■ China
Buddhist forum scheduled
The first major international forum on Buddhism since 1949 will be held to complement President Hu Jintao's (胡錦濤) campaign to build a "harmonious society" and burnish China's tarnished image on religious freedom. Some 1,000 monks and experts on Buddhism from about 10 countries as well as China and Hong Kong will descend on the scenic city of Hangzhou in the eastern province of Zhejiang for the World Buddhist Forum opening on April 13.
■ Japan
DNA mementos for sale
People hoping to remember deceased loved ones with something more permanent than a lock of hair or faded photo can now have a piece of their DNA saved in a pendant being offered by a Japanese company. Eiwa Industry Co, a small metalworking company, this month began selling pendants for preserving genetic mementos of deceased people, general manager Morihito Ikai said yesterday. The silver pendants cost ¥50,000 (US$428), which includes the pendant, a chain and the charge for extracting DNA.
■ Bangladesh
New polio case discovered
Authorities have discovered the first polio case in nearly six years and will resume mass vaccinations against the crippling disease next month, the health minister said yesterday. Laboratory tests confirmed that a nine-year-old girl in eastern Chandpur district has polio, Health and Family Welfare Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said. "This is an emergency and we will do our best to completely eradicate the virus," Hossain said. Bangladesh's last mass vaccination campaign against polio was in 2004, when more than 22 million children were vaccinated.
■ Hong Kong
Two die in police gunfight
A gunfight in Tsim Sha Tsui killed an on-duty police officer and an off-duty policeman, while critically wounding a third officer who was on patrol, officials said. Two of the men, found unconscious with bullet wounds around 1am, were declared dead after being rushed to a hospital, police said. The second on-duty constable, found with gunshot wounds to his face and legs, was hospitalized in critical condition. Three guns were found at the scene and at least 10 shots had been fired, they said. Local media reported one of the guns is believed to have been snatched from a policeman killed five years ago.
■ China
Jaywalkers face work woes
People who cross the street against the lights could face punishments at work, including being overlooked for a promotion and a loss of salary bonuses. A draft traffic regulation in Nanjing proposes that people repeatedly caught jaywalking or riding bikes through red traffic lights be reported to their employers, state media said yesterday. The law on road safety states that every work unit or company has the responsibility to educate their staff on traffic regulations, an official at Nanjing's traffic administration bureau told the China Daily. Nanjing already fines jaywalkers 20 yuan (US$2.50) and cyclists and moped drivers 50 yuan for crossing against red traffic lights.
■ Japan
Mad cow case confirmed
Japan yesterday confirmed its first case of mad cow disease case in cattle raised for meat, a health ministry official said. Its previous 23 cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) were all detected in milk cows aged between one and nine years. The latest case was a 14-year-old black-haired cow raised for breeding at a farm in Nagasaki Prefecture on Kyushu, the official at the ministry's food safety division said. The cow, which was killed by authorities, had given birth to 10 calves.
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