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University students lashed 185 times with rattan sticks for LGBTQ+ relations
Two university students have been flogged 185 times with rattan sticks in Indonesia for engaging in same-sex sexual relations.
An Islamic Shariah court in the conservative Aceh province sentenced the men to public flogging after they were found guilty of LGBTQ+ relations.
The couple, aged 18 and 24, were apprehended on November 7, 2024, in a citizens’ arrest.
Vigilantes who suspected the pair of being gay had broken into their rented room where they saw them naked and embracing.
They were then dragged to Sharia police for the alleged crime.
Dozens of people – including family members – watched as hooded Islamic religious police officers beat them with sticks in public today.
Footage that Metro has chosen not to share shows one of the students collapsing to the ground as he is lashed.
One received 77 lashes while the other received 82 as he provided a place for their sexual activities. They were sent home afterwards.
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A panel of judges chose not to impose the maximum sentence of 100 hits as the men were described as outstanding students, were polite in court, cooperated with authorities, and had no prior convictions.
‘They were caned after it was proven that they had a same-sex sexual relationship,’ Roslina A Djalil, the head of Sharia law enforcement in Aceh, told reporters, adding that the men had been turned over to the police by locals.
Montse Ferrer, a deputy regional director at Amnesty International, said in a statement that the flogging was ‘a horrifying act of discrimination’.
She added: ‘Intimate sexual relations between consenting adults should never be criminalizsed, and no one should be punished because of their real or perceived sexual orientation.
‘Having already had their privacy brutally invaded when they were ambushed by members of the public while having sex, these men were then humiliated in public today and physically harmed.’
While gay sex is not illegal elsewhere in Indonesia — the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation — it is outlawed in Aceh, which imposes a version of Sharia, the Islamic legal code.
In some cases, the law provides for up to 200 lashes for offences such as sex outside marriage, the consumption and sale of alcohol and gambling.
At least 15 people have been sentenced to flogging in Aceh for various violations so far this year, according to Amnesty.
Another 135 people received similar punishment last year.
Ferrer described them as ‘cruel, inhuman and degrading,’ adding that they may amount to torture.
‘Aceh and Indonesian central government authorities must take immediate action to halt these practices and revoke the bylaws that allow them to take place,’ she stressed.
‘Such laws must be brought in line with international human rights law and standards, and with Indonesia’s obligations under its own Constitution.
‘Aceh’s regional autonomy, which is its basis to apply Sharia law, must not come at the expense of human rights.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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Disney Plus is about to make you scream with most ‘intense’ show of 2025
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Disney Plus is about to add one of the most jaw-dropping TV series not for the faint-hearted.
David Blaine, 51, will embark on his most extraordinary journey yet, traveling to the four corners of the earth to meet magicians who have perfected incredible stunts beyond his own imagination.
From kissing snakes in Asia to jumping off a bridge while engulfed in flames in Brazil, Blaine is taking on more death-defying stunts for reasons we’ll never understand.
National Geographic released a trailer for Blaine’s new six-part series, his first TV show in almost a decade.
In it, Blaine says: ‘For years I’ve had this idea in my head of jumping off a bridge on fire.’
Ok, Dave.
He then appears to be doused in a flammable liquid and flicks the lid of a lighter.
he says: ‘I’ve always loved things that look like magic but are actually real so I’m travelling around the world to find the most incredible people that have the most incredible talents that have been passed down for generations.
‘Many of the things I’m seeing I didn’t even know were possible.’
At one point his own crew is urging the magician not to set his head on fire, which is… fair.
‘I’m going to the hidden parts of all these places. I’m learning the history of what they do and they’re giving me a crash course, letting me into their world.’
A sneak-peek shows Blaine staring into the eyes of a king cobra, walking on a tight rope hundreds of meters above ground while also watching other equally fearless performers achieve the unthinkable, body slamming into broken glass, jumping through tiny rings of fire and being drenched in bees.
The magician’s fan base is already seated.
This Is Us and Paradise star Sterling K. Brown commented on trailer: ‘This dude is UNREAL…I’m In!’
‘This looks INSANE,’ enthused fan mariothemagician.
Evanrosenan wrote: ’Wow this looks absolutely wild! can’t wait’
David Blaine: Do Not Attempt is available to stream on Disney Plus from March 24 and airs on National Geographic every Thursday from March 27.
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I can’t afford new school shoes for my son so sent him in trainers – the school’s response stunned me
A MOTHER is seeking reassurance after her child’s school shockingly interrogated her over a pair of shoes.
Hannah, a 36-year-old mum of three from Kent, took to TikTok to ask others for their opinions on whether she was being “a sensitive Sally.”
School uniform strain
The cost of school uniform puts thousands of families under financial pressure every year.
