■ New Zealand
New volcanic island sighted
A new volcanic island has risen from the South Pacific near Tonga, according to reports from two vessels that passed the area. The crew of the Maiken reported on their blog on Aug. 12 that they saw streaks of light, porous pumice stone floating in the water -- then "sailed into a vast, many-miles-wide belt of densely packed pumice." They posted photos of huge ``pumice rafts'' that they encountered after passing Tonga's Late island while sailing toward Fiji. The next day they spotted an active volcanic island, Haken wrote. There was no official confirmation of a new island, either from Tonga's Ministry of Lands or the Tonga Defense Service. Separately, fishing boat captain Siaosi Fenukitau reported seeing the island, the Matangitonga news Web site reported.
■ India
Eunuchs sing for tax
Eunuchs in eastern India were drafted by authorities to sing outside the homes of tax evaders to embarrass them into paying up, a report said yesterday. Sari-clad eunuchs were out in force with municipal tax collectors on Wednesday in Patna, capital of Bihar, India's most lawless state, the Indian Express reported. "Pay the tax, pay the Patna Municipal Corporation tax," chorused the eunuchs on the doorstep of their first target, Ram Sagar Singh, who owed 100,000 rupees (US$2,240). A mortified Singh promised to pay within a week, the report said. The municipality netted 400,000 rupees on Wednesday using the eunuchs, who got a 4 percent commission. It vowed to step up its drive, cheered by its success.
■ China
Serial killer gets death
A court on Wednesday sentenced a laid-off factory manager to death for robbing, killing and dismembering seven dancers, state media reported yesterday. Liu Xuexin, 56, was charged with killing seven women, aged between 31 and 51, though he told the court he had killed 15, the Beijing News said. Liu, former head of an elevator factory in Shenyang, met the dancers in bars, took them home and killed them in his bathroom, Xinhua news agency said.
■ Singapore
Sex rules may be eased
The nation is considering decriminalizing oral and anal sex between consenting heterosexual adults, but not between homosexuals, official documents show. The Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday posted a public consultation paper about proposed amendments to the city-state's penal code. "We intend to repeal s.377, rescoping it such that anal and oral sex, if done in private between a consenting adult heterosexual couple aged 16 years old and above, would no longer be criminalized," the paper said. Currently, section 377 of the Penal Code "criminalizes all forms of carnal intercourse against the order of nature, other than vaginal intercourse," The paper makes no mention of the decriminalization of oral and anal sex between men.
■ China
Villagers protest granary
Thousands of villagers in Guangdong Province surrounded a newly built granary to protest inadequate compensation for the land, trapping guests attending an opening ceremony for the structure, US-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) said yesterday. The protesters from Sanzhou Village said they were forced to sell their farmland below market rates to make way for the granary and were demanding payment, RFA said. The villagers remained outside the granary early yesterday, it said.
■ Vatican
Holy See wants parade ban
The Vatican on Wednesday asked Israel to ban a gay parade in Jerusalem today, saying the march in the city considered holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians would offend the faithful. "The Holy See has reiterated on many occasions that the right to freedom of expression ... is subject to just limits, in particular when the exercise of this right would offend the religious sentiments of believers," the Vatican said. "It is clear that the gay parade scheduled to take place in Jerusalem will prove offensive to the great majority of Jews, Muslims and Christians, given the sacred character of the city of Jerusalem," it said.
■ United States
Cosby settles assault suit
Comedian Bill Cosby has settled a lawsuit brought by a woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her, Cosby's publicist said on Wednesday. Andrea Constand said in the suit the attack occurred at Cosby's home in early 2004, when he allegedly drugged her and then assaulted her. "Ms. Constand and Mr. Cosby have resolved their differences, and therefore the litigation has been dismissed," Cosby's publicist David Brokaw said in a statement. Constand's suit alleged at least 10 other women had also been assaulted by the comedian. Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against Cosby, saying there was insufficient evidence.
■ Germany
Prisoner on the roof
A convicted sex offender broke free from guards on Wednesday and made his way to the edge of his prison's roof, refusing to come down. The man, identified only as Mario M., 36, stood in the wind for hours on a corner of the flat roof talking with police psychologists who had been hoisted to within a few meters on a crane platform. Mario M. was in the prison yard with two other prisoners and two guards when he suddenly bolted, climbing the facade of the building authorities said. He was not known to have made any demands. Mario M. went on trial on Monday on charges that earlier this year he kidnapped a 13-year-old girl held her captive for more than a month and repeatedly raped her.
■ United States
Voters back death penalty
Residents of Wisconsin have voted to support restoring the death penalty, one of only 12 US states that do not have capital punishment, opponents of the measure said on Wednesday. The non-binding referendum, which took place during Tuesday's US legislative elections, asked voters if the ultimate penalty should be enacted to punish murderers whose conviction is supported by DNA evidence. The measure was backed by about 55 percent of voters, according to US media. For capital punishment to return to Wisconsin, where the last execution took place in 1853, it would have to be approved by the state legislature and the governor.
■ Portugal
Priest beer offer for captors
A priest held hostage for 19 hours by prisoners trying to escape from a jail wants to "celebrate life" over a beer with his former captors. Julio Lemos, who was grabbed and kept at knife-point by two prisoners at the jail where he held mass over the weekend, said he forgave the prisoners. His two captors are both serving prison sentences for manslaughter. The hostage drama ended as police overpowered the prisoners on their way out of the jail with the priest to an escape car.
DEBT BREAK: Friedrich Merz has vowed to do ‘whatever it takes’ to free up more money for defense and infrastructure at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty Germany’s likely next leader Friedrich Merz was set yesterday to defend his unprecedented plans to massively ramp up defense and infrastructure spending in the Bundestag as lawmakers begin debating the proposals. Merz unveiled the plans last week, vowing his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) bloc and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) — in talks to form a coalition after last month’s elections — would quickly push them through before the end of the current legislature. Fraying Europe-US ties under US President Donald Trump have fueled calls for Germany, long dependent on the US security umbrella, to quickly
RARE EVENT: While some cultures have a negative view of eclipses, others see them as a chance to show how people can work together, a scientist said Stargazers across a swathe of the world marveled at a dramatic red “Blood Moon” during a rare total lunar eclipse in the early hours of yesterday morning. The celestial spectacle was visible in the Americas and Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as in the westernmost parts of Europe and Africa. The phenomenon happens when the sun, Earth and moon line up, causing our planet to cast a giant shadow across its satellite. But as the Earth’s shadow crept across the moon, it did not entirely blot out its white glow — instead the moon glowed a reddish color. This is because the
Romania’s electoral commission on Saturday excluded a second far-right hopeful, Diana Sosoaca, from May’s presidential election, amid rising tension in the run-up to the May rerun of the poll. Earlier this month, Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau barred Calin Georgescu, an independent who was polling at about 40 percent ahead of the rerun election. Georgescu, a fierce EU and NATO critic, shot to prominence in November last year when he unexpectedly topped a first round of presidential voting. However, Romania’s constitutional court annulled the election after claims of Russian interference and a “massive” social media promotion in his favor. On Saturday, an electoral commission statement
Chinese authorities increased pressure on CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd over its plan to sell its Panama ports stake by sharing a second newspaper commentary attacking the deal. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office on Saturday reposted a commentary originally published in Ta Kung Pao, saying the planned sale of the ports by the Hong Kong company had triggered deep concerns among Chinese people and questioned whether the deal was harming China and aiding evil. “Why were so many important ports transferred to ill-intentioned US forces so easily? What kind of political calculations are hidden in the so-called commercial behavior on the
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