SYDNEY (AFP) – An Australian town pulled all bottled water from its shelves Saturday and replaced it with refillable bottles in what is believed to be a world-first ban.
Hundreds of people marched through the picturesque rural town of Bundanoon to mark the first day of its bottled water ban by unveiling a series of new public drinking fountains, said campaign spokesman John Dee.
Shopkeepers ceremoniously removed the last bottles of water from their shelves and replaced them with reusable bottles that can be filled from fountains inside the town's shops or at water stations in the street.
"Every bottle today was taken off the shelf and out of the fridges so you can only now buy refillable bottles in shops in Bundanoon," Dee told AFP.
The tiny town, two hours south of Sydney, voted in July to ban bottled water after a drinks company moved to tap into a local aquifer for its bottled water business.
"In the process of the campaign against that the local people became educated about the environmental impact of bottled water," said Dee.
"A local retailer came up with this idea of well why don't we do something about that and actually stop selling the bottled water and it got a favourable reaction," he said.
Dee said the 2,000-person town had made international headlines with their bid, which he hoped would spur communities across the world to action.
"Whilst our politicians grapple with the enormity of dealing with climate change what Bundanoon shows is that at the very local level we can sometimes do things that can surprise ourselves, in terms of our ability to bring about real and measurable change that has a real benefit for the environment," he said.
The cash savings only made the project more compelling, he added.
"I think that's why this campaign is doing so well, because we're saying to people you can save money and save the environment at the same time," said Dee. "The alternative doesn't have a sexy brand, doesn't have pictures of mountain streams on the front of it, it comes out of your tap."
Activists say bottling water causes unnecessary use of plastics and fuel for transport. A New South Wales study found that in 2006, the industry was responsible for releasing 60,000 tonnes of gases blamed for global warming.
After a nearly two year layoff, Floyd Mayweather, Jr (40-0 with 25 KOs) returned to the welterweight division he was champion of against lightweight Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1 with 37 KOs) in a catch weight with a catch. The bout was slated to be a 144 pound affair but Mayweather came in at 146 pounds to Marquez’ 142 and instead of attempting to take the weight off, paid $600,000 in penalties to Marquez. That would be the only victory Marquez would come close to getting over Mayweather this weekend.
The fight was as one-sided as most experts picked it to be. Mayweather looked sharp as ever from the outset. Leaping left hooks, slick defense he used to keep Marquez from landing anything substantial throughout the fight. Marquez looked a little slow at the new weight class as well as soft around the middle. But what wasn’t soft was Marquez heart. He came forward throughout the night, getting in a couple right hands, some lefts to the body a few times, and not much else all night.
Round 1: Referee Tony Weeks gives instructions. Fighters at ring center. Mayweather leaps in and misses with a left hook. Mayweather lands a jab. Marquez digs to the body. Mayweather is coming forward lands a left hook. Marquez is respectful of his speed. During a clinch, Marquez lands twice to the head but misses later with a right hand. Mayweather steps in and lands a left hook, and Marquez misses wildly. Mayweather blocks three punches by Marquez. Another Mayweather left hook lands as he steps in. Mayweather's round, 10-9.
Round 2: Mayweather still has Marquez fighting from a discance, jabbing and landing his lead left. Marquez livens the crowd with an overhand that lands. Marquez goes down on his butt at 1:35 of the round from a left hook. He gets up, but is on wobbly legs. Another hook lands for Mayweather. Marquez begins to reach with his punches. Another left hook, and then, a right lands for Maytweather. Clearly, Marquez is at a disadvantage and has not begun to press, as he said that he would. Mayweather's round, 10-8
Round 3: Mayweather continues to come forward behind the jab and the hook, and Marquez continues to retreat. Marquez lands an overhand right, but doesn't follow it up. Marquez eats a jab and can't counter because Mayweather effectively covers up. The jab -- three straight -- are problematic for Marquez, who fails to take advantage of a brief moment with Mayweather on the ropes. Marquez lands a right over the top, but Mayweather jabs and maintains his distance. Mayweather's round, 10-9
Round 4: Harold Lederman has Mayweather ahead 30-26, or three rounds to none. Roger Mayweather tells Mayweather "You're whupping his ass." The fourth round is the same, Marquez retreating, Mayweather, pursing. Marquez continues to miss as Mayweather eludes him when he comes forward. Marquez lands a one-two on a ducking Mayweather, but the undefeated fighter goes back to jabbing again. Mayweather takes two straight right hands that bring cheers from the crowd. Marquez's right eye begins drippling blood, and Mayweather targets it with the jab. Mayweather's round, 10-9
Round 5: Mayweather has begun to taunt Marquez by dropping his hands and does not pay for it. Pumping the jab, patiently, his strategy simply continues. Marquez continues to leap in and miss. Mayweather leaps in and lands a left hook, then a right hand. Another left hook lands for Mayweahter as he spins away from the ropes. A jab and a hook end the round for Mayweather. Mayweather's round, 10-9.
