Trump’s support base has now spread to include communities of mainstream political conservatives.”

Philip Howard, director of the institute and a study author, said the latest research did not seek to analyze how much of the content came from automated accounts or “bots,” or whether it was directed from foreign entities.

But he noted that “this style of producing junk news probably has a Russian origin,” adding, “that’s what the Russians used in the 2016 election, and now there are domestic sources copying that style.”

– Tweaks not enough? –

Howard said the efforts by Twitter and Facebook to root out misinformation amounted to “tweaks,” and that “the evidence suggests little tweaks don’t add up to a big impact.”

As part of the research, the authors created an online tool to allow anyone to follow and analyze low-quality news and posts.

Responding to the study, Twitter and Facebook questioned the conclusions and methods used by the researchers.

“We respect and appreciate strong independent research but we challenge some of the findings here,” a Twitter spokeswoman said in a statement to AFP.

“Many of the links deemed as ‘junk’ by the researchers are media outlets that reflect views within American society. Banning them from our service would be a knee-jerk reaction and would severely hinder public debate, the potential for counter narratives to take hold, and meaningful discussion of news consumption.”

Twitter said many of the sources cited in the study were “not foreign, not bots, and for the most part not coordinated. They are real people sharing news that reflects their views.”

– Opposite conclusions –

Facebook pointed to other research suggesting a decline in misinformation. “The conclusions drawn in this research shouldn’t be seen as the authority on this topic,” Facebook said in a statement.

“The central takeaway of this study — that, ‘the proportion of junk news circulating over social media has increased since 2016’ — is actually based on data from Twitter and then applied to ‘social media’ more broadly.”

The Oxford researchers said that its definition of “junk” is based on specific criteria, including a lack of professional journalism practices, use of hyperbole or misleading headlines, and relying on untrustworthy sources of information.

Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University professor specializing in social media who is not affiliated with the Oxford study, said she was not surprised by the findings because of the design of social networks.

“Because clicks lead to revenue, social networks elevate junk news,” she said.

“If we are starting to feel like this is a world of reality TV, it’s by design, That’s how the system was built.”

Grygiel said that Twitter’s algorithms give priority to “verified” users, but that those who get the verification badge are more likely to be celebrities than academics or intellectuals, and this can result in proliferation of gossip and “tabloid-style” news.

She noted that while social networks have begun to crack down on “coordinated and inauthentic” efforts by foreign entities, this has not impacted what many consider as “low quality” news.

“I wouldn’t say they’re focused on downgrading tabloid content,” Grygiel said.

On Sunday, the 40-year-old mother of one will be taking part in her fourth marathon — in New York — “a dream come true.”

The professional life coach began her running career began in 2010, when she took part in a short race and came last.

“When I got to the finish line, there was no finish line left, everybody had left and gone home,” she tells AFP, dressed in black leggings and a pink hoodie, her blonde hair in a pony tail after a quick jog in Central Park.

She remembers feeling “very embarrassed and thinking maybe I shouldn’t be a runner, maybe I am not welcome in the running world.” So she decided to inspire other women of a similar shape.

“That’s when I started writing the blog,” called “Too Fat to Run,” she says.

The London Olympics later inspired her to run her first marathon.

“I’ve done maybe 30 half marathons and ultra marathons and triathlons… anything that kind of challenges me,” she says.

“For me it’s about inspiring women of all shapes and sizes to give it a go,” she says.

“I feel quite passionate about larger women running, because we weren’t very visible in the running world. When you think runner, you think tall, slim, fast, and lots of people want to run for lots of other reasons.”

Creffield, who says she does not know how much she weighs, wears a dress size 18 in Britain, which is a 16 in the United States.

– ‘Heckled a lot’ –

It is in Central Park, where the fall leaves are already turning yellow, that Creffield hopes to cross the finish line along with the more than 50,000 other runners taking part from around the world.

The average time to complete the New York marathon, which takes in the city’s five boroughs, is four hours, 35 minutes.

Last year’s winner, Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya, romped home in two hours, 10 minutes, 53 seconds.

Creffield calculates that it’ll take her between six and a half, and seven and a half hours. She’ll run as much as she can, and walk when she needs a breather.

People take up running for all kinds of reasons, she says, not only to lose weight or get in shape, but to counter depression, to socialize or even carve out a little me time.

