Around the World

United States

Ex-fullback swims 9 miles to safety

Former Miami Dolphins fullback Rob Konrad swam 9 miles back to shore after falling off his boat while fishing off the South Florida coast. The US Coast Guard said Konrad had gone fishing alone on Wednesday after being dropped off at a Boca Raton dock. Friends became concerned after he didn't meet them for dinner, and the Coast Guard later sent a helicopter to look for him. Officials say the 38-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for possible hypothermia.

TV's Screech to stand trial

Dustin Diamond, the actor who played Screech in the 1990s TV series Saved by the Bell, was ordered to stand trial on Monday over the stabbing of a man at a Wisconsin bar on Dec 25. Diamond, 37, is charged with felony reckless endangerment and two misdemeanors stemming from the incident. His defense attorney said none of the witnesses reported seeing Diamond stab the man, who was not seriously hurt, but a judge ruled there was enough evidence for the case to go to trial. Diamond, who remains free on $10,000 bond, was granted permission to temporarily leave Wisconsin, where he lives, for work.

Presley song sells for $300,000

An acetate recording of the ballad My Happiness, the first song Elvis Presley ever recorded, sold at auction for $300,000 on Thursday. An unnamed Internet buyer placed the winning bid at Graceland, the museum and tourist attraction that was Presley's former home. The auction was held on what would have been the late singer's 80th birthday.

Australian actor Taylor dies at 84

Australian actor Rod Taylor, famous for his role in Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 thriller The Birds, has died in Los Angeles at age 84, industry media said on Thursday. Taylor, who died of a heart attack on Wednesday, was also known for performances in The Time Machine and The Train Robbers.

South Africa

Africa's moon mission falters

An ambitious project to put an African spacecraft on the moon is sputtering on the launchpad as it struggles to secure an Internet crowdfunding liftoff. The Africa2Moon Mission has drawn just $13,000 of the initial target of $150,000 with a countdown of only three weeks left before the appeal closes. In contrast, a private British moon project - Lunar Mission One - rode the Internet crowdfunding phenomenon to reach its target of nearly a million dollars ahead of deadline last month.

Guyana

Task force set up to save wildlife

A special team has been formed by the government to curb a thriving illegal wildlife trade that targets animals in the lush interior. Thursday's announcement comes amid a rise in the quantity of exotic meat being exported and sold at local restaurants, as well as an increase in visits by hunters from the US, Canada and neighboring Trinidad.

Canada

Gun attack hero gets a new job

Kevin Vickers, the head of security who helped to kill a gunman who stormed Canada's parliament last year, is to be appointed ambassador to Ireland, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Thursday. Vickers, the House of Commons sergeant-at-arms, was in his office on Oct 22 when Michael Zehaf-Bibeau stormed into the Parliament buildings in Ottawa with a rifle. Vickers ran out into the hall with his pistol and exchanged shots with the gunman, who was also being fired at by police.

AP - AFP - Reuters

(China Daily 01/10/2015 page10)