■ North Korea
Tourist visits suspended
The government plans to suspend foreign tourism during the year-end and new-year period, a Swedish agency organizing tours to the country said, spurring speculation about its motive. "North Korean borders will be closed for tourists from Dec. 15, 2005 to Jan. 15, 2006," said Koreakonsult, the tour agency, in its Web site. Analysts weren't sure what prompted the North to take the measure, but Park Joon-young, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Ewha Woman's University, said it doesn't appear to suggest the North faces a crisis. "We can't say this reflects a regime crisis," Park said, adding that the North might be trying to tighten control during the holiday period of the outside world.
■ China
No Russian oil accord yet
A visit by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov to Beijing ended with a pledge of possible cooperation in space exploration, but no deal on a pipeline sought by China to supply Siberian oil for its energy-hungry economy. A declaration on Friday by Fradkov and his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao (溫家寶), called for the two sides to increase trade and collaborate in developing nuclear power plants and natural gas. They said exports of Russian oil to China by rail should nearly double next year, to at least 105 million barrels. But there was no indication of a deal on a planned pipeline to export Siberian oil. The declaration also said the two sides agreed to "explore the possibility for moon and deep space exploration." Russia sold China the technology that formed the basis of its manned space program, which launched a two-man crew last month on its second successful orbital mission.
■ Australia
Travel advisory on Indonesia
In a revised travel advisory issued on Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it continued "to receive a stream of credible reporting suggesting that terrorists are in the advanced stages of planning attacks against Western interests in Indonesia." "Recent new information suggests that terrorists may be planning attacks to occur before the end of 2005," it added, advising Australians to avoid all nonessential travel to Indonesia and warned those already in the archipelago nation to consider leaving immediately.
■ Philippines
`My way' sparks stabbing
Sherwin Gatutua, 23, was singing Frank Sinatra's My Way at a bar in Dalaguete town on Wednesday when Bara Quilaton, 32, showed he had had enough by taking over the microphone. A fight then broke out resulting in Quilaton stabbing Gatuta with a sharpened iron bar before fleeing. The victim was rushed to a hospital where doctors managed to save his life. The song has gained some notoriety in the Philippines due to the brawls it apparently sets off. Last month, a fight broke out in a bar in a Manila suburb after a waitress refused to play the song while another man was fatally stabbed last month while singing it. One man was also shot dead and another wounded outside a Manila karaoke bar after they failed to contain their laughter at a performance of the song.
■ Singapore
Sheep to be shipped early
Thousands of sheep for the next Hari Raya Haji commemoration will be shipped from Australia three days earlier than usual to ensure they arrive in Singapore on time for the ritual slaughter, according to the Islamic Religious Council, with next year's event scheduled for Jan. 10. Singapore's Muslims were frustrated and confused when the 4,617 sheep destined for sacrifice last January were delayed by bad weather and port restrictions on their way from Australia. The livestock arrived two days after Hari Raya Haji, which marks the end of the pilgrimage season to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
■ Thailand
Drug traffickers arrested
Police arrested a Briton, his Thai wife and two Hong Kong men in connection with a seizure of 40kg of heroin. The Hong Kong residents, Chung Oi Fung, 42, and Leung Pak Lun, 21, were arrested late on Friday in front of a hotel in Phuket. The Hong Kong men were carrying two pieces of luggage containing 100 bars of pure heroin estimated at US$875,000. Police later arrested Briton Ian James Newton, 49, and his Thai wife Sungwan Newton, 38, who were waiting for the heroin bars from the Hong Kong men at the hotel. The suspects confessed to possession of heroin and drug trafficking, which could earn them a death sentence.
■ Malaysia
Politician killed in mishap
A politician was fatally shot in the head in what appears to be a hunting accident, although police have not yet ruled out foul play. Koh Yew Ming, 34, had gone hunting with nine friends -- five of them armed with shotguns -- in an oil palm plantation in central Negeri Sembilan state on Thursday. One of his friends later found him lying in a pool of blood with a bullet wound to the head. He died in hospital the following day. Local media questioned how Koh could have been hit by a stray bullet when he was only 250m away from the hunting party, and in a clearing where there was little chance of mistaking him for a wild boar.
■ Poland
Miracle witnesses testify
A tribunal hearing testimony whether the late Pope John Paul II should be beatified opened on Friday in the city of Krakow. Beatification is frequently a step on the way to canonization or sainthood. The Krakow hearing is tributary to the main investigation in Rome, which will examine purported miracles claimed to have been brought about by the posthumous intercession of John Paul II. Many of those testifying in Krakow were elderly and could not easily make the visit to testify in Rome. The witnesses were likely to include the writer and journalist Marek Skwarnicki who said in a television interview he was convinced he had defeated cancer through the intercession of the late pope. The great majority of Poles consider John Paul II to be the greatest figure of the 20th century. His election to the papacy in 1978 is considered more important than the fall of communism or the outbreak of World War II.
