World at a glance

PONTIANAK INDONESIA: As the death toll from ethnic violence in Borneo rose above 100 on Monday, more than 2,000 people left homeless by the fighting took refuge in a sports stadium here. Sleeping on mats made of palm leaves, many of the Madurese people said they were too frightened to return totheir villages, given how brutally they were assaulted by other ethnic groups. About 2,200 Madurese have taken refuge in Pontianak sports stadium along with Ni8217;mah. At least 5,000 other Madurese were seeking shelter in Pontianak city, either in government buildings such as warehouses or with friends. Ethnic violence has consumed their coastal region of Borneo, a large island shared by both Indonesia and Malaysia, since armed gangs of ethnic Malay, Dayak and Bugis men set upon immigrants from the island of Madura early last week.

SEOUL: In a new admission of its problems, North Korea said on Monday that it faces another year of acute food shortages, despite massive outside aid. 8220;The food situation this year still remains very difficult,8221; the North8217;s foreign news outlet, KCNA, reported. 8220;The DPRK North Korea is trying to solve this food problem with a variety of food substitutes.8221; Chronic food shortages have been aggravated by four years of floods and bad weather which began in 1995. It has sincebeen relying on outside aid to feed its people. Shortages and famine-related illnesses have killed up to two million North Koreans in the past four years.