Bodyguard charged with murder of employer

GEORGE TOWN • The bodyguard who allegedly shot his boss on a Penang expressway two weeks ago was charged yesterday with murder. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

Ja'afar Halid, 37, is accused of killing Ong Teik Kwong, 32, entertainer Choi Hon Ming, 32, and flower supplier M. Senthil, 38. He was also charged with five attempted murders and one count of voluntarily causing hurt using a dangerous weapon.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Indian court seeks action on child drug abuse

NEW DELHI•  India's top court yesterday ordered the government to come up with a plan within six months to tackle child drug abuse. The Supreme Court was acting on a petition from Nobel Peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi's child rights group. With figures showing that almost 20 per cent of addicts in India are under 21, the court said more needed to be done to educate the young about the dangers of substance abuse.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

China jails former Nanjing party chief

SHANGHAI • The former party chief of Nanjing has been sentenced to 12½ years in prison for accepting bribes, two years after he was sacked in a national crackdown on corruption.

Yang Weize was jailed for taking more than 16 million yuan (S$3.3 million) as head of the eastern city's Communist Party office as well as in his other positions in Jiangsu province, a statement from the Ningbo Intermediate People's Court said yesterday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE