■ SOUTH KOREA
Piglet protest probed
Police said yesterday they were investigating allegations of animal cruelty by a group which ripped apart a live piglet to protest against the move of a military office to their area. There has been public outrage after local media published photographs and video of the two-month-old piglet, which had its legs torn off and was beheaded at a rally attended by about 1,500 protesters. The country's largest daily called the incident "an atrocity, pure and simple." A police spokesman said several animal rights groups had lodged complaints and that an investigation had started.
■ AUSTRALIA
Straights barred from bar
A hotel catering for homosexuals has won the right to ban heterosexuals from its bars so as to provide a safe and comfortable venue for gay men. In what is believed to be a first for the country, the Victorian state civil and administrative tribunal ruled last week that the Peel Hotel in the southern city of Melbourne could exclude patrons based on their sexuality. The country's equal opportunity laws prevent people being discriminated against based on race, religion or sexuality. But Peel Hotel owner Tom McFeely said the ruling was necessary to provide gay men with a non-threatening atmosphere to freely express their sexuality.
■ NORTH KOREA
Kim's health in doubt
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's health has worsened, a newspaper reported yesterday, possibly causing him to limit his public appearances. The Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted an unidentified intelligence official as saying South Korean authorities were investigating a report that "Kim's diabetes and heart disease have worsened." There have been similar reports about the 65-year-old Kim's deteriorating health in the past, but the latest one is believed to be "more credible" than any other reports, the official was quoted as saying. US intelligence authorities obtained a similar report and were trying to verify it, the official said.
■ CHINA
Three arrested over blaze
Three people have been arrested in connection with a restaurant fire that killed 11 people and injured 16, the official Xinhua news agency said. The blaze on Saturday night at the Baixinglou restaurant in Liaoning Province's Chaoyang City raged for about an hour before it could be extinguished. The victims included eight diners and three waitresses, Xinhua said, citing Zhang Minghua, deputy director of the Chaoyang Municipal Public Security Bureau. Zhang said police have arrested 27-year-old cook Wang Yonghai, restaurant manager Zhang Chaohui and chef Wang Zhidong.
■ PAKISTAN
Same-sex couple jailed
A court yesterday jailed the country's first publicly acknowledged same-sex couple for three years for perjury — prompting the defendants to ask the president for help. The case of Shumail Raj, who was born female but had two operations to remove her breasts and uterus 16 years ago, and Shahzina Tariq has made waves by raising issues of homosexuality and transsexuality. The couple, who married last year, had approached the Lahore High Court for protection against harassment by Tariq's relatives. However, the judge accused them of lying about the gender of Raj, 31. Court-appointed doctors examined Raj and decided she was still a woman.
■ RUSSIA
Girl left in car dies
A four-year-old girl left alone in an unlocked car while her father went for a drink died after the vehicle was stolen, Russian news agencies reported yesterday. Police on the Kamchatka Peninsula, on Russia's Pacific coast, found the child's body 500m from the abandoned vehicle. A murder investigation has been launched, RIA news agency quoted prosecutors as saying. The child's father told police he left her in the back seat of the car, with the keys in the ignition, while he stopped off around midnight to drink beer, RIA reported.
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