Although she has been heckled and insulted for running, Creffield stops at nothing and is confident that little by little, attitudes are changing.

“I’ve had things thrown from car windows at me when I train. I got heckled a lot of the time. It tends to be either children or grown men. Sometimes people shout things they think are motivating, but they are not,” she says.

“Because you’re big, they think you’re new to running and they shout things like ‘it gets easier!’ and I’m like ‘no it doesn’t, I’ve been running for 15 years and this is my pace,'” Creffield smiles.

“There are so many more things that define us as women than what we look like.”

Although some people want marathons reserved only for elite runners, a growing majority — especially in New York — believe they should be open to as wide a pool of people as possible.

“Our mission at New York Road Runners is to help and inspire people through running, regardless of their age or ability. Everyone is welcome,” explains Chris Weiller, spokesman for the group that organizes the marathon.

The European Union has threatened to impose trade sanctions on Myanmar if it does not address the widespread human rights violations against the Rohingyas in Rakhine and other minorities in Kachin and Shan states.

“The EU stands ready to provide necessary support to Myanmar to address the concerns of the international community. Nevertheless, withdrawal of trade preferences is a clear possibility if other channels of cooperation have failed to reach results,” it said.

The warning comes following a visit by a monitoring mission of experts from the EU and the European External Action Service to Myanmar from October 28-31.

In a statement on Thursday, European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström said, “Trade, done right, is a powerful force for good. Since several years, we have worked to ensure that trade preferences and access to the EU market are an incentive to promote fundamental human and labour rights.

“We now expect Myanmar to address the severe shortcomings that have been highlighted during this monitoring mission. If they do not act, Myanmar authorities are putting their country’s tariff-free access to the EU market in danger.”

The Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme has proved to be vital for the economic and social development of the country. The preferential exports from Myanmar to the EU have risen sharply from €535 million in 2015 to €1.3 billion in 2017.

The EU expressed serious concerns about the disproportionate use of Myanmar military and security forces against Rohingyas.

Over 720,000 Rohingyas fled violence in Rakhine since August last year. Last week, UN investigators said genocide against the Rohingyas was “ongoing” and that as many as 400,000 Rohingyas still remaining in Myanmar live under severe restrictions and repression.

Earlier, the US had imposed targeted sanctions against Myanmar military commanders and army units, while Australia slapped sanctions on five generals responsible for human rights violations.

Human Rights Watch has demanded immediate suspension of the proposed repatriation of Rohingya starting from mid-November, arguing it would put the refugees in dire conditions in Myanmar.

“Myanmar’s government keeps talking about returns, but it has done nothing to allay the Rohingya’s fears of being returned to the same violence and oppression they fled,” said HRW Refugee Rights Director Bill Frelick in a statement yesterday.

“If Bangladesh moves forward on repatriations without the UN, it will squander the international goodwill it has accrued over the past year as a host to Rohingya refugees,” he said.

Bangladesh and Myanmar officials, after a meeting in Dhaka on October 31, announced a “very concrete plan” to begin repatriations in mid-November.

The 2,000 Rohingya identified to take part in the initial returns were selected from a list of 8,032 refugees that Bangladesh presented to Myanmar in February.

In June, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and UN Development Programme signed a memorandum of understanding with Myanmar to facilitate the returns. They have since begun limited assessments in Rakhine, HRW said.

Yet Bangladesh and Myanmar officials did not consult with UNHCR or Rohingya refugees if they volunteer to return.

“This repatriation plan is just Myanmar’s latest attempt to deflect international criticism from its brutal ethnic cleansing campaign for which no one has been brought to justice,” Frelick said, urging donors not to fund this “dangerous plan”.

The UNHCR spokesman, Andrej Mahecic, told Voice of America: “Because we consider that conditions in Rakhine state are not yet conducive to voluntary return in the conditions of safety, dignity and sustainability, UNHCR will not, at this stage, facilitate any refugee returns to Rakhine state.”

The refugee agency reported this week that it was not involved in preparation, transmission or receipt of the list (of Rohingya returnees) nor in its verification and clearing.

Meanwhile, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Parliamentarians for Human Rights also urged Bangladesh and Myanmar to halt the repatriation at this stage.

“This is a poorly-thought plan,” said Malaysian MP Charles Santiago, head of the body, reports Reuters, adding that Myanmar is not safe enough for the Rohingyas yet.

