SAMARINDA: Indonesian rescuers yesterday pulled two more bodies from a river after a boat carrying timber company workers sank, bringing the death toll to three, with 30 still missing, officials said. The boat carrying 63 workers sank on Wednesday after being hit by a huge wave as it travelled across the Mahakam River in East Kalimantan province in the Indonesian part of Borneo island. Search for survivors is still under way.
China bird flu strain probed
BEIJING: China is investigating the possibility of human-to-human transmission of a new strain of bird flu that has killed 17 people and is examining “family clusters” of people infected with the virus, Feng Zijian, Director of the health emergency centre at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday. “We are still analysing in-depth to see which has the greatest possibility — did it occur first from avian-to-human transmission, and then a human-to-human infection, whether they had a common history of exposure, were exposed to infected objects or whether it was caused by the environment.”
Anti-Vietnam activist jailed
HANOI: A Vietnamese activist has been jailed for three years for conducting “anti-state propaganda”, official media said yesterday, in an intensifying crackdown on dissent by the communist regime. Pham Nguyen Thanh Binh, arrested last year, appeared in court in southern Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to the charge of “anti-state” activities. He agreed he had written eight articles, libelling the communist party, the government and its leaders, according to the report.
‘Hashish’ man faces court
DENPASAR: A Frenchman appeared in an Indonesian court yesterday, charged with trying to smuggle 69 grammes of hashish into the resort island of Bali, an offence punishable by death. Vincent Roger Petrone, 43, was charged in court after being detained in January by customs officials as he arrived from Kuala Lumpur. Officials became suspicious as he appeared “in a rush” to get through airport security, prosecutors said. The hashish was found in his stomach.
Tourists under Lanka watch
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka, which saw record tourist arrivals last year, yesterday said it had started tracking those same tourists to crack down on crime and ensure national security. The decision to track the tourists, requiring hotels and guesthouses to submit weekly reports on their foreign guests, comes after several foreign visitors were arrested for crimes.
Poll-meddling probe ends
SEOUL: Two members of South Korea’s spy agency interfered in last year’s presidential poll by conducting an online smear campaign against Democratic United Party candidate Moon Jae-In, police claimed yesterday. The agents, including a woman, 28, used IDs to post messages and articles on websites critical of Moon, who was defeated in the December 19 vote by current president, Park Geun-Hye. agencies
