■ INDIA
Rebels free 299 inmates
Embarrassed authorities in the central part of the country have stepped up prison security and suspended five officials after jailed Maoist rebels overpowered guards and freed 299 inmates, authorities said yesterday. The five officials have been suspended from the prison in Chhattisgarh state pending an inquiry and officials have asked neighboring states for help to catch the escapees, who fled on Sunday.
■ INDONESIA
Rat and possum discovered
Researchers in a remote jungle have discovered a giant rat and a tiny possum that are apparently new to science, underscoring the stunning biodiversity of the Southeast Asian nation, scientists said yesterday. Unearthing new species of mammals in the 21st century is considered very rare. The discoveries by a team of US and Indonesian scientists are being studied further to confirm their status. The animals were found in the Foja mountains rainforest in eastern Papua Province in a June expedition.
■ JAPAN
Fighter purchase postponed
The government plans to postpone buying next-generation fighter aircraft to replace part of its aging air force fleet because the US is unwilling to export its state-of-the-art F-22 stealth fighter, a newspaper said yesterday. The Lockheed Martin Corp fighter, also known as the Raptor, boasts stealth capabilities far superior to any of its rivals, but the US Congress has opposed its export, even to allies such as Japan, for security reasons. Japan's Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in October the ministry was considering other options.
■ MALAYSIA
Murder charges dropped
Malaysian prosecutors dropped attempted murder charges against 31 ethnic Indians yesterday, a move likely to soothe the minority community, chafing over complaints of racial discrimination in this Muslim-majority country. They were produced in court where prosecutors said all charges are being abandoned against four of them. Prosecutors also dropped an attempted murder charge -- punishable by 20 years in prison -- against the remaining 26. In exchange they pleaded guilty to causing mischief during a disturbance, which is punishable by up to five years in jail.
■ CHINA
Guangxi suffers drought
Nearly 1 million people lack drinking water in a southern Chinese province that is suffering its worst water shortage in more than 50 years because of insufficient rain, state media said yesterday. Water levels in rivers and lakes have fallen by half from last year in poor, mountainous Guangxi, where nearly all county-level cities are facing their most severe water shortage since 1951, the People's Daily newspaper reported. The situation is particularly serious in nearly half of the province's towns, said the newspaper.
■ AUSTRALIA
Crackdown on oyster rustling
As Australians prepare to heap their tables with fresh seafood for Christmas, police yesterday said they have been trained to crack down on oyster theft. Farmers have warned of an increase in oyster rustling during the summer harvest period, prompting police in New South Wales state to attempt to reduce the theft of the succulent delicacy. "We've done some training up there at Port Macquarie and Forster with the fisheries department," a police spokesman said in reference to two oyster producing areas. Police will increase surveillance on oyster beds as well as the likely outlets for the stolen goods such as roadside vendors, he said.
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