In Brief

* JAPAN JOLTED – A magnitude-5,9 earthquake rocked northern Japan yesterday near the area where the country’s deadliest earthquake in a decade struck last month.At least eight people were injured.The quake, which hit at 11:16 a.m.(0216 GMT), was centred close to the earth’s surface in the Chuetsu area of Niigata prefecture (state), the Meteorological Agency said.Japan, which rests atop several tectonic plates, is among the world’s most earthquake-prone countries.A magnitude-5 earthquake can cause damage to homes if it occurs in a residential area.

* CASTRO MOBILE – Cubans saw President Fidel Castro in a wheel-chair on Sunday in television images that showed the Cuban leader looking rested after shattering his left knee and fracturing his right arm in a fall on October 20. News broadcasts showed Castro (68) holding an eight-hour meeting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Saturday night, while sitting in a wheel-chair with his plastered leg extended and his arm in a sling.The two leaders are outspoken critics of free-market policies advocated by Washington.* HOW NOW? – Many American voters say the decisive presidential election last week has given them renewed confidence about the nation’s electoral system and they’re hopeful about the next four years, according to an Associated Press Poll.At the same time, they feel a sense of urgency about Iraq, their top priority for President George W Bush to tackle after his re-election.Iraq was followed by terrorism among voters’ leading concerns.The voters’ concerns stood in contrast to the priorities Bush cited after he defeated Democrat John Kerry.Bush pledged to aggressively pursue major changes in Social Security, tax laws and medical malpractice awards.* CRACKDOWN – China has found 97 local officials responsible for a milk powder scandal that killed more than a dozen babies earlier this year in the eastern province of Anhui, the China Daily reported in Beijing yesterday.The officials, all with local government or supervision departments, were accused of “not discovering or fully investigating” the case.China has launched a crackdown on sales of inferior milk powder after at least 13 babies died and nearly 200 fell ill after being fed fake milk powder in a scandal that drew attention to the widespread problem of pirated goods.* NO CHANGE – Macedonia’s three-year peace process survived a key challenge after a referendum failed to overturn European Union-backed laws to empower the ethnic Albanian minority, a ruling party official said.Official results from Sunday’s voting showed the government’s tactic of boycotting the referendum had worked – only 26 per cent of Macedonia’s 1,7 million eligible voters turned out, too few to make the result valid.”We slept through it,” said the tabloid Vest.-Nampa-AFP-Reuters-APNews broadcasts showed Castro (68) holding an eight-hour meeting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Saturday night, while sitting in a wheel-chair with his plastered leg extended and his arm in a sling.The two leaders are outspoken critics of free-market policies advocated by Washington.* HOW NOW? – Many American voters say the decisive presidential election last week has given them renewed confidence about the nation’s electoral system and they’re hopeful about the next four years, according to an Associated Press Poll.At the same time, they feel a sense of urgency about Iraq, their top priority for President George W Bush to tackle after his re-election.Iraq was followed by terrorism among voters’ leading concerns.The voters’ concerns stood in contrast to the priorities Bush cited after he defeated Democrat John Kerry.Bush pledged to aggressively pursue major changes in Social Security, tax laws and medical malpractice awards. * CRACKDOWN – China has found 97 local officials responsible for a milk powder scandal that killed more than a dozen babies earlier this year in the eastern province of Anhui, the China Daily reported in Beijing yesterday.The officials, all with local government or supervision departments, were accused of “not discovering or fully investigating” the case.China has launched a crackdown on sales of inferior milk powder after at least 13 babies died and nearly 200 fell ill after being fed fake milk powder in a scandal that drew attention to the widespread problem of pirated goods.* NO CHANGE – Macedonia’s three-year peace process survived a key challenge after a referendum failed to overturn European Union-backed laws to empower the ethnic Albanian minority, a ruling party official said.Official results from Sunday’s voting showed the government’s tactic of boycotting the referendum had worked – only 26 per cent of Macedonia’s 1,7 million eligible voters turned out, too few to make the result valid.”We slept through it,” said the tabloid Vest.-Nampa-AFP-Reuters-AP