■ Japan
Boys sought in man's death
Police were set to arrest four teenage boys yesterday on suspicion of burning a disabled homeless man to death by throwing a fire-bomb at him, Kyodo news agency said. Makoto Amazutsumi, 60, burned to death when his cardboard box shelter under a bridge in the castle town of Himeji in central Japan caught fire last October, local police said. He was likely unable to escape the blaze because he suffered from disability in his legs, Kyodo said. Police believe the boys, whose names have not been released, threw the fire-bomb after being scolded by another homeless man for being noisy, Kyodo said. Rates of violent crime are low in Japan, but homeless people, many of whom create huts for themselves in parks and along river banks, are vulnerable to attacks.
■ China
Odd question asked of Wen
When Chinese leaders meet the press in Beijing, it's usually a staid and predictable affair, so a man shouting and waving a walking stick at Premier Wen Jiabao's (溫家寶) annual news conference yesterday raised some eyebrows. Saying he was from a Taiwanese newspaper, the man, who seemed about 70, interrupted halfway though the two-hour long conference, demanding to be allowed to ask a question. Eventually the man, who identified himself as Chou Youfei from the "Taiwan Human Rights News," was allowed to ask his question -- on environmental protection -- after Wen pointed to him and called him "emotional." "I was protesting that nobody in my side of the room had had a chance to ask a question," Chou said after the conference. He claimed to be from the provinces of Hunan and Hubei, as well as Shanghai and Taiwan. He was eventually escorted out of the building by guards.
■ Malaysia
Asthmatic woman rescued
An asthmatic British woman was rescued early yesterday after being stranded for several hours along a hill trail in Malaysia's northern island of Penang, an official said. Paula Chester, 39, from Kent, and her husband, Clize, were descending the island's 830m famous Bukit Bendera on Monday when she experienced breathing difficulties, Penang Police Chief Christopher Wan said. Her husband, worried about her asthma condition, left her behind and went down for help, but only reached the foot of the rugged hill after dark. Wan said some 30 personnel from the police, civil defense corps and fire department and trail guides organized a search party immediately and found Chester after midnight on Tuesday. Chester was weak, but unhurt, Wan added.
■ India
Terrorist attacks forbidden
A prominent Muslim seminary has issued an edict declaring terrorist attacks on all religious sites and the killing of innocent people to be anti-Islamic, a cleric said yesterday. The fatwa, or religious order, was issued after a series of bomb blasts rocked the Hindu holy town of Varanasi last week, killing 20 people. It was announced on Monday by the Darul-Ifta Firangi Mahal in Lucknow, a well-known Muslim seminary. No matter the faith, attacks on religious shrines are forbidden by Islam, according to the fatwa, which called such attacks "one of the biggest crimes against humanity."
■ Malaysia
Boxing for bullies
A Malaysian state has hit on an unorthodox method to curb bullying in schools: train the troublemakers as boxers. The idea has been proposed to schools in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah state, and the Sabah Amateur Boxing Association has been approached to coach the belligerent youths, Sabah's Youth and Sports Minister Masidi Manjun said yesterday. He said school bullies can channel their physical aggression into boxing and become good sportsmen. "Boxing will train them to be disciplined and help realize their true potential. Instead of picking fights and getting into trouble with the law, they can fight legally and make the state and country proud," he said.
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