■ China
Mr. Ugly under the knife
A 30-year-old man Chinese man will undergo three months of plastic surgery to transform his looks after winning a Mr. Ugly contest. The unemployed man's surgical procedures will focus on his face, with doctors aiming to make him look like Lu Yi, a singer and actor popular with Chinese teenagers, the Shanghai Morning Post reported Friday. The man, who claimed to have lost his job due because he was unattractive, won the ugly contest in China's central Hubei province, where Wuhan is located. "I'm really ashamed. I have not had a real romantic experience although I'm already 30," he was quoted as saying.
■ China
Vietnam animals banned
China has banned imports of pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals from Vietnam and Mongolia due to concerns about foot-and-mouth disease, state television said yesterday. Government agencies were told to destroy any such animals that they discover, the report said, citing the General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. The order follows an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in about 2,200 livestock in central Vietnam. Vietnamese officials said on Wednesday the outbreak is now under control with only a handful of infections in the last several days.
■ The Philippines
Kidnappers get busy
A businesswoman was abducted by four gunmen in the southern Philippines, while authorities said yesterday they have arrested one of the country's most wanted kidnap suspects. Police Superintendent Bonfilo Dacoco said the gunmen who kidnapped Zoila Canse, 52, late Thursday, are suspected to be members of the notorious Pentagon kidnapping gang, or lawless groups raising funds for politicians running in the May 10 national and local elections. The often violent 90-day campaign season began this week.
■ Hong Kong
Bullying videos on Web
Hong Kong's schools chief said yesterday he was shocked at videos of bullying posted up on the internet by students in the territory. Education minister Arthur Li said he had met Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) to discuss the matter after two apparent attacks on Hong Kong students inside schools were posted on the internet. A police spokesman said Friday they would speak to students in the city's Shek Kip Mei district about the latest incident in which a video of a secondary school pupil apparently being kicked and punched was put on the Web.
■ Bangladesh
Acid attack victims get help
Bangladeshi women scarred for life after having acid thrown in their faces by rejected suitors are to be offered interest-free loans to help gain financial independence. The government has allocated 2,500,000 taka (US$41,600) for the scheme, under which acid burn victims will be eligible for loans to help them start small businesses, the official news agency BSS said. Last year, more than 200 acid attack survivors staged a demonstration in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka. The majority of victims are young women disfigured by former suitors after rejecting offers of marriage. According to the most recent figures compiled by the Acid Survivors Foundation, there were 485 acid attacks in 2002. Some 341 attacks were recorded in 2001.
■ United States
Immigrants stuck in house
More than 150 illegal immigrants have been found packed into a home in the Phoenix, Arizona area for days in filthy conditions and without food, authorities said Thursday. In some cases, the immigrants from Mexico and Central America are believed to have paid US$1,200 to US$6,000 to their human smugglers to get into the US, said Russell Ahr, a spokesman for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Phoenix. Thirty seven of the immigrants were Mexican nationals, and the rest were from Honduras, Guatemala and Ecuador, he said. A neighbor tipped off authorities about suspicious activity at the upscale house near a golf course.
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