■ Singapore
Sweet music for suckers
A musical lollipop invented in the city state goes on sale in the next two months, a news report said yesterday. David Yeo, 45, a sales representative for US industrial control products, was keen on creating his own product to satisfy yearnings for both sweets and music, The Straits Times reported. He and a partner started their own firm. The lollipops come in four flavours -- apple, lemon, strawberry and raspberry -- and work on vacuum technology, inventor Yeo explained. A thin, hollow rod in the middle of the candy connects to musical and lighting mechanisms, which are activated when the lollipop is sucked. The innovation was exhibited in June in Chicago at the All Candy Expo.
■ Japan
Navy `trippers' held
Six submariners have been arrested by police for possession of illegal drugs, a navy official said yesterday. "We regret it greatly. An investigation is going on and we will deal with this matter strictly," said an official at the Maritime Self-Defense Force. The navy had set up a special team to probe the scandal, he said. Police arrested the six members of a fleet submarine force stationed in Yokosuka base, southwest of Tokyo, in July, according to the navy official. Five of them have been indicted for allegedly cultivating or selling marijuana and buying other illegal drugs such as ecstasy, the official said. A sixth crew member, a 22-year-old seaman arrested on charges of possessing ecstasy, has been released as prosecutors put his treatment on hold. Police believe the indicted crew men had been using drugs while they were on shore between missions.
■ Bangladesh
Massive rice handout begins
About 15,000 soldiers started handing out rice to millions of people in rural Bangladesh yesterday, ahead of the harvest season when food is often in short supply, an official said. "We have already started distributing rice," Shajahan Sirajee, a spokesman for the Ministry of Disaster Management and Food said. About 7 million families -- accounting for about one-fifth of the country's 140 million people -- will receive 10kg of rice during the monthlong government-run program, he said. He added that about 108,000 tonnes of rice will be distributed. Food supplies often run low in the months before the November harvest.
■ China
Students feared swept away
At least seven college students are missing and feared drowned after a giant wave swept them off a beach into stormy seas in southeastern China's Fujian Province, state press reported yesterday. The accident occurred near Changle City on Saturday morning when several male students from the Fujian Industry and Commerce Institute were playing soccer on the beach despite high winds, the Beijing News reported. At least three of the students were seen being carried out to sea after the giant wave suddenly caught them by surprise, the paper said, while four other students were later found to be missing.
■ South Korea
Chinese kimchi makes gains
Half of the kimchi consumed in South Korea is imported from China, the Korean Restaurant Association said yesterday, as more South Korean kimchi makers relocate to China to cut costs. Imports of the spicy fermented cabbage and radish -- considered South Korea's national dish -- have tripled annually since 2001 when 393 tonnes of Chinese kimchi hit the markets. Last year 72,600 tonnes of kimchi arrived in South Korea, while imports in the first half of this year have increased 114 percent to 49,850 tonnes over the same period last year, according to data from the Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry.
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