■ AUSTRALIA
Blast kills winemaker
A leading winemaker was one of two people killed in an explosion yesterday at a winery in eastern Australia, an official said. Trevor Drayton, co-owner of Drayton's Family Wines in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales state, died when a massive fireball engulfed the winery's main shed, blowing off the roof and damaging a cellar door, said Joel Fitzgibbon, the local member of parliament. The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear. It may have been triggered when ethanol fumes were ignited by a spark from a welder, said Keith Tulloch, another Hunter Valley winemaker.
■ MALAYSIA
Dog shooters hit man
Town officials on a mission to shoot stray dogs accidentally hit a passing motorcyclist in the leg, a news report said yesterday. Wan Ah Chye, a 60-year-old electrician who was taking his wife shopping in Taiping town in northern Perak state, had to undergo surgery after the shooting, the Star daily reported. "I saw a dog running in front of my motorcycle and the next moment, I felt a sharp pain in my right calf," Wan was quoted as saying. The shooters, who work for the Taiping Municipal Council, took Wan to hospital when he showed them his bleeding leg, the paper reported. Local police chief Raja Musa Raja Razak was quoted as saying officials should make sure there are no passers-by when they shoot at dogs.
■ NEW ZEALAND
Police offer record reward
Police offered a record reward of NZ$300,000 (US$232,000) and immunity from prosecution yesterday for information leading to the return of nine Victoria Crosses and 90 other military medals stolen from the New Zealand Army Museum last month. The reward -- the biggest offered in New Zealand -- is supported by funds from British medals expert and collector Lord Michael Ashcroft and an anonymous New Zealand businessman, police said. The theft included nine Victoria Cross medals awarded to gallant New Zealanders, including the Victoria Cross and Bar awarded to Captain Charles Upham -- the only such double award ever made to a combat soldier.
■ PHILIPPINES
Janitor finds fetus in palace
A janitor found a dead fetus in a restroom at the country's presidential palace yesterday and police were looking for the mother, officials said. Brigadier General Romeo Prestoza, head of the Presidential Security Group, said authorities were trying to track down a woman seen leaving the restroom at dawn. Manila radio stations reported that officials were reviewing closed-circuit television footage in one of the buildings of the sprawling complex, called Malacanang palace, which houses President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's residence and offices.
■ FIJI
Coup leader calls for action
The country's military chief -- who used his troops to overthrow the democratically elected government in a coup -- yesterday called for action to rid the nation of its "coup culture" image. In a speech to a national reform council, self-installed Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama said the role of the military needed to be reviewed. "As the current head of Fiji's military, I am very much aware of the concerns regarding what is now being widely described as the `coup culture' in Fiji," Bainimarama said. "Fiji must rid itself of this reputation, and for us to be able to do this, we must address the fundamental problems and issues," he said.
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