■ Japan
Teen arrested for phishing
Police said yesterday they had arrested a 14-year-old boy on suspicion of fraud after he allegedly used the Internet to steal personal details in Japan's first case of phishing involving a minor. The boy allegedly threatened people, mainly young girls, so they would send him naked photos of themselves after he had already obtained their identification details and other personal information, local media said. Police sent papers to prosecutors charging the boy in the central city of Nagoya after he allegedly stole the IDs of 94 people by creating a Web site disguised as a popular Internet game site, police said. He allegedly led them to type in personal information such as their names and e-mail addresses, they said.
■ Hong Kong
Corrupt cop's case settled
The family of Hong Kong's most notoriously corrupt police officer has reached an out-of-court settlement with the Justice Department, agreeing to repay millions worth of assets and ending a six-year legal battle, an anti-graft group said yesterday. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said the family of Hon Sum, a former police sergeant, agreed to relinquish assets worth HK$140 million (US$18 million). Hon, described by the Chinese press as one of the "Big Four Detectives" in the 1960s, had worked in the police force for 31 years and retired in 1971. When Hon retired, he controlled 49 properties then worth US$2.12 million, had US$1.24 million in investments and two Mercedes-Benz cars, according to the South China Morning Post. Shortly after his retirement, Hon moved to Canada from where he fled after a bid to extradite him to Hong Kong was filed in 1977. He died in Taipei in 1999 aged 76.
■ Bangladesh
School's out for World Cup
A university has postponed exams until after the World Cup finals after hundreds of students lay siege to the vice-chancellor's office. Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology had earlier rejected students' calls to postpone exams scheduled for June 3-29. "The classes will remain suspended until July 14," an official at the university said on Monday. Bangladesh failed to qualify for the World Cup finals, which will be hosted by Germany from June 9 to July 9.
■ Philippines
Shootout erupts in cemetery
Two Muslim separatist rebels were killed in a clash with pro-government militiamen in the south, police said yesterday. Superintendent Ramon Ochotorena said the firefight erupted on Monday near a cemetery in Dinas town, Zamboanga del Sur province, 810km south of Manila. Ochotorena said the militiamen were passing by the cemetery when a group of 30 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels opened fire on them. "The commander of the MILF rebels thought that suspects in the killing of his brother and pregnant sister-in-law in February were among the group of militiamen," he said.
■ Australia
Tumble dried
A 13-month-old baby girl was badly burned when she was put into a clothes tumble dryer after spilling liquid on herself, Australian police said yesterday. The baby had been left with her mother's boyfriend in a suburb of the western city of Perth while she went to the gym for about an hour. "The person we allege has done the act has stated that he has put the child into a clothes tumble dryer, closed the door and turned it on for a couple of minutes," said Senior Detective Deb Newman. The girl had serious burns to both feet and her left hand, as well as bruises to her forehead and back. "The injuries are horrific," Newman said.
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