KARACHI (Jan 30, 2007): A Pakistani man and woman were tied to a tree and stoned to death on suspicion of committing adultery.

Hundreds of people are killed every year in predominantly Muslim Pakistan, most of them women in backward, rural communities, after being deemed to have dishonoured their families.

Police said they had arrested two people over the killing of the man and woman in the weekend in a village in Punjab province.

"The man and woman were relatives and were stoned to death by their relatives," senior police officer Zafar Bokhari told Reuters by telephone from the central city of Multan.

"The accused said they caught Ghulam Nabi and Elahi in a compromising position and killed them in a rage," he said.

Another relative of the victims reported the killings to the police who opened a double murder case against four people, Bokhari said.

The man and woman apparently pleaded their innocence but were caught by their relatives, tied to a tree and killed with bricks, he said. - Reuters

Last-minute rush delays Singapore's Crazy Horse closure

SINGAPORE (Jan 30, 2007): A sudden surge in audience numbers is expected to delay the closure of the topless Crazy Horse Paris Cabaret for afew more performances, the franchise operator said today.

"We might extend it until the coming weekend if our partners inParis are agreeable," said consultant Oh Chee Eng.

Since promoters announced last week that the art-form strip show would close on Feb 1, ticket sales have soared for the final performances.

"We are suddenly seeing a surge in numbers," said Oh, noting 350 to 400 seats have been filled during the shows.

Previously the 450 seats were less than half full. Constraints had been placed on advertising and the minimum admittance age was 21 years.

The Eng Wah Organization Ltd, which introduced the show in Singapore with the support of the government, said it will book losses of S$7.1 million (US$4.6 million) because of the closure.

Although most of the advertising restrictions were eased late last year, it was too late for the 55-year-old French icon that is a major attraction at its two other locations, Paris and Las Vegas.

The Crazy Horse was brought to the city-state one year ago in a high-profile initiative to shake off its straight-laced image.

Singapore was the first city in Asia to host a Crazy Horse Paris cabaret.

Several other Asian cities, including Tokyo and Hongkong have bid for rights to the show. - dpa

South Korean thieves happier than police - survey

SEOUL (Jan 30, 2007): South Korean gangsters get more satisfaction from their line of work than the police, according to a survey published today in local dailies.

According to the survey conducted among 109 jailed mobsters by the Korean Institute of Criminal Justice, 79.3% of gangsters said they were somewhat or very satisfied with their life in organised crime.

About 65% of police said they enjoyed their profession, according to a separate survey.

South Korean gangsters make on average about 4 million won (US$4,255) a month, which is typically higher than the pay for police.

The criminal justice survey said crime syndicates in South Korea get most of their money through traditional methods such as extortion, prostitution and gambling.

But mobsters have been looking to diversify their operations and are trying to muscle their way into shady stock deals or earn a share of corporate mergers and acquisitions, it said. ($1 = 940.1 Won) - Reuters

Japanese woman believed to be world's oldest

TOKYO (Jan 30, 2007): A 114-year-old Japanese woman thought to be the world's oldest living person loves sweets and joking with those around her, nursing home officials said today.

Yone Minagawa, who was born in southwestern Japan on Jan 4, 1893, was listed as the world's oldest person by the International Committee on Supercentenarians (ICS) after the death of U.S. resident Emma Faust Tillman, also 114, on Sunday (Jan 28).

Minagawa, who lives in a nursing home in Fukuoka prefecture, southwestern Japan, rises early each morning and likes to eat sweets, especially traditional sweet red bean paste buns, a nursing home official said.

During her birthday celebration this month, Minagawa beamed at those around her and blew out several candles on a cake decorated with her likeness.

"When the mayor came this morning to tell her that she'd become the oldest person in the world, she smiled and said, 'Oh, really?'" the official added.

Minagawa, who was born the same year as China's Mao Zedong, was widowed early and raised five children by selling vegetables she grew herself.

Guinness World Records said on its Web site (guinnessworldrecords.com) last week when Tillman became the world's oldest person that it was still investigating details about Minagawa.

No further information was immediately available from Guinness.

According to the ICS, the world's second oldest person is a U.S. woman born on April 20, 1893.

The Japanese are among the world's longest-lived people, with 28,395 people aged 100 or above in Japan at the end of last September, according to the Health Ministry. - Reuters

Traffic fines could cost New Zealand driver his Ferrari

WELLINGTON (Jan 30, 2007): A New Zealand driver owing about US$1,750 in traffic fines has had his Ferrari car worth 100 times as much seized by justice officials, who will sell it to recover the debt, it was reported today.

The driver was given seven days to pay the fines or lose his 1999 Ferrari 575 Maranello, which was seized yesterday by order of the Palmerston North District Court, the Manawatu Standard reported. - dpa