Beijing - China launched a 10-day torch relay for the Paralympic games on Thursday, four days after the closing of the Olympics.

Premier Wen Jiabao announced the start of the relay as he lit a cauldron at Beijing's Temple of Heaven.

"The flame will symbolize over the next 10 days the unique sporting spirit displayed by Paralympic athletes," Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee, said in a speech at the launch ceremony.

A total of 850 bearers will carry the Paralympic torch along two "ancient" and "modern" routes through 11 Chinese regions before the opening of the 13th Paralympic Games in Beijing on September 6.

London, August 28 : Monopoly fans in London joined forces with players in 22 cities across the world on Wednesday to attempt a world record for the most people playing the game at any one time.

The hour-long Guinness World Record attempt was the first of its kind.

More than 500 players kicked off the event at 3pm on the cobblestones of Covent Garden, while a live satellite link-up with Tokyo showed hundreds more taking part.

"We need to get more than 1,000 people playing to set the record, and I am confident we will make that. We have got people playing the game on boards but others are playing online, via their mobile phones and a games console," the Telegraph quoted Monopoly spokesman Joanna Austin as saying.

Amsterdam  - The International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague released a statement on Wednesday saying it held a former spokesman of the ICTY-prosecution office in contempt of court.

Florence Hartmann, described by the ICTY as "a one-time spokesperson of a former tribunal prosecutor" has been summoned to appear before the tribunal.

In the statement, the ICTY wrote that Hartmann was summoned "for knowingly and willfully disclosing information in knowing violation of an order of a chamber."

Valencia, Spain - More than 40,000 Spaniards and tourists Wednesday bombarded one other with tomatoes in an event billed as the world's biggest vegetable war.

Six lorries dumped 115 tons of tomatoes in the centre of the eastern town of Bunol, which staged the Tomatina for the 63th time.

The one-hour battle momentarily got out of hand, with some of the "warriors" hurling tomatoes not only at each other, but also at people watching from their balconies.

A Japanese tourist was injured in the head in tumult.

The only weapons allowed are squashed tomatoes, but some participants wore goggles and bathing caps, while others shielded themselves with rackets or sported wigs or hats made of watermelons to add to the fun.

Singapore - A Singapore tycoon pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of illegally attempting to purchasing a kidney from a village on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Tang Wee Sung, executive director of the tony CT Tang Department store and owner of prime real estate, admitted arranging to pay middlemen 300,000 Singapore dollars (211,678 US dollars), and just 20,000 Singapore dollars to the donor, the Straits Times reported.

Tang also admitted falsely declaring the donor was his relative.

The charges carry a three-year prison sentence, plus a fine for false declaration.

The retail magnate said he did it because he was desperately sick and had no recourse due the lack of preventative medicine to survive.