■ CHINA
Commerce minister named
Beijing approved its top energy official, Chen Deming (陳德銘), as the country's Commerce Minister yesterday, one of a slew of personnel changes following a five-yearly Communist Party meeting. Chen, 58, had been deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission since June last year. He replaces Bo Xilai (薄熙來), who was named to head the huge western municipality of Chongqing earlier this month. The announcement was made as the Standing Committee of China's legislature wrapped up a week-long session.
■ INDIA
BJP makes more gains
The ruling Congress party was ousted from power in another state, the latest in a string of electoral reverses this year, results showed yesterday. The main opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in the northern hill state of Himachal Pradesh by grabbing 41 seats in the 68-member house, the Election Commission Web site said. Congress, which rules at national level, won just 23 constituencies. The BJP was predicted to win because of a strong anti-incumbency factor against its rival.
■ SOUTH KOREA
Government budget expands
Parliament said yesterday it had approved a rise of more than 7 percent for next year's budget to expand social welfare programs and increase military spending. A compromise between pro-government and opposition lawmakers led to a budget of 256.17 trillion won (US$273.5 billion). It was approved late on Friday, the parliament said in a statement. The budget was lower than the administration's initial proposal, but up 7.46 percent from last year.
■ UNITED STATES
Feral cats put to work
A Los Angeles-based animal advocacy and rescue group, The Working Cats program of Voice for the Animals, has placed feral cats in several police stations where rodents are a problem. Beauty queen punished
Miss France 2008 has been barred from upcoming international beauty pageants, organizers said on Friday after a gossip magazine published racy photos of her last week. Valerie Begue, 22, will not compete in the Miss World or Miss Universe beauty pageants, Miss France organizers said. But Begue will not be stripped of the Miss France title she won on Dec. 8. Begue described the outcome as "a compromise which satisfies all parties." The pictures in Entrevue magazine included one of her licking what looked like yogurt.
■ UNITED KINGDOM
Rottweiler mauls boy
A one-year-old boy has died after being attacked by a dog at the home of a relative, West Yorkshire Police said. The dog, a family pet, attacked the boy while he was in the yard of the home in Wakefield on Friday afternoon. The boy suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital, but died later in the evening. Police officers killed the dog, a Rottweiler, at the scene. The attack comes almost a year after five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson was mauled to death by a family pit-bull terrier at her grandmother's house on Jan. 1.
■ AUSTRIA
White elephants recycled
The Viennese have a new resource for "recycling" unwanted Christmas gifts: an online flea market set up by the city. Vienna's government said on Friday it recently launched a free Web forum for people to trade, sell and give away things they do not need. The idea is simple. People from the area post their offerings online and are contacted by those interested. Requests can also be submitted. Ulli Sima, city councilor for environment issues, hopes the flea market on the city's Web site will lead to less trash. "Whoever uses the flea market does something good for the environment and, at best, will save money," Sima said.
RSS