DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Roundup: Thai historical city copes with floods and crocodiles” plus 9 more

BANGKOK, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- As the death toll in Thailand's worst floods in five decades rose to 252, Ayutthaya is now coping with various problems caused by floods.

The historical city of Thailand Ayutthaya, only 76 km from Bangkok, is a former capital of Siam and homes 400-year-old castles and temples.

The flood has threatened the 370-year-old Chaiwatthanaram Temple, one of the country's most famous tourist attractions, across the Chao Phraya River.

Local authorities are struggling to fight severe flooding to save the historic site.

Under the plan to save the World Heritage sites and its 32 acre surroundings, the authorities are trying first to block further water intrusions by reinforcing the sandbag embankments and plugging the section of breached dyke before pumping out the flood water, according to the Mass Communication of Thailand.

However, the attempt is tedious and time-consuming, a process obstructed by the swift, strong waterflow as flat-bottomed boats are able to reach the damaged dyke and carry only one sand bag at a time.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Friday offered help to Thai government to help protect Thailand's World Heritage site in flood-hit province.

UNESCO notified the Thai government through its office in Bangkok that it is ready to help Ayutthaya in central region of Thailand to cope with floods and provide emergency assistance to help save other listed World Heritage sites in the province if requested.

The former capital of Siam is also home to a few industrial plants.

Factories from Honda Motor Co. and Sony Corp. in industrial parks in Ayutthaya province are at risk after floods caused nearby plants to shut down.

The authority on Friday warned the industrial plants to temporary close from Friday until next Tuesday as the floods has inundated the province.

Moreover, dozens of crocodiles have escaped from a farm in Ayutthaya's Bang Ban district after it was inundated by months of severe flooding and heavy rain, reports said on Friday.

Authorities have warned people in tambon Ban Kum of the inundated province to watch out for about 25 escaped crocodiles.

Reports said most of the missing reptiles were about one metre in length. The authority warned that people should not try to catch the crocodiles.

Although the city has to cope with about 20 centimetres high flood, plus crocodiles, officials said people still refused to evacuate as they are worried about their belongings.

JAKARTA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least three foreign tourists were killed and seven others wounded when their bus crashed into a hill in Subang, West Java on Friday, police said.

The bus departed from Bandung and was carrying 13 tourists from the Netherlands, Belgium and India and was en route to Ciater hot spring when its brakes gave way while it was driving downhill.

"The tour bus' brakes did not function when it was driving downhill and it hit the wall of a hill near a tea plantation," the traffic unit head of the Subang Police station Agun Guntor said at the crash scene.

"The driver couldn't control the vehicle thus it rolled over and hit the left and right sides of the hill until it stopped in an upside down position," Agun said.

One of the tourists, Rob Ten Ven from the Netherlands, told the Antara news service that his wife was killed, but he could not remember what happened because he passed out during the ordeal.

The bus driver, Agung, suffered from head injuries and was taken to the Hasan Sadikin hospital in Bandung along with all other victims. An investigation into the crash is underway.

"Two women from Netherlands and one woman from Belgium, the fatalities of the bus accident, have been brought here today," Surahman, official at Hasan Sadikin hospital told Xinhua by phone.

MANAMA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- A youth died Thursday evening during a clash between the Bahraini police and a group of protesting youths.

According to the Bahraini Interior Ministry, about 20 youths gathered in the Abu Saiba area in the country's capital Manama, blocking roads and setting fire to rubbish bins.

"When the police arrived on the scene, they were attacked with Molotov cocktails and rocks. Police responded with tear gas and sound grenades to disperse the crowd," the ministry said.

Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, Bahrain's largest opposition group, said Friday on its website that Ahmed Jaber Al-Qattan, a 16- year-old youth, was killed during the clash.

"Ahmed received shotguns at his chest from a sort of weaponry used for catching birds," Al-Wefaq said.

The Interior Ministry confirmed Ahmed's death on Friday, but attributed the death to cardiac arrest.

The youth was taken to the hospital Thursday evening, but doctors were unable to resuscitate him, the ministry said.

The Northern Governorate Directorate at the Interior Ministry said the Public Prosecution had ordered to transfer the deceased to the state-run Salmaniya Medical Complex for an autopsy and a full investigation into the case had been launched.

Bahrain was hit by a wave of anti-government protests earlier this year and is still witnessing sporadic protests. Al-Wefaq blamed the security authorities for their aggressive approach to rein the increasing street protests.