Round 6: Trainer Nacho Beristain tells Marquez that he has to throw more punches because Mayweather is winning. Mayweather appears to be stepping up the pressure behind the jab. The crowd begins to chant, "Mexico," but to now avail. A right hand lead and a left hook jar Marquez. Marquez looks puzzled. Briefly on the ropes, Mayweather takes three harmless punches on the arms, but soon is backing up Marquez. In a neutral corner, Mayweather punishes Marquez with about seven unanswered punches. "That's what I told you to do," Roger Mayweather tells him as he returns to the corner. Mayweather's round, 10-9.
Round 7: Lederman has it 60-53, or a shutout for Marquez as does FanHouse. Tony Weeks asked Marquez between rounds if he wanted to continue. Mayweather took a right to the jaw, but clinches. Two jabs, a right that and a left hand get Marquez. Marquez lands while Mayweather is on the ropes but he escapes further harm and continues to dictate the pace with impunity. Marquez is implored to throw more punches by Beristain in his corner. Mayweather's round, 10-9
Round 8: The crowd is chanting Marquez's name, but the Mexican former champion continues to retreat. The blood from his right eye appears to be bothersome as Mayweather continues his assault with the jab. Three punches are all blocked by Mayweather who corners Marquez with three jabs. Marquez's head continues to be knocked backward by the piston-like punch. Mayweather avoids reaching rights and lefts by Marquez. With about 10 seconds left, Mayweather covers up on the ropes and beckons for Marquez to come forward. Mayweather blocks all of his punches. Mayweather's round, 10-9.
Round 9: Mayweather appears to be sitting down on his punches as his jab grows more fierce. Mayweather lands a hard left hook and blocks two by Marquez, who simply can' t land except to the body when Mayweather is close. Two uppercuts and a right hand land in close for Mayweather, and another combination shakes Marquez. Marquez winces after taking a hard right and a left hook at the bell. On his stool, he looks out of it. Mayweather's round, 10-9
Round 10: Lederman has it nine rounds to none for Mayweather, who lands a hard left jab and right with about two minutes left in the round. Mayweather begins to press and land even more frequently. Five straight punches miss by Marquez, who eats two more hard jabs on the ropes. Mayweather lowers his guard and Marquez still can not land. At the bell, Mayweather drills Marquez with a lead right that knocks his head back. Mayweather's round, 10-9
Round 11: Mayweather's shoulder defenses allow him to block four straight punches, after which he answers with a hard right to the jaw. Landing punches is futile for Marquez, who continues to eat counter-punches. Mayweather drills another long, lead right to Marquez on the ropes. There appears to be blood dripping from Marquez's nose. A three-punch combination shakes Marquez, as does a leaping left hand before the bell. Mayweather's round, 10-9
Round 12: The futility begins to sink in for Marquez, who is told by Beristain to "Finish with dignity." A left hook jars Marquez, who continues to retreat. A left hook over hand right knocks Marquez off balance. Mayweather loads up on two lead rights behind a pawing jab. A hard right pops Marquez's head backward. Marquez's right eye is bleeding profusely as he tries in vain to land against Mayweather's defense. On the ropes with 20 seconds left, Mayweather hammers hoome two more shots. Mayweather pumps his right hand in the air as the bell rings. He knows the result, as does everyone in the crowd. Mayweather's round, 10-9
Michael Buffer announces the unanimous decision: 120-107, 119-108, and, 118-109, all for Mayweather, meaning he lost only three rounds total between the three judges.
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - - Malaysia's highest court ruled Tuesday against US fast food giant McDonald's, which has waged an eight-year battle to prevent local eatery "McCurry" from using the prefix "Mc" in its name.
"It is the end of the road for McDonald's. McCurry can use the prefix," said lawyer Sri Dev Nair who represented the family-owned restaurant, which serves up Malaysian favourites like tandoori chicken and fish masala.
"McCurry and McDonald's are two different businesses which sell different types of food and they have different customers," he said, rejecting McDonald's claim that the use of "Mc" in its name could cause confusion.
In April, McCurry scored a David-and-Goliath victory when the appeals court overturned a 2006 high court decision that McCurry had illegally infringed on the burger chain's trademark.
McDonald's on Tuesday sought permission from the federal court to contest the appeals court decision, but judges denied the application and said the burger chain's petition was "not properly framed".
"It is unfortunate we have to dismiss the application with costs," said Judge Arifin Zakaria, who headed the three-member panel. Costs amounted to 10,000 ringgit (2,845 dollars).
"Justice has been served. The food that we serve is very different from McDonald's," said McCurry owner Kanaeges Suppiah.
"We have no similarities with them at all. That's what we have felt all this while and that's why we could go on until this stage," she told reporters.
McDonald's counsel declined to comment, saying they had to brief their client first.
"We abide by the court's decision," lawyer Wong Sai Fong said.
The McCurry restaurant, which the owners say is short for Malaysian Chicken Curry Restaurant, was established in 1999. McDonald's has 185 outlets in Malaysia, the first of which it opened in 1982.
