■ Australia
Irwin has last laugh on critic
Croc hunter Steve Irwin has had the last laugh on his main critic Germaine Greer -- with his portrait replacing that of the outspoken feminist at the nation's National Portrait Gallery. Greer generated a storm of outrage when she said the animal world had finally taken its revenge on the self-proclaimed wildlife warrior when he was killed by a stingray last year. The Canberra gallery said Greer's portrait had been taken down last week as part of a regular rotation of works. It has been replaced with a photograph of Irwin standing next to an elephant.
■ Australia
Local council thinks pink
A local council has installed pink lights in a public car park to deter thugs in souped-up cars from cruising around the facility and intimidating other patrons. The pink lights are the latest innovative crowd control measure from Sydney's Rockdale Council, which last year began piping crooner Barry Manilow's greatest hits into a park to discourage youths from hanging around. Rockdale mayor Bill Saravinovski said the behavior of loutish car enthusiasts, known locally as "hoons," had been discouraging patrons from visiting local restaurants. "Pink is supposed to be a color that calms people and so we thought it would stop these hoons from cruising the area," Saravinovski said.
■ Malaysia
Gangs eyed to fight crime
A wing of the nation's ruling party plans to persuade unruly biker gangs to fight crime by offering them rewards for catching bag-snatchers, a report said yesterday. Gang members would get 50 ringgit (US$14.30) for each bag-snatcher caught, and a new motorbike if they round up 30, the United Malays National Organization youth wing has proposed. Motorbike gangs are the bane of the nation's drivers who complain they roam the streets at night performing dangerous stunts and threatening other motorists.
■ Australia
Drunken man catches shark
A man who caught a 1.3m shark with his bare hands off a beach said yesterday he only tried the feat because he was drunk on vodka. Phillip Kerkhof was fishing off a jetty at Louth Bay, a town on South Australia state's Eyre Peninsula, when he spotted the bronze whaler shark swimming in the shallows, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported. The shark bit a hole in his jeans, but he was uninjured.
■ Malaysia
Chastity belts an option
A respected Muslim religious adviser has suggested that women wear chastity belts to thwart "sex maniacs" who rape and commit incest, according to a report yesterday. Abu Hassan Din al-Hafiz said cases of rape and incest were rampant and that chastity belts would help reduce sex-related crimes, the Star daily reported. "We have even come across a number of unusual sex cases, where even senior citizens and children were not spared. The best way to avert sex perpetrators is to wear protection," he was quoted as saying in the newspaper.
■ Egypt
Al-Qaeda posts video
Al-Qaeda posted yesterday a video showing what they claimed to be an insurgent attack on a military position of US and Afghan forces in southern Afghanistan. It begins with the deputy leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahri, ridiculing US President George W. Bush and saying that his claim to have deprived al-Qaeda of a safe haven in Afghanistan is a "bare-faced lie," according to a transcript by IntelCenter, a US group that tracks extremist messages.
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