■ Philippines
Militant gunmen killed
Four militant Abu Sayyaf gunmen were killed in fresh fighting on the southern island of Jolo, officials said yesterday, as US troops prepared to conclude joint exercises on the island. "Based on intelligence reports on the ground, four rebels were killed and six of my soldiers were wounded," in fighting on Thursday, local army commander Colonel Mark Supnet said. "We will continue with our relentless effort against the Abu Sayyaf until they are wiped out," Supnet said, vowing to press the offensive against the al-Qaeda-linked group that has carried out the worst terror attacks in the country.
■ Australia
Tourist seeks `extinct' tiger
A German tourist who says he has photographed a Tasmanian Tiger, solving one of Australia's enduring wildlife myths, said on Friday he had returned to the country to video the animal and end doubts over his find. The Tasmanian Tiger was a striped, wolf-like mammal that was hunted to extinction by European settlers. In February 2005, German tourists Klaus Emmerichs and Birgit Jansen said they had captured two digital photos of the animal in Tasmania's rugged forests. "I want to prove that it is not extinct, like the people think and the world thinks," Emmerichs told Australian Broadcasting radio.
■ Indonesia
Bomb blast injures 13
At least 13 people were injured in a bomb blast on Ambon island yesterday, police and witnesses said. The explosion went off at around 9am at the busy Yos Sudarso ferry terminal in Ambon, injuring port labors and travelers, they said. "We have collected evidence and questioned five people," Ambon police spokesman Tommy Napitupulu told reporters. No immediate explanation was given for the blast, but Ambon has a history of violent clashes between Christians and Muslims. Most of the victims of yesterday's violence suffered wounds on their feet, with witnesses saying nails were sprayed out by the device.
■ Indonesia
Actress banned from TV
An actress accused of insulting the first wife of Islam's Prophet Mohammed on TV was banned for one year from appearing on a government-run network, news reports said yesterday. Rosnah Mat Aris will not be allowed to appear in any Radio Televisyen Malaysia radio or television broadcasts for a year, Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times, the Star and the Malay Mail. In a January show, Rosnah responded to a talk show host's questions on courtship with younger men, comparing the situation to Mohammed's marriage to Siti Khadijah, who was older than him.
■ Australia
Troops sent to East Timor
Up to 100 elite troops have been deployed to East Timor amid fears a tense stand-off between international forces and a wanted rebel leader could spark fresh violence, media reported yesterday. Four Defense Force aircraft transported the contingent of Special Air Service troops to East Timor's capital, Dili, Fairfax newspapers reported. The troops touched down as Australia raised the security alert for its citizens in East Timor and its forces surrounded the hideout of rebel leader Major Alfredo Reinado. Australian and UN security officials in Dili fear the breakout of widespread violence, possibly even civil war, if Australian soldiers kill or injure Reinado.
■ Germany
Nude pic ends pole protest
A German man who spent 10 days in a self-made box atop a 22m pole to protest a looming jail term was lured off his perch by his wife -- who sent up a topless picture of herself in his lunch box. Fred Gregor, 45, was bidding to have his 15-month conviction for fraud overturned by squatting in his tiny cubicle atop a converted television mast. He said in a telephone interview last week that he wanted a new trial. His wife Susanne, 25, backed his protest until the former stripper and mother of their five children decided she had had enough.
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