■ China
Ten rioters sentenced
A court has sentenced 10 people for their roles in a violent protest last month in which incensed residents attacked government offices and destroyed cars in Hubei Province. The 10 were sentenced on Monday to terms ranging from one to five years for damaging government property, interfering with government work and inciting unlawful protests, the Web site Sina.com reported yesterday, citing a state-run newspaper, the Wuhan Evening News. According to earlier reports by Hong Kong and overseas media, thousands of mostly unemployed residents went on a rampage after police used dogs to try to break up a protest over a plan by nearby Huangshi city to annex the city of Daye -- a move some feared might result in a loss of funding for the smaller city.
■ Philippines
Red Cross leaders meet
Red Cross leaders from 10 Southeast Asian nations met in Manila yesterday to discuss ways of increasing inter-regional cooperation to better cope with natural disasters and epidemics. Philippine National Red Cross chairman Richard Gordon said the outbreak of avian flu in the region underlined the urgent need for the region to "come up with a specific plan of action. "We need to clarify the priorities in our public health services and prepare programs that clearly address issues like HIV/AIDS, emerging diseases and potential pandemics," Gordon said. The former tourism secretary and senator said: "Natural disasters are changing in scale and intensity like hurricanes Katrina and Rita that hit the US Gulf Coast and last year's tsunami. "Now avian flu is rearing its ugly head as a potential global public health disaster."
■ Vietnam
Typhoon Damrey kills 9
Typhoon Damrey slammed ashore in Vietnam yesterday, injuring four people and knocking down trees and power lines, after leaving nine people dead on China's southern Hainan island. Damrey, the most powerful typhoon to hit northern Vietnam in a decade, packing winds up to 102kph.
■ Philippines
Piranha attacks inspector
A routine check of a shipment at Manila airport turned bloody when a piranha sprung up and bit one of the inspectors. "I was checking one of the boxes when suddenly, something leaped out of it and bit me," fisheries quarantine inspector Mario Trio said. The bite left a V-shaped wound on the inspector's finger, and the 34 piranhas in the consignment he was checking -- falsely declared as "ornamental fish" from Peru -- were confiscated over the weekend, but died two days later.
■ Nepal
Floods kill 3, displace 1,500
At least three people, including a 10-year-old, were killed and 12 were missing as heavy rains caused flooding in western Nepal. The Mahakali River, which serves as the border between Nepal and India, flooded Chandani and Dodhara villages. More than 700 houses were inundated and 1,500 residents left homeless. The flooding in the villages came after the Mahakali River embankment built 11 years ago by the aid group Japan International Cooperation Agency collapsed.
■ Philippines
Kidnapping ring busted
Police have arrested the leaders of a gang behind a spate of high-profile kidnappings, including a Coca-Cola executive whose body was found two years ago. Arrested in separate raids near Manila at the weekend were Hector Cornista, leader of the gang called Waray-Waray, and three of his men. Cornista's gang was involved in at least 18 kidnap for ransom cases in in recent years. In 2003, the group seized Betty Chua Sy, a finance executive of Coca-Cola Corp in the Philippines. Her body was later dumped on a Manila roadside wrapped in a garbage bag, triggering public outrage.
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