■ Japan
Repentant thief nabbed
A letter of apology sent to a robbery victim spelled arrest for a man after police investigating the case identified him from the handwriting. NHK television said the man had pushed his way into the house of a 78-year-old woman in the town of Misato, western Japan, and stole ¥15,000 (US$125) after threatening her with a knife. He later wrote the victim a letter saying he was sorry and returning the cash. The handwriting "and other things" led police to the man, a 51-year-old construction worker who lives near the victim, NHK said.
■ Australia
Driver suffers reversal
Police charged a driver with "reversing further than necessary" after he traveled backwards for more than 40km along one of the country's busiest highways. Police said the man was stopped on the Hume Highway -- which runs between Sydney and Melbourne -- at Benalla, about 200km northeast of Melbourne. Police said the man told them reverse was the only gear in the car that worked and that he was traveling home to the small regional town of Numurkah, a further 90km away. He was also charged with unlicensed driving and driving an unregistered car and will appear in court later this year.
■ Pakistan
Child killed during festival
One child was killed and about 70 people injured during an annual spring kite-flying festival, police said yesterday, despite a crackdown against kite-fliers that netted more than 1,400 people over three days. Authorities banned kite-flying during the Basant festival in Lahore and other eastern Punjab provincial cities after seven people were fatally slashed by kite strings reinforced with wire or glass fiber in the days leading up to the event, which culminated on Sunday. There was only a sprinkling of kites over Lahore on Sunday due to the ban, which the mayor said helped prevent the multiple deaths normally associated with the festival.
■ China
Corruption raised at NPC
Corrupt politicians in rural areas are paying tens of thousands of dollars to win local elections, lured by the vast profits they can make afterwards wielding their clout, state media said yesterday. The claim was one of a series of allegations about corruption in the countryside that was raised at the National People's Congress (NPC), the Xinhua news agency said. "It's apparent that what the candidates are actually seeking is the power to control the village's land and mineral resources, which they can trade for cash and other personal benefits," said Liu Xiguang, an NPC delegate. Another NPC deputy, Zhu Huiqiu, called for an amendment to the Criminal Law that would make "sabotaging village elections" a crime.
■ China
Beijing steps up repatriation
Authorities expect a series of high-profile corrupt officials and businessmen who fled abroad to be repatriated, as Beijing steps up efforts to get them back from the countries where they have found refuge, the China Daily reported, citing a former assistant minister of public security. Among the targets is China's most wanted fugitive, Lai Changxing (賴昌星), allegedly the ringmaster of a US$6 billion smuggling ring in Fujian Province and who has been fighting extradition from Canada for several years. Others include two men now in the US who allegedly embezzled almost US$500 million from a Bank of China branch.
■ Algeria
Islamic leader freed
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