North Korea has said it would eject South Koreans from a mountain resort in the communist country, a further sign of fraying ties between the divided Koreas. The move comes after a South Korean tourist was shot by a North Korean soldier at the resort last month, prompting strong protests from Seoul. The North also warned it would take military action against "even the slightest hostile actions" in the Diamond Mountain Resort and its military areas.

 

Choking smoke from forest fires is hanging over parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra island, forcing a delay in flights, and prompting fears that conditions could worsen because of lack of rain. About 450 hot spots have been detected across Indonesia, and forestry officials warn the number could exceed last year’s total of 35,000 as the dry season this year is likely to be marked by less rain than usual. The haze affects Singapore and Malaysia.

It’s now Aamir Khan’s turn to sell India to the world. The Bollywood hero has been engaged by the tourism ministry to be the face of its brand campaign ‘Incredible India’ to showcase the country’s rich heritage and culture. The ‘Incredible India’ campaign, launched in 2002, showcases the country’s unique heritage and cultural aspects. It has effectively boosted the tourism sector.

Brunei was excluded from the Beijing Olympics shortly before the opening ceremony by the International Olympic Committee because it failed to register athletes in time. Two athletes were originally due to represent Brunei, a swimmer and a shot putter.

The mosquito-borne chikungunya disease has hit 17 workers in the largest outbreak of the viral infection in the city state. The patients all live in the Kranji Way area. Previously, the largest chikungunya outbreak hit 13 people in January in the city-state’s Little India area, which was Singapore’s first outbreak of the disease. So far this year, 39 people have contracted chikungunya in Singapore. Another 35 were infected while in other countries.

Taiwan has launched a tourism campaign aimed at the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims. The Taiwan Tourism Bureau had Malaysian TV produce a 13-part programme introducing Malaysian Muslims to Taiwan. Of the island’s 23-million natives, 60,000 are Muslim.

Japanese police took action against more than 300 child pornography cases in the first half of 2008, up 17 per cent from the same period last year, police said, a sign both awareness and Internet sexual exploitation are rising. The report comes as some lawmakers are discussing a ban on the possession of child pornography in Japan, where only production and distribution of obscene images of people under 18 are illegal. Japan and Russia are the only two countries among the Group of Eight rich nations not to have banned possession of child pornography

The leader of a Hari Krishna-affiliated aid organization in Cambodia will appeal a conviction for molesting a 12-year-old girl. U.S. national Thomas Rapanos Wayne, head of a Hare Krishna aid group, was found naked in the company of two girls aged 12 and 16, when he was arrested in a guest house in March, police alleged. The age of consent in Cambodia is 15. Wayne, alias Tattva Darshan Das, 55, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for committing indecent acts against minors.