IV. International (10-01-09)

. Tropical Storm Parma strengthened to a typhoon and two more cyclones developed over the Pacific east of the Philippines, 4 days after Typhoon Ketsana left 246 people dead in PI, and killed 38 in Vietnam. It also killed 11 people in NE and central Cambodia. It blew whole villages in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

     . CARE emergency teams in Vietnam and Laos are responding after slamming mainland Asia. Its emergency response continues in PI, helping some of the nearly two million people affected by flooding as the same storm ravaged Manila earlier.

     . Rains have eased in the central region and water levels are receding though flooding is still “very high.” Soldiers and rescue aid workers as well as helicopters have been mobilized to help people in isolated areas.

     . Thai P.M. urged world leaders to cooperate urgently and find a solution to the stalemate in setting greenhouse gas emission targets for nations.

. Disaster officials rushed food, medicine and a temporary morgue to Samoa after a powerful earthquake unleashed a tsunami that flattened villages and swept people out to sea. Four tsunami waves roared ashore n American Samoa 15 minutes after the quake, reaching to a mile inland.

     . The UN dismissed the top US diplomat at the UN Mission in Afghanistan after he quarreled with his Norwegian boss over the 8/20 elections with an aggressive and outspoken line of charges of fraud.

     . Tibetans are hoping the 60^th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China will pass uneventfully, and Chinese military and police in Tibet are on heightened alert that last year’s deadly riots are not repeated this year.

. The P.M. of Thailand hit out at his Cambodia counterpart (Han Sen) for saying that Thai trespassers would be shot if they entered into an area along the common border disputed by the two countries.

     . Two-hundred refugees (boat people) from Myanmar, fleeing persecution back home, have fled heir temporary shelters in Indonesia after the government threatened to expel half of them.

     . An Indonesian woman had given birth to an 8.7-kilogramme (19.2 pounds) baby boy, the heaviest newborn ever recorded in the country, a doctor said.

. Down under in Australia, down underground, scientists have found 850 previously unknown species living in subterranean waters, caves and micro-caverns.

     . Police raid in Otago and Canterbury (New Zealand) has uncovered a sophisticated international drug syndicate with the help of Australian and Canadian police.

     . Police raided the Hong Kong offices of Ernst & Young as part of the formal investigation linked to the city’s biggest corporation collapse, the company said Wednesday.

. Macau will pay US$150 million to the Chinese city of Zheehai, bordering Macau for a land of 1.1 square kilometer leased for 40 years to the secretary for Transport & Public Works.

     . In order to catch foreign women providing “vice services,” Malaysian police are setting up “rat traps” at the Majestic Heights flats in Paya Tarubong.

     . Attendees (24) at a Christian conference in Dharen, Nepal were killed and 62 were injured for sleeping on top of a church extension roof made of bamboo because it was cooler there.

. A Cambodian man was arrested for allegedly raping and killing a 22-year old Muslim woman last Saturday after finding her alone on a coffee farm in Tonloung commune. This was the second incident after an 11-year old was gang-raped earlier.

     . Lao athletes who are able to win a gold medal at the 25^th SEA Games will be awarded 20 million Kip in cash with the third-class Labor Medal from the government.

     . Scores of homes have been burned in two districts in East Timor amid protests triggered by the appointment of a new Prime Minister.

. China’s People’s Liberation Army and Navy (PLAN) has made great strides in recent years as it seeks to come of age. It seems to recognize the need to reassure others that the intentions behind its modernization program are peaceful. But doubts of their ultimate intentions remain.

     . China is seeking large stakes in Nigerian oil after the Asian giant ran into problems with oil deals in other African countries. The state-owned CNOOC Ltd. is trying to buy 6 billion barrels of oil, a sixth of Nigeria’s proven reserves, a move that could put China in competition with Shell, Chevron and Exxon Mobil.

     . Beijing was wrapped in tight security 9/30 as police blocked Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City and other popular tourist landmarks ahead of a massive military parade marking the 60years of Communist rule.

. Taiwan’s official opposition will screen two controversial films from Tibet and Xinjiang on China’s National Day (10/10), in a likely move to irritate Beijing.

