Myanmar extends activist’s arrest

YANGON, Myanmar Myanmar’s military government has extended the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy leader who has spent much of the last 16 years in detention, her political party said Monday.

The National League for Democracy said it was unable to confirm the length of the extension, although under the anti-subversion law being applied, it would be one year. It did not say how the party’s Central Executive Committee, which met Monday, confirmed the extension. The military government has not commented on the reported action.

Suu Kyi, 60, has spent 10 of the last 16 years in detention, mostly under house arrest. She is under virtual solitary confinement at her residence in the Myanmar capital, allowed no outside visitors other than her doctors and no telephone contact.

Elephant-culling plan gets mixed reaction

CAPE TOWN, South Africa Wildlife groups meeting with South Africa’s environment minister Monday were split over a proposal to cull the growing elephant population in the country’s flagship national park.

The Environmental Affairs and Tourism Ministry said earlier this year it was considering resuming the elephant kills in Kruger National Park, one of South Africa’s top tourist attractions, on the advice of South African National Parks officials.

South Africa stopped culling in 1995, partly because of local and international pressure.

“The Kruger National Park attracts 1.3 million tourists a year, and South Africa’s reputation as a custodian of wildlife can only suffer if the shooting starts again,” Jason Bell-Leask, southern African director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said in a statement Monday.

The World Wide Fund for Nature expressed support for the government approach, however, saying it was sure culling would not be undertaken without due consideration of alternatives.

U.S. might oppose sales to Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela Spain agreed Monday to sell 12 military planes and eight patrol boats to Venezuela in a $2 billion deal that the United States has threatened to block.

The State Department repeated reservations about the sale because the planes and boats carry U.S. parts and technology.

Spain is selling 10 C-295 transport planes and two CN-235 patrol planes, as well as four ocean-patrol boats and four coast-patrol vessels. It is Spain’s largest-ever defense deal.