Tutu and Shushu…

… are going to stay with their current owner, reports the BBC. I’ve never thought before about how auctions actually work. Apparently, something auctioneered won’t be offered to the second-best bidder if the top bidder defaults, as only the best bid is recorded. Maybe auctions in the future should register every bid made?

Anyway…. what a big fuss about just another bloke who doesn’t pay his dues.

Who’s Guilty of New Star Ship’s Tragedy?

A cargo vessel, the New Star,  with Chinese and Indonesian crew, sank in sub-zero temperature seas in February, after being chased and shot at by Russian coast guards.

The Voice of Russia (formerly Radio Moscow) is apparently reacting to letters from its Chinese listeners on the issue. “The letters coming to VOR show that not all our esteemed listeners understand exactly what happened in the Sea of Japan,” notes a short online article in English, of February 25. The article contains a number of allegations against the New Star, particularly its captain. It also says alleges that the New Star, under the same captain, had smuggled Mercury in March 2008, as found during conventional customs inspection of the ship in the Ukrainian port of Feodosi.