Kuala Lumpur  - Malaysian police detained eight Indonesian men and seized 23,300 packets of cigarettes following a high-speed sea chase in waters off the northern Johor state, a news report said Monday.

Marine police fired at the engine of a boat they believed to be carrying smugglers in Saturday's pre-dawn incident, marine police assistant commander Mohamad Khamsani Abdul Rahman said.

During the pursuit, one of the suspects was injured. He was later sent to a nearby hospital for treatment, Mohamad Khamsani was quoted as saying by the Star daily.

Sydney  - US doctor Jayant Patel on Monday was committed to stand trial in Australia for the deaths of three of his patients in a Queensland hospital in what police allege was bungled surgery.

The manslaughter charges stem from Indian-born Patel's time as director of surgery at Bundaberg Base Hospital between 2003 and 2005.

Patel, 59, was extradited from Portland, Oregon, to face the charges.

Sydney  - The minister in charge of road safety in South Australia state said Monday he had difficult keeping up with all his traffic offences.

Tom Koutsantonis' penchant for speeding, running red lights and telephoning while driving have earned him 30 tickets and a suspended driving license.

"Well, look, I'll check all that, but from what I understand is that the fines have come in, I haven't seen them, they've gone overdue, they've gone to court, the fines come through, and the fine has been paid," he said.

Wiesbaden, Germany  - Rocking a chair back and forth is good for a child's body and mental capacity, according to a study conducted in Germany.

The study found that the rocking motion can reduce pressure on the backbone that can have a negative impact on body posture, breathing and organ function.

The study also found that rocking a chair can also improve a child's concentration and attention span.

Tokyo  - Tokyo stocks fell Monday morning as exporters were hurt by the yen's rise against the US dollar and concerns spread ahead of earning reports season for Japanese firms.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 85.29 points, or 0.96 per cent, to 8,822.29.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also down 6.52 points, or 0.77 per cent, at 839.05.

On currency markets at 9 am (0000 GMT), the dollar traded at 99.32-37 yen, down from Friday's 5 pm quote of 99.39-41 yen.

Munich  - The symptoms of a heart attack in women are usually different to those in men.

Among men, the typical indicators of a myocardial infarction are chest pains that radiate to an arm, claustrophobia, anxiety and dizziness.

Women are more likely to complain of pressure in the upper abdomen, sweat attacks, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, back pain or pain between the shoulder blades, in the jaw bone or facial area.