NOIDA, India

The parents of an Indian infant girl born with two faces say that she is eating and breathing normally despite having two pairs of eyes and lips and two noses. The baby – considered a deity by some in the deeply religious Hindu-majority country - was born to a factory worker and his wife who both consider the girl a gift from God, and have no intention of subjecting her to corrective surgery. Doctors say that because the girl's skulls are fused, separation is impossible anyway.

NHA TRANG CITY, Vietnam

The final contest of the Miss Universe 2008 will be held in Nha Trang City in Vietnam's central Khanh Hoa province. Vietnam's Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company has been assigned to design and produce the crown for winner of the July 14 beauty contest, at an estimated cost of $250,000. Vietnam is expected to spend over $15 million to cover the pageant's royalty and infrastructure expenses.

LONDON, U.K.
The soaring price of gold has caused a sudden spurt in crime in a London suburb with a large population of Indians - a community known to stash away gold jewellery at home. Crime analysts reportedly spotted the trend in the suburb of Hounslow - home to a large number of Punjabis and Gujaratis - in March when the price of gold hit record levels in the backdrop of the global credit crunch and the deflating U.S. dollar. Thefts of gold from private homes now account for more than two-thirds of all theft in the area.

TOKYO, Japan
The sons of two Japan-based U.S. soldiers have been arrested for allegedly robbing a taxi driver of $80. A 16-year-old son of a U.S. airman and a 15-year son of a Marine are facing charges and a U.S. airman is being interrogated over the incident last month. Meanwhile, U.S. sailor Olatunbosun Ugbogu has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a Japanese taxi driver. The 22-year-old sailor says he heard voices in his head telling him to stab the cabbie with a kitchen knife.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand
Asians are the fastest growing group in New Zealand and are expected to come close to outnumbering the indigenous Maoris in 18 years, according to government projections. The Asian population, driven by migration, is forecast to increase from 400,000 now to 790,000 in 2026, when it would account for 16 per cent of the total. The nationalist New Zealand First party MP Peter Brown commented that, “. . . it is time this foolishness was ended for the sake of the people who live here now. . . there is real danger we will be inundated with people who have no intention of integrating into our society."

KATHMANDU, Nepal
A one-horned rhinoceros was killed by suspected poachers in Nepal's Bardiya national park and an army man assigned for the park's security was found dead nearby. The poachers chopped off  the rhino's horn before escaping, leaving the bullet-riddled body of the Nepali army soldier nearby. Officials suspect that an armed gang comprising four to five poachers might be involved in the incident.

HARBIN, China
A tiger devoured a mentally ill man who entered the animal's zoo cage in north-east China. Zhang Yachun disappeared from his home and five days later police told his parents the 37-year-old had been eaten by a tiger at a nearby zoo, with two legs and his skull the sole remains. China has a poor record of keeping people away from dangerous captive animals. In February, a circus lion ripped a 10-year-old boy's arm off, while last year a boy was eaten by a crocodile and a young girl was killed after a zoo tiger bit her head.

JAKARTA, Indonesia
Police in Indonesia are investigating the deaths of 23 people who drank a locally made alcohol brand. Police have shut down The Cap Macan factory producing the drink following the deaths, which occurred in the space of a single month.

Managers of the factory, on Sumatra island, had been questioned about the deaths, but officials say that the drinks company may not be to blame.

TAIPEI, Taiwan

Taiwan's defence minister said his colleagues did not dismantle and examine nuclear missile parts mistakenly shipped to Taiwan by the U.S., in an incident which has angered China and embarrassed Washington.

The U.S. military was supposed to ship helicopter batteries to Taiwan, but instead sent fuses used as part of the trigger mechanism on Minuteman missiles. Taiwan returned the parts last week.

 Beijing has called for a thorough investigation, as well as an end to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.