■ Thousands suffer in cold
More than 10,000 households in the northwest have been without heat since Saturday and face several more days of sub-zero temperatures after a boiler failed, Xinhua news agency said. The central boiler furnace failed at a power company in the city of Urumqi due to a build-up of coal dregs more than 30cm thick on its walls, Xinhua said yesterday. Company officials said that it could be three to five days before heat was restored. The company had been forced to buy the low-quality coal from small coal mines because its main contractor could only meet 80 percent of its demand, Xinhua said.
■ Australia
Stranded divers rescued
Divers have rescued two crew who spent 15 hours on the seabed in a stranded rescue submarine off Australia's west coast, the military said yesterday. The Australian Submarine Rescue Vehicle (ASRV) Remora ran into trouble at midnight local time on Monday when a winch system failed as it was being recovered during trials. After more than half a day in 130m deep water west of Perth, the vessel was brought to within 15m of the surface and the two crew were evacuated by divers.
■ Indonesia
Sex tape lawmaker resigns
A senior politician resigned from the country's largest political party after he was featured with a popular singer on a sex tape that was widely circulated in the country, media reports said yesterday. Yahya Zaini -- who is the head of the Golkar Party's religious affairs department, which has responsibility for moral issues -- submitted his resignation from the party, which was immediately approved by its chairman, Jusuf Kalla, who is also Indonesia's vice president.
■ Soccer
Bilbao's Orbaiz sidelined
Athletic Bilbao and Spain midfielder Pablo Orbaiz will be sidelined for up to eight months after rupturing a ligament in his right knee, his club said in a statement on Monday. Orbaiz sustained the injury on Sunday during Bilbao's 2-1 defeat by Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Orbaiz, who already had spent a month sidelined after straining a left knee ligament in October, was removed on a stretcher in the 56th minute. The setback is the latest in a series of serious knee injuries to strike the Primera Liga this season.
■ Speedskating
Cheek to receive award
Olympic speedskating champion Joey Cheek will receive the inaugural Heisman Humanitarian Award for his efforts to help refugees in war-ravaged Darfur. The Heisman Trophy Trust will honor Cheek at a dinner on Monday in New York. After winning gold and silver medals at the Turin Olympics this year, Cheek donated all of his performance bonuses -- a total of US$40,000 -- to Right To Play, a humanitarian organization founded by another Olympic champion, Johann Olav Koss. Cheek earmarked his money for refugees in Darfur, a region in the African nation of Sudan.
■ Sailing
Swiss wins Velux 5 first leg
Bernard Stamm of Switzerland started his defense of the Velux 5 Oceans by winning the first leg of the around-the-world solo race from Spain to Fremantle, on Australia's west coast. Stamm, sailing his self-built Open 60 Cheminees Poujoulat, arrived at Fremantle's port, the site of the 1987 America's Cup, at 7:18pm on Monday after 43 days and 20,000km of racing. Stamm, who left Bilbao, Spain with the rest of the race fleet on Oct. 22, was cheered by his partner, two children and support crew when he crossed the finish line. "I am very pleased to be here, to have won this leg and to be back on dry land," Stamm said.
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