■ Nepal10 rebels killed in clashes
Government security forces killed at least 10 communist rebels in two separate clashes in Nepal yesterday, a day after a temporary truce ended, police said. Soldiers killed at least six rebels near Phoolkahachowk village, about 400km southeast of Katmandu, yesterday morning, police officials said on condition of anonymity. Separately, four more rebels were gunned down in Taplejung, about 600km northeast of the capital, the officials said. It was not clear whether there were any casualties on the government side, and there was no immediate comment from the rebels.
■ Bangladesh
Electricity kills elephants
Bangladeshi authorities have cut off electricity to several villages after two elephants died touching live wires placed along paddy fields by farmers, officials said yesterday. The farmers in northern Sherpur district placed the wires to stop elephants, an endangered species in Bangladesh, from trampling their fields. "Herds of up to 70 elephants often strayed into Sherpur villages, apparently in search of food, and destroyed crops awaiting to be harvested soon," said Mohsena Ferdousi, Deputy Commissioner of the district. "Villagers laid electric traps to scare away the wild elephants but two of them reportedly died after touching live wires," she said by telephone.
■ Australia
Drug dealer gets tax break
A drug dealer who dug up hundreds of thousands of dollars from his backyard to buy heroin but had the money stolen in the deal can claim a tax deduction for his losses, an Australian court has ruled. Under Australian law, income earned from illegal activity can be subjected to income tax. The High Court of Australia ruled this week that if illegal income is subjected to tax, then losses should be deductible. The ruling ended a 10-year battle between convicted drug dealer Francesco Dominico La Rosa and the Australian Tax Office, which argued the tax deduction was against good public policy.
■ China
Internet cafes shut down
The country has closed 1,600 Internet cafes and fined operators a total of 100 million yuan (US$12 million) for letting children play violent games and for other violations, the government said yesterday. The announcement came amid a campaign launched in March to reduce or eliminate sex and violence in Web sites, video games and other material that Communist leaders consider harmful to public morality. Investigators have inspected 1.8 million Internet cafes looking for unlicensed operations or those that let children play violent games meant for adults, the Ministry of Culture said. China encourages Internet use for education and business but bans sexually oriented content on Chinese Web sites and tries to block access to foreign sites deemed pornographic or subversive.
■ India
Police arrest man in coma
A court order has placed the police in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in the difficult position of having to arrest a comatose 107-year-old man, reports said yesterday. Nanku Prasad Mishra was served a non-bailable warrant by India's apex Supreme Court earlier this week in a 20-year-old murder case, the Times of India reported. To avoid the task of arresting a dying man, the district police officials and prison authorities in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh have moved Mishra to hospital for treatment.
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