Saharan Ghostly Cheetah Captured In Photo.

An elusive Saharan cheetah recently came into the spotlight in Niger, Africa, where a hidden camera snapped photos of the ghostly cat, whose pale coat and emaciated appearance distinguish it from other cheetahs.

In one of the images the sleek, light-colored cat with small spots on its coat and a small head is turning in the direction of the camera, its eyes aglow.

Its appearance, and how the Saharan cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki) is genetically related to other cheetahs is open to question, said John Newby, CEO of the Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF), who is part of the team, along with SCF's Thomas Rabeil and others, who captured the camera-trap snapshots between July ad August. What they know about this species comes from the few photos they've managed to capture. 

Source : live-science

Lunar Eclipse Photos in Australia

 

THE sun, moon and the Earth aligned last night to create a rare lunar eclipse coinciding with the southern hemisphere's summer solstice.

This spectacular event was the first time the southern summer and northern hemispehere's winter solstice had occurred simultaneously in almost four centuries.The last time this occurred was in 1638.The best view had been expected in Brisbane, with a full lunar eclipse lasting 13 minutes from 6.40pm (AEDT), but cloud cover and bad weather hindered much of the view for star-gazers.

But lucky Sydney and Canberra residents were treated to a spectacular partial eclipse later in the evening, as clear skies allowed for a 45-minute view of the shadowed moon.All states except Western Australia were able to catch a glimpse of the spectacle.

Meanwhile across America and Europe, people were greeted with the celestial treat in the early hours of the morning as a total lunar eclipse transformed the moon to blood-red.

The eclipse gave the moon a blood-red hue as it moved through the Earth's shadow.Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth lines up between the sun and the moon, blocking its rays to the moon.  ~Daily Telegraph

Grace Mugabe sues over WikiLeaks report

The wife of Zimbabwe's president has sued a Zimbabwean newspaper for $15 million following its publication of allegations that she was linked to and profited from illegal diamond sales in the southern African country. 

According to papers filed at the High Court in Harare Wednesday, Grace Mugabe, the wife of President Robert Mugabe, is suing The Standard for defamation after its report based on diplomatic cables released by the website WikiLeaks.

The cables in question, from the U.S. Embassy in Harare, claimed that Zimbabwe's first lady was among the senior Zanu-PF and government officials who were gaining huge profits from the smuggling of diamonds in the eastern part of Zimbabwe.

"The diamonds that are sold to regime members and elites are sold for freshly printed Zimbabwean notes issued by the RBZ (Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe)," the paper quoted a 2008 cable as saying.

"The cables suggested that (the head of the bank, Gideon) Gono kept the money printing press running to finance the purchase of diamonds and this could have accelerated hyperinflation, which eventually rendered the Zimbabwe dollar worthless," the newspaper charged.

Grace Mugabe said in the suit that the report published Sunday by The Standard was "false, scandalous, malicious and bent on damaging (her) reputation."

The documents said the newspaper wrongly suggested that Grace Mugabe had "used her position as the First Lady to access diamonds clandestinely, enriching herself in circumstances in which the country was facing serious foreign currency shortages, which amounts should have been channeled to the fiscus.

"The imputation of such conduct on a person of such high standing, the mother of the nation, is to lower the respect with which she is held by all right thinking persons, to a point of disappearance," the lawsuit said.

Chris Mhike, an attorney for the newspaper, said the summons is being studied "and in due course we shall respond.

"But looking at most of the claims, so far, I can say they are just meant to harass the press," he said.

Foster Dongozi, a spokesman for the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, said the group was "concerned" about the lawsuit.

"We condemn suing newspapers for merely reproducing something which is in the public domain. It is one way of trying to frustrate access to information, and to squeeze newspapers out of existence. As a union, we are really concerned that a crackdown on journalists may resurface," he said. Source : CNN

Malaysia Summons Singaporean Diplomat

Malaysia on Tuesday summoned Singapore's ambassador to hand over a protest over "unjustified" remarks made by officials of the city-state and revealed by WikiLeaks.

Confidential diplomatic notes given by the whistle-blower website to Australia's Fairfax media group contained unflattering Singaporean assessments of its Asian allies, among them its neighbour Malaysia.

They reportedly included senior officials saying Kuala Lumpur lacked competent leadership and as a result, "the situation in neighbouring Malaysia is confused and dangerous".

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman summoned T. Jasudasen, Singapore's high commissioner, and handed him a protest note over the "unjustified comments" made by Singaporean diplomats, the ministry said in a statement.

"The foreign minister also conveyed Malaysia's deep concern and displeasure over the comments as revealed by WikiLeaks and subsequently reported in the media," it added.

Singapore Monday expressed confidence that the WikiLeaks revelations would not hurt its "robust" ties with Malaysia, Thailand, India and Japan, all of which were the subjects of scathing comments by its officials.

According to a reported cable dated September 2008, Singaporean diplomats have said there is a "distinct possibility of racial conflict" in Malaysia which would see ethnic Chinese "flee" the country and "overwhelm" Singapore.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was reportedly described as "an opportunist" who "would not hesitate" to be critical of Singapore if "it is expedient for him to do so".

Singapore leaders also believe Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had sex with a male aide in a honey trap set by his enemies, a charge which Anwar has vehemently denied.

Anwar's supporters Tuesday handed a letter to Singapore's mission denouncing the remarks.

Source : Sin Chew Jit Poh

Gangguan Seksual Kepada Lelaki

Lazimnya golongan wanita sering dikaitkan sebagai mangsa gangguan seksual kaum lelaki di tempat kerja.

Bagaimanapun, satu kajian membuktikan sebaliknya apabila kini golongan lelaki juga tidak terlepas daripada menjadi sasaran kepada tingkah laku bersifat seksual yang dilakukan oleh kaum hawa.

Menurut Ketua Laboratari Perubahan Sosial, Ekonomi dan Keamanan, Institut Pengajian Sains Sosial Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Dr. Jamilah Othman (gambar), meskipun fenomena itu agak janggal tetapi ia kerap terjadi di tempat-tempat kerja sejak kebelakangan ini.

Kajian kualitatif yang bertajuk Penyelesaian Konflik Gangguan Seksual di Agensi-Agensi Kerajaan di Semenanjung Malaysia yang menemu bual sekumpulan responden pihak atasan mendedahkan fenomena itu memang berlaku.

“Saya telah menemu bual lelaki yang bertaraf bos dan mereka sendiri memaklumkan sindrom berkenaan. Kebanyakan pekerja bawahan wanita didapati suka mengganggu mereka,” katanya ketika ditemui di sini baru-baru ini.

Jamilah memberitahu, perlakuan itu berlaku ekoran sikap wanita kini yang lebih terbuka, berani dan tujuan mereka sememangnya bermotif jahat.

“Wanita-wanita dalam kumpulan ini sanggup berbuat begitu kerana rakus untuk segera dinaikkan pangkat tanpa perlu bekerja keras,” ujarnya. Sumber : Kosmo Online
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