Who needs medical expertise when you can use stills from Ridley Scott’s Hollywood blockbuster ‘Alien’?

That was senator John Kennedy’s questionable logic when he showed off a photograph of the monstrous-looking creature with knife-sharp tusks and warned that Americans could ‘look like this’ if they eat raw frozen shrimp shipped from abroad.

His performance comes after recalls of frozen seafood that is feared to be radioactive.

Kennedy, of Louisiana addressed lawmakers inside the US Capitol: ‘This is a photograph of the alien from the movie “Alien.”

‘This is what you could end up looking like if you eat the raw frozen shrimp being sent to the United States by other countries.

‘In late August, the FDA found that raw frozen shrimp from Indonesia was being sold in Walmart… in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia…

‘How could you end up looking like the alien in the “Alien”?

‘Because the shrimp was radioactive. I kid you not… It will kill you even if it does not turn you into the alien. If you eat this, I guarantee you that you will grow an extra ear.’

The Republican added: ‘How could this happen in today’s America? This is unconscionable… It is not being suspected.’

He warned that shrimp is not being inspected – as it is supposed to be – by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a US government agency tasked with ensuring the safety and quality of seafood entering the country.

The US Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, first announced the recall on August 20, and to date three companies have pulled out the product.

It confirmed that one sample of breaded shrimp tested positive for a radioactive material, but this positive sample ‘did not enter US commerce’.

The material was revealed to be Caesium-137, the radioactive form of the periodic element Caesium.

Shoppers in 13 US states where the products are sold have been advised to throw any recently bought products among three batches.

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A gigantic Labubu, life-sized statues of Iron Man, Louis Vuitton bags, TV screens and a piano – these are some of the items looted from the home of an Indonesian politician who branded the ongoing protests ‘stupid’.

The Southeast Asia country has descended into chaos over an increase of lawmakers’ salaries, with demonstrations boiling over after the killing of a taxi driver who was hit by a police armored vehicle in the capital, Jakarta.

At least three people have been killed in a fire blamed on protesters at a regional parliament building in Makassar, the capital of the South Sulawesi province.

Rescuers retrieved three bodies on Saturday morning, and five people were hospitalized with burns or with multiple broken bones after jumping from the building, said Fadli Tahar, a local disaster official.

Parliamentary offices have been looted, as well as the mansion of Ahmad Sahroni, a member of the NasDem Party, Detik News reported.

Why are there protests in Indonesia?

Nationwide protests began in Jakarta on Monday after lawmakers backed a hike to their allowances.

In addition to their salaries, members of parliament will now benefit from a monthly housing stipend of 50 million rupiah (£2,263) – nearly 10 times the minimum wage in the capital and about 20 times the onein poor areas of the country.

A video from the parliament hearing showed them dancing in celebration, all the while Indonesia’s poverty rate stands at nearly 10%.

Critics argue the new allowance is not only excessive but also insensitive at a time when most Indonesians are grappling with soaring living costs and taxes, as well as rising unemployment.

The protests grew wider and more violent following the death of 21-year-old ride-hailing driver Affan Kurniawan in Jakarta on Thursday.

A video on social media, apparently showing his death, shocked the nation and spurred an outcry against the country’s security forces.

Kurniawan was reportedly completing a food delivery order when he was caught in the clash.

Witnesses told local television that the armored car from the National Police’s Mobile Brigade unit suddenly sped through the crowd of demonstrators and hit Kurniawan, causing him to fall.

Instead of stopping, the vehicle ran over him.

On Saturday, hundreds of ride-hailing drivers and students in Bali staged a solidarity demonstration over Kurniawan’s death in a rare protest on the tourist island.

They called for police reform and the release of those arrested during the demonstrations.

Protesters marched to Bali’s regional police headquarters and riot police fired rounds of tear gas at them to push back those who tried to reach the heavily guarded compound.

Clashes between riot police and protesters erupted in multiple cities across Indonesia on Friday, including in Medan, Solo, Yogyakarta, Magelang, Malang, Bengkulu, Pekanbaru and Manokwari in easternmost Papua region.

TikTok suspends live video feeds

In the light of the protests, the app, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, confirmed that it had suspended its live feature in Indonesia for several days.

The government had this week summoned representatives of social media platforms, including Meta Platforms Inc and TikTok, and told them to boost content moderation alleging that disinformation had spread online.

The government says that this has spurred the demonstrations against it – not the issues with the economy or the killing the the taxi driver.

What has Indonesia’s president done so far?

The protests are the first major test to president Prabowo Subianto nearly year-old government.

As the demonstrations spread outside Jakarta, he cancelled a planned trip to China.

The president had been due to attend a ‘Victory Day’ on Wednesday for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II following Japan’s surrender.

Presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi said in a video statement: ‘The president wants to continue monitoring the protests directly…and seek the best solutions.

‘Therefore, the president apologizes to the Chinese government that he could not attend the invitation.’

