In a case that underscores the dire consequences of overwork, a 30-year-old Chinese painter died of organ failure after enduring an intense 104-day work period with only one day of rest. According to the South China Morning Post, A'bao, who had been employed under a strict contract since February 2023, developed a severe pneumococcal infection that led to his death in June this year.

A'bao had agreed to work on a project in Zhoushan, a city in Zhejiang province, until January this year. His schedule was grueling, with him working daily from February to May, and only taking a brief respite on April 6. On May 25, A'bao fell ill and took a sick day, but his condition worsened rapidly. Three days later, his colleagues rushed him to the hospital where doctors diagnosed him with a lung infection and respiratory failure. Despite medical efforts, A'bao died a few days later.

Following A'bao's death, his family filed a lawsuit against his employer for gross negligence. The case gained traction when social security officials controversially ruled that his death could not be classified as a work-related injury, citing the timing of his death as a key factor. The family argued that the relentless work schedule and lack of rest directly contributed to A'bao's demise.

The company contended that A'bao's workload was reasonable and that extra hours worked were voluntary. They also attributed his condition to pre-existing health issues and claimed he did not seek medical help promptly. However, the court ruled in favor of A'bao's family, holding the employer 20% accountable for his death. The verdict highlighted that the prolonged work period was a clear breach of Chinese Labour Law, which limits work to 8 hours per day and 44 hours per week.

The court awarded A'bao's family 400,000 yuan (approximately ₹47,19,036; $56,240 USD; 50,960 Euros) in compensation, including 10,000 yuan for emotional distress. Despite the company's appeal, the original verdict was upheld in August, marking a significant step in addressing overwork issues in China.

Quebec Liberal MP Alexandra Mendes said Monday she's heard from "dozens and dozens" of constituents over the summer telling her it's time for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step aside after nearly nine years at the top.

Speaking to Radio-Canada, CBC's French-language service, on the sidelines of the Liberal caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C., Mendes said her constituents are "very adamant the prime minister needs to go."

She said while she's personally fine with Trudeau staying on as prime minister, "my constituents do not see Mr. Trudeau as the person who should lead the party into the next election, and that's the message that I carry."

"I didn't hear it from two, three people. I heard it from dozens and dozens of people," Mendes said. "He's no longer the right leader."

Mendes is one of a small number of Liberal MPs who have been willing to speak out publicly about ongoing dissatisfaction with Trudeau and his leadership.

Asked if she thinks the party would be better off with Trudeau gone, Mendes said: "Yes, that's what I would deduct from all the comments that I heard.

"It's not the Liberal Party per se that is the cause. It's really the leadership of the prime minister."

Mendes is a long-time Liberal.

After working for a federal Liberal cabinet minister, Mendes was elected as an MP in 2008 representing Montreal's south shore. She lost to an NDP candidate in the Orange Wave that swept over Quebec in the 2011 election.

One of two men sentenced Monday to 6½ years for firearms violations and mischief at the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., says the time he has already spent behind bars has changed him and his "solemn weapon" is now love.

"Stay strong, live free, spread love — not war," Anthony Olienick, reading from a prepared statement, told a Court of King's Bench judge before sentencing.

"I've gained a stronger understanding into what divine destiny awaits me," he added.

"I will continue to help others spreading truth, happiness and joy. Unifying people together by using love as my solemn weapon."

His co-accused, Chris Carbert, declined to speak before Justice David Labrenz delivered his sentencing decision.

Neither man is to serve their full sentence, as the judge gave them nearly four years credit for time they have spent in custody since their arrests in February 2022.

Olienick showed no emotion while Carbert appeared glum and folded his arms as the sentences were handed down.

The blockade tied up traffic at the Canada-U.S. border crossing for two weeks in early 2022. It was among several nationwide protests against COVID-19 rules and vaccine mandates, which had polarized public opinion.

Former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard, who was found guilty last November of four counts of sexual assault after being accused of attacking five women in his downtown Toronto office, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

With credit for time served, Nygard, 83, will serve just under seven years in prison. In his sentencing, Toronto Superior Court Justice Robert Goldstein described Nygard as a "sexual predator" and a "Canadian success story gone very wrong" who used his wealth and power to commit four sexual assaults.

Outside the courthouse, Shannon Moroney, a therapist who worked with four of the five accusers, read a statement from one of the four victims, who said they finally have closure.

"We did this to ensure every victim of sexual assault will remember this trial and feel the strength and confidence to come forward and not be threatened by social status or money," Moroney quoted the woman as saying.

