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Imports of pigs for research or for breeding by local farmers must have prior permits from Cambodia's Agriculture Ministry, Hun Sen said in the statement. (AP)

Singapore Airlines: First Airbus A380 Delivery Date Set

Singapore Airlines Ltd, the first carrier in the world to fly the new superjumbo A380, said Thursday the first delivery of the hulking jet has been set for October 15. Airbus' delivery of the plane to Singapore Airlines has been delayed more than a year due to production problems. The double-decker aircraft—the world's biggest passenger jet—will be handed over by European plane manufacturer Airbus at a ceremony in Toulouse, France, Singapore Airlines said in a statement. The A380's inaugural flight has been scheduled for October 25 to Sydney, the carrier said. Singapore Airlines had earlier announced it will auction all seats on the first A380 flight on eBay and donate the proceeds to charities. The plane will be configured with 471 seats in three classes, the airline said. (AP)

Bird Flu Kills Indonesian Teenager, Raises Death Toll to 83

A 17-year-old Indonesian girl died of bird flu, raising the country's death toll to 83, the Health Ministry said Thursday. The girl from Tangerang, just west of capital Jakarta, died on Tuesday after only one day after being admitted to a hospital, said spokesman Joko Suyono. "Tests in two local laboratories came back positive" for the H5N1 strain of the disease, he said. She first showed bird flu symptoms five days before being hospitalized, and health investigators were still scouring for the source of the infection. In almost all cases, patients contracted the virus after exposure to sick or dead poultry. At least 193 people—the majority of them in Indonesia—have died worldwide from bird flu since it first infected Asian ducks and chickens in 2003, according to the World Health Organization. (AP)

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August 14, 2007

Vietnam's PM Visits Burma

Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung arrived in Naypyidaw to hold discussions on a number of trade issues, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday. The visit is part of a trip to five Asean member countries. The report said the visit included dozens of Vietnamese businessmen and would focus on trade, agriculture, crude oil, mining, livestock breeding and fisheries discussions. Their tour will include Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Brunei.

Explosion of Vietnam War-era Mortar Shell Kills Three

Three people were killed when a Vietnam War-era mortar shell they were sawing for scrap metal exploded in southern Vietnam, police said Tuesday. The men found three 105-millimeter mortar rounds while working to build a new industrial zone in Tien Giang province, local police chief Tran Van Hoa said. The land was once used as an ammunition depot for the former US-backed South Vietnam government, he said. Hoa said two people died instantly in the explosion Sunday and another died later at a hospital. The explosion also injured another man who was still hospitalized, he said.
Tien Giang is 70 kilometers (48 miles) south of Ho Chi Minh City. Unexploded ordnance from the Vietnam War has killed about 38,000 people since the conflict ended in 1975. (AP)

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Friday, August 10, 2007

South African University to Honor Suu Kyi

South Africa's University of Cape Town is to bestow an honorary doctorate of law on Burma's detained Noble Peace prize Laureate Aung Sun Suu Kyi. According to Pretoria News, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a long-time and outspoken campaigner for Burma and Suu Kyi, will receive the degree on the behalf of Suu Kyi at UCT's December graduation ceremony. The UCT's vice-chancellor Njabulo Ndebele said: “We acknowledge Suu kyi as an extraordinary example of sheer strength, her wealth of knowledge, her perseverance and as a symbol of determination of women all over the world.”

More than 50 Die in Philippine Clashes

Clashes between troops and suspected al-Qaida-linked militants have killed at least 52 people on volatile southern Jolo island, the Philippine military said on Friday. The death toll included 25 soldiers and 27 militants, based on updated field reports on the clashes, which began Thursday when suspected Abu Sayyaf extremists ambushed a truck carrying troops headed to get supplies, then fought a gunbattle with soldiers in pursuit, Maj Eugene Batara said. The military estimates that the rebel group Abu Sayyaf, which has been blamed for deadly bombings and high-profile ransom kidnappings, has about 300-400 guerrillas, down from more than 1,000 during its heyday in early 2000.