ROME, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of students took to the streets in Italy on Friday for a protest against budget cuts to public schools.

The demonstration was held in 90 Italian cities, with the title of a "hot autumn". Many marched with various banners and slogans such "Save Schools not Banks."

A coalition of student groups in a statement said cuts to public instruction amount to "a dismantling of public education".

Protesters held that the government overseen by prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is doing little for young workers, according to Adnkronos news agency.

Recently, Italian schools have been affected by government measures passed in September to trim 54 billion euros in spending with a pledge to balance its budget in 2013.

But ratings agencies Standard and Poor's and Moody's still cut ratings for Italy after the measures passed because they are concerns over expected slow growth in Italy.

Of Italians between 15 and 24 years of age, 27.4 percent were without work in August, national statistics agency Istat said in a report. That rises to 44 percent for women.

A total 27.6 percent of young people were unemployed in August this year, data shows.

ZHENGZHOU, Oct.7 (Xinhua) -- Eleven people have been confirmed dead in a car accident that occurred Friday morning in Sheqi County in central China's Henan province, according to the local authority.

A truck crashed into a mini-bus on a highway in Sheqi County at 6:36 a.m. Friday. All of the mini-bus's 11 passengers were killed instantly, said Yang Yinpeng, a county official.

The driver of the truck fled the scene after the accident but was later detained by police, Yang said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

TOKYO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Japan's benchmark coincident composite index gained 0.3 point to 107.4 in August following a rise in factory production and a recovery of supply chains disrupted by the March quake and tsunami, the Cabinet Office said in a preliminary report Friday.

The coincident composite index (CI), which reflects current business conditions here and spans industrial production, sales at shops and consumption of power, stood at 107.4 against the 2005 base of 100, the government data showed.

Of the 11 sub-indexes that comprise the CI index, five of them posted positive readings and August's CI reading marks the first gain in two months. The 0.3 point rise from the previous month was in line with median economists' forecasts.

However, the office said that the leading indicator, which gauges prospects in the economy a few months ahead, including job offers and consumer sentiment, lost 0.8 point to 103.8, due to downside risks from overseas economies and a persistently strong yen.

A strong yen negatively impacts Japan's vital export sector as firms reliant on profits made overseas lose revenue when funds are repatriated. In addition a strong yen dents exporter's profit outlooks and the overall competitiveness of exporters in foreign markets.

The lagging CI, meanwhile, which reflects economic conditions three months ago, stood at 89.6 in August, rising 1.0 point from July to mark the first advance in four months.

The preliminary government report also showed the diffusion index (DI) of coincident indicators stood at 66.7 from 100.0 in July, while the diffusion index of leading indicators read 80.0 in August from 81.8, a month earlier.

The cabinet office regards a reading above 50 points as an indicator of economic expansion, while a reading below the key 50 'boom-or-bust' line indicates contraction.

Based on the preliminary report the government  maintained its overall assessment of Japan's economy, saying that the composite index "indicates that the economy is improving."

HAIKOU, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rains have flooded 57 villages and triggered excessive high water levels in six reservoirs as of Friday in Haikou, the capital of south China's island province of Hainan.

Over 5,000 residents in the affected villages have been evacuated to schools and other temporary shelters, and the local government has distributed blankets and other relief materials.

The city has experienced record rainfall, receiving 236 mm of precipitation between Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon, according to the city's flood and drought prevention office.

Dozens of the city's small- and medium-sized reservoirs are discharging water to ease pressure.

According to a provincial weather forecast, the downpours will continue to pound Haikou and other eastern areas in the province over the next two to three days.

COLOMBO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka is deploying 21,000 policemen at polling stations ahead of Saturday's local government elections, officials said here on Friday.

Preparations have been completed to hold elections in 23 local government elections that include the mayoral election for the capital Colombo, which is the focal point of the elections.

Two policemen will be deployed at each polling station, according to election regulations in Sri Lanka, in addition to teams of police that will be patrolling the elections areas.

The campaign for Colombo mayor is expected to be the most important part of the election. The main opposition, United National Party (UNP), has held the position for more than 50 years and the government is campaigning aggressively to topple the stronghold.

The UNP has complained extensively to authorities regarding what they term as gross election law violations and politicization of the police that are hindering their campaign. Despite its reputation for having been a strong political party the UNP has lost over 15 elections on a trot to date with internal turmoil hampering effective campaigning.