    Badiucao, who was born in Shanghai but is based in Australia and whose real name and identity are not known, has carved a reputation for his images satirising political suppression by Chinese authorities.

His first solo international exhibition was due to open in Hong Kong Saturday and was billed as a “black comedy for Hong Kong, China and the world”, taking in themes of authority and freedom of speech.

“We are sorry to announce that the exhibition ‘Gongle’ by Chinese artist Badiucao has been cancelled out of safety concerns,” said the statement on the news website Hong Kong Free Press, one of the event organisers.

    “The decision follows threats made by the Chinese authorities relating to the artist.

“While the organisers value freedom of expression, the safety of our partners remains a major concern,” the statement said.

One organiser told AFP that the threats related directly to the works in the show.

The organiser would not say which Chinese authorities had made the threats or give any further detail.

Badiucao had already pulled out of appearing in person Saturday at the opening, and was going to answer reporters’ questions by video link.

A chair based a torture device was on stage at the venue when AFP visited Friday. Other artworks were bubble-wrapped.

Badiucao did not immediately respond to a message from AFP.

There was also due to be a panel discussion including pro-democracy campaigner Joshua Wong and Russian protest punk band Pussy Riot as part of the launch event.

“The fact that an artist is threatened due to a simple art exhibition which celebrates freedom of expression is an outrage,” Wong told AFP after the cancellation was announced.

Patrick Poon, China Researcher at Amnesty International, the co-organiser of the exhibition said he was shocked to learn of the cancellation.

“Of course, the art work itself may be considered as provocative or politically sensitive by the Chinese government, but the exhibition is supposed to be happening in Hong Kong where we enjoy freedom of expression enshrined in Hong Kong’s Basic Law,” Poon told AFP.

The Hong Kong government and Beijing’s liaison office have not responded to questions about the cancellation of the event. A spokesperson from China’s foreign ministry in Hong Kong said he is not aware of the exhibition.

It is the latest blow to freedom of expression in Hong Kong as China tightens its grip on the semi-autonomous city.

Hong Kong has rights unseen on the mainland, protected by an agreement made before the city was handed back to China by Britain in 1997, but there are serious concerns those freedoms are under threat.

There was a major backlash against Hong Kong authorities when they denied a visa without explanation to a Financial Times journalist last month who had chaired a press club talk by a Hong Kong independence activist.

Some artists have told AFP previously that they are now sending their works out of Hong Kong for safekeeping in fear of what lies ahead for the city.

Essentially, one can find a beverage that suits every palate and price.

But with all those choices at hand, there is one venue that stands out as a must visit in the boom tourism destination in Cambodia’s north.

Asana Bar, which strives to offer patrons a new experience, opened almost seven years ago. It is still able to maintain its “cut above the rest” stature, thanks to its unique cocktails that are a mix of Khmer kitchen ingredients and white wine.

One of a kind

Located in the centre of town, patronising this one-of-a-kind bar gives visitors the impression they have arrived in a village. The traditional design of Asana Bar is due to the fact that it used to be a family home in the 1960s.

Considered a contemporary “modern house” when it was built, today it is said to be the last traditional house in the Phsar Chas area and stands as evidence of the progress Siem Reap, which was once a sleepy hollow, has made.

The bar’s owner, Un Sophary, says she is proud to be able to show off a rural, Khmer-style house in Siem Reap to the foreign guests who flock there.

“They go wow! and ask where the house comes from? But they are not the only ones in awe,” she says.

“Our younger generation Khmers are just as surprised at the design since they know very little of Khmer traditions, especially of how houses used to be built decades ago.”

Dwen Franke, a guest at Asana, says: “When I heard of a bar designed from a traditional wooden house in the centre of the town, it piqued my interest.

“I had not been to Southeast Asia before arriving in Cambodia. This is an experience of a lifetime.”

Trial and error

Asana Bar mainly serves traditional Khmer and Western cocktails created by Sophary, who says she uses ingredients such as turmeric, ginger, a paddy herb, kaffir lime leaves and white rice wine.

“Initially I made only non-alcoholic cocktails from ginger, lemongrass and tamarind, among others. But because I had no market, I started to blend in some spirits,” she says. “And over time, I expanded the range to offer more unique ones that have become popular.”

