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World News Quick Take

■ China
Gusty winds derail train
Hurricane-strength wind gusts derailed a train in the country's far west yesterday, killing at least four people and injuring another 30, state media said. The 11-car train had just left a station in Turpan, in the Xinjiang region's east, when it was hit by wind at 2am, Xinhua said. "A strong sandstorm cracked window panes soon after the train left Turpan, and blew some of the cars off the rail when we were trying to plug up the windows," Xinhua quoted passenger Su Chuanyi as saying. At least 100 rescue workers, doctors and police were at the scene of the derailment, which disrupted operations of the Southern Xinjiang Railway, it said. The train had been running between the capital city of Urumqi and Aksu, in the west.

■ Hong Kong
New airport rules
Hong Kong airport, the world's fifth busiest international passenger hub, will start screening liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-on baggage this month to bring it in line with international practices, the government said in a statement. All liquids, gels, aerosols in cabin baggage must be carried in containers with a capacity not greater than 100ml and the containers have to fit comfortably in a transparent re-sealable plastic bags no larger than one 1 liter, the new rules say. Exceptions will be made for medications, baby milk and food and special dietary requirements subject to verification, it said.

■ South Korea
Prostitutes turn to Internet
The Internet is the main vehicle for teenage prostitution in the country, a police survey said on Tuesday. Seoul police said that of 236 teenagers arrested last year for selling sex, 96 percent had used the Internet to find customers. Bars, tearooms and pimps accounted for the rest. The survey showed that 85 percent of those arrested were aged between 15 to 18 while 11 percent were under 14. As many as 46 percent said they spent their earnings on living expenses, while 39 percent used the money for entertainment. South Korea has 34.1 million people, or 70 percent of its population, using the Internet.

■ Australia
Hail storm blankets capital
A freak summer hail storm left ice blanketed across large parts of drought-hit capital Canberra yesterday, forcing some businesses and government departments to close as a result of storm and flood damage. While thunder storms are common in Canberra in the last month of summer, the rare hail storm left the national capital resembling snow-bound cities in the US, with tractors sent out to clear ice from busy roads. The hail storm left meter-deep ice in parts of the central business district, and caused flooding and damage in over 60 buildings at the nearby Australian National University and the city's main shopping center, which were closed for the day.

■ Thailand
Rewards for worship
The government plans to pay children 1,000 baht (US$28) to attend places of worship in an effort to prevent rebellious behavior, a government official said yesterday. The Ministry of Social Development will reward children who frequently attend churches, mosques or Buddhist temples and will launch the scheme on a religious holiday that falls on Saturday. "The project aims to distract from social problems such as drug abuse and school truancy while implanting the children with good virtue," said Swit Kuntaroj from the Office of Woman Affairs and Family Development.

■ Italy
Teacher cuts pupil's tongue
A Milan teacher cut an unruly seven-year-old pupil's tongue with scissors to silence him, police and school officials said on Tuesday. The child, of North African origin, needed to go to hospital for five stitches to close the wound. The boy's family has filed suit against the teacher, who has been suspended after last week's incident. Police are trying to find out whether the injury was inflicted intentionally or was a joke gone wrong, police said.

■ Switzerland
Con-man poses in Gucci ad
A man has conned one of the country's biggest media companies into publishing a two-page advertisement he created of himself posing semi-naked beside a bottle of Gucci perfume. The man, who claimed to represent the Italian fashion giant, called up the weekly SonntagsZeitung last week to book the expensive color spread in Sunday's edition, a spokesman for the paper said. Christoph Zimmer told reporters on Tuesday that the man asked for the US$49,100 bill to be sent to Gucci. "We've spoken to Gucci and apologized for the mistake," Zimmer said. "We're going to try and get the money back from this guy, but we don't rate our chances."

■ Liberia
Official quits over scandal
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf accepted the resignation of Chief of Staff Willie Knuckles after he was photographed having sex with two women, tarnishing a government campaign for moral probity. Knuckles, who is also minister of state for presidential affairs and is married with children, has accused the opposition of trying to use the photographs to blackmail him. Liberia's irreverent media have had a field day with the scandal, piling pressure on Johnson-Sirleaf to enforce the high moral standards preached by her government. Johnson-Sirleaf has launched a fight against prostitution and sexual abuse.