     . Taiwan has agreed to buy 625 million bushels of American wheat during the next 20 years, and milling analyst representatives are meeting in North Dakota to publicize the sale.

     . The chairman of the financially embattled Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) has confirmed another image-damaging incident in which 98 employees have been profiteering at the company’s expense, e.g., benefiting from insider knowledge and stocking promotional package tickets.

. The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan has elected former Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki as its new president, garnering 120 of right total 199 votes, and 180 of 300 votes distributed among LDP’s local chapters.

     . Hiroshima Prefecture and five local governments asked the Hiroshima High Court to delay a court session so they can come up with measures to resurrect support for single-parent households that was scraped in April by the LDP.

     . Nissan Motors Corp may sell half a million passenger cars in China this year and expects sales to continue growing even after Beijing’s tax incentives end.

. Flood victims of the recent Typhoon Ketsana trudged through ankle-deep sludge to crowded relief centers in the Philippines as the death toll rose to 246 (still rising) from waters that submerged the homes of more than two million people in metro Manila.

     . Rescuers pulled more bodies from swollen rivers as resident started to dig out their homes from under carpets of mud after the flooding killed so many people. Overwhelmed officials called for international help, warning they may not have sufficient resources to withstand another storm that forecasters said was brewing east and could hit the Islands on Friday.

     . Two bomb attacks in one day in Mindanao, the first of which killed two US soldiers, could signal that al-Quaeda-linked militants are launching a new offensive in the region, officials said.

. The Supreme Court verdict giving 3 senior Thaksin Shinawatra-administration officials suspended jail terms in connection with the “on land” lottery controversy in Thailand seems like a slap in the wrist. They were set free because they were not aware of being used by Thaksin to push the controversial scheme through.

    . The Supreme Court found former House speaker Youngyuth Tiyapairat guilty of concealing his Bt2-million (2 million bahts) assets and sentenced him to two months in jail as well as banned him from politics for 5 years.

     . The P.M. said his visit to the US would help improve Thailand’s image in the international community and show the country’s readiness to resume its role in world forums.

. Every year at the end of Ramadan, millions of maids, nannies and chauffeurs (around 27 million) make their annual pilgrimages (Id al-Fitr) to their hometowns across Indonesia leaving their pampered employers to fend for themselves. More than 300 were killed in road accidents during the holiday.

     . A powerful quake struck W. Indonesia 9/30 triggering landslides and trapping thousands under collapsed buildings, including two hospitals. At least 75 were found, but the toll was expected to be far higher. More than

one thousand were feared dead in the island of Sumatra.

     . Smoke and ash from hundreds of land-clearing fires blanketed skies over large parts of W. Indonesia, prompting flight cancelations and health warnings, and sent the air quality plummeting, officials said.

. Russia will open a new market to accommodate businesses displaced by shutdowns of the Cherkizovsky market in Moscow, home to many Vietnamese vendors, said the Vietnamese Businessmen’s Association.

     . A fire raged through a Vietnamese trade center early Saturday (9/26) in the southern suburbs of Warsaw, Poland’s capital, causing big losses for Vietnamese traders. There were no casualties.

     . A Vietnamese-American (Quan Lelan) won the Columbine which honors work reflecting non-violent resolutions to conflicts at the Moon-dance International Film Festival in the US.

. The monsoon period in India runs from June to the end of September though late rains have been experienced in October. Rain deficiency is roughly about 20% this year. The drought is expected to dampen India’s economic growth, and food prices are expected to go up, hurting its poor masses

     . The price of sugar rose 9/30, hovering at levels not seen in 28 years as concerns about a global sugar shortage escalated; while other commodities gained broadly on a weakening US dollar.

. The US State Dept offered an ultimatum to Pakistan’s Pres. Asif Ali Zardawi during his visit last month cautioning that if he doesn’t move against the Taliban forces in the city of Quetta, the US will.

     . Legislation to triple aid ($1.5 million a year over 5 years focused on democratic, economic & social development programs) to Pakistan and stem the tide of radicalism and anti-Americanism cleared Congress and moved to Pres. BHO for signature.

     . Courts are back in session in the Swat Valley after a 3-month hiatus due to Army offensive against Taliban. How well they perform this time (avoiding long-standing delays) may be crucial to the government success.

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