Police drop porn case against cleric

JAKARTA • The Indonesian police have dropped their investigation into a pornography case allegedly involving firebrand cleric Rizieq Shihab.

The leader of the Islam Defenders Front was allegedly involved in an online sex chat with a female follower. National police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said yesterday that police were dropping the case due to a lack of evidence.

THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Top China executive faces graft probe

BEIJING • China has launched a corruption investigation into the general manager of the state-owned firm responsible for building aircraft carriers. China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation's Mr Sun Bo is being probed for "suspicion of serious breach of the party discipline and the law", the Communist Party's top anti-graft watchdog said last Saturday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Viet protest over economic zone plans

HANOI • Thousands of people in central Vietnam demonstrated peacefully yesterday against government plans to lease new economic zones to foreign investors. Protesters fear the leases may be snapped up by investors from powerful neighbour China.

REUTERS