Today’s News Briefs include bunkers for the rich, Iraqi marriage law, zoologist raped and killed puppies, gun lawsuits dismissed.
Famous zoologist guilty of sexually abusing, killing puppies
The BBC reports a renowned British crocodile expert has been “jailed for 10 years and five months in Australia, after admitting to sexually abusing dozens of dogs, in a case which horrified the nation.” Famous zoologist Adam Britton, who has worked on National Geographic and BBC productions, pleaded guilty to 56 charges relating to bestiality and animal cruelty. Puppies accounted for 39 of the dead dogs. He also admitted to four counts of accessing child abuse material. “The Northern Territory (NT) Supreme Court heard the 53-year-old filmed himself torturing the animals until almost all died, and then shared the videos online under pseudonyms.” Details of the crimes are too graphic to publish, and so “grotesque” Chief Justice Michael Grant warned the courtroom they could cause “nervous shock” the BBC reports. As the facts of the case were read aloud, some members of the public rushed outside while others became physically ill.
Lowering age of marriage to 9 for girls in Iraq
Nine-year-old girls could be forced into marriage under a proposed change to Iraq’s Personal Status Law. The law is being pushed by Islamist Shiite parliamentarians with critics fearing it could fuel sectarianism in the country and empower religious clerics over civil courts, according to The National. “Would politicians let their nine-year-old daughter get married? I’m sure not but they would allow the oppressed Iraqi population to do so,” Suhalia Al Assam, a women’s rights activist, told The National on Wednesday. The current law, passed in the 1950s under a secular government, is the most protective of women’s rights in the Middle East. US women’s groups have yet to speak out.
Judge dismisses 7 of 8 Mexican lawsuits over guns
A U.S. federal judge again dismissed a $10 billion Mexican government lawsuit against six U.S. gun manufacturers on Wednesday. Mexico accused the companies without proof that they knew guns were being sold then smuggled into Mexico. The judge ruled that Mexico had not provided concrete evidence that any of the six companies’ activities were connected to any suffering caused in Mexico by guns, the AP reports. The lawsuit against one gun company and a wholesaler was allowed to proceed.
Super-rich building bunkers
CNN reports that more of the world’s richest people are inquiring about building end-of-the-world bunkers or outfitting their homes. Specialists in the growing industry “have reported a bump in inquiries since reports surfaced last year of a huge compound that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is building in Hawaii, which, public planning documents revealed, includes a 5,000 sq ft underground shelter with living space, a plant and mechanical room to keep the bunker operational, and an escape hatch. Bill Gates reportedly has bunkers under all of his many homes.” Al Corbi, who has been at the forefront of secure luxury for 50 years as the president and founder of SAFE (Strategically Armored & Fortified Environments), says billionaires have always been wise to danger, but he has now noticed far more inquiries from millionaires who might traditionally have been content with standard security measures.
–Dwight Widaman and wire services