■ Japan
Ecstasy seized
Authorities seized more than 350,000 tablets of Ecstasy in the first six months of this year -- 10 times the amount seized over the same period last year. The bulk of the 357,968 tablets was found by police in February when they seized some 286,000 doses of the drug in Saitama Prefecture. From January to June, the police arrested or questioned 204 people for the possession or use of Ecstasy, a decrease of 3.3 percent from a total of 201 people last year. About 78 percent were between the ages of 20 to 29. The number of people arrested or held in custody for the possession or use of all illegal drugs in the first half of the year reached 7,659, an increase of 6.9 percent from 7,164 a year earlier.
■ Hong Kong
Monkey gets a hand
A monkey knocked down by a motorcyclist was bravely rescued by fellow simians. A group of monkeys ran out and retrieved the injured creature moments after it was run down by the rider. The monkeys pulled their companion, apparently still alive, into undergrowth at the side of the country road. The rescue bid appeared to be in vain, however, as a dead monkey was later found nearby. The motorcyclist, who was thrown from her bike in the collision, needed medical treatment for injuries to her arm. About 20 monkeys are killed every year in traffic accidents in the territory.
■ Philippines
Rebels condemn decision
Communist guerrillas yesterday condemned a decision by the Philippine government to revoke immunity for negotiators participating in peace talks and vowed to hold the administration responsible for any harm that comes to them. The government notified the communist-led National Democratic Front, which has waged war for more than three decades, of its intention to suspend safety guarantees that shielded 97 rebel negotiators, consultants and staff from criminal proceedings against them after the guerrillas backed out of peace talks. Chief rebel negotiator Luis Jalandoni said from his home in the Netherlands that the government was trying to destroy confidence in the peace process. He said the rebels had postponed the talks to wait for a new government.
■ Singapore
China's rise `can't be ignored'
The US will remain the leading power for the foreseeable future but the rising influence of China and India can no longer be ignored, Singapore's defense minister said yesterday. Japan is also playing a more active role in the global strategic arena, making the future of the Asia-Pacific region dependent on the moves by these three regional giants, Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean said. "China and India can no longer be ignored. They both have aspirations to be regional, if not global, powers ... With their sheer size and strategic weight, what these regional powers do will, like shifts in major tectonic plates, reshape the geopolitical contours of the region," Teo said.
■ United States
Joint exercise draws interest
The US military is keenly interested in an unusual joint military exercise by Russian and Chinese troops and will attempt to monitor it. About 10,000 troops from Russia and China are expected to take part in the August 18-25 exercise, which will begin in Vladivostok and move to the Yellow Sea and the Jiaodong Peninsula. The US Pacific Command will attempt to monitor the exercises, said Brigadier General Carter Ham of the US Joint Staff.
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