Category: Asia

Trafficking Human Organs: China jails 16

Sixteen people including two surgeons have been jailed for between two and five years in China for trafficking in human organs, a practice still widespread in the country. The group — which also included an anaesthesiologist, a nurse and an assistant doctor — were involved in a vast illegal trade in kidneys, according to the judgement cited by the official Xinhua news agency Saturday.

Migrants in Malaysia: Employers start paying foreign workers’ tax

Around six lakh Bangladeshi migrants in Malaysia would get benefited as the Southeast Asian country’s government has asked employers to pay levy of foreign workers. Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Friday said the employers would no longer be able to deduct the wages of their foreign workers for the levy or tax on their monthly income.

South Korea’s Park Says She Was Set Up, Charges False

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Sunday rejected allegations of wrongdoing in the political scandal that threatens her presidency, saying she was “set up” and the allegations were “fabrication and falsehood,” said South Korean media. Park said Choi Soon-sil, her long-time friend, was “merely an acquaintance” and denied Choi was allowed to wield undue and wide-reaching influence over state affairs, Yonhap news agency and YTN television reported.

N. Korea: Developing long-range missiles ‘in final stages’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is quoted as saying in a New Year’s message that his country’s development of banned long-range missiles is in “final stages.” Under Kim, who rose to power following his father’s death in 2011, North Korea has seen steady progress in its nuclear and missile programs, including two nuclear tests this year.

AP Photos: People around the world ring in 2017

Revelers around the world have been welcoming 2017 with crackling fireworks displays and loud cheering, saying goodbye to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts and the deaths of several beloved performers. The people of Sydney were treated to a glittering display over their famed harbor and bridge that honored the singer David Bowie and actor Gene Wilder, who both passed away in 2016.

China confirms another human bird flu case

BEIJING: Health authorities in the southern China province of Jiangxi have confirmed a new case of a person infected by the H7N9 strain of avian influenza, state news agency Xinhua said late on Saturday. The 53-year-old man is being treated in hospital in provincial capital Nanchang and is in a critical condition, Xinhua said in a brief report.

China aims to cut coal capacity by 800 mil. tons

China has set a target of reducing its annual coal capacity by 800 million tons, according to a government plan reported Saturday by state media. Despite the target, Beijing expects total coal output to rise to around 3.9 billion tons by 2020, compared to 3.75 billion tons in 2015, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing a document issued by the country’s top economic planning body.

Top China coal province vows 20 percent cut in pollution by 2020 – Xinhua

One of China’s top coal-producing provinces has vowed to slash its level of fine particle pollution by one-fifth by 2020, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday, citing the provincial government. China has adopted various measures from policing barbeques to halting industrial production in efforts to ease the yearly winter haze that hit the country earlier this month leaving cities veiled in foul-smelling smog.

S. Koreans demand president’s removal on New Year’s Eve

Even on New Year’s Eve, large crowds of South Koreans were expected to join another rally demanding the ouster of impeached President Park Geun-hye, who’s determined to restore her powers through a court trial. Hundreds of thousands were expected to participate in the evening marches near Seoul’s presidential palace and the Constitutional Court.

China says ‘Sky Net’ campaign recovers $331 million in corruption losses

China’s President Xi Jinping looks on before meeting with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the Great Halll of the People in Beijing, China December 2, 2016. China has recovered 2.3 billion yuan in losses from graft in the first 11 months of this year from across more than 70 different regions and countries, the country’s corruption watchdog said on its official website on Saturday.

Taiwan says will be calm when dealing with China, but 2017 will test national security

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Saturday that Taiwan will be “calm” when facing issues to do with China, but uncertainties next year will test the self-ruled island and its national security team, even as she recommitted to maintaining peace. FILE PHOTO: Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen waves her hand as she boards the nation’s first domestically built Tuo Jiang twin-hull stealth missile corvette at Suao Naval Base in Yilan, Taiwan June 4, 2016.

US Scrambles to Clear Egg Exports to Bird Flu-hit South Korea

U.S. officials are urgently seeking an agreement with South Korea that would allow imports of American eggs so farmers can cash in on a shortage caused by the Asian country’s worst-ever outbreak of bird flu. South Korea banned imports of U.S. table eggs last year after the United States grappled with its own bout of bird flu.

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The 29th London Art Fair , the UK’s premier Fair for Modern British and contemporary art, will be the most international edition to date when it returns to the Business Design Centre, Islington, from 18-22 January 2017. The Fair is renowned for providing a supportive environment for collectors of all levels, enhanced by an engaging programme of curated exhibitions, talks, tours, films and performances.

CCP expels ex-deputy intelligence chief

China’s ruling Communist Party has expelled the former deputy chief of the country’s top intelligence agency, it said Friday, the latest high-ranking figure to face prosecution in a much-publicized corruption crackdown. Ma Jian, former deputy head of China’s ministry of state security, was suspected of taking bribes and abusing power, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection – the party’s internal watchdog – said in a statement on its website.

