■ Japan
China's not a threat: Tokyo
China is not a military threat to Japan, but Beijing should be transparent about its rapidly growing defense budget, Japanese Defense Minister Yoshinori Ohno said yesterday. The US Defense Department said last week in a report that China's fast-growing military could pose a threat to the region. "I'm always saying I don't think China is a threat to us. China is a country with which we have to keep very good relations," Ohno said at an event honoring young US military personnel in Japan. "Yet we have to be very attentive to some movements," Ohno said, noting the rapid growth in China's defense budget. "Transparency is the most necessary thing for China's defense, I believe," he added.
■ India
Arms ship causes stir
Customs authorities in India are on the lookout for a North Korean ship that is carrying arms and ammunition and is heading towards the country, a newspaper report said yesterday. Commissioner of Customs KB Mishra was quoted by the Indian Express as saying that "security and vigil[ance] have been intensified," after naval intelligence sent a classified and specific alert to the customs office. The newspaper said the North Korean ship, MV Shangdok, may dock to drop the "consignment" at one of the minor ports on the coastline of the western states of Maharashtra or Gujarat. Customs officials are on alert to prevent a repeat of the 1993 bomb blasts in Mumbai (Bombay), with explosives that were smuggled in from ports along India's western coast. More than 250 people were killed in the series of bomb blasts in Mumbai that year.
■ New polio campaign set
A nationwide vaccination campaign will be launched next month in an attempt to halt a polio outbreak that has crippled more than 150 infants and toddlers, officials announced yesterday. Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari said she expected that up to 24.3 million children could be vaccinated throughout the country starting on Aug. 30, with the second round scheduled on Sept. 29." All children under the age of five would be vaccinated," Supari said. She estimated the nationwide immunization program would cost up to 230 billion rupiah (US$23.4 million). As of late last week, a total of 155 children have been confirmed with polio.
■ Hong Kong
Disney kills scores of dogs
Disney came under fire from animal welfare groups yesterday for having stray dogs on its theme park site rounded up and killed. Around 40 dogs, some of which were used as unofficial guard dogs by construction workers, are believed to have been given lethal injections after being caught by government dog catchers. Disney called in dog catchers to clear the site in the run-up to the opening of the US$3 billion park in September. It denies the dogs were used as guard dogs and says they were strays that wandered onto the site during construction work. They were now prowling in packs, a spokeswoman said. However, Hong Kong Dog Rescue, which found homes for three of the 45 dogs rounded up, said Disney should have made more effort to find homes for the dogs.
■ Pakistan
Journalist detained
Law enforcement officers picked up a senior journalist for writing reports on the poor performance of chief minister of southern Sindh Province and other officials, a news report said yesterday. The Daily Times said Rashid Channa, a reporter for the evening newspaper, Star, was whisked away on Sunday afternoon from his residence in Karachi by police and some plainclothes officials who did not cite any reasons. However, the paper said police and several intelligence officials denied his arrest and any knowledge of Channa's whereabouts.
RSS