Riau declares state of emergency over fires

JAKARTA • Indonesia's western province of Riau has declared a state of emergency over forest and land fires blazing on the island of Sumatra, a government official said yesterday.

REUTERS

Thailand drops flak jacket case

BANGKOK • Thai prosecutors have dropped their case against a Hong Kong photojournalist, Mr Anthony Kwan Hok-chun, 29, who was arrested for carrying a bulletproof vest in his hand luggage, an official said yesterday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Two die from West Bengal bomb explosion

KOLKATA • Two people were killed yesterday when crude bombs they were making exploded in India's West Bengal. The state is due to hold local elections next month, and bombs are sometimes planted by workers from political parties to prevent voters in their rivals' strongholds from turning out.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

100-day wait between divorce and remarriage

TOKYO • Japanese women still face a 100-day wait before they can remarry following legal changes approved yesterday by the country's Cabinet. The approval came after the Supreme Court ruled that the current six-month waiting period for women to remarry after divorce was excessive.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE