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World News Quick Take

■ CHINA
Border casinos closed
Pressure from the government has forced the closure of more than 100 casinos operating along the country's borders because of worries the operations were being used to launder embezzled money, a state-run newspaper reported yesterday. Gambling is illegal in most of the country, but many travel outside the country to gamble, with casinos just over the border in Vietnam and Myanmar popular in the south along with others over the border in Russia in the north. The China Daily said police action and cooperation from other countries had seen the number of casinos drop from 149 in 2005 to 28 now.

■ INDONESIA
US warns against flights
The US has advised its citizens not to fly on any Indonesian airlines, saying recent accidents raise questions about aviation safety. In a message sent yesterday to US citizens in the country, the US embassy cited an audit by the Indonesian civil aviation agency, which revealed that no airline in Indonesia is in excellent condition. "Whenever possible, Americans travelling to and from Indonesia should fly directly to their destinations on international carriers from countries whose civil aviation authorities meet international aviation safety standards," the embassy said. The audit of 54 aviation firms last month revealed none made it to the first of three rating classes.

■ SOUTH KOREA
Memorial plans criticized
The leading party yesterday strongly criticized President Roh Moo-hyun over plans to build a US$2 million memorial hall, saying part of the cost would come from public funds. Roh's office said on Monday it was in talks with a private university in Roh's home town of Gimhae on the construction of a hall to be dedicated to the president. Roh will stand down next year after five years in office. The Constitution bars presidents from seeking a second term. The university estimated the total cost at 2 billion won (US$2.1 million), which local media said would be partly funded by the government.

■ CHINA
Storm ravages Sichuan
Coin-sized hailstones and winds of 100km per hour whipped across Sichuan Province, affecting 1.7 million people, state media said yesterday. More than 120,000 people were evacuated, the China Daily reported, citing a spokesman with the provincial disaster relief office. The storm hit 27 counties, cities and districts over the weekend, damaging 165,000 houses and 38,000 hectares of farmland, causing estimated losses of US$50 million, it said. Further gales and hail were expected. In its first national assessment of global climate change, the government said earlier this year that rising temperatures would likely lead to more cases of extreme weather.

■ JAPAN
Toilets catch fire
Twenty-six smoking toilets, and three more on fire, put a toilet maker in the hot seat on Monday. Toto, known for its high-tech toilets with bidets that have blow-drying, air purification and seat-warming functions, apologized to consumers and offered free checks and repairs after some of its toilets with bidets and heated seats sent up smoke and three caught fire. "We apologize deeply for the trouble we have caused to our customers," the company said in a statement. Toto said no people were injured.

■ FRANCE
Royal closing in on Sarkozy
Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal received a surprise boost against right-wing leader Nicolas Sarkozy as they emerged neck-and-neck in a survey on Monday ahead of the weekend vote. With at least a third of the electorate undecided before Sunday's first round, to be followed by a deciding runoff on May 6, the final stretch of rallies and debates will play a crucial role in influencing swing voters. The survey -- conducted by CSA-Cisco for Le Parisien, Aujourd'hui en France and I Tele -- said Sarkozy was projected to get 27 percent of the vote in the first round, followed by Royal at 25 percent.

■ MEXICO
Young matador gored
A 14-year-old matador who left Spain to escape his home country's ban on young bullfighters was nearly gored to death in a Mexican ring, his lung punctured by a 414kg bull. Jairo Miguel, who has been bullfighting professionally for about two years, was fighting at the Aguascalientes Monumental Bull Ring on Sunday when a bull rushed him at top speed and lifted him in the air, appearing to carry him several yards with one horn firmly lodged in his thorax. Jairo was connected to a respirator on Monday, but doctors were confident they could restore much of his lung function and expected him to recover.

■ COLOMBIA
Police detain 101 Chinese
Police detained 101 Chinese nationals in separate raids on two rural homes near Bogota on Monday, thwarting efforts by a human-trafficking ring to smuggle them into the US, authorities said. Police, acting on tips by local residents, found the Chinese immigrants being held like prisoners in overcrowded conditions, with dirty mattresses and food remains strewn across the floor of the homes. "The house was locked and they were unable to leave," said Edgar Castillo, government secretary of the town of Zipaquira. Although no arrests have been made, police are interrogating a Costa Rican national who arrived at the home where the Chinese were being held shortly after the first police raid, a police official said.

■ UNITED STATES
Padilla jury selection starts
More than a dozen prospective jurors were questioned on Monday as jury selection began in the trial of Jose Padilla and two co-defendants accused of providing material support to terrorists. US District Court Judge Marcia Cooke ruled that prosecutors could make reference to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, but added that they would not be allowed to suggest that Padilla, a Brooklyn-born American who was declared an enemy combatant by President George W. Bush in 2002, and his co-defendants had been involved in the attacks. Selecting 12 jurors and six alternates is expected to take about two weeks.

■ BRAZIL
Army may be sent to Rio
The government will speed up the deployment of an elite paramilitary force in crime-ridden Rio de Janeiro, but it is still deciding whether to send in the army, officials said on Monday. Justice Minister Tarso Genro met with Rio de Janeiro Governor Sergio Cabral, Defense Minister Waldir Pires and top military brass in Rio on Monday. But after the meeting officials said Rio must formalize its request for army troops and the government needs 15 days to analyze the question. Laws allow the government to deploy military forces to establish order if all other means have been exhausted.


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