■ 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.
■ China
Ministers meet over Iran
Representatives of six major powers are to meet tomorrow in Vienna in a bid to resolve the Iran nuclear crisis, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said."It is true there will be a foreign ministers' meeting for six nations," ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (劉建超) told a news conference yesterday." We hope the meeting will achieve positive results." Senior officials from UN Security Council permanent members China, Russia, the US, France and Britain, plus Germany have already met to narrow divisions over how to induce Tehran to halt sensitive uranium enrichment work. Iran says its nuclear research is aimed at producing electricity but the West fears its real goal is to develop atomic weapons.
■ Thailand
New election date decided
A new election date was approved yesterday, three weeks after the Constitutional Court annulled an April snap poll called by Premier Thaksin Shinawatra to silence his critics. "The Cabinet approved the Oct. 15 date proposed by the Election Commission as a new election date," Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-Ngam told reporters. "It's the Cabinet's authority to issue a new royal decree and there are 90 days to enable candidates to change party," he said. Last week, Thaksin staged a political comeback, formally returning to office after stepping aside early last month in the wake of mass street protests demanding his resignation over alleged corruption.
■ South Africa
No sanctions, says Zuma
South Africa ruled out imposing "smart" sanctions against neighboring Zimbabwe on Monday, saying similar measures taken by the EU had not brought any results, a top minister said. South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma told parliament the issues in Zimbabwe remained a challenge but reiterated that it was up to the people of that country to solve its problems. Asked if South Africa should not take stronger action, such as targeted sanctions, she said those imposed by the EU had failed. "It may not be a very useful tool because it doesn't seem to be yielding results," Dlamini Zuma said.
■ Spain
Mass of moths sighted
A plague of silver Y moths is threatening the country, with large swarms sighted in Madrid and in Caceres in the southwest, the daily El Pais reported yesterday. It was not clear whether the swarms were coming from North Africa or Spain. The plague would be the first of its kind in a decade. Silver Y moths (Autographa gamma) proliferate when rains follow a long drought according to experts quoted by El Pais. The moth, which measures 4cm, has a silvery Y mark on its wings patterned brown and grey. They are harmless except as caterpillars, when they can eat agricultural produce, experts said.
■ Israel
Kirk searches for peace
The captain who dared to "boldly go where no man has gone before" has targeted a new destination: William Shatner believes he can contribute to Middle East peace by helping disabled children through horseback riding. The former Star Trek actor was in Israel on Monday to promote "therapeutic riding." Shatner said that placing injured people on horseback has been shown to improve their conditions. He hopes his new fund, launched with the nonprofit Jewish National Fund, will contribute to Middle Eastern peace.
■ Sudan
Parties divided on UN
The two ruling parties are divided over sending UN forces to its violent Darfur region despite three days of direct talks aimed at tackling the thorniest issues facing the country. Veteran UN troubleshooter Lakhdar Brahimi last week secured a guarantee that a joint UN-African Union team could begin work within days to plan for a possible takeover. But on Monday the government was still divided over UN troops in Darfur. "The UN forces should come with a defined mandate," said First Vice President Salva Kiir, head of the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement. But President Omar Hassan al-Bashir had a different opinion. "Salva Kiir's opinion is different to mine," he said on Monday night.
■ United Kingdom
Racist attacks increase
Racially motivated attacks, including pipe bombs, bricks hurled through windows and assaults, have risen sharply in Northern Ireland, the latest police figures show. Migrant workers, mainly those from new EU states working in meat-packing and food-processing businesses, are being targeted in the latest wave of attacks. In the most recent attack a Polish man suffered multiple fractures to his skull and face after being attacked in County Derry. During last year the Police Service in the province recorded 936 racial incidents, of which 746 were subsequently deemed to be racist crimes. The previous year there were 813 incidents.
■ Belgium
Court rules on airline data
The EU's highest court ruled yesterday that the EU acted illegally when it struck a deal giving US authorities personal details of airline passengers in a bid to fight terrorism. Under a deal reached in 2004, European airlines are compelled to turn over 34 pieces of information about each passenger -- including name, address and credit card details -- within 15 minutes of departure for the US. The US says such measures are required to help combat terrorism. But the law has been heavily criticized in Europe as a violation of privacy. The European Court of Justice said EU nations acted without the correct legal basis. It did not, however, take issue with specific measures of the law. Lawyers have until Sept. 30 to address the concerns raised by the court.
■ United States
Samaritan aids lotto winner
A US soldier and his girlfriend found a winning lottery ticket on the ground at a convenience store on Monday and turned it in to police, who were able to find its owner -- a US$2,500 winner with no idea her lucky ticket was missing. Sergeant Edward Boniberger and Marnie Hall found the ticket in a plastic case at a store, Suffolk County Police said. They tried to find the woman who had signed it, but when they could not, they took it to a police station. Detectives then located Mary Ann Doerrbecker, who had not realized she had dropped the ticket, according to Detective Sergeant Thomas Groneman. "She was shocked," he said.
■ United States
Jump rope without the rope
If you think keeping fit is merely mind over matter, Lester Clancy has an invention for you -- a cordless jump-rope. That's right, a jump-rope minus the rope. All that's left is two handles, so you jump over the pretend rope. Or if you are truly lazy, you can pretend to jump over the pretend rope. And for that idea kicking around Clancy's head since 1988, the US Patent Office this month awarded the 52-year-old Mansfield, Ohio, man a patent. Its number: 7037243. What makes this invention work is the moving weights inside the handles. They simulate the feel of a rope moving, Clancy said. Well, it's only one handle so far because Clancy is waiting for financial backers before building its partner.
■ Canada
Robbers strip churches
Thieves pried away sections of copper roofs, gutters and wiring from four Quebec City churches over several nights last week, the latest in a string of bizarre thefts across Canada linked to high metal prices, police said on Monday. The heists, described as the boldest so far, follow thefts of aluminum ladders and soccer goal posts in Vancouver, manhole covers in Montreal and trucks filled with scrap metal en route to foundries in Toronto, police said. Thieves have stripped unfinished new homes of their copper piping, stolen park light fixtures, and even wires from hydro and cable companies.
■ Iraq
Saddam judge complains
The trial of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and seven co-defendants for crimes against humanity resumed yesterday with a complaint from the judge about new lists of defense witnesses. "Every day the defense team gives us a new list of witnesses, we will never be finished with listening to witnesses," presiding judge Rauf Abdel Rahman said. The trial is currently in the defense phase and 38 witnesses have already been heard. "The court should not listen to all the witnesses, we will not accept any more lists of witnesses or we will end up with 200 or 300 of them," the judge added.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
IN PURSUIT: Israel’s defense minister said the revenge attacks by Israeli settlers would make it difficult for security forces to find those responsible for the 14-year-old’s death Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday condemned the “heinous murder” of an Israeli teenager in the occupied West Bank as attacks on Palestinian villages intensified following news of his death. After Benjamin Achimeir, 14, was reported missing near Ramallah on Friday, hundreds of Jewish settlers backed by Israeli forces raided nearby Palestinian villages, torching vehicles and homes, leaving at least one villager dead and dozens wounded. The attacks escalated in several villages on Saturday after Achimeir’s body was found near the Malachi Hashalom outpost. Agence France-Presse correspondents saw smoke rising from burned houses and fields. Mayor Amin Abu Alyah, of the