■ Hong Kong
Monkey damages TV
A woman says conservation officers chased a stray monkey into her home, where it went on a rampage that destroyed an expensive flat-screen television. Now she's suing the government. Cai Ai-lan told the Small Claims Tribunal that officials spooked the monkey with nets while they were trying to catch it in September, and it went on a minor rampage in her apartment, the South China Morning Post said. Cai, 48, says the officials should have been trying to tranquilize the monkey instead. The Apple Daily newspaper said she's seeking US$3,846 in damages to cover damage to the TV, which was knocked down and ruined.
■ China
Workers close down mill
Throngs of workers from a near-bankrupt western China textile mill blocked the factory gates and posted slogans protesting against job losses, a company official and a rights group said yesterday. "I saw about 80 workers there yesterday. I saw signs with the words `we want to eat, we want to exist,'" an official with the the Lanzhou Sanmao Textile Group said by telephone from Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province. He said there were no more than 100 protesters. China Labor Watch, a New York-based rights group, said yesterday 600 people had been protesting at the factory for two days.
■ China
Husband seeks answers
The husband of Ding Zilin (丁子霖), leader of the "Tiananmen Mothers" activist group, said yesterday he was seeking legal advice as police failed to notify him -- as required by Chinese law -- of the charges against his wife. Jiang Peikun (蔣培坤) voiced concern for Ding, 67, who has suffered from heart problems following years of efforts demanding the government take responsibility for the 1989 crackdown on the Tiananmen protests, in which their son was killed. His comments come after the US State Department urged Beijing Wednesday to release Ding and two other members of the group.
■ Hong Kong
Pits dug to trap croc
After numerous failed attempts to bag Hong Kong's small but elusive stray crocodile, conservation officers are trying again by digging big holes they hope will trap the beast. The 1.2m-long reptile was first spotted last November and gained worldwide attention as Hong Kong's efforts to capture it came up short. A spokesman yesterday said workers are now digging two 1.8m-deep holes along the banks of the polluted suburban creek where the crocodile lives. The holes will be covered with plastic sheets, then concealed with mud and leaves, he said. Officials think the crocodile might be fooled by the camouflage, then fall into a hole and be unable to escape.
■ China
Tibetan monk arrested
China has arrested a young Tibetan monk for keeping a photo of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and a banned Tibetan flag, US-based Radio Free Asia said yesterday. Choeden Rinzen was seized during a police raid at Ganden Monastery in Taktse county near Lhasa in mid-February, a Tibetan refugee who recently arrived in neighboring Nepal said. Police have not informed family members or the monastery of his whereabouts. Five days after the arrest, Chinese police called a meeting of some 500 monks at the monastery, informing them Choeden Rinzen had been arrested for "possessing anti-government materials."
■ Spain
Six arrest warrants issued
A Spanish judge issued international arrest warrants for six more suspects in the Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people -- a Tunisian and five Moroccans. Another suspect identified as Otman El Gnaout was arrested, a court official announced on Wednesday, giving no details of the nationality of the man or the place of his arrest. He said a Moroccan who had been released was also re-arrested. Also Wednesday, Judge Juan del Olmo questioned two people in court, releasing one of them and ordering the other to return today for more questioning.
■ United States
Stewart claims juror bias
Martha Stewart sought a new trial on Wednesday, arguing that one juror lied on the jury selection questionnaire and made public statements after the trendsetter's conviction showing his bias against the rich and famous. The motion papers said that the juror's comments to reporters "are glaring proof" of the juror's state of mind and that Stewart had been cheated of her right to an impartial jury and a fair trial. "[The juror's] characterization of the verdict immediately after he was released from jury duty as `maybe ... a victory for the little guys who lose money in the market because of these kinds of transactions' evidences a clear class bias on his part," the papers said.
■ United States
140 arrested in drug raids
US and Canadian officials arrested more than 140 people in 18 cities on Wednesday in connection with a drug ring that the authorities said supplied 15 percent of the Ecstasy pills in the US. Federal prosecutors in the US said the gang imported huge amounts of Ecstasy powder from the Netherlands to Canada and pressed up to a million tablets a month for sale in the US and elsewhere. The group had distribution cells in virtually every major American city, officials said. US officials said this was the first time that they had uncovered a major production operation in North America. Law enforcement officials said they expect more charges and arrests in coming days.
■ The Netherlands
Doggie toilets in trial run
Dutch dog owners can soon throw away their pooper-scoopers and plastic bags and instead walk their furry creatures to their very own toilet. The developer of a new "doggie toilet," a small fenced-in patch of artificial grass, hopes the self-cleaning device will help rid towns of the mess left behind by man's best friend. The first toilet is being tested in Zaltbommel, a small town in central Netherlands, but the developer has already been approached by government officials from as far away as London. "This is only a pilot program, but we hope to roll out 200 to 300 of these toilets in one year," Hans van de Pos, who has patented the device, said on Tuesday.
■ United Nations
Corruption probe welcome
The UN Security Council pledged on Wednesday to cooperate with an independent investigation into allegations of corruption in the UN oil-for-food program and called on all other nations to do likewise. The council sent a letter to Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcoming his decision to establish a high-level inquiry into the administration and management of the humanitarian program.
PRECARIOUS RELATIONS: Commentators in Saudi Arabia accuse the UAE of growing too bold, backing forces at odds with Saudi interests in various conflicts A Saudi Arabian media campaign targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deepened the Gulf’s worst row in years, stoking fears of a damaging fall-out in the financial heart of the Middle East. Fiery accusations of rights abuses and betrayal have circulated for weeks in state-run and social media after a brief conflict in Yemen, where Saudi airstrikes quelled an offensive by UAE-backed separatists. The United Arab Emirates is “investing in chaos and supporting secessionists” from Libya to Yemen and the Horn of Africa, Saudi Arabia’s al-Ekhbariya TV charged in a report this week. Such invective has been unheard of
US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Canada that if it concludes a trade deal with China, he would impose a 100 percent tariff on all goods coming over the border. Relations between the US and its northern neighbor have been rocky since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, with spats over trade and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney decrying a “rupture” in the US-led global order. During a visit to Beijing earlier this month, Carney hailed a “new strategic partnership” with China that resulted in a “preliminary, but landmark trade agreement” to reduce tariffs — but
SCAM CLAMPDOWN: About 130 South Korean scam suspects have been sent home since October last year, and 60 more are still waiting for repatriation Dozens of South Koreans allegedly involved in online scams in Cambodia were yesterday returned to South Korea to face investigations in what was the largest group repatriation of Korean criminal suspects from abroad. The 73 South Korean suspects allegedly scammed fellow Koreans out of 48.6 billion won (US$33 million), South Korea said. Upon arrival in South Korea’s Incheon International Airport aboard a chartered plane, the suspects — 65 men and eight women — were sent to police stations. Local TV footage showed the suspects, in handcuffs and wearing masks, being escorted by police officers and boarding buses. They were among about 260 South
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) purge of his most senior general is driven by his effort to both secure “total control” of his military and root out corruption, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said told Bloomberg Television yesterday. The probe into Zhang Youxia (張又俠), Xi’s second-in-command, announced over the weekend, is a “major development,” Perdue said, citing the family connections the vice chair of China’s apex military commission has with Xi. Chinese authorities said Zhang was being investigated for suspected serious discipline and law violations, without disclosing further details. “I take him at his word that there’s a corruption effort under
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