■ INDIA
City denies manhole threat
Mumbai officials are upset by a US warning about the risks of falling into manholes during the monsoon season. An item posted on the US consulate Web site said that workers in Mumbai sometimes open manholes at times of flooding and then leave them unmarked. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation rejected the statement, and said it had e-mailed the US consulate on Wednesday. Jairaj Phatak, the municipal commissioner, estimates that 10 people or fewer have died in such a manner in recent years.
■VIETNAM
Aussie jailed for drugs
An Australian man has been jailed for 22 years after he was found guilty of storing and trafficking ecstasy, the Vietnam News said yesterday. Nguyen Tuan Khanh, 49, an Australian of Vietnamese origin, and six Vietnamese were charged and convicted at a court in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday. According to the court verdict, the group supplied bars and dance clubs with 3,700 amphetamine pills and more than 45g of ketamine from October 2006 to March last year.
■MALAYSIA
Police arrest lawmakers
Three members of parliament from opposition figurehead Anwar Ibrahim’s party were arrested outside the royal palace yesterday and held briefly, they said. The gathering was organized by ethnic Indian rights group Hindraf, which is seeking the release of its leaders who enraged the government in November by mounting a rally alleging discrimination. The arrests came a day after 2,000 protesters marched in the largest of a series of demonstrations against last week’s steep fuel price hike. The lawmakers were freed after about three hours of questioning.
■ AUSTRALIA
‘Cowcam’ keeps out pests
Facial recognition systems are already being used on humans and now it is the turn of animals to have their muzzles and snouts identified for security purposes. Scientists have launched technology that uses video cameras to differentiate between species. They say the “cowcam” will keep unwanted animals out of remote watering and feed points in the outback and allow farmers to monitor their stock from home or office. “We use the unique side profile that every animal has and a software program similar to facial recognition technology that allows us to identify animals to a species level,” said Neal Finch, the joint inventor of the product and a researcher at the University of Queensland. “The camera can tell the difference between sheep and cattle and feral pests such as goats, horses, pigs, kangaroos, camels and emus.” When animals come to feed they will be forced to pass through a lane with the camera. “You could have a cattle station that has feral populations of horses or camels. The watering points are there for the cattle, so the camera would let the cattle through, but if a goat or a pig tried to get in the gate would shut against it,” he said.
■NEW ZEALAND
Dolls, dogs can’t beat cops
Drivers in Auckland are turning to inflatable passengers to try to beat transit lane rules. Blow-up dolls, shop mannequins and dogs dressed as children have all been used to try to justify driving in lanes where vehicles are required to have at least three occupants. “There were some odd people that tried these antics,” North Shore city council traffic safety manager Andre Dannhauser said. Drivers caught trying to beat the system are fined. Enforcement officers taking pictures of offending cars in transit lanes have been treated to a wide range of excuses from caught-out motorists, Dannhauser said.
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