■ AUSTRALIA
Man attacks PM's house
A man allegedly threw a burning bag at Prime Minister John Howard's official residence in Sydney yesterday before being taken into custody, police said. The man, believed to be in his 30s, approached the prime minister's harborside mansion Kirribilli House just before midday and threw a burning cotton shoulder bag over the gates, New South Wales police said. They said the man was apprehended and was being questioned by police. Media reports said the bag landed in the grounds of the historic residence but was immediately extinguished and no damage occurred.
■ AUSTRALIA
Mandarin may be required
Studying Mandarin could become compulsory in some public schools next year, as the language begins to elbow out the older favorites of Latin, French and Japanese. Sydney's Conservatorium High School may make Mandarin a mandatory subject next year, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Mandarin is already compulsory at some private schools in New South Wales state, with some students taking lessons from the age of about 10. Last month China overtook Japan as Australia's No. 1 trading partner.
■ PAKISTAN
Bootleg liquor kills 27
Twenty-seven people have been killed in the Pakistani city of Karachi after drinking poisonous bootleg liquor, police said yesterday. "The poisonous liquor has so far claimed 27 lives and another 11 are being treated in different hospitals," said Javed Bukhari, a deputy inspector general of police. An inquiry has been ordered and three police officers have been suspended for failing to stop the sale of the homemade liquor, he said. "Apparently, the toxic liquor was supplied to all these people by the same source," he said. The dead included Muslims, Christians and Hindus. Liquor is heavily restricted in Muslim Pakistan.
■ JAPAN
Prostitute warning issued
Japan has warned its countrymen against visiting prostitutes in China because of the risk of getting detained and having to pay a fine. The Japanese Consulate in Hong Kong issued a circular reminding Japanese that prostitution is forbidden in China. "You could be detained for 10-15 days and have to pay a penalty of up to 5,000 yuan [US$660]. You may get evicted and get banned from entering the country for some time," says the note, also posted on the Japanese Embassy's Web site.
■ ROMANIA
Bear enters psychiatric unit
Patients at a psychiatric hospital were startled on Thursday when a bear and her two cubs smashed a window, pushed open a door and entered in search of food. The bear dug into some food in a metal canister, which she dragged outside. Staff at the hospital called hunters, who arrived at the hospital, which is in a forest near the mountain resort of Predeal, 120km north of Bucharest. "We shot her with a tranquilizer," said Aurel Iordache, one of the hunters. Television footage broadcast by Realitatea TV showed the bear with her head stuck in the canister. She was seen waddling into the forest, woozy from the effects of the tranquilizer.
■ NIGERIA
Legislators trade blows
Legislators traded punches and insults on Thursday over a suspected US$5 million spending spree by the speaker of the House of Representatives that has caused a national scandal and paralyzed the House. Patricia Etteh is under investigation by nine House members over allegations that she flouted House rules by approving contracts worth US$5 million to renovate her official residence and that of her deputy and to buy 12 cars. Nigeria consistently ranks as one of the world's most corrupt countries in an annual list drawn up by watchdog Transparency International.
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