■ Indonesia
Ten killed in stampede
Ten people were killed and dozens injured in a stampede at a packed music concert in Central Java province, hospital workers and reports said yesterday. The stampede occurred late on Tuesday in the town of Kedungwuni, 90km west of the provincial capital of Semarang, as popular band Ungu played in a packed soccer stadium. "We have identified nine of the victims," Pekajangan district hospital staffer Wawan said, adding that the identity of one man was not yet known.
■ Australia
Dating with text appeal
A 150-year old public library has a new true-romance section after introducing speed-dating nights for lovers of classic texts. The state library of Victoria in Melbourne introduced dating with a literary twist after the idea was raised at a staff party. Those who attend must bring a book they either love or loathe as a conversation starter, ensuring there are no uneasy silences during the series of five-minute dates. "It's speed dating with books. It's designed to bring book lovers together," the library's project manager, Jackie Felstead, said yesterday.
■ Solomon Islands
Deputy PM resigns
The deputy prime minister resigned from his post yesterday and also as the nation's environment minister, an official said. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare was expected to comment on the resignation later yesterday, according to Alfred Maisulia of the prime minister's information department. Media reported that Deputy Prime Minister Job Dudley Tausinga did not say why he resigned but quoted him as saying that he would continue as a lawmaker.
■ Hong Kong
Maid jailed for serving urine
An Indonesian house maid who poured urine in her employer's drinking water in revenge for a dressing down has been jailed for two weeks, media reports said yesterday. Duladi Sunartin, 27, twice served her 34-year-old female employer the doctored water, the Chinese-language Apple Daily said. The maid told a court she did it after she had been berated for having a bad attitude. She also said the woman had mistreated her, the report said. The incident came to light after the employer, who was resting at home on maternity leave, questioned Sunartin about the odd taste in her water.
■ China
Escapee's mistress jailed
The mistress of a building contractor has been jailed for six years for arranging the "rescue" of her lover from police who were questioning him over alleged corruption, state media said yesterday. Liu Qian, 27, orchestrated the escape of Yao Chuanrui, a former manager of a state construction company, from a Beijing hotel where he had been held secretly for months.
■ Japan
`Hibernation' saves man
A man who was lost in the mountains survived for 24 days without eating or drinking anything, except a few drops of barbecue sauce, by going into a bear-like state of hibernation, his doctor said. "I lay down on the second day in a grassy area, which felt good in the sunshine, and eventually I fell asleep," said Mitsutaka Uchikoshi, 35. "That's the last thing I remember." His saga started on Oct. 7, when he went with friends to climb Mount Rokko in Kobe. He left his party to descend by himself but fell off a cliff. He hurt his back and was unable to move. The only food he had with him was a container of barbecue sauce.
■ United Kingdom
Randy man compensated
A devout Christian who said an accident at work boosted his libido and wrecked his marriage as he turned to prostitutes and pornography was awarded more than £3 million (US$5.89 million) in damages on Tuesday. Stephen Tame, 29, from Suffolk, suffered severe head injuries in a fall, transforming him from a loyal newly-wed into a "disinhibited" character who had two affairs. He was in a coma for two months after falling from a gantry while working at a bicycle warehouse shortly after his marriage in January 2002. Doctors said it was a miracle he survived.
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