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

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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

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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

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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