■PAKISTAN
Taliban commander caught
Intelligence agents have arrested a senior Afghan Taliban commander, the latest move in a crackdown on the insurgent network in Pakistan. Agha Jan Mohtasim, a former finance minister for the Taliban before the US-led invasion in 2001, was detained in the southern city of Karachi, two intelligence officials said on Thursday. One of the officials said two other Taliban associates were arrested along with Mohtasim, though he would not identify them.
■CHINA
Child trafficking trial ends
Twenty-three people are on trial on suspicion of involvement in the sale of nearly 50 babies, in what state media described yesterday as one of the country’s biggest-ever child trafficking cases. Prosecutors accused ring members of buying baby boys for between 13,000 yuan and 20,000 yuan (US$1,900 and US$2,925) in Yunnan Province and selling them for 40,000 yuan in the north of the country, the China Daily reported. The accused allegedly also bought baby girls for between 5,000 yuan and 14,000 yuan and sold them for 20,000 yuan, the court heard during the two-day trial, which concluded on Thursday in Wuhan. No verdict has been delivered.
■NORTH KOREA
China wants talks by July
China wants stalled six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear arms activities to restart before July, a senior Chinese diplomat said, warning that progress was by no means certain. China’s envoy on the dispute, former vice foreign minister Wu Dawei (武大偉), said he hoped to see progress in coming months, the China Daily reported yesterday. “China’s goal is to start the six-party talks in the first half of this year,” Wu told the newspaper. “That’s our expectation, but it is difficult to say if this will be realized.”
■PHILIPPINES
Power shortages worsen
Power shortages worsened yesterday, with the capital hit by rolling outages despite President Gloria Arroyo’s efforts to solve the problem. Both Manila and the largely rural southern region of Mindanao were blacked out because of breakdowns at aging power plants and low capacity in hydroelectric dams caused by a dry spell, power officials said. Manila Electric Co said areas would have their power cut for 90 minutes at a time throughout the day.
■INDIA
Police studying YouTube
Police in Goa on Thursday said they were looking into a YouTube video that shows an alleged drug dealer detailing how police supply him with confiscated narcotics. Goa’s director-general of police, Bhimsen Bassi, told reporters they were closely studying the footage, which shows a foreign national with cropped hair explaining how he received supplies from a drugs squad officer. “It’s definitely a serious matter,” Basi told reporters. “We will look into it and if sustainable evidence is found, strict action will be taken.” The footage on the video-sharing Web site has caused a stir in the former Portuguese colony, where the availability of illegal drugs and aggressive peddling in and around its popular beach resorts has sparked wide concern.
■MALAYSIA
Joint crackdown on drugs
Iran has pledged to cooperate with Malaysia to crack down on drug trafficking after a spike in the number of alleged Iranian smugglers. Iran’s narcotics department head Hamid Reza Hossein-Abadi said late on Thursday that he had agreed with Malaysian authorities to start working closely together to stamp out the lucrative business, keeping each other updated and conducting joint training. Malaysian authorities have arrested more than 40 Iranians for alleged smuggling so far this year — compared with 24 held all of last year.
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