■ ThailandDog gets spectacles
A stray dog has been given a new leash on life in Thailand thanks to a veterinarian who has outfitted the near-blind pup with a pair of eyeglasses, a report here said yesterday. Srinuan, a six-month-old mutt who spent his dog day afternoons bumping into tree trunks, fire hydrants and humans, was recently fitted with a pair of prescription goggles, The Nation newspaper said. It cited the canine-caring deeds of vet Kiatisak Rojnirand, who had the dog's eyes checked.
■ Australia
Bad driver snubs parents
Joseph Abdelshahid has racked up A$70,597 (US$45,888) in speeding tickets, parking fines and toll-evasion notices in the six years since he passed his driving test. The 24-year-old is such a frequent offender that his parents have had to take out another mortgage on their Melbourne home to keep him out of prison, Australia's AAP news agency reported yesterday. Abdelshahid skirted a two-year jail term when his parents pledged to take responsibility for about half the 295 unpaid fines. He wasn't thankful. Abdelshahid told the court he wasn't on speaking terms with his parents.
■ Cambodia
Final election results out
Official and final results of Cambodia's July 27 general election, released yesterday, confirmed the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) as winner but showed it lacked enough seats to run the country on its own. A lengthy complaints procedure delayed the announcement of the official poll outcome in the war-scarred southeast Asian nation by more than one month. The CPP, led by Prime Minister Hun, a former Khmer Rouge soldier who has been in charge for nearly 20 years, consolidated its grip on power with 73 seats, the National Election Commission said. Cambodia's constitution says Hun Sen needs a two-thirds majority, or 82 seats, to form a government.
■ India
Prisoner saves policeman
A prisoner being transferred in a police van that crashed declined the opportunity to flee and instead pulled his captor out of the wreckage even though he was in handcuffs, officials said yesterday. Debendra Gogoi, 27, was being taken to a court to face rape charges on Thursday when the van rammed head-on into a bus in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. "A police constable, Ramesh Hazarika, escorting the accused to the jail was trapped in the accident and was shouting for help," police official Biraj Baruah said. Gogoi, who suffered only minor bruises, went underneath the van and dragged Hazarika's body out before hailing down a passing vehicle to head to a hospital.
■ Indonesia
Visa-free travel revoked
Indonesia will revoke visa-free travel for most foreign visitors starting Oct. 1, despite fears that the move could further dent the country's beleaguered tourism industry, reports said yesterday. Indonesia plans to charge foreigners US$30 for a 30-day nonrenewable visa upon arrival, Justice Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra was quoted as saying by The Jakarta Post. "Indonesia is poor. Why fuss about US$30?" Mahendra said, adding that the tourism industry should instead provide free hotel rooms to attract visitors. President Megawati Sukarnoputri signed a decree scrapping the visa-free rule in March.
■ SpainExtradition case dropped
Spain on Friday refused a judge's plea to seek the extradition of 40 people accused of genocide and terrorism during Argentina's "Dirty War," saying possible prosecutions in their home country should take priority. The government asked authorities in Buenos Aires to tell it when the Argentine Supreme Court decided whether to scrap immunity for former military officers of the 1976-83 dictatorship, a move that could see the 40 put on trial in Argentina. It also asked the Argentine government to keep the 40 men at the disposition of the judiciary while the Supreme Court deliberated.
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