■ China
Bystanders watch rape
A young woman was raped by a man in a public toilet in Hebei Province as a crowd of some 40 bystanders stood by and watched, failing to help or call the police, state media reported. The incident took place on April 18 in Hengshui city when the 32-year-old garbage collector followed the 19-year-old woman into a public toilet and attacked her. Two police officers on patrol stopped to investigate when they saw a large crowd outside the toilet. They found out a crime was taking place after one of the bystanders told them someone was being raped inside, 20 minutes after the assault started. The officers arrested the man at the scene.
■ Pakistan
Raped teen demands justice
A teenager who alleges she was raped by two police officers when she went to report an earlier sexual assault has threatened to set herself afire in front of parliament if the officers are not charged. Nashih Bhatti, 17, traveled to Islamabad and told media she was demanding that the government take action against the officers. Bhatti was kidnapped by some men last month, who took turns to rape her. Bhatti claims she escaped and went to a police station where two officers also raped her. Police arrested the alleged kidnappers but the woman said she and her parents would set themselves on fire in front of the National Assembly if action was not taken to punish the officers. Police said the woman's charges against police officers were "fake," although they were still investigating.
■ Malaysia
Christians detained
Police arrested two Americans for allegedly distributing Christian religious pamphlets to Muslims. The two men were detained and a local court had ordered them to be held for 14 days. "We want to find out if they had breached any regulations in Malaysia," police said. It is an offense in Malaysia to try to convert Muslims away from their faith. The prime minister said earlier this month there was no ban on Bibles published in Malay but they must be stamped with the words "Not for Muslims."
■ Hong Kong
Half expect to be millionaires
Half of all students in the territory expect to be millionaires by the age of 35, and nearly a third expect to make it by the age of 30, according to a survey. However, nine out of 10 students said they expected their parents to provide financial support for them as they worked toward their first million. The 500 students interviewed said they expected parents to help them with things like weddings and setting up businesses. Forty-six percent of would-be millionaires said they thought the best way to make their fortune was through investments. Another 19 percent said they would make their money through business, and 14 percent said they would earn it through salaries if they worked hard enough. A million Hong Kong dollars is equal to US$128,000.
■ Thailand
Itchy ears are a problem
Anan Temtan checked in to Vachira Phuket Hospital, complaining of growing itchiness in his ears that could not be cured with cotton buds. Doctors discovered about 50 fly larvae in the octogenarian's ears, which they removed with tweezers and suction instruments. "We believe flies might have gone inside his ears to lay eggs which hatched into larvae, causing the itching," said the doctor. Anan had helped clean up a neighborhood marketplace four days prior to his ear infestation.
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