Canadian governor eats seal heart raw to support hunters

BEIJING, May 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Canada's Governor General Michalle Jeancut out the heart of a seal and ate it rawto show her support for the country's seal hunters.

Jean, the representative of Queen Elizabeth II as Canada's head of state, gutted the seal and swallowed a slice of the mammal's heart lateMonday during an official Arctic trip.AEU vote earlier this month banned seal products on grounds that the seal hunt is cruel.

Sheknelt over the carcass of a freshly slaughtered seal and used a traditional ulu blade to cut through the flesh and slice off some meat. She then asked one of her hosts: "Could I try the heart?"

Jean said it was "absolutely delicious" and tasted "like sushi," according to images broadcast by a television channel.

"And it's very rich in protein," she added.

As she wiped the blood off her fingers with a tissue, Jean explained her support for Canada's traditional Inuit seal hunt and trade, which some fear will be devastated by a European ban on seal products.

Jean expressed dismay that people would call the traditional hunting practices inhumane.

(Agencies)

Zookeeper killed in tiger attack in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, May 27 (Xinhua) -- A zookeeper died on Wednesday after being attacked by a white tiger at a wildlife park near New Zealand's North Island city of Whangarei, Radio New Zealand reported on Wednesday.

Police said Dalu Mncube was killed by a white tiger while cleaning an enclosure with another keeper at the Zion Wildlife Gardens.

Despite the best efforts of the other staff members who rushed to his aid, the male tiger would not let Mncube go and he died at the scene from "tearing" injuries to his head, torso and lower leg, the radio reported.

The white tiger, one of only 120 in the world, has been put down and the park has been closed, while police and Department of Labor staff investigate further.

Eight foreign tourists on a tour of the park have witnessed the attack. The park is home to 42 rare lions and tigers.

Ugandan police investigates man forcing wife breast-feed dogs

KAMPALA, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The police in eastern Uganda is investigating a case in Pallisa district where a woman was forced by her husband to breast-feed his dogs, a police spokesperson said here on Tuesday.

Judith Nabakooba, Uganda Police Force spokesperson told Xinhua by telephone that Nathan Amoloi forced his wife Jennifer Alupot to breast-feed his five puppies since his cows were taken by her family as bride price.

"Investigations are still going on, the man was arrested but later released on police bond," Nabakooba said.

Police arrested Amoloi on May 4 but released him the following day and label his wife an insane woman.

Matia Kasaija, minister of state for internal affairs said that a team of investigators from the Criminal Investigation Department headquartered in Kampala will be sent to Pallisa to bring the case to a logical conclusion.

"This is a serious matter. I will ensure that this woman gets justice," Kasaija was quoted as saying by the state-owned New Vision daily on Tuesday.

"How can a man force his wife to breast-feed dogs? How can such a thing happen in this modern world where we have Police?" he wondered, promising to hold accountable the police officers in the district if investigations show they mishandled the case.

The couple, now 11 years in marriage, lost its third-born-child, who was sharing his mother's breasts with the puppies, to suspected rabies early last year. Rabies is a fatal viral disease that causes acute inflammation of the brain in humans and other mammals.

"I produced four children but one of them died last year. I now have a three-month-old baby but my husband has been forcing me to share the breast milk with his five puppies," Alupot was quoted assaying by the New Vision.

Alupot's case has caused angry reactions especially from women activists calling for the hanging of Amoloi.

The Association of Female Lawyers in Uganda has offered free legal services to Alupot to ensure she gets justice.

Man sucks snake venom to save his dog

BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhuanet)-- A farmer saved his
dog's life without caring for his ownafter sucking rattlesnake venom out
of his canine'snose.

Bobby Jenkins began feeling ill after he sucked the venom. Hedidn't bother to go to a hospital until he took
his dog, Tank,to the vet.

Jenkinsreceived four vials of antivenin.
Hehasrecovered now and sohis dog.

Tank had been bitten after running under some
equipment on the family ranch.

(Agencies)

Migrant worker gets jail term for setting time bomb on city bus

GUANGZHOU, May 27 (Xinhua) -- A local court in south China's Guangdong Province Tuesday convicted a migrant worker who set a time bomb on a city bus last August of jeopardizing public security and sentenced him to six years in prison.

When contacted by Xinhua Wednesday, Haizhu District Court in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, confirmed that after the verdict was read out, Huang Xin, the convict, told them he believed the penalty was too heavy and would appeal his case.

The court was told that Huang Xin, 25 and a native of Binyang County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, worked as a transient worker with a factory in Huadu District of Guangzhou. He had also developed a hobby playing a lottery game called "mark six".

Around 3 p.m. Aug.21, Huang got onto a city bus No.125 with a homemade time bomb which was attached to a letter for Guangzhou City Mayor Zhang Guangning demanding Zhang and Guangzhou Nanfang Metropolis Daily, a local newspaper, to text message the winning lottery numbers to his cell phone. He placed the bomb beneath a seat close to the rear tires on the left before he got off, said the prosecutors.

The bomb went off around 4 p.m. on the same day when the bus was passing through Haizhu District, a downtown area in Guangzhou, blowing a hole in the bus deck.

The accident didn't cause any death or injuries as there was only one passenger and the bus driver onboard when the explosion occurred.

Huang was detained from his factory dorm the next day. He was formally arrested in September.

The Haizhu District Court opened its first hearing on Huang's case in January, but didn't produce a ruling because Huang's lawyer insisted his client's behavior was weird -- asking for the lottery's winning numbers by issuing a threat to the mayor and even the newspaper -- and demanded an assessment of Huang's mental fitness.

Tuesday's hearing was focused on Huang's mental health.

The prosecutors Tuesday presented a certificate produced by Guangzhou Mental Illness Hospital claiming Huang had not suffered a history of mental illness and was fully capable of controlling his actions when he was committing the crime. The certificate was signed and sealed by three medical doctors.

The prosecutors theorized that Huang planted the time bomb on the city bus in order to get the lottery's winning numbers. "Though he alerted the police about the bomb, Huang asked the police for the winning numbers with a new threat saying there would be an explosion on the bus," said one prosecutor, who blamed poor education for Huang's strange behavior.

The court ruled that Huang had committed a crime that endangered the safety of lives and the health of the public, and of corporate property.

On hearing the penalty, Huang expressed remorse and demanded lenient treatment by the court.

According to Chinese laws, Huang should submit a written document within ten working days from Tuesday if he intends to appeal his case to a higher court.