JAKARTA: About 150 Islamic hardliners protested in the Indonesian capital yesterday against the Miss World beauty pageant, the latest outburst of anger about the contest in the Muslim-majority nation.
Just days before the pageant is due to start on the resort island of Bali, the demonstrators called on authorities to cancel it and brandished banners reading “Miss World Go to Hell”. They also waved banners reading “Boycott Miss World sponsors” as they marched in central Jakarta to the offices of media group MNC, which will broadcast the show.
New Vietnam Internet curbs
HANOI: The Vietnamese government has introduced new restrictions on internet freedom with “Decree 72” – a new law which critics say will encourage self censorship and deter foreign investment.
Brought into force last Sunday, Decree 72 limits the use of blogs and social media to “providing or exchanging personal information”, and prohibits them from being used to disseminate news or even info from government sites.
Dennis Rodman in North Korea
BEIJING: Former NBA star Dennis Rodman arrived back in Pyongyang yesterday after he said he was going to see his “friend” North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, whose regime has jailed a US citizen.
Korean-American Kenneth Bae, 44, has been held prisoner in the North since November, and Rodman had said last week that he might seek the man’s release. But speaking to reporters at Beijing airport en route to the North Korean capital, Rodman said “I haven’t been promised anything” on Bae.
S$5,000 fine for confining dog
SINGAPORE: A man has been fined S$5,000 for keeping his pet dog in the balcony of his apartment and exposing it to the elements for long periods of time.
Roy Ling Chung Yee was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to his pet Border Collie. The court heard that the dog was left on the balcony for up to six hours a day, over a period of six months, and given adequate food and water.
Ling had said he was not aware of causing any suffering to his pet as it was healthy.
Jeweller shot in robbery bid
KUALA LUMPUR: A well-known jeweller was seriously injured after being shot during an attempted robbery at his shop at Lebuh Ampang, off Jalan Masjid India, early yesterday.
Abdul Rasul Abdul Razak, 58, who owns Abdul Razak Jewellers, suffered gunshot wounds in his shoulder and abdomen and is reported to be in stable condition.
The robbers struck just as workers were placing jewellery in showcases.
Appeal against conviction
HONG KONG: A former Hong Kong minister has appealed against a conviction for housing allowance fraud, his lawyer said yesterday, in a case which has put the city’s clean image under scrutiny.
Former development secretary Mak Chai-kwong, 63, was last month given an eight-month suspended prison sentence for defrauding the government out of HK$700,000 ($90,300). He and a colleague had leased apartments from each other’s wives to claim the government rental allowance.
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