The clothing can be expensive and worn out quickly by children running around the playground.
This year, the east end council of Tower Hamlets, London, put aside £1 million to fund new school uniform grants.
Trainer drama
Posting to her account, @theonlygirlinthishouse, Hannah explained that she’s “never had a problem with uniform.”
On this occasion, her son was unable to wear his usual school shoes and she didn’t have the cash to purchase a new pair, so she’d sent him in for the day with “all black trainers” on instead.
She candidly told viewers: “I cannot afford school shoes at the moment. I just can’t. And before anyone says, ‘what, you can’t afford 20, 30 quid?’ No, I can’t.”
Her son was quickly pulled into the school office where they rang Hannah, wanting to know why he wasn’t in the correct uniform.
Hannah apologised to the staff member and explained she couldn’t afford to replace the shoes, but planned to buy new ones when she “got paid.”
To her shock, the staff member on the end of the phone replied: “Well, when can you afford it?”
Taken aback by the intrusive question and curt tone in which it was delivered, she explained again that she didn’t have the money so needed to wait for her next pay cheque.
The lady on the other end of the phone then shot back: “Well, when do you get paid?”
Hannah explained that she would be paid at the end of the month, which happened to fall at the end of the current week.
The woman on the phone said: “Well, you’ve said you get paid at the end of the month, so can I assume that he’ll be in correct uniform by Friday?”
She then went on to tell Hannah the school operates a “strict uniform policy.”
After some back and forth, with Hannah apologising again and the staff member pushing for a confirmation on when the replacement shoes would be bought, Hannah brought the phone call to a close.
Thanking the lady for “being so understanding,” the mum promised to get it sorted and hung up the phone.
She said she was “seething” at the conversation and asked viewers if she was being sensitive, telling them she’d written up an email of complaint and wasn’t sure whether to send it or not.
Viewers react
Other TikTok users were shocked by the exchange and urged the mum to send her email.
One person wrote: “Send that email and make it HARSH.”
Another person said: “Asking when you get paid is wrong.”
While somebody else said: “Send it, send it!! Their clothes do not define their learning and she should have been at least slightly more understanding! At least he’s in school.”
The school replies
In a later video, Hannah confirmed she’d sent her complaint to the school office and the assistant head teacher.
The assistant head reached out to her to apologise and asked in future that she write them a letter – which Hannah agreed she should have done.
The lady Hannah spoke to also emailed her to apologise for the words she’d used and the way she’d spoken, with the mum happy that the situation had now been “dealt with.”
EXTRA HELP WITH SCHOOL UNIFORM COSTS
IF you can't get targeted help from your council, you might have some other options available to you.
In some areas, you can talk directly to your school, which might be able to offer you clothing.
Or, you might be able to get cheap garments from low-budget shops or charity stores.
Some charities offer help to families in need too.
But bear in mind charities often have a limited amount of money to give and usually have specific criteria which must be met in order to get a grant.
Charity Turn2Us has a free grants search tool on its website which you can use to find out what help is available to you.
Meanwhile, you can always try approaching your nearest Citizens’ Advice branch.
If you don’t know where your nearest Citizens’ Advice branch is, you can find out by visiting www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/nearby/.
If you’re not eligible for a school uniform grant you might be able to get help through the Household Support Fund.
What ‘wooden’ Starmer MUST do to earn Trump’s respect revealed by May & Rishi staffers – as PM faces ‘Churchill moment’
KEIR Starmer must shoot down false claims, milk his dry personality and “let Trump pump” in his presidential meeting, according to former No10 staffers.
The Prime Minister will be “briefed up to his eyeballs” and is likely nervous, but must be “firm” – or the conversation could fly “off the rails”.
The crunch head-to-head is the most important for a British PM “since Churchill’s in World War Two”, Tim Willasey-Wilsey, a former senior foreign diplomat, told The Sun.
He said Starmer has a “great opportunity” today to build a relationship with Trump after the US president blindsided Europe and veered towards Russia.
Graham Davies, Rishi Sunak‘s former presentation coach, told us “wooden” Starmer must nail key power poses and explained how to avoid a Macron-style arm wrestle.
And Gavin Barwell, who many times steered May through Don’s choppy waters, said Starmer must “talk himself up” to face down “creature of mood” Trump.
The key issue the pair will hammer out is that of security guarantees for Ukraine in the case of any peace deal.
MAKE WOODEN WORK
Starmer’s only hope is to “do what Starmer does best – being serious”, Willasey-Wilsey, a visiting professor at KCL, said.
He added: “The PM isn’t charismatic, but he’s respectful and sensible. He’s got to avoid all that bouncy stuff Macron did.”
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, had a chummy meeting with Trump on Monday – and has since compared notes with Starmer.