■ United Kingdom
Charles against McDonald's
Prince Charles suggested on Tuesday on a visit to the United Arab Emirates that banning McDonald's fast food was crucial for improving people's diets, a news agency reported. Charles made the comments while visiting the Imperial College London Diabetes Center in Abu Dhabi for the launch of a public health campaign, The Press Association reported. "Have you got anywhere with McDonald's? Have you tried getting it banned? That's the key," Charles was quoted as asking one of the center's nutritionists. A McDonald's spokeswoman called the remark disappointing. "This appears to be an off-the-cuff remark, in our opinion," the spokeswoman said.

■ Colombia
Defense to buy helicopters
The government plans to buy new helicopters and aircraft and send more troops to counter rebels after approving a US$3.7 billion, four-year investment plan to upgrade its military, the government said on Tuesday. Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said the government would buy fighter aircraft and helicopters and put 38,000 more police officers and soldiers on patrol to consolidate a US-backed crackdown on rebels. Washington has funneled around US$4 billion in mainly military aid to Colombia since 2000, helping President Alvaro Uribe battle the drug trade. Neighboring Venezuela has spent billions of dollars of its oil revenues on arms purchases.

■ Iraq
US soldier convicted
A US soldier serving in Iraq was convicted of "negligent homicide" after accidentally killing a comrade while unloading his pistol, the military said on Tuesday. Specialist Daniel Turner of the 16th Military Police Brigade was found guilty at a general court martial at Camp Victory outside Baghdad, demoted to private, discharged and jailed for 15 months without pay. "In the early morning hours of July 20, 2006, Turner shot and killed a fellow soldier while clearing his M9 pistol," a statement said. "Turner was culpably negligent in failing to ensure his weapon was safe and in failing to ensure he safely cleared his weapon," it added.

■ United States
Air Force officer found guilty
An Air Force officer accused of drugging and kidnapping servicemen he met in bars was found guilty of raping four men and attempting to rape two others. A nine-member military jury deliberated for about seven hours in Captain Devery Taylor's court-martial at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Taylor, the former chief of patient administration at Eglin Regional Hospital, faces a maximum of life in prison. Sentencing was to begin yesterday. Taylor was charged with two counts of attempted sodomy, four counts of forcible sodomy, two counts of kidnapping and one count of unlawful entry.

■ United States
Hep A scare for Hollywood
A Sports Illustrated bash for its annual swimsuit issue has turned into a health scare for stars in Hollywood after a caterer working for celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck may have exposed them to acute Hepatitis A. The Los Angeles County health department recommended that anyone who ate uncooked food at the party get treatment to avoid developing the serious liver disease. Guests at the party included singer Beyonce Knowles, former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, portly Borat co-star Ken Davitian, and a slew of models. Health officials said the risk was "quite low" and that no Wolfgang Puck pre-packaged foods or restaurants were affected.

■ United States
Government counts homeless
The US has three-quarters of a million homeless people, filling emergency shelters throughout the year and spilling into special seasonal shelters in the coldest months, the government said yesterday. The Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated 754,000 homeless people lived in the US in 2005, including those living in shelters, transitional housing and on the streets. That is about 300,000 more people than available beds in shelters and transitional housing. The report is the government's latest attempt to count people who are notoriously difficult to track. The estimate is similar to one by an advocacy group in January.

■ Mexico
Court allows HIV soldiers
Mexico's Supreme Court ordered the armed forces on Tuesday to readmit HIV-infected soldiers to the ranks, in a groundbreaking ruling that will set a precedent for similar cases filed by military personnel. In a case brought by 11 members of the military, the court declared unconstitutional a law requiring naval officers and soldiers with HIV/AIDS to leave the armed forces. Mexico's armed forces will now have to prove HIV-infected soldiers and naval officers are unfit for service with certified medical reports in order to fire them. Of the 11 who brought the Court case, four will be immediately readmitted.

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