HANOI, Vietnam
Vietnamese authorities have ordered a senior diplomat at its embassy in South Africa to return home after a television crew filmed her apparently receiving a rhinoceros horn from smugglers. According to a report in Thanh Nien newspaper, the first secretary was filmed taking a rhinoceros horn from a known smuggler in front of the embassy in Pretoria two months ago. Rhino horns are considered a valuable traditional medicine in Vietnam. They are considered to be cures for fevers, colds and high blood pressure.
A maverick Thai general who has threatened to bomb anti-government protesters and drop snakes on them from helicopters has been reassigned as an aerobics teacher, the Bangkok Post said. Major-general Khattiya Sawasdipol, a Rambo-esque anti-communist fighter more commonly known as Seh Daeng, reacted with disappointment to his new role as a military instructor promoting public fitness at marketplaces. "It is ridiculous to send me, a warrior, to dance at markets," he said.
HONG KONG
A Hong Kong police officer from an elite unit has been found dead with his elderly grandmother. The 29-year-old officer and the 82-year-old woman were discovered unconscious next to a stove burning charcoal in his smoke-filled apartment.
Media reports said their deaths were believed to be a suicide pact. Two other police officers have killed themselves this year in the city of 6.9 million.
BEIJING, China
A farmer in northern China found guilty of doctoring photos of an endangered tiger after collecting a cash reward from wildlife authorities, has been handed a lighter sentence on appeal. Zhou Zhenglong, a 54-year-old farmer from a mountainous county in northern Shaanxi province, was awarded a 20,000 yuan bonus last year, after he produced pictures which authorities said were evidence of a South China tiger. The pictures, which showed a tiger crouching in a forest setting, sparked an Internet furore led by experts who identified the photos as faked
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia
An oceanarium resort planned near the world-famous Sipadan diving spot off Malaysian Borneo could spell disaster for the region’s delicate coral reefs, environmentalists said. The plan for the huge resort, complete with an artificial reef and research facilities, has also come under attack from indigenous Bajau or “sea gypsies” who say it infringes on their native rights. The oceanarium resort is slated to be built on a 33-hectare site on Mabul island, located just next to Sipadan, which is famous for its coral reefs, teeming sea life and crystal clear waters.
DHAKA, Bangladesh
The husband of a well-known Bangladeshi actress has divorced her after she was nominated to stand in next month's elections. Kabori Sarwar, who has appeared in more than 200 films in the south Asian nation, says she had been nominated to stand as a candidate for the left-leaning Awami League. The 60-year-old said the move had angered her husband and as a result he had divorced her. Sarwar, who fought as a freedom fighter in Bangladesh's war of independence against Pakistan in 1971, said her ex-husband's move showed that the conservative Muslim nation was still male-dominated.
NEW DELHI, India
A Dutch couple on a visit to the eastern Indian state of Bihar paid 10 000 rupees (US$204) for four samoosas, a spicy deep-fried snack that usually doesn't cost more than a few rupees, a newspaper reported. After the tourists ate the snacks, a stall owner at the Sonepur cattle fair told them his "special" samoosas cost more because they were made of herbs and had aphrodisiac qualities, the Hindustan Times said. After an argument, the couple paid the shopkeeper. But they later complained to a police officer. Police forced the shopkeeper to return the change - 9 990 rupees.
