Asia Beat: Jul 09 08

singapore

Two Indonesians who pretended they were related to wealthy organ seekers have been found guilty of illegally agreeing to sell their kidneys. Sulaiman bin Damanik, who was to sell his kidney to a well-known Singaporean retailer last month for $17,500, was found guilty of agreeing to sell his kidney and lying to officials. He was fined and sentenced to two weeks in jail. His accomplice was fined and sentenced to three-and-a-half months in jail after health authorities busted in on the operation theatre.

DHARAMSHALA, India

Representatives of the Dalai Lama and China made no headway on the status of Tibet in formal talks this week, according to an envoy of the spiritual leader who described the talks as a "disappointment." Lodi Gyari, who led the two-man team which met Chinese officials in Olympics-hosting Beijing, added, "The whole tactic of the Chinese government is to engage us to stall for time." Beijing agreed to restart a dialogue amid world criticism of its massive crackdown on deadly anti-Chinese riots that engulfed the Tibetan capital Lhasa last spring.

Manila, The Philippines

Rising food prices in The Philippines pushed its June inflation rate to 11.4 per cent, the highest level in 14 years, the government said. The government said Tuesday that the upsurge in inflation was due to "soaring prices of rice nationwide along with the upward adjustments of other food items such as flour and flour products, fruits and vegetables and meat in selected regions.

new delhi, India

People are getting a "fee to pee" in a small town in southern India in a plan to encourage people to use toilets. Residents of Musiri are earning up to 70 cents a month by urinating in public toilets. Under the NGO/ state university orchestrated plan, the urine is used for research on fertilizers by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. More than 700 million people in India do not to have access to proper sanitation facilities

beijing, China

The opening of the Beijing Games may happen on the lucky eighth day of the eighth month of 2008, but a succession of disasters in China has made some doubt the benefits of 2008. Many Chinese now believe the Olympic mascots are cursed. Jingjing the panda represents the devastating 8.0-magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province, where the majority of the endangered animals live. Yingying the Tibetan antelope evokes this year’s deadly unrest in Tibet, while Huanhuan is a flame that for many brings back memories of the protests that embarrassed China during the torch relay.

QINGDAO, China

In China’s Olympic co-host city Qingdao, sea breezes that usually bring relief from baking summer temperatures now bring a horrid stench from a massive algae bloom that locals fear will harm the city’s bucolic image during the Games. Local authorities say 30,000 people been drafted into the cause, and have drawn a line in the sand demanding that the algae, which invaded Qingdao in mid-June, be completely expunged from sailing competition areas by July 15.

beijing, China

More than 33,000 exterminators have been dispatched to battle a locust infestation in northern China to prevent a potentially disastrous migration to Beijing during next month’s Olympic Games. The insects, which devour crops, routinely plague the Inner Mongolia region where this year they have already destroyed 1.3 million hectares of agricultural land. Under the plan, about 200 tonnes of pesticides, 100,000 sprayers and four planes will be used to stop the pest infestation.

TOYAKO, Japan

More than 20,000 police have sealed a secluded mountain resort in northern Japan as the world’s top leaders gather, with protests kept far away from the summit venue. Japan imposed a no-fly zone across a stretch of its northern island of Hokkaido as U.S. President George Bush arrived for three days of talks with 22 other leaders about the fragile world economy, global warming and problems ranging from Zimbabwe to North Korea and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

jakarta, Indonesia

People in the Indonesian city of Makassar who gave in to the tug of giving to charity could face three months in jail under a law making itillegal to give money to beggars and street children. The law, approved in June, is meant to reduce the city’s swelling population of beggars. Beggars and street children face three years in jail or fines up to $553.27, but the crackdown has come along with a program to train beggars for work.

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