WORLD BRIEFS: Hong Kong, Tonga, Stockholm, Washington, Kuala Lumpur

Hong Kong, China

The former colony's internet service provider community is confident it will not be under threat from China's draconian approach to Internet access. In China, access to the Net for individuals exists only through government-controlled gateways and universities, although foreign multinationals are exempt. In Hong Kong, the market rules, and China has made no announcement that it will act to control either content or access.

Hong Kong, China

'Web fiends lose out in name game,' says the South China Morning Post, as it recounts the tale of the domain name speculators who failed to make money from Hong Kong's hand-over to China. Two years ago, surfers bought up a host of Internet domain names suitable for a Hong Kong hand-over Web site, hoping that big firms would be obliged to pay big bucks for their desirable names. But the big money never came; major firms found no

problem finding a suitable name. There were just too many possible permutations.

Tonga

'You filthy minded pervert! The Kingdom of Tonga admonishes you. Now think of a name that you wouldn't be embarrassed to say to your mother.' According to Canadian publication, the Toronto Globe and Mail, this is the message that appears when a person tries to register an unsavoury domain name online. Tonga is a strongly Christian nation.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Laptop cops could be coming to a beat near you - if you're at next year's Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. This month, the inspector general of police said all police cars will be equipped with laptops by mid 1999, starting with a pilot at the games. The computers will enable the police to download an offender's criminal record, and will be linked to other agencies such as the department of motor vehicles.

Stockholm, Sweden

Has Pol Pot, Cambodia's brutal former dictator, sought asylum in Sweden? A Web site purporting to be from Russian news agency Itar-Tass ran a story to this effect last Monday. It showed a video clip of a small man concealed in a hat and long jacket arriving at Stockholm airport. But it was a fake. A Stockholm-based Internet marketing company, Komintern, owned up. 'It was an artistic experiment aimed at learning how the Net and the media work together,' the company said.

Washington, US

The US could not survive a determined hacking assault on the country's critical infrastructure, a key computer security advisor to president Clinton recently stated. Robert Marsh, head of the president's commission on critical infrastructure protection, warned that utilities and financial services were most vulnerable. 'There isn't a country out there with a war plan,' said Marsh, briefly allaying fears voiced in Information Week. 'But it's sure to evolve.'