■MALAYSIA
State ‘tackles’ divorce
A state government fretting about rising divorces said on Monday it will offer classes on romance to help Muslim couples stay together — even encourage them to bathe together to promote intimacy. Officials will hold workshops providing tips for wives on how to remain attractive, including using perfume and wearing lingerie to spice up their sex life, said Muhammad Ramli Nuh, a lawmaker in northern Terengganu state. Husbands should wear clean pajamas and reduce body odor. The state will also invite cosmetics manufacturers to come up with special scents meant to “help sustain the happiness” in marriage. Muhammad Ramli did not immediately have data on divorces in Terengganu, but said it was “becoming a problem that must be tackled.”
■HONG KONG
Widower uses wife’s gym ID
A man who wore women’s clothing to use his dead wife’s gym membership has appeared in court, a report said yesterday. Lau Siu-wah, 51, was charged after he allegedly used his wife’s identification card to exercise in the female-only section of the gym at the city’s Sheraton hotel, the Standard daily reported. Lau, who appeared in court on Monday in women’s clothes and wearing red nail polish, was granted bail, the paper said.
■MALAYSIA
Maid sentenced in poisoning
An Indonesian maid has been sentenced to six years in jail for attempting to murder her elderly Malaysian employer by putting weedkiller in her coffee and soup, reports said yesterday. State news agency Bernama said Nurhayati Ahmad, 22, from Lombok, Indonesia, pleaded guilty to trying to poison Jaharah Daud, 77, who survived the attempt.
■CHINA
Court rules in Chongqing
A court sentenced the ringleader of an illegal gambling syndicate to 18 years in prison and a 1.02 million yuan (US$150,000) fine yesterday, the latest verdict in a massive series of trials targeting organized crime. A municipal court in Chongqing convicted Xie Caiping (謝才萍) — sister-in-law of the former head of the city’s judiciary, Wen Qiang (文強) — of crimes linked to the gambling syndicate, the verdict said. Xie, 46, allegedly ran 20 illegal gambling dens across Chongqing and bribed police to turn a blind eye, press reports said. Twenty-one other suspects were sentenced to jail terms ranging from one to 13 years, the court said. The case has fascinated the nation, with state media reports spotlighting Xie, who reportedly drove a Mercedes-Benz, owned several luxury villas and kept a stable of 16 young men to provide her with sexual services. Her brother-in-law, Wen, served as a top Chongqing police official for 16 years before taking over the city’s judiciary. He is the highest-ranking official ensnared in the crackdown that has led to the arrest of more than 1,500 suspects.
■MARIANAS
Driver nabbed for drugs
The governor of the US-administered islands is driving himself after his chauffeur-bodyguard pleaded guilty to dealing drugs from the official car. Governor Benigno Fitial is at the wheel around Saipan, the capital of the Pacific island territory, after Peter Reyes last month pleaded guilty to drug charges. Court documents said Reyes sold 0.12 grams of crystal methamphetamine hydrochloride to an undercover drug agent. The drug deal occurred in the parking lot of the governor’s office.
■CZECH REPUBLIC
EU treaty challenge lost
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