CCP expels ex-deputy intelligence chief

China’s ruling Communist Party has expelled the former deputy chief of the country’s top intelligence agency, it said Friday, the latest high-ranking figure to face prosecution in a much-publicized corruption crackdown. Ma Jian, former deputy head of China’s ministry of state security, was suspected of taking bribes and abusing power, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection – the party’s internal watchdog – said in a statement on its website.

Domestic buyers seen as key driver

In real estate across the country, domestic buyers are expected to dominate big or block investment deals worth 100 million yuan or more each in the New Year, an industry report said. That’s because buyer interest in office buildings, serviced apartments and commercial complexes is rising, said a research report by DTZ/Cushman & Wakefield, a realty services provider.

China to ease curbs on foreign investment after complaints

The Chinese government said Friday it will ease restrictions on foreign investment in sectors ranging from banking and internet services to rail equipment and motorcycles, in response to mounting complaints from foreign business groups and governments. An official with China’s National Development and Reform Commission, the economic planning agency, said service sectors such as accounting and auditing, architectural design and ratings services will be open to foreign investment.

Man gets death sentence for murder of female classmate

A 24-year-old man was sentenced to death by a Beijing court on Friday for the murder and attempted rape of a fellow student. Li Sida, who was studying audio engineering at the same university as the victim, Zhou Yunlu, had asked her to star in an amateur film in August last year, the Legal Evening News reported.

India to start taxing capital gains to Singapore investors from April

India will start imposing capital gains tax on investments coming from Singapore from April and fully withdraw exemptions in two years as the two countries agreed to amend a decade-old treaty after New Delhi rolled back similar concessions to Mauritius and Cyprus earlier this year. India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley gestures as he addresses a gathering on July 10, 2016.

China state broadcaster rebrands in international push

State broadcaster Central China Television has rebranded its international networks and digital presence under the name China Global Television Network as part of a push to consolidate its worldwide reach. CCTV on Friday unveiled several new mobile apps under the CGTN brand, and visitors to CCTV’s non-Chinese language websites are directed to a new http://www.cgtn.com site.

Cyber-warfare comes of age

In an intriguing and significant development in the deepening confusion around what’s permitted and forbidden to states in cyberspace, the White House yesterday issued sanctions against Russia via Executive Order 13694, ominously entitled “Taking Additional Steps to Address the National Emergency with respect to Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities.” The Order is being called the most severe imposition of US sanctions on Russia since the end of the Cold War.

Armenian Ombudsman’s Office, UN sign agreement

On 29 December 2016, The Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Arman Tatoyan, and UNHCR Representative in Armenia, Mr. Christoph Bierwirth, signed a project agreement for 2017 titled “Enhancing the capacity of Human Rights Defender’s Office to monitor the situation of refugee and asylum-seekers in Armenia”. The signing ceremony took place at the UNHCR office in UN House in Yerevan.

Five killed, many trapped in Indian coal mine collapse – police

BHUBANESWAR, India: At least five Indian miners were killed and nearly two dozen trapped when mine waste collapsed at a mine run by state-owned Coal India Limited, police said on Friday. Several vehicles working at the mine were also trapped in the accident in Jharkhand state on Thursday evening at the Lalmatia mines owned by Eastern Coalfields Limited , a subsidiary of the world’s largest miner.

Chinese Muslims face further infringements of basic rights as authorities demand passports

Stand Up For Uyghur Rights Washington demonstration against Chinese President Xi Jinping visit to the US, September 25, 2015 A few weeks ago, the Uyghur Muslims experienced further discrimination, as the regional police ordered an arbitrary recall of their passports indefinitely, curtailing the citizens’ freedom to travel. Over 10 million Uyghurs in China will be affected by this policy, which had already been implemented in various counties across Xinjiang since last April.

China leads efforts to realize climate pact

A Moroccan policeman stands guard outside the COP22 village during the 22nd Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakech, Morocco, on Nov 15, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] As Confucius taught us, there are three methods to gaining wisdom.

Shrine visit unmasks Abe Cabinet’s true sentiments

US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lay wreaths at the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii on Tuesday. [Photo/Agencies] Shinzo Abe did indeed make history, of sorts, by becoming the first Japanese leader to visit the memorial above the wreckage of the USS Arizona in Hawaii and offering his “sincere and everlasting condolences” to those who died 75 years ago when Japan launched its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

North Korea issues guidelines to prevent spread of H5N6 bird flu

The North Korean government is increasingly concerned over the growing avian influenza epidemic in East Asia, state-run media indicatedon Thursday. But preventive methods issuedby media remain primitive, suggesting that an outbreakof H7N9 avian flu – which has a 40 percent fatality rate – in the country could have a disastrous effect.

N. Korea purges 340 during 5-year rule of Kim Jong-un: think tank

North Korea has purged a total of 340 people since leader Kim Jong-un took control of the communist country in 2011, an indication that Kim is continuing his reign of terror to consolidate his power, according to a white paper released Thursday by a state-run think tank. The white paper published by the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank run by the National Intelligence Service, revealed that Kim has committed flagrantly inhumane acts by removing senior officials, including his once-powerful uncle Jang Song-thaek, who was executed in 2013 for treason, and residents in an apparent attempt to secure his grip on power.