Court rejects Anwar sodomy appeal
Court rejects Anwar sodomy appeal
MALAYSIA: Malaysia's appeals court upheld Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy conviction on Friday, condemning the former deputy prime minister to more years behind bars while his old foe, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, prepares to retire.
After 22 years in charge, Mahathir will hand over the reins in October to his deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, regarded as the "Mr. Clean" of Malaysian politics.
"We are unanimous in dismissing both appeals," judge Pajan Singh Gill, who headed a three-member bench, said in reference to appeals by Anwar and his adopted brother, Sukma Darmawan, who was also convicted of sodomy and sentenced to six years in prison and four strokes of the cane.
Anwar, 56, wearing a neck brace for a chronic back injury, reacted angrily to the rulings, calling the judges "stupid" and accusing them of being hand-picked for the job.
The judges also rejected an oral plea for bail, saying a written plea was needed. Defense lawyers said they would submit the plea next week.
The U.S. Embassy issued a statement saying it was "deeply disappointed" that the conviction had been upheld. -- Reuters
;AP;ANJ; ANPAu..r.. Cambodia-NKorea Cambodia FM scraps planned trip to North Korea JP/11/ASEAN
Cambodia FM scraps trip to N. Korea
CAMBODIA: Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong has canceled a planned trip to North Korea, citing a "positive development" in the efforts to defuse a crisis over the communist nation's nuclear program.
The trip's purpose was to explore ways the regional security grouping of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) could play a role in facilitating dialog between all parties involved in the standoff on the Korean Peninsula.
But the April 22 trip now "has become meaningless due to a new, positive development," Hor Namhong said on Friday.
North Korea recently agreed to enter into tripartite talks with the United States and China in Beijing, expected to take place as early as next week. North Korea had earlier insisted on direct negotiations with the United States.
"It's happy news, and I welcome ... it," Hor Namhong said. -- AP
;REUTERS; ANPAi..r.. VIETNAM-SEX-ENGLISH Vietnam prostitutes brush up their chat-up lines JP/11/ASEAN
Sex workers brush up their chat-up lines
VIETNAM: Vietnamese prostitutes trying to lure customers in the resort town of China Beach have been taking English classes to improve their chances, a state-run media said on Friday.
At least three English classes have been opened unofficially in the city, with teachers who provide instruction on sentences like: "One hundred dollars", "I want to be your wife" and "Give me your watch", the Nguoi Lao Dong (Labourer) newspaper reported.
Officials in the town, a former playground for American soldiers during the Vietnam War, could not be reached for comment.
The paper said one unidentified teacher was paid US$52 a month by her students.
A woman from one of the classes said many in her profession had long wanted to study English.
"Many times we would have a client, a foreigner, but we were so embarrassed as we did not know what to say to lure him," the newspaper quoted her as saying. -- Reuters
;AFP;ANJ; ANPAi..r.. Health-pneumonia Singapore scientists join in breaking genetic code of SARS virus JP/11/ASEAN
Scientists break SARS genetic code
SINGAPORE: Scientists in Singapore have joined their U.S. and Canadian counterparts in breaking the genetic code of the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus, raising hopes of getting closer to developing a cure.
"The road to finding a solution to SARS may be a long one, but the findings have edged us a step closer," said Larry Stanton, senior group leader at the Genome Institute of Singapore on Thursday.
U.S. health officials announced on Monday that American scientists had mapped the genome of the SARS virus. Scientists in Canada also announced that they had broken the genetic code of the virus, the first step toward developing a test for doctors to diagnose victims and a possible vaccine in the future.
The genetic code is the raw material needed by scientists trying to develop a diagnostic test.
Currently, doctors worldwide diagnose SARS patients by a combination of unusual symptoms, including high fever, difficulty breathing, a dry cough and contact with someone else suspected of having SARS. -- AFP