Nygard sat in the courtroom wearing a black Canada Goose parka with a hood over his head. His bearded face was largely obscured by paper shields that court heard he wears around his glasses because of an eye condition that makes him sensitive to light.

Before his sentencing, Goldstein asked Nygard if he had anything to say.

"No sir," he said, quietly.

PATHUM THANI: A months-long dispute over two pets, a dog and a cat, culminated in a retired army officer shooting dead his neighbour and then ending his own life, in Khlong Luang district on Monday morning.

Police were called to a housing estate in tambon Khlong Sam about 7.30am. They found two bodies, one Col Jaruchart Jarupan aged 64, and the other Saowagul Sasadoh, 53. The woman's 30-year-old son was also injured, with a bullet wound to his left hand.

Witnesses told police the army retiree and his woman neighbour had a long-running dispute and had argued again over their fence that morning. The man then went inside. He re-emerged with a 9mm pistol, walked over to the woman's house and shot her repeatedly.

She was hit by five bullets - in her left cheek and abdomen, right hand and arm, police said.

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He said the dispute between the two families started after the retired officer's adopted cat crossed their fence into his property, where they keep a pet dog.

The mother of the Georgia shooting suspect called the school 30 minutes warning of an "extreme emergency" before he allegedly opened fire there, his aunt has claimed.

Colt Gray, 14, is accused of shooting dead two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Winder, near Atlanta, on Wednesday.

Another teacher and a further eight students were injured but are expected to make a full recovery, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Annie Brown, the teenager's aunt, has said her sister called the school counsellor half an hour before gunfire broke out.

She told the Washington Post the boy's mother warned of an "extreme emergency" involving her son and that they needed to find him "immediately".

Phone records shared with the newspaper, and later confirmed by the Associated Press, show a 10-minute call was made from the family's shared phone plan to the school at that time.

Labour's post-election honeymoon looks to be over as it faces pressure this week over winter fuel payments, releasing prisoners early, and the state of the NHS.

Two months after winning a historic majority, Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers have a busy week as they face pressure not just from other parties, but their own MPs.

A vote on winter fuel payments, the prime minister speaking at the TUC conference, prisoners being released early, the publication of a report into the NHS and Sir Keir's trip to the US are all on the cards this week.

Monday will see Chancellor Rachel Reeves addressing Labour MPs at a Parliamentary Labour Party meeting, where she is expected to face concerns about removing the winter fuel payment from 10 million pensioners.

MPs will vote on Tuesday on whether to limit the winter fuel payment to those on pension credit, after the government announced its intention at the end of July.

Labour MPs will be told they must vote with the government, however several, particularly on the left of the party, have voiced their opposition to the cut.

It is understood they may abstain instead of voting against the government, after Sir Keir set a clear precedent by suspending seven MPs from Labour after they rebelled over the decision to keep the two-child benefit cap.

Sir Keir would not say if he would again suspend MPs for voting against the government, telling the BBC on Sunday: "That will be a matter for the chief whip."

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Sharon Graham, head of the Unite union, told Sky News on Sunday that they want the government to "think again" and called for a wealth tax instead.

She said: "We are in crisis. The Tories left a mess. No one's denying that. Labour is right about that, but the choices they make to clear it up are really important.

"If we said the top 50 families in Britain are worth £500 billion, why aren't they being looked at?

"Why are you looking at pensioners who really don't have any sort of type of money? That's the wrong choice to make."

Two women who say they were raped and strangled by the controversial social media influencer, Andrew Tate, have spoken to the BBC about their experiences.

Another woman has alleged, for the first time, she was raped by Mr Tate’s younger brother, Tristan - also an influencer with millions of followers.

The Tate brothers, aged 37 and 36, currently face charges in Romania of human trafficking and forming an organised group to sexually exploit women. Andrew Tate is also charged with rape.

If found guilty, the two men could be jailed for more than 10 years. They strongly deny the charges against them.

Andrew Tate, is currently under house arrest in Romania. In addition to the charges he already faces, prosecutors are considering new allegations against him, including having sex with a minor and trafficking underage persons. Both brothers are also being investigated for trafficking 34 more women.

Now, two British women not involved with the Romanian case against the Tate brothers, have given detailed first-hand accounts to the BBC, against Andrew Tate, of alleged rape and sexual violence. The allegations date back at least 10 years, to when Mr Tate was living in Luton.

Another British woman has made a new allegation of rape against Tristan Tate, saying he put his put his hands around her throat as he did so.

More at link

Three Israeli men have been shot dead at a border point between Jordan and the occupied West Bank, Israeli officials say.

