■ Hong Kong
Radio host forced to quit
An outspoken talkshow host who is often critical of China quit yesterday, citing death threats and bemoaning the "suffocating" political climate in the city. In a pre-recorded message aired on his farewell Teacup in a Storm morning radio show, Albert Cheng said an increase in death threats he had received was causing him and his family enormous stress. "The increasing pressure I've been feeling physically and psychology-cally ... has put me on the brink of a breakdown," he said. Six years ago Cheng was stabbed six times by unidentified attackers outside his studio. "I finally took my doctor's advice [to quit]. It was the longest decision I had to make in my life," he said.
■ Japan
Constitutional change urged
Political leaders called yesterday for the nation to revise its US-drafted, pacifist constitution to allow more non-combat military opera-tions, saying the current model was no longer suited to the modern world. According to an opinion poll published in the Mainichi Shimbun daily, 78 percent of Japanese lawmakers favored changes to the document. A survey found last week that 53 percent of Japanese thought revision was needed.
■ Nepal
Rebel roundup underway
The Royal Nepalese Army said yesterday it has launched an operation to round up communist rebels in the kingdom's midwest following reports that guerrillas were planning a major attack. The operation began Thursday in Rukum district, about 400km west of Katmandu, and in a half dozen other districts known as Maoist rebel strongholds, an army spokesman said. He refused to say how many soldiers were involved but he did say the operation will provide rebels with an opportunity to surrender to the authorities. Officials said hundreds of troops have been deployed.
■ Hong Kong
Widow mourns loss of cock
An elderly widow whose beloved pet rooster's crowing drew complaints from neighbors reluctantly given the bird away after a castration operation failed to shut him up, the South China Morning Post reported yesterday. The 61-year-old woman said she slept in the same bed as the rooster and "cried and cried for weeks" after parting with the bird about a month ago, the Post reported. "He was more loyal than a dog. When-ever I called him from the living room he would come out from the kitchen saying `coo-coo,'" she was quoted as saying. The veterinarian who castrated the rooster only removed one testicle because of excessive bleeding, but the operation at least reduced the enthusiasm of the bird's early morning salutation, the report said. The widow defied public-housing rules by keeping the rooster, along with three ducks and two hens, in her apartment.
■ New Zealand
Prudence saves hiker
A last-minute decision to spend US$20 on renting an emergency radio locator beacon probably saved a hiker's life in the Southern Alps, police said yesterday. A rescue helicopter homed in on the beacon after high winds blew Dunedin hiker David Frazer off a path in the remote Mount Cook national park, according to Constable Kevin McGartland of Twizel police. The hiker's fall knocked him unconscious but he was able to activate the beacon when he recovered. He was treated for shock and hypothermia.
■ United States
Buffett to advise Kerry
Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor who has publicly criticized US President George W. Bush's tax cuts as favoring the wealthy, said he has agreed to serve as an economic adviser to John Kerry. Buffett, a Democrat, said Sunday that he and Kerry have spoken once -- when Kerry called to ask if Buffett would be willing to serve with a group of advisers that includes Roger Altman, deputy treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, and former Clinton economic adviser Gene Sperling. Neither Kerry nor anyone on the Massachusetts senator's economic advisory team have asked Buffett's opinion so far on economic policy, Buffett said, adding that he expects to hear from the other advisers soon.
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