RI poachers feel Canberra's sting
RI poachers feel Canberra's sting
AUSTRALIA: The skippers of 31 Indonesian fishing boats confiscated after they were caught poaching off Australia's northern coast have escaped with fines and warnings, but many remain in jail unable to pay the fines, officials said on Sunday.
The skippers are also facing a probable forfeiture of their boats, which will be returned only if they pay a bond of A$5,000 (US$3,325), a colossal sum for an Indonesian fisherman.
The boats, which were used to hunt shark inside the Australian Fishing Zone, were detained during a crackdown in May.
The shark fin industry is particularly disliked in Australia, because it usually means that the fins are slashed off the shark, some species of which are endangered and protected, and then the shark is thrown back into the ocean to die.
A total of 71 Indonesian crew members appeared in Australian courts, where they were hit with fines ranging from A$1,000 to A$25,000 for repeat offenders. -- AFP
;DPA;KOD; ANPAu..r.. ATW-Taiwan-PeepingToms Peeping Toms struck by lightning JP/12/ATW
Peeping Toms struck by lightning
TAIWAN: As if it was an act of divine retribution, three men were struck recently by lightning while they spied upon a pair of passionate lovers having sex in a car in a hillside area in Taipei, police said on Sunday.
Hiding in a broken hut and each using a high-powered telescope, the three were so concentrated on the lovers that they did not notice lightning flashing in the sky before a bolt hit the hut, the police said.
The officer said the three, who remained speechless and in shock for several hours, suffered minor burns on their hands and legs, while their hair stood on end.
Doctors later said the three had a narrow escape because if only one of them had been in the hut, he would have been killed instantly by the lightning, a police officer cited a diagnostic report.
As for the lovers, they quickly drove away after the lightning struck and a heavy downpour began -- completely oblivious to what had happened, the officer said. -- DPA
;DPA;KOD; ANPAi..r.. ATW-Lebanon-attack-TV Hariri condemns rocket attack JP/12/ATW
Hariri condemns rocket attack
LEBANON: Prime Minister Rafik Hariri denounced on Sunday the rocket attack on his Future Television station and said it was aimed at shaking security in the country.
The headquarters of Hariri's broadcasting network at the seaside Rouche neighborhood came under attack earlier on Sunday. Although the broadcasting studios suffered severe damage, no casualties were reported.
The rocket attack was carried out from an unmarked car, according to the initial findings of a police investigation. There was no immediate indication as to who was responsible.
Police sources said two 107-mm rockets were fired at the studios of FTV and Radio Orient, a radio station also owned by Hariri. -- DPA
;REUTERS;KOD; ANPAi..r.. ATW-EU-Foreign EU to adopt WMD action plan JP/12/ATW
EU to adopt WMD action plan
BELGIUM: European Union (EU) foreign ministers will adopt on Monday an action plan aimed at showing they are serious about fighting the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), coupled with a warning to Iran.
The ministers will also approve a draft declaration committing the EU to admit former Yugoslavian republics to the economic bloc and to increasing aid to prepare the Western Balkans for eventual membership.
Diplomats said the 15 ministers would back a plan drafted by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana to combat the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons -- involving diplomatic action and financial boosts to arms inspections, and schemes to prevent former Soviet arms from falling into the wrong hands.
In the first illustration of this approach, ministers will demand that Iran "urgently and unconditionally" accept tougher inspections of its suspect nuclear program, and link progress on a trade deal to their compliance with the demand. -- Reuters