Davies – who has coached Michael Gove and Kemi Badenoch – agrees.
He said: “Keir Starmer will always be wooden, because he’s a straight, serious, prosecution, barrister. He shouldn’t try and change his DNA.”
Trump, meanwhile, prefers to “shout loudly and wave all sorts of sticks”, according to Davies.
LET TRUMP PUMP
One hurdle will be the famously unpredictable and often loopy Trump handshake.
The president has shattered convention in the past by strolling hand-in-hand with Theresa May and white-knuckling Macron.
Davies said: “Trump likes to pull the leader towards him, to try and quite literally catch him off balance.
“Keir Starmer, should stand with one foot slightly in front of the other, to make sure he’s braced for that.
“He should then let Trump pump for as long as he wants to.”
Sir Keir must also strike a power stance on the White House chairs by perching right at the front, Davies said.
He advised Starmer to mirror Trump’s seating position – as Macron did – where “his buttocks are almost hanging off” the chair
READY FOR ANYTHING
Trump is notorious for loping between subjects – so Starmer must expect the unexpected, the officials warned.
Barwell found out the hard way that a Trump meeting is “unlike any other world leader”, and follows his wild “chain of thought”.
He revealed May’s meeting with Trump often bore “virtually no relation” to what his team prepped for.
The No10 staffer said Starmer will be at the mercy of “creature-of-mood” Trump’s temperament, and it will quickly become clear what tone the meeting will take.
As Chief of Staff in July 2018, Barwell had to deal with a fizzing curve-ball ahead of May’s meeting with Trump.
The president said in an interview with The Sun that May’s Brexit plan would “probably kill” any trade deal with the US – hours before the leaders sat down.
He said Starmer will have “war-gamed” the meeting in advance – even practising with an aide “role-playing Trump” to cover any eventuality.
The president’s lurching conversation style is fuelled by an “incredibly short attention span”, according to Willasey-Wilsey.
LAY IT ON THICK(ISH)
Willasey-Wilsey said the president is “amazingly vain” – but that Starmer can use to his advantage.
He said: “Keir can appeal to his vanity a little bit – he is the president of the United States after all. But he’s got to do it without pleading.”
Starmer should tickle Trump’s belly a little, according to Barwell, by “beginning with some flattery – a bit of fluffing him up”, but avoid going too far.
Keir tried to soften up Trump by announcing this week that spending on defence would rise to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027.
Willasey-Wilsey said Trump – who splashes 3.4 per cent on defence – “won’t be wowed” by the hike, but it is “in the right direction”.
FIRM BUT FAIR
The US president has been called out for incorrect statements on a number of occasions.
The experts said Starmer must be on high-alert, ready to stop false claims slipping through the net – as Macron managed so well on Monday.
Barwell said Starmer must be prepared to be “blunt sometimes” and call out sloppy claims, but warned: “Too much correction, and the meeting could become a constant row.”
He said Keir must strike the “right balance of flattery and assertiveness”.
It will be particularly important to correct any Trump errors in the joint press conference, Davies said, but without pitting him as an “enemy”.
The presentation coach said Starmer can use his “precise and ponderous” nature to stop Trump from “bulldozing through” with “bluster and braggadocio”.
“Short, carefully-crafted” sentences built on “irrefutable facts” are his best bet, Davies said.
Willasey-Wilsey explained that what the president best understands – as a billionaire businessman – is “the downside of making a mistake”.
So, Starmer must “show Trump over the precipice”, he said.
TOO MUCH TO SAY
Starmer should not attempt to cover everything with Trump, Barwell said, particularly given his erratic nature, and must instead pursue a “single, clear priority”.
That is likely to be US involvement in security guarantees for Ukraine.
The British PM has offered to send UK troops to keep the peace, but knows only the US boasts the military clout to prevent more attacks from Putin.
And there is one fatal buzz-phrase that Willasey-Wilsey prays Starmer will avoid.
He said: “I really hope he doesn’t mention the words “special relationship”. People should have stopped using that years ago.
“It makes us look like beggars. In the early days, we were the main contributors. Now, its so far over to the other side.”
He also said Starmer would do well to produce a “small rabbit” from his hat to offer the transactional president – such as ditching the Chagos Islands deal.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL?
Barwell, who helped May avoid any major meltdowns during Trump meetings, thinks Starmer will fare “okay” in the hot seat.
On whether our PM is made of the right stuff, Barwell said: “He’ll have to be”.
What he can achieve during the conversation will also depend on how long he has the President’s ear.
Willasey-Wilsey said: “The worst thing that can happen is suddenly Starmer finds he’s only got 15 minutes – that would be an absolute disaster.
“But if he gets his full hour or two hours – he’s got the chance of turning Trump significantly away from the route he’s taken.”
