<i>Asia bit by the bug</i>

World Cup fever is sweeping across Asia as hundreds of millions of fans in the football-mad region count down to the start of an event that's a surefire winner for pubs, clubs and bookmakers.
From Seoul to Sydney, Beijing to Bangkok, preparations are underway for Friday's kick-off thousands of kilometres away in South Africa, heralding a month of late nights and bleary-eyed mornings for many Asian fans.
"We're expecting the hotel lounge to be full every night," said Matthew Rashid, manager of the Equatorial in Kuala Lumpur, where many bars and pubs are already decked out with colourful bunting and posters.
In South Korea, who take on Greece on Saturday, giant screens are being set up in public squares, sports stadiums and other locations around the country for people to cheer on the national team.
On the other side of the world's most heavily militarised border, North Koreans will be following a rare appearance by their side, who have qualified for the event for the first time in 44 years.
But they risk being left without any television coverage after Seoul refused to provide a free feed to its impoverished neighbour owing to tensions over the sinking of a South Korean warship in March.
In Tokyo, where interest in the sport has taken off since Japan co-hosted the 2002 World Cup, suited white-collar workers were among those taking a break from their hectic schedules for a screaming contest to warm up for kick-off.
The winner was a man whose cry of "goal" lasted for 32 seconds.
Pubs and bars in Bangkok -- still reeling from the deadly "Red Shirt" protests -- are hoping the event will tempt back the punters, despite a state of emergency which in theory bans public gatherings of more than five people.
Vietnam is also soccer obsessed and the hugely anticipated event is expected to all but bring daily life to a halt, while in Afghanistan foreign troops will be crowding around every available television.
Christoph Schmidt, a 31-year-old German-born US corporal in the 97th Military Police Battalion in Kandahar, had no doubts who he will supporting.
"I am definitely for Germany," he said. "The US might as well send their women's soccer team."
Yet while many businesses are happy to be infected with World Cup fever, others are bracing for a month of lost productivity.
Some workers may take "sickies" after the matches or come to work intent on watching replays, said Deb Loveridge of New Zealand human resources company Randstad.
In Indonesia, civil servants have been warned of pay cuts if they fail to turn up on time over the next month.
"Imagine if football lovers come late every day to the office, how much money will we lose?" said a Jakarta government spokesman.