Sophary says her cocktail blends are unique, and nobody else has managed to copy the recipes thus far.

Apart from the white wine that is blended into the cocktails, the rest of the ingredients are uniquely Khmer, she stresses.

She even teaches guests how to mix cocktails like Asana Sling for US$15 (about Bt500), which includes a plate of snacks.

Pointing to a patron, Sophary says: “She created a tamarind water cocktail.”

Asana Bar is open from 5pm to 2am and located at house No 7, Modul 1 Village (second entrance in front of the provincial hospital) near Pub Street in Siem Reap.

Nafirah Siman, who has since turned 18, sued teacher Jainal Jamran for not turning up to teach English classes at SMK Taun Gasi, in Kota Belud, Sabah in 2015, back when she was in Form 4.

Malaysiakini reported that the suit was filed through law firm Roxana & Co on Oct 16. The suit also named the school’s headmaster Suid Hanapi and SMK Taun Gusi, the Kota Belud district education officer, the Sabah education director-general, the Education Ministry and the government as defendants.

The news portal noted that the case has been fixed for mention on Nov 19.

Malaysiakini reported that despite multiple complaints received – including from a Fullbright senior English teacher assistant grantee seconded to the school and the school’s English Department’s head – the authorities, namely the Education Ministry, the state Education Department and the headmaster, had failed to act.

Narifah claimed Suid had tried to cover-up the teacher’s absenteeism by asking him to “fabricate” his attendance to show that he was absent for only two months.

Malaysiakini noted that Sabahan is seeking a declaration that the defendants are in breach of their statutory duty under the Education Act by failing to ensure that she was taught the subject during the period of absenteeism, and that this violated her constitutional right for access to education.

She also wants a declaration that there was a breach in duty and misfeasance in public office. Narifah is also seeking exemplary, general and aggravated damages, including costs.

“I am very open and thankful if anyone wants to reproach me or give me advice, because if someone is wrong, they should be reproached and reminded,” Tretan said in a YouTube video posted on Tuesday.

“But curses, insults, persecution, condoning the killing of me and my friend and death threats toward me and people close to me – I am sure that those things do not reflect Islamic teachings.”

Nevertheless, both Tretan and Coki apologized for any offense caused by the video and announced they were leaving comedy group Majelis Lucu Indonesia (MLI) because of the brouhaha.

They said several MLI events had been canceled because of protests from Muslim organizations over Tretan and Coki’s video.

“Not just from Majelis Lucu Indonesia; the two of us are also leaving Indonesia’s entertainment scene,” Tretan said.

Coki added that the pair would concentrate on improving their knowledge of comedy and other matters before returning.

The “blasphemous” video was part of Tretan’s comedic cooking series “Last Hope Kitchen”, where he and other comedians prepare dishes with unusual ingredients. Previous examples include chicken soup with herbal drink Adem Sari and rawon (beef soup) with isotonic drink UC1000.

In the video, Tretan, a Muslim, teamed up with Coki, a Christian, to cook pork with date syrup and honey.

Tretan joked that he could hear the pork saying “Hell, hell, the fires of hell!” and the two speculated on whether adding dates, which Muslims are encouraged to consume when breaking the fast, would reduce the haram level of the pork.

The video went viral after popular preacher Derry Sulaiman posted a short clip of it on his Instagram account on Oct. 20 with a message condemning the two comedians.

“Who are these people? [They are] disrespectful, they want to be famous by making fun of our religion,” he wrote. “Please tell me where these two people live, I want to hear their jokes in person (that are not funny at all).” The post has since been deleted.

Comedy has long been part of Indonesian culture, and some high-profile figures, including late cleric Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, are known to have often joked about religion.

But the rise of religious conservatism and what scholars called the “weaponization” of the blasphemy law by radical groups seemed to have created a climate of fear where anything remotely considered as blasphemous could land an individual in jail.

Sultan Nazrin Shah, who is the Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong, will exercise the functions in the absence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V, who will be resting following treatment during that period.

Article 33 of the Federal Constitution provides for the Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong to perform the duties of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in the absence of His Majesty.

Sultan Nazrin Shah signed an instrument of declaration to discharge the duties of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at the Istana Hinggap Perak here Friday.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Chief Secretary to the Government Datuk Seri Ismail Bakar and Chief Justice Tan Sri Richard Malanjum were also present.