Plans to serve up local kangaroo meat have angered animal activists in the state of Victoria, Australia’s Herald Sun (Aug 10) reveals. A senior Liberal MP suggested that rather than importing meat from other states, Victoria should ditch a ban that prohibits the kangaroos killed for population control being processed for meat. But not everyone is keen on home-grown ‘roo meat: “The Liberal Party will not get elected pursuing this stupid policy,” a long-time kangaroo campaigner said.
Greek police officers assigned to act as bodyguards for celebrities, VIPs and politicians have been ordered to return to their normal duties. An investigation was prompted by complaints that public resources were being wasted on guarding high-profile personalities, ekathimerini.com (Aug 10) reports. As a result about 300 police personnel will be returning to workaday duties. Some of the VIPs, however, are reluctant to let their bodyguards go, and are fighting the reforms.
Shaky hands are no good if you need to fire a pistol, police officers in Malaysia have been told. “We have many fence-sitters among us,” the Inspector-General of Police told delegates at a police quality convention, highlighting the problem of officers who refuse to learn to use computers and other modern gadgets. He also said that police officers needed to “improve their work quality and sharpen their minds” if they wanted to be addressed as “Sir”, New Straits Times (Aug 10) reports.
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It’s dangerous work, but New Zealanders are keen to do it: hundreds of Kiwi police officers are pursuing lucrative contracts in Iraq. The New Zealand Herald (Aug 11) reports that serving police officers are working in Iraq in defiance of police policy. It suggests that many officers are on unpaid leave, and were unlikely to have cleared their work with their managers before setting off for Iraq.
Punishment awaits Bangalore parents who fail to send their children to school: they could face compulsory community service, The Times of India (Aug 7) reports. The Right to Education Bill 2006 will also ensure that teachers are not deployed for any “non-educational purpose” other than census and election duties, and disaster relief work.
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