KL axes beer fest over 'political sensitivity'

PETALING JAYA • The Better Beer Festival, held for five years in Kuala Lumpur, has been cancelled this year, Malaysian media reported, with organisers saying they were told there were licensing issues as well as "political sensitivity".

The Star reported Kuala Lumpur City Hall yesterday confirmed the cancellation, which comes a week after Parti Islam SeMalaysia central committee member Riduan Mohd Nor claimed that the event would turn the city into the "largest vice centre in Asia".

Chengdu probes illegal ops on 'noisy' dogs BEIJING • A man is being investigated for running a street clinic that cut the vocal cords of "noisy" dogs for a fee.Media in Chengdu released footage of the man using scissors to remove anaesthetised dogs' vocal cords while their jaws were held open with string. The local forestry bureau said the man was not licensed to operate on animals.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Freeze on Beijing construction work

BEIJING • Work at construction sites in Beijing, including demolition and outdoor earthwork, which may generate dust, will be suspended from Nov 15 to March 15, the entire winter heating season.

The announcement follows the release last Friday of the capital's fifth emergency response protocols for air pollution .

For the first time, some construction work, such as spraying and painting, will now be banned when the lowest level air pollution alert, blue, is issued.

CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Slight polls gains for Macau opposition

HONG KONG • Macau's mostly pro-democracy opposition made slight gains in elections, as critics saw signs of public dissatisfaction with the pro-Beijing government after a deadly typhoon battered the city last month.

Results of Sunday's vote announced yesterday showed the opposition won five seats in the 33-seat legislative assembly, one more than at the last election four years ago, said local media. Only 14 seats were directly elected.

REUTERS