Is it safe to travel to Indonesia right now?

The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to parts of Indonesia – but most are area where there is volcanic activity, rather than connected to the protests.

Foreign embassies in Jakarta, including the US and Australia, have advised their citizens in Indonesia to avoid demonstration areas or large public gatherings.

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Dara Tah’s video was shot in West Papua, where cannibalism vanished at least 70 years ago.

Pink Beach in Indonesia is famous for its distinctive hue (Picture: Shutterstock / Daniel Rolph)

A British snorkeler has died after plunging 50ft into the ocean in Indonesia.

The 24-year-old woman suffered a seizure while swimming in the …

The 8.8 magnitude tremor erupted in the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s far east early this morning.

They admitted they were ‘very stupid’, and insisted they would not do it again.

A packed ferry carrying more than 280 passengers has become a floating inferno off the coast of Indonesia.

Flames engulfed the KM Barcelona VA vessel travelling towards the city of Manado within minutes, forcing dozens of people to jump into the sea.

Footage shows passengers – most wearing life-jackets, but some without – hurling themselves into the water to save their lives.

Filmed by a woman, who had swam about 10 to15 metres away from the inferno, it reveals the desperation of those on board.

Screams and cries for help can be heard in the background as the fire is seen ripping through the entire vessel and thick, black smoke billows into the sky.

Dozens of passengers are shown to be in the water, trying to gain as much distance as possible between the fire and themselves.

Several passing fishing boats from the nearby Talise Island rescued some of the survivors from the water.

Abdul Rahman, who recorded a video during the chaos, said: ‘Almost everyone panicked, the smoke was thick from the back of the boat, then the fishermen started to transport children to their boats first.’ 

IDN Times reported that one person has died in the incident, but did not specify if they drowned or were killed in the inferno.

Three vessels have been dispatched to scene, the Manado Harbormaster and Port Authority Office (KSOP) confirmed.

‘There are KM Barcelona III, KM Venecian, and Km Cantika Lestari 9F,’ an officer said.

Rescue operations are ongoing as emergency teams race against time to account for all passengers.

The ferry was en route from the Talaud Islands to Manado when it caught fire off the coast of North Sulawesi earlier today at around 1.30pm local time.

The cause of the fire remains unknown so far.

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Molly-Mae Hague’s sister Zoe Rae left Bali after just 48 hours to jet off to Dubai instead. And people have a lot to say about it.

He was crushed to death and found inside the belly of the beast.

Rescuers are scouring the waters off the Indonesian island for 30 passengers after the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya went under.

Dressed in a Polri uniform and wearing black berets robots were paraded through the streets of Jakarta

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Juliana Marins slipped while hiking.

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Lisa Stocker, 39, is one of three tourists accused of trying to bring in nearly £300,000 worth of cocaine sealed inside sachets of Angel Delight.

Jon Collyer, 38 and Lisa Stocker, 39 were arrested in Bali, Indonesia on suspicion of importing 17 packages of cocaine (Picture: EPA)

The family of three Britons jailed in Indonesia for alleged drug smuggling have said they are worried for…

Jonathan Christopher Collyer, 28, and Lisa Ellen Stocker, 29, were detained at Denpasar International Airport after customs officers flagged suspicious items in their luggage.

‘I really, really regret everything that has happened.’

The rare fossil find has revealed how the prehistoric humans survived in the area.

‘I never want to go back unless there’s a very good reason to drag me there.’

A boy, 13, was injured at a theme park after he was thrown out of his seat while riding a 360° swing.

The teen, with the initials RDP,went on the ride at the Jawa Timur Park 1 in Batla, Indonesia, with three friends earlier this month.

Yet as the Frisbee began to twirl through the air, RDP’s safety harness unbuckled, leaving him clinging to his chair.

The ride swung as it completed a 360° turn and slowed down at the top, with the teen dangling some two metres off the ground.

Onlookers and ride-goers then screamed as they watched the teenager fall, footage showed.

The 360 Pendulum was immediately halted at about 4pm on April 8.

RDP suffered two fractures to his right hand and one to his right leg.

The boy attended Madrasah Tsanawiyah secondary school in Malang and dreams of becoming a pilot.

‘Our child has a dream that has been prepared carefully since childhood, his dream is to be an Air Force (AU) pilot,’ his mother, Ardika Novita, told the press on Friday.

RDP’s father, Wasis Ridho Atmadei, said his son has long been inspired by his nephew, who pilots a Sukhoi jet at the Iswahjudi air force base.

‘When he was still a cadet wearing a uniform, he looked dashing,’ he said, ‘finally my child was motivated.’

But RDP’s family worries that the boy may never realise his dreams if his injury – which has left him in a cast – impacts his chances of getting into a top boarding school.

Police said that park operators had conducted all safety checks before the ride started, and they worked correctly.

The seat belt suddenly unfastened due to a malfunction, the police found.

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