■ Canada
Smuggler denied sanctuary
A court has declined to give sanctuary to China's most-wanted man, Lai Changxing (賴昌星), although the ruling appeared to leave open the possibility for further appeals. Chinese authorities claim Lai is the mastermind behind a network based in Xiamen, responsible for smuggling as much as US$10 billion worth of goods into the country with protection from corrupt officials. Lai and his family arrived in Canada with his family in August 1999 after fleeing China by way of Hong Kong.
■ Iraq
Murder sparks prison riot
The murder of a prisoner at a US-run prison triggered a fight between detainees that left 12 injured, the second riot at the jail in two weeks, the US military said yesterday. The fight broke out on Thursday night and was confined to detainees at Camp Bucca just outside the port city of Umm Qasr, the military said in a statement. "The guards regained control of the compound and immediately began rendering medical treatment to 12 other detainees who were injured during the fight," said the statement.
■ United States
Marriage licenses retracted
The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday nullified nearly 3,000 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples by Multnomah County, saying a single county couldn't take such action on its own. The court said while the county can question the constitutionality of laws governing marriage, they are a matter of state-wide concern so the county had no authority to issue licenses to gay couples.
■ United States
Duck detail gets tricky
Officials bolstered security on Thursday for a duck nursing eggs near the White House to protect her from protesters at a global economic summit beginning yesterday. Officials are concerned protesters could disturb the mallard hen, who is incubating nine eggs at the foot of a tree on the sidewalk in front of the Treasury Department. The duck laid her eggs on top a mound of mulch at the foot of a freshly planted sapling earlier this month and the ducklings are expected to hatch at the end of this month.
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