Boy’s illness ‘not linked’ to toxic spill
GOPENG • There is no proof so far to show that the toxic waste spill at Johor’s Sungai Kim Kim in March caused a 12-year-old boy to suffer trembling bouts from myokymia, Malaysia’s Deputy Health Minister Lee Boon Chye said yesterday.
The parents of Irfan Wafiy Idham Wazir had claimed that their son developed the Parkinson’s-like condition after experiencing breathing difficulties from the pollution incident at Sungai Kim Kim.
The minister said the authorities had conducted background checks on Irfan and found that he was born prematurely and had a history of fits since he was four.
THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Trump blames teleprompter for gaffe
WASHINGTON • US President Donald Trump has blamed a faulty teleprompter for a gaffe in his Fourth of July speech, in which he claimed that the Continental Army “took over airports” during the Revolutionary War, more than a century before the dawn of aviation. On Friday, Mr Trump chalked up his mistakes to teleprompter problems and the rain.
“The teleprompter did go out and it was actually hard to look at anyway because there was rain all over it but despite the rain, it was just a fantastic evening,” Mr Trump told reporters afterwards, according to Time magazine.
DPA
Baby dugongs win hearts in Thailand
BANGKOK • A second orphaned baby dugong found stranded on a southern Thai beach has been named Jamil by Princess Sirivannavari, officials said yesterday, as sea cow craze sweeps the kingdom.
The newly named dugong was found last Monday with scratches on its back and is now rehabilitating at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre.
Interest in ocean conservation was sparked last month when a baby dugong was washed ashore. The marine mammal, named Mariam, has since become a social media star with photos and videos of it being cradled, fed and swimming going viral.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE