Foreign

Woman Faces Jail Term for Registering Dog to Vote

By Web News 271

A US woman charged with registering her dog to vote appeared in court Tuesday, facing charges that could see her jailed for six years.

Laura Yourex, 62, posted a photograph on social media showing her dog Maya Jean wearing an “I voted” sticker after California’s 2021 gubernatorial election.

Another post from October 2024 showed a photograph of Maya’s dog tag and a vote-by-mail ballot with the caption “Maya is still getting her ballot”, even though the dog had died.

Yourex, of Costa Mesa, south of Los Angeles, reported herself to authorities over the alleged voter fraud last year.

The local district attorney investigated, and she was charged with multiple felonies, including perjury, procuring or offering a false or forged document, casting a ballot when not entitled to vote, and registering a non-existent person to vote.

After a brief court appearance on Tuesday, in which she did not enter a plea, Yourex’s lawyer said his client had sought to highlight what she saw as defects in the system.

“Laura Yourex sincerely regrets her unwise attempt to expose flaws in our state voting system, intending to improve it by demonstrating that even a dog can be registered to vote,” Jaime Coulter told reporters.

Coulter said Yourex’s intention was “to have them investigate and ultimately improve our voting registration system.”

Under California election law, citizens can be registered to vote if they submit an affidavit — signed under penalty of perjury — detailing their name, residence, mailing address, date of birth and political party preference.

“Proof of residence or identification is not required for citizens to register to vote in state elections, nor is it required to cast a ballot in state elections,” the Orange County District Attorney’s office said in a statement.

Proof of residence and registration is required for first-time voters in a federal election, it said.

“As a result, the 2022 primary ballot cast in Maya Jean’s name was challenged and rejected.”

US voter roll security has become a huge issue in recent decades, with a constant drumbeat from a swathe of the Republican Party charging — without evidence — that they are filled with non-citizens and dead people.

PUNCH/Taiwo Akinola

Human Angle

Man Dies Fleeing from Dog

By Web News 1123

A man identified as Mohammed Faworaja met his untimely death in Ilorin, Kwara State capital while running away from a dog.

The incident occurred around Asa Dam, the Warah-Osin area in the Ilorin West Local Government Area of the state.

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said “The dog, a German shepherd, got loose and chased the deceased who hit his chest on an electric pole. He died of internal bleeding and the canned fish (Sardine) which he went to buy dropped and was seen beside the pole at the scene of the incident.

“He was a very friendly man and cannot be more than 33 years of age. He was the breadwinner of the family. The police are involved in the matter.

You need to hear the dad speak during one of the prayers organized for his repose. The father, having retired from service, handed everything over to him. The family is devastated.”

Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the incident.

“The owner of the dog has been arrested and the matter is being investigated,” the police spokesman added.

Punch/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Foreign

How Australian Sailor, Dog Survived Two Months At Sea

By Web News 406

An Australian sailor who survived two months in the Pacific Ocean by eating raw fish and drinking rainwater is “stable and very well”, a doctor says.

Sydney resident Tim Shaddock, 51, and his dog Bella left Mexico for French Polynesia in April, but their boat was damaged by a storm several weeks later.

They were rescued by a trawler this week after a helicopter spotted them.

The doctor aboard the tuna trawler told Australia’s 9News that the man had “normal vital signs“.

Mr Shaddock embarked on his more than 6,000km-long (3,728-mile) voyage from Mexico’s city of La Paz – but soon became stranded after his vessel’s electronics were cut off by bad weather.

It left the sailor and his dog drifting in the vast and hostile North Pacific Ocean.

When they were finally found off Mexico’s coast two months later, he was far leaner and sporting an overgrown beard.

“I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea,” he said in a video obtained by 9News.

“I’m just needing rest and good food because I have been alone at sea a long time. Otherwise, I’m in very good health.”

Mr Shaddock said fishing gear had helped him to survive.

He also managed to avoid sunburn by sheltering under his boat’s canopy.

Soon after his rescue, he was seen smiling and wearing a blood pressure monitor on his arm.

He is also able to eat small meals.

The tuna trawler is now heading back to Mexico where Mr Shaddock will undergo medical tests and receive more treatment if needed.

BBC/Adetutu Adetule

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Agriculture

Dog Wins Guinness World Records for Longest Tongue

By Web News 1352

A Labrador and German shepherd mix named Zoey has claimed the record for the longest tongue on a living dog.

At 12.7 centimeters (5 inches), Zoey’s tongue is longer than a soda can, according to Guinness World Records.

Her owners, Sadie and Drew Williams from Metairie, Louisiana, US, said people often comment on how long Zoey’s tongue is.

“We got Zoey when she was only six weeks old and in the first ever picture we have of her, she has her tongue sticking out,” said Sadie Williams.

“We thought surely she’d grow into it but she obviously didn’t. She still has an enormous tongue compared to her body.”

Zoey lives in Metairie, Louisiana.
Her owners say Zoey sometimes slobbers on people that pet her.

Zoey’s massive tongue is most obvious when she is panting after playing outside.

“It would be slobbering all over the place,” said Drew Williams. “So sometime last year we took her to the vet and measured her tongue.”

Measuring from the tip of her snout to the tip of her tongue, Zoey was recognized as a record breaker.

The 3-year-old dog is a fun loving creature, according to her owners.

“She will pretty much go fetch anything you throw and swim in any body of water that’s available,” said Drew Williams. “But she hates getting a bath.”

Zoey is also friendly to strangers, but petting her comes with its own risks.

“Every now and then while we’re out taking her on a walk, people will come up to her and want to pet her,” said Drew Williams.

“We’ll warn them ahead of time ‘Hey, she’s friendly but she might slobber on you’ and every now and then she will, and they’ll have a big slobber mark on their black pants.”

Zoey beat previous record holder Bisbee, an English Setter from Tucson, Arizona, who claimed the record almost three months ago with a tongue measuring 9.49 centimeters (3.74 inches).

Another previous holder of the record, Mochi “Mo” Rickert, had a tongue that measured 18.58 centimeters (7.3 inches). The female Saint Bernard held the record for five years, and died in November 2021.

CNN/Simeon Ugbodovon

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