■ United States
Deer hunter hunter charged
A laotian immigrant was charged with six counts of first-degree murder, and two counts of attempted murder Monday in connection with a deadly rampage in Wisconsin deer country eight days ago. Chai Vang, 36, was arrested the same day as the killings and is being held in lieu of a US$2.5 million. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in circuit court yesterday. The truck driver from St. Paul, Minnesota, has already admitted gunning down eight members of a deer hunting party following a confrontation with some of the party over the fact that he was trespassing on private property.
■ Spain
Neo-nazis arrested
Spanish police arrested 19 neo-Nazi youths after they beat up a man they found "dirty and badly dressed," Madrid police officials said on Monday. Officials said 12 of those arrested on Friday in the capital were minors, and four of them young girls, adding that their victim suffered a broken jaw in the attack. Police found an array of neo-Nazi items following the arrests, which were made thanks to a tip-off.
■ Saudi Arabia
Women vote in electoral first
Saudi businesswomen have made history by casting their votes for the first time in the board election of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, reported Saudi newspapers yesterday. It is the first time in the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom that women have been allowed to vote in a significant election. Women are not eligible to take part in nationwide municipal elections to be held Feb. 10. Newspapers reported that a large number of women turned out fervently Monday to vote at the chamber's women's section. No female candidates were contesting the elections. In the past, legal male agents voted on behalf of the women.
■ United States
Muslim channel launches
The first English-language cable television channel aimed at US and Canadian Muslims is set to launch, its chairman said on Monday, seeking to show positive images of the fast-growing community and to give the US a realistic glimpse into Islamic life. "It was my wife's idea. She asked me to go and do it," said Muzzammil Hassan, a Pakistani-born ex-banker whose "Bridges TV" hits US airwaves yesterday. Programming ranges from Koranic and Islamic religious content to news, document-aries, soap operas and shows geared toward women and children. Hassan has high hopes for the news programming, but there will also be lighter fare, such as Allah Made Me Funny, which spotlights a Muslim comedy tour.
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