■ China
Judge and family murdered
A judge, his wife and seven-year-old grandson were killed in northwest China this week, Beijing News reported yesterday, raising fears that it could be an act of revenge linked to his work. One of judge Chen Yiming's (陳義明) neighbor heard a gun shot late on Monday, and Chen's daughter-in-law later found the three family members as well as a 16-year-old nanny lying dead in their home, the report said. Chen, who lived in Gansu Province, dealt mainly with office crime and drug cases, the report said, adding that retaliation was a possible motive for the murders.
■ China
Fraudsters' appeal fails
The State Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence for two bank employees who bilked customers out of hundreds of millions of yuan by offering fake accounts with high interest rates, state media said yesterday. Zhou Limin (周利民), former head of the China Construction Bank's Xian branch, and accountant Liu Yibing (劉怡冰) collected up to 484 million yuan (US$61 million) from 30 organizations and 400 individuals, state television said. They kept about half for themselves, it said, but only 7 million yuan has been recovered.
■ China
Audit campaign announced
An audit campaign to scrutinize pension funds will be launched under local authorities' control following a recent US$400 million scandal in Shanghai, the China Daily said yesterday. The nationwide campaign is aimed at preventing a repeat of the graft scandal in Shanghai, which involved officials misusing the city's US$1.25 billion pension fund for speculative property and highway projects, it said. The report did not give further details on the campaign.
■ India
Dog food tailor-made
Mumbai's fussy high-society dogs can now feast on gourmet cuisine specially adapted to suite their individual tastes and delivered to their homes. More than 500 people have signed up for the Home-Care Dog Food service, business owner Wasiff Khan said. "They tell us about their dog's likes, dislikes, allergies, and we come up with a meal plan for the month," Khan said. Owners' habits are also taken into account, said Khan. On Hindu holidays when people do not eat meat for religious reasons, their dogs go vegetarian too. Those who can afford the service, which costs from US$0.66 to US$2.60 daily, are attracted by the convenience, Khan said.
■ Malaysia
Acid spills in truck accident
A sting from a hornet caused a truck driver to lose control of his vehicle, and sent his load of hydrochloric acid all over an expressway in the north, an official and a news report said yesterday. The accident on Wednesday sparked a massive traffic jam, and sent "very smelly" fumes all around the scene, an official from the highways authority said, on condition of anonymity. It was not clear what the driver did after he was stung to cause the vehicle to overturn. The newspaper speculated that he may have slammed on the brakes.
■ Japan
Military role to change
A parliamentary committee approved legislation to upgrade the country's defense agency to a full ministry, a parliamentary official said yesterday. The bill would bolster the agency's status within the government and allow its troops a greater role in case of possible threats abroad. The legislation goes to the full upper house for approval today, parliamentary official Shun Makishi said.
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