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International News

13 countries agree on a plan to save wild tigers

****

From The Asian Reporter, V20, #6 (February 9, 2010), page 2.

BEIJING (AP) — China’s state-run lottery is offering Confucius-themed tickets with colorful drawings of the ancient philosopher and his proverbs, drawing discussion over whether gambling and his teachings are a good fit. The Confucius-themed tickets are aimed at educating the public about ancient Chinese culture and helping people live a "healthy, wholesome life," according to the lottery website in China’s Shandong province. The site said the Ministry of Finance approved the program, which was launched in Confucius’ hometown of Qufu and will be introduced elsewhere in the northeast province later this month. On a popular Chinese forum, Tianya.com, anonymous critics of the program saw gambling as against the spirit of Confucius. One cited a Confucian proverb, "The gentleman sees righteousness, the petty man sees profit." The state-run lottery is the only gambling allowed in China. A Confucius-themed ticket costs 10 yuan ($1.50) and includes quotes from The Analects, a compilation of the philosopher’s works. The Shandong lottery site said the grand prize ticket is worth 300,000 yuan ($44,000) and will read, "Of all rituals, harmony is the most valuable." A state-backed biopic of Confucius released last month starring Hong Kong megastar Chow Yun-fat earned $5.6 million in its opening weekend.

MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — Two Filipina maids arrived home last month after they were pardoned by the king of Saudi Arabia for killing the employer of one of the women, the foreign ministry said. Idan Tejano and her friend Marjanna Sakilan were charged with homicide and robbery for stabbing to death Tejano’s pregnant employer in 2001 and fleeing with her jewelry. They were sentenced to death by hanging by the Jeddah General Shariah Court in 2004. The sentences were later lowered to 12 years jail and 1,200 lashes, but they were eventually pardoned after appeals by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to King Abdullah. The victim’s husband said in court in April 2008 that the family did not object to their release. The two were freed after serving eight years and seven months in jail and were immediately whisked to the airport for a flight to Manila. They met with top Philippine officials, including Arroyo. "I could not believe that I can come home alive," a tearful Tejano told GMA television. Some 10 million Filipinos — or nearly 10 percent of the population of 90 million — work overseas, sending home billions of dollars that fuel domestic spending which is the backbone of the Philippine economy.

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepal’s state-owned utility company has announced it will cut electricity for 11 hours a day because of low water levels in reservoirs that drive hydroelectric plants. Sher Singh Bhat of the state-run Nepal Electricity Authority said the blackouts are likely to lengthen in the coming months. During the spring and summer months last year, power cuts reached 16 hours a day. Water levels are low in reservoirs used to store runoff during the monsoon season and in rivers that feed them, forcing reductions in power generation from hydroelectric plants, Bhat said. Nepal imports some electricity from neighboring India, but not enough to meet the shortage. A decade-long communist insurgency hampered development projects, including the construction of new power plants. Although the rebels joined a peace process in 2006 and gave up their armed revolt, political instability has continued.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Three Indonesian men convicted of playing dominoes for money escaped from jail moments before a public caning in devoutly Muslim Aceh province. Local Islamic police chief Muhammad Rusli said the men bolted during an unguarded bathroom visit minutes before the punishment for violating anti-gambling laws. The men were caught playing dominoes for 1,000 rupiah ($0.10) per game. They were to be caned six times each outside a mosque. Aceh adopted Islamic laws banning alcohol and gambling after gaining semiautonomy from the secular central government following a decades-long civil war. Last year, lawmakers there imposed stoning to death as a punishment for adultery. The majority of Indonesia’s roughly 200 million Muslims practice moderate Islam.

SINGAPORE (AP) — Singapore’s unemployment rate fell sharply in the fourth quarter as developers of two casinos set to open in the city-state began hiring. The unemployment rate was a seasonally adjusted 2.1 percent in December, down from 3.4 percent in September, the Manpower Ministry said in a statement. The jobless rate was 2.5 percent in December 2008. The economy added a net 38,700 jobs in the fourth quarter, boosted by retailers hiring more staff for the busy Christmas season and the new casino resorts, the ministry said. The services sector added 32,100 jobs and construction gained 4,700 while manufacturing gained 1,400. Malaysia’s Genting and Las Vegas Sands are together investing more than $10 billion to open the country’s first two casinos during the first half of this year. The government expects the projects will employ about 35,000 workers and add up to one percentage point to GDP (gross domestic product) growth. The economy added 38,800 jobs last year, led by 56,100 in services and 25,200 in construction. Those gains made up for 43,000 manufacturing job losses. GDP expanded 3.5 percent in the fourth quarter from the same period a year earlier. The government expects the economy to grow up to five percent this year after shrinking 2.1 percent last year.