The gunman - identified by the Israeli military as Jordanian Maher Jazi - approached the Allenby Bridge crossing from the Jordanian side in a truck then got out and opened fire, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

Security personnel "eliminated" the gunman and the IDF checked the truck over for signs of explosives, a statement said.

Jordan says it is investigating the incident, which happened in an Israeli-controlled area where Jordanian vehicles offload goods entering the West Bank. The border point has now been closed from both sides.

Israeli media reported the victims were named Yohanan Shchori, 61, Yuri Birnbaum, 65, and Adrian Marcelo Podzamczer, whose age was not given.

The three men were said to be guards working at the border crossing, but were not military or police.

Kan News, Israel's state broadcaster, reported that Jazi was a 39-year-old who had worked as a truck driver.

Video footage showed the attacker walking to the terminal and firing his weapon three times before he was shot dead.

A Jordanian border official told Reuters that at least two dozen Jordanian truck drivers in the offloading area had been detained by Israel's military for interrogation.

All of Israel's land crossings with Jordan have been closed after the incident, the Israel Airports Authority said.

A woman who claims to have been locked in a barn and kept as a sex slave for four years had all her teeth and lips removed in ‘cruel experiments by Poland’s Josef Fritzl’.

The woman, who has been identified by her first name Malgorzata, is alleged to have been held captive for four years in a barn near Glogow, Poland.

She revealed her ordeal to doctors after she arrived at hospital to be treated for a dislocated shoulder.

She told fellow patients she was being repeatedly raped and tortured while locked inside an outbuilding, even becoming pregnant and having his baby.

A source close to the investigation told MailOnline: ‘From what we heard, the girl does not have lips now because of everything he had done to her. Her face is covered in bruises and she just has an open hole [where her mouth is] without the lips.

‘The woman said he [Jach] was doing some kind of trial on her. He was experimenting on her. He was trying out different things on her.’

The woman was taken to hospital on several occasions and even gave birth to a baby, but was too afraid of her attacker to tell anyone about her plight.

Malgorzata told local news site MyGlogow of her ordeal, explaining: ‘I couldn’t tell the doctors the truth, I was afraid, and he threatened me that if I complained, it would get even worse.

Along the waterway, which has been nicknamed the “Ganges” by some, after the sacred body of water in India, people regularly gather to give offerings, typically flowers and fruits, and leave statues of deities as well as prayer flags.

This week, The Post observed Quealy and another animal rescuer, Kim Fraser, track down a trio of piglets that had their ears and tails cut off — roughly 100 feet away from a pair of statuettes of Hindu deities resting atop a mound of turf alongside a trio of flags.

Prayer flags were spotted nearby bundled up in the brush.

Followers of other religions whose rituals involve animal sacrifice, such as Santeria and voodoo, also have been known to use beaches and parks surrounding Jamaica Bay to carry out bloody rites.

“It’s not a cut and dry situation. There are many other faith denominations that do practice animal sacrifice,” said Aminta Kilawan-Narine, a Howard Beach resident and co-founder of Hindu group Sadhana, which organizes Jamaica Bay clean-ups where carcasses have been discovered.

The US Supreme Court upheld the right to animal sacrifice on religious grounds in a 1993 ruling.

Under New York State law, however, aggravated cruelty to animals, meanwhile is a felony punishable by up to two years in prison.

There have been no 911 calls for animal abuse 106th Precinct, which covers Howard Beach, the NYPD said.

But John Di Leonardo, founder and executive director of the animal rescue and advocacy group Humane Long Island, which also services the five boroughs, said Jamaica Bay has emerged as a “hotspot” for animal cruelty.

He estimated he’d received at least a dozen calls about animal sacrifice in the Jamaica Bay area so far this year, compared to three or four for all of 2023.

The killing of a 15-year-old boy by a classmate last month has fuelled religious tensions in an Indian city, leaving one family grieving and the other shattered by the crime. On 16 August, Heena* learned her teenage son Zakir*, 15, had been accused of stabbing a classmate at their school in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Zakir allegedly pulled a knife from his backpack and attacked Devraj, a Hindu boy, who died in the hospital three days later. The incident sparked a stream of grief and anger as well as a conversation on how to deal with violence in classrooms. The state police denied any religious angle to the incident. "The students had an argument over notebooks which turned ugly," investigating officer Chhagan Purohit told the BBC. But the incident set off a wave of religious violence. False rumours that Zakir, a Muslim, planned the killing against a Hindu boy went viral on WhatsApp, sparking protests in Udaipur with right-wing Hindu groups torching vehicles and chanting anti-Muslim slogans, leading to a curfew and internet shutdown.