Malaysian university professor fired for spreading theories that Malays taught 'flying kung-fu' to Chinese people
extra27 August 2026 at 14:51
A professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Solehah Yaacob, was dismissed in late April after spreading conspiracy theories in the classroom, including claims that ancient Malays had taught "flying kung fu" to the Chinese and shipbuilding techniques to the Romans. The academic, who worked as an Arabic linguistics instructor, gained the nickname "Sambal Belcan Professor" on social media, where her claims were widely ridiculed. The university confirmed she no longer has any connection with the institution and history experts questioned her claims.
The commander of the Loures Firefighters, Ricardo Correia, warned on SIC news about the enormous difficulties faced by rescue workers in Nepal, a country with deficient infrastructure and limited means to respond to the scale of the tragedy. Correia highlighted the lack of adequate equipment, access routes destroyed by floods and the instability of the terrain as the main obstacles, advocating for the need for specialized international aid to address these gaps.
A Spanish police officer on vacation was robbed this morning, at around 10:30, in Aveiro, near a commercial area close to the CP train station, by two individuals who threatened him with a bladed weapon. The victim suffered injuries to his hand and arm and chased the suspects through the backyards of nearby homes, but they fled to an unknown location. The PSP found the police officer's professional wallet and a bladed weapon that may have been used in the robbery at the scene. The victim was taken to Aveiro hospital for treatment.
Rescue teams from Porterville, USA, were called during the night to save a dog that was trapped inside a drainage pipe. After managing to remove the animal, the firefighters gave it a bath and handed it over to the animal protection services of the city of Tulare.
A client of Caixa Geral de Depósitos lost 1,000 euros after being a victim of a fraudulent SMS scam that used the bank's name and indicated the need to unblock the bank card. The man responded to the message and contacted the indicated number, where a woman allegedly from the bank's helpline guided him to make two bank transfers. Only when he tried to use the card again and verified that it was still blocked did he realize he had been deceived. The victim filed a complaint with the Judicial Police in Lisbon.
