In Brief

Too tired to walk TOKYO – A Japanese man told police he stole a patrol car that had been left idling outside a post office in Gunma, north of Tokyo, because he was too tired to walk home.

Police officers had left the vehicle in the car park with the engine running, while they investigated a report that a stolen card had been used at the post office, the Mainichi newspaper said yesterday. “I came out shopping by train, but I got tired walking, so I thought I would drive the police car home,” the man told police.He was apprehended about 15 minutes later in the driveway of a private home, about 4 kms from the post office, the Mainichi said.* British police say 2 hurt by letter bomb LONDON – Two people were hurt yesterday when a suspected letter bomb exploded at a business centre in Berkshire, southern England, police said.”Emergency services are dealing with a small explosion at a company in Oaklands Business Centre, Wokingham,” they added in a statement.Police were called just after 0900 GMT and evacuated the building and placed a cordon around the scene.”It is likely an item of mail ignited and caused the injuries,” the statement said.Sources connected with Vantis, a business services firm, said it was the target of the attack.Police said it was too soon to say whether yesterday’s incident was connected with a letter bomb which exploded at a business in London on Monday.* Nigerian gunmen abduct Filipino ABUJA – Nigerian gunmen abducted a Filipino worker and shot dead the policeman who was escorting him on the road to Port Harcourt in the oil-producing Niger Delta yesterday, a security expert working for a major oil firm said.The Philippines last month ordered the labour department to block workers from travelling to Nigeria after 24 Filipino seamen were captured on January 20 in the Niger Delta, where kidnappings for ransom are an almost daily event.The 24 seamen are still in captivity.”One Filipino was abducted this morning close to Owerri airport on the road to Port Harcourt.Gunmen in a van blocked the expat, who had a mobile policeman in his car.* Harare threatens defiant white farmers HARARE – The Zimbabwean government says it will soon arrest white farmers who failed to meet a weekend deadline to move out of their properties to make way for newly resettled black farmers.State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa, who is also in charge of land reforms, told ZimOnline on Monday that the police will swoop on the defiant white farmers who ignored the 3 February deadline to quit their farms.Under the government’s Gazetted Farms (Consequential Provisions) Act, white farmers had until last Saturday to move out of the properties or face arrest.At least 150 out of the remaining 600 white farmers were issued with eviction notices last year under the new Act.The main white farmer representative body, the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) at the weekend advised its members to defy the directive to move out saying arrests were the only way their case could be heard.”We are still assessing who is gone and who has refused.Those who are clever have already left their farms as required by law.Nampa-Reuters-Zimonline”I came out shopping by train, but I got tired walking, so I thought I would drive the police car home,” the man told police.He was apprehended about 15 minutes later in the driveway of a private home, about 4 kms from the post office, the Mainichi said.* British police say 2 hurt by letter bomb LONDON – Two people were hurt yesterday when a suspected letter bomb exploded at a business centre in Berkshire, southern England, police said.”Emergency services are dealing with a small explosion at a company in Oaklands Business Centre, Wokingham,” they added in a statement.Police were called just after 0900 GMT and evacuated the building and placed a cordon around the scene.”It is likely an item of mail ignited and caused the injuries,” the statement said.Sources connected with Vantis, a business services firm, said it was the target of the attack.Police said it was too soon to say whether yesterday’s incident was connected with a letter bomb which exploded at a business in London on Monday. * Nigerian gunmen abduct Filipino ABUJA – Nigerian gunmen abducted a Filipino worker and shot dead the policeman who was escorting him on the road to Port Harcourt in the oil-producing Niger Delta yesterday, a security expert working for a major oil firm said.The Philippines last month ordered the labour department to block workers from travelling to Nigeria after 24 Filipino seamen were captured on January 20 in the Niger Delta, where kidnappings for ransom are an almost daily event.The 24 seamen are still in captivity.”One Filipino was abducted this morning close to Owerri airport on the road to Port Harcourt.Gunmen in a van blocked the expat, who had a mobile policeman in his car. * Harare threatens defiant white farmers HARARE – The Zimbabwean government says it will soon arrest white farmers who failed to meet a weekend deadline to move out of their properties to make way for newly resettled black farmers.State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa, who is also in charge of land reforms, told ZimOnline on Monday that the police will swoop on the defiant white farmers who ignored the 3 February deadline to quit their farms.Under the government’s Gazetted Farms (Consequential Provisions) Act, white farmers had until last Saturday to move out of the properties or face arrest.At least 150 out of the remaining 600 white farmers were issued with eviction notices last year under the new Act.The main white farmer representative body, the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) at the weekend advised its members to defy the directive to move out saying arrests were the only way their case could be heard.”We are still assessing who is gone and who has refused.Those who are clever have already left their farms as required by law.Nampa-Reuters-Zimonline