World briefs - December 4, 2003
December 04, 2003 Edition -1
Boiler blast kills 7
Beijing - Seven people have been killed in a boiler explosion at a public bath in Shanghai, China's largest city. The blast, which ripped through the Yiquan Bathhouse yesterday, also injured seven, the Xinhua news agency said. Rescue work was still going on late yesterday while the cause of the explosion was also being investigated, according to the news agency.
Di's fund in the red
London - The country estate owned by the late Princess Diana's brother has so far raised more than £860 000 (about R9,5-million) for her memorial fund despite running at a loss for the past three years, according to accounts published yesterday. Accounts showed a pretax profit for the year ending March 2003 of £1,89-million.After tax and running costs, the estate made a loss of £4 800.
Monkey soon on the mend
Bangkok - Vets at the Lopburi Monkey Hospital operate on a macaque which lost an arm after being struck by a car near Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Of the almost 1 000 stray monkeys in the area, between 10 and 20 are treated every day for anything from accidents to diseases.
Struck down in a flash
Sydney - Six Australians have been hit by lightning as severe storms swept up the country's east coast, with the southern city of Melbourne battered by the worst thunderstorm in a century. Five sightseers in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney were struck by lightning yesterday, suffering varying degrees of burns, while a golfer in Melbourne was hit in the head as he sheltered under a tree.
Nigerian blitz on 419
Lagos - Nigeria's anti-crimes commission has recovered about $200-million (around R1,2-billion) from fraudsters in the past eight months. The body was set up early this year by President Olusegun Obasanjo to tackle advance fee fraud known here as the 419 scam and other financial crimes. The practices have earned the country a bad image as hundreds of foreigners are duped annually.
Crime rate cows Italians
Rome - One Italian in four fears going out at night because of perceptions of crime, a study by the national statistics institute has indicated. According to the study, based on interviews with 60 000 people, 27,6% fear going out at night and 25,5% hesitate to go out alone, while 12% are frightened even in their own homes. More than 60% of those questioned said their main fear was burglary.
French flood disaster
Marseille - France's second-biggest city, Marseille, and its surrounding area have been declared a disaster zone after floods claimed at least three lives and forced mass evacuations. And the state weather service yesterday declared a red alert for the city of Montpellier, saying "dangerous meteorological phenomena of exceptional intensity are forecast".
Illegals drown off Canaries
Las Palmas - Fifteen Africans seeking to emigrate clandestinely to Spain have been given up for lost after they were swept from their small boat during a rescue operation in heavy seas off the Canary Islands, north-west of Africa. The tragedy in the Atlantic Ocean occurred yesterday as coast guards were trying to remove the immigrants from their waterlogged boat during a storm.
Beheaded for dad's death
Riyadh - A Saudi citizen sentenced to death for killing his father has been beheaded by the sword in the eastern city of Dammam. Mashan al-Shamri was found guilty of shooting his father with a machinegun while he was asleep. Yesterday's execution took to 51 the number of death sentences carried out in strictly Islamic Saudi Arabia this year, or three more than in the whole of 2002.
Jakarta trembles
Jakarta - An earthquake has shaken parts of Indonesia's capital, according to the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Yesterday's magnitude 5,2 tremor was centred 42km under the Java Sea, about 145km south of Jakarta. Indonesia is prone to earthquakes and is on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire".
Software pirates panic
Warsaw - Police raids on private homes in search of counterfeit computer software have sparked panic among Poland's 6,2-million Internet users. With industry experts estimating that half of the software used in Poland is crooked, the soon-to-be EU member is under pressure to curb intellectual property theft. About 22 separate charges of intellectual property theft have been laid.
