World Vignettes

Hong Kong rickshaws in dire straitsHONG KONG: The rickshaw, a nostalgic relic of Hong Kong's past, may be the next victim of the killer &quo...

Hong Kong rickshaws in dire straits

HONG KONG: The rickshaw, a nostalgic relic of Hong Kong’s past, may be the next victim of the killer "bird flu" which has hit this region.

Tourism was already suffering when the flu scare swept Hong Kong. The dwindling number of rickshaw drivers fear this latest blow to tourism could push them to extinction.

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"This is meant to be the peak season. But we are not earning anything," 62-year-old rickshaw driver San told reporters.

Rickshaw drivers rely entirely on tourists, the only people to photograph them or use them for very short trips around the Star Ferry Pier.

Kangaroo attack

MELBOURNE: An Australian woman was injured in a rare attack by a rogue kangaroo which left her thigh ripped almost to the bone, hospital officials said here today.

Christine Eaton, 39, of suburban Melbourne, was injured while shielding a friend’s two-year-old son from the kangaroo which appeared from the bush around the Cardinia reservoir where the group waspicnicking yesterday and knocked the boy down.

Love seats

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NEW YORK: The pulse-quickening questions surrounding that first date — What to wear? What to ask? How to act? — just grew by one: Arm up or arm down? The "Love Seat" is coming to a new movie complex in New York, giving couples the option of lifting the arm between the seats to create a cozier viewing experience. The seats are slightly bigger than the typical theatre chair, and instead of the armrest, they have a retractable arm that tucks up to make it easier for couples to cuddle.