London's Metropolitan Police yesterday launched an initiative to crack down on the illegal sale of products made from endangered species in Chinese medicine shops. "Operation Charm," backed by wildlife charities and the Chinese community, will focus on shops that sell goods that are made -- or claim to be made -- from endangered species. There is a growing market in London for products made from endangered animals, including products made from tiger bone and rhino horn. "It is quite unacceptable that illegal acts in London are contributing to the decline of creatures like the tiger," said Andy Fisher, the head of the Met's Wildlife Crime Unit. "In `Operation Charm' we want to stop the illegal trade in these animals in London. Anyone who persists in doing so could spend five years in prison." There are now estimated to be fewer than 5,000 tigers left in the wild, down from 100,000 in 1900.
■ France
Chinese card scam busted
Three people suspected of running a counterfeit credit card ring were arrested this week in Paris and their equipment seized, police said on Thursday. According to one investigator, the three made the bogus cards from numbers received directly from China and sent Chinese students in France out to make purchases with them. Officers seized special printers used to make the cards, as well as a stock of 300 cards already encoded with data and 700 other blank ones. It was not known how much the gang netted from the operation.
■ United States
Foley probe starts
Florida authorities have opened an investigation into the sexually explicit computer messages that disgraced lawmaker Mark Foley sent to male former interns. "It was a preliminary inquiry before, but we found the basis to open up a criminal investigation," Kristen Perezluha, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said on Thursday. The FBI is investigating whether Foley broke federal laws with his messages to teenaged former congressional pages, and the House Ethics Committee is looking into whether senior Republican officials hid what they knew about the messages. Foley resigned on Sept. 29 after being confronted with the lurid messages. His attorney, David Roth, has said Foley never had inappropriate sexual contact with minors.
■ South Africa
ANC whip suspended
The ruling African National Congress suspended its chief whip Mbulelo Goniwe on Thursday after finding clear evidence he had sexually harrassed a parliamentary intern in an initial probe. According to widespread media reports, the unnamed intern was propositioned by Goniwe after a recent party at his home. She has also complained of being threatened since making the accusation and is currently being looked after by the head of the ANC women's caucus in the parliament, Vytjie Mentor. The disciplinary committee said there was evidence to substantiate the claims of intimidation. Goniwe's predecessor as chief whip, Tony Yengeni, has also had legal troubles. He is currently serving a prison term for corruption and is himself in hot water after being photographed drinking beer in apparent contravention of his parole conditions.
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