Campaigning for Sri Lanka's last round of local government elections ended at midnight on Wednesday. Over 1.5 million voters will go to the polls on Saturday at 1,167 polling centers in 23 local bodies spread around the island nation.

Deputy Commissioner of Elections W. P. Sumanasiri told Xinhua that according to the electoral register for 2010, 1,589,622 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise for 6488 candidates belonging to 25 political parties and 104 independent groups to elect 420 members.

Nominations of nine political parties and 28 independent groups were rejected whilst the nominations from 160 political parties and 104 of independent groups were accepted for 3,813 candidates from political parties and 2,675 candidates from independent groups.

In Colombo, where the contest is expected to be the toughest, 1, 121 candidates of nine political parties and 10 independent groups will vie for 53 positions that will compose the Colombo Municipal Council.

"If we win the Colombo Mayor position, it will be like we have won the entire election," UNP MP Dr. Harsha de Silva told Xinhua in the midst of campaigning confirming the importance of Colombo' s mayoral election.

Minority parties are not expected to make a big impact, analysts pointed out, as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) as the main leftist party split ahead of the elections with dissenters forming a separate political party.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Sri Lanka's main Tamil party, has not backed any contenders and has called on their voters to choose their candidates as they wish.  Democratic People's Front leader Mano Ganeshan is also one of the main challengers from a minority party and is expected to win part of the votes from the Tamil community residing in Colombo.

The Election Secretariat in an official media release stated that the campaigns of all political parties will end at midnight. Liquor shops in the area will be closed on Saturday -- the day of the elections.

All schools that will serve as polling stations will also be closed on Friday to prepare for voting on Saturday.

Sri Lanka is having a turbulent run-up to local government elections with 195 complaints of election violations being reported to election monitors and police, resulting in the arrest of 145 people.

Most of the incidents were reported to the police when party supporters clashed over removal of posters, banners and billboards as well as other propaganda materials. However there have been no deaths reported during these elections.

Election monitors have accused the government of blatant election law violations, including abuse of state property and covert campaigning in the run-up to the elections.

Yet monitors allege that covert campaigning is continuing even after it was officially canceled, largely by ruling party candidates.

According to the Police Elections Desk, 45 vehicles that were being used to carry out election campaigning in an unlawful manner have also been taken into custody.

Deputy Elections Commissioner M.M Mohamed told media that he was unable to stop abuse of state resources as he was not legally empowered to do so. Last year the government passed an 18th Amendment to the Constitution eroding the powers of the Elections Commissioner.

This has provoked the Election's Secretariat to form 23 groups and take to the streets to remove remaining billboards and banners before the elections. For the first time in history the Elections Secretariat has taken such action. Officials have assured that the groups will remove at least some of the leftover propaganda material from key towns and municipal councils before voting at 7 a.m. on Saturday.

The day of the election is expected to be peaceful but the main opposition party is setting up an election monitoring office at their headquarters in Sri Jayawardanapura, on the outskirts of the capital city, Colombo.

They have already established several hotlines for the people to report any election law violations that might occur around the country.

Election monitors from Sri Lanka's top three organizations are also expected to release reports after the polling is concluded. The first election result will be released before midnight on Saturday.

HANOI, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) organized a workshop here on Friday to finalize implementations in Phase 2 of the UN-Vietnam Joint Program to fight against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) during 2007-2011.

The workshop is not only to review the achievements but also from that, Vietnam hopes to receive more supports from the UN agencies, said Bui Ba Bong, Vietnamese vice minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

According to the report, so far, Vietnam's project on prevention of HPAI has basically achieved the targets in terms of making plans, policies and strategies for the veterinary sector, assessing the impacts of destruction of poultry to the environment, controlling pandemic, and supporting vaccine inoculation, quarantine and control of the infected animals, said Bong.

Vietnam showed great efforts in responding and preventing H5N1 pandemic during its occurrence in 2005-2006, evaluated UN agencies.

In Phase 2, Vietnam achieved positive results in controlling and reducing the impacts of the pandemic, and promoting bio- security in livestock breeding. Therefore, UN pledged to continue assisting Vietnam in the future.

The UN-Vietnam joint program to fight HPAI was designed to meet the needs of emergency assistance to control the avian and human influenza.

Total fund of the program is 25 million U.S. dollars, of which over 18 million U.S. dollars was approved for Phase 2.