■ Czech Republic
Big Brother for gorillas
Inspired by the television reality show Big Brother, Czech public radio and television broadcasters have announced that beginning tomorrow, they will air a new show that will follow the lives of four gorillas living together at the Prague Zoo. The show, to be called Odhaleni (Discovery), will see the primates -- one male, two females and one baby -- battle it out for a grand prize of 12 melons, a delicacy for gorillas. "What the gorillas do is up to them," said Prague Zoo gorilla trainer Marek Zdansky. Czech Television will set up 15 cameras to monitor the gorillas, and viewers and listeners of the show will be able to vote via phone messages for their favorite contestant.
■ Canada
Band fails to ban movie
Ontario's Superior Court dismissed a motion on Friday that would have blocked the release of the upcoming Harry Potter movie in Canada. The Wyrd Sisters, a folk group in Winnipeg, Manitoba, tried to stop the theatrical release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, slated for Nov. 18. They argued that a fictional rock band in the film would ruin their careers and were seeking US$33 million in damages from Warner Bros. Although there is no mention of a Wyrd Sisters band in the film, the J.K. Rowling novel on which it is based refers to a group of hairy witches dubbed The Weird Sisters. The Wyrd Sisters argued on Friday that they've owned the trademark to the name in Canada since 1990.
■ United States
Omar Sharif sued
Omar Sharif was sued by a restaurant parking valet who says the actor called him a derogatory name and punched him after he refused to accept his European currency. Juan Anderson, a valet at Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills, California, says in a lawsuit filed last month that Sharif was belligerent and intoxicated and called him a ``stupid Mexican'' when he refused to accept a 20 euro (US$24) note. Anderson is from Guatemala. The Egyptian-born actor then punched Anderson, according to the lawsuit, which seeks US$50,000 in civil penalties, unspecified damages and attorney fees.
■ United States
US should consult on Iraq
The US should consult internationally on its plans for Iraq given the potentially devastating consequences of a failure in its policies there, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger said on Friday. Speaking at a NATO event in Brussels, Kissinger warned against the emergence of "a Jihadist government" in Baghdad, saying it would threaten security far beyond Iraq and the Middle East. "A catastrophic outcome in Iraq would affect directly or indirectly all members of the [NATO] alliance as well as countries from South East Asia to the northern hemisphere," Kissinger said.
■ United States
Troublesome T-shirts
Abercrombie & Fitch Co said that it will stop selling some T-shirts that a group of teenage girls found offensive. The Women & Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania was protesting the retailer over T-shirts for women emblazoned with "Who needs brains when you have these?" and "I had a nightmare I was a brunette." Abercrombie & Fitch, which has a history of controversies over messages expressed on T-shirts, said on Friday it has reached an agreement with the foundation, which aims to promote equity for women and girls, and will stop selling several of the T-shirts.
VAGUE: The criteria of the amnesty remain unclear, but it would cover political violence from 1999 to today, and those convicted of murder or drug trafficking would not qualify Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Friday announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists detained for political reasons. The measure had long been sought by the US-backed opposition. It is the latest concession Rodriguez has made since taking the reins of the country on Jan. 3 after the brazen seizure of then-Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Rodriguez told a gathering of justices, magistrates, ministers, military brass and other government leaders that the ruling party-controlled Venezuelan National Assembly would take up the bill with urgency. Rodriguez also announced the shutdown
Civil society leaders and members of a left-wing coalition yesterday filed impeachment complaints against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, restarting a process sidelined by the Supreme Court last year. Both cases accuse Duterte of misusing public funds during her term as education secretary, while one revives allegations that she threatened to assassinate former ally Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The filings come on the same day that a committee in the House of Representatives was to begin hearings into impeachment complaints against Marcos, accused of corruption tied to a spiraling scandal over bogus flood control projects. Under the constitution, an impeachment by the
Exiled Tibetans began a unique global election yesterday for a government representing a homeland many have never seen, as part of a democratic exercise voters say carries great weight. From red-robed Buddhist monks in the snowy Himalayas, to political exiles in megacities across South Asia, to refugees in Australia, Europe and North America, voting takes place in 27 countries — but not China. “Elections ... show that the struggle for Tibet’s freedom and independence continues from generation to generation,” said candidate Gyaltsen Chokye, 33, who is based in the Indian hill-town of Dharamsala, headquarters of the government-in-exile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). It
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported yesterday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry. Fraud compounds where scammers lure Internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world. Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. In the past few years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation
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