Apple CEO discusses security with top Chinese official amid hacking claims:Xinhua

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) Chief Executive Tim Cook discussed user data security at a meeting on Wednesday with a top Chinese government official in Beijing, the official Xinhua news agency reported.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkw-g4MyFQqUCbzqJDtERRWJdAJdRu1svXm0sqsE4yyBmLNP6etL0wU5ga4j3wlTfn7WhN3oueMMAQ8REqLqW9WmUdiSo0faSHQi5cN_GFcMBcHA07nb9pzhDNTvpW__sbjZr2os53tgM/s1600/tim-cook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkw-g4MyFQqUCbzqJDtERRWJdAJdRu1svXm0sqsE4yyBmLNP6etL0wU5ga4j3wlTfn7WhN3oueMMAQ8REqLqW9WmUdiSo0faSHQi5cN_GFcMBcHA07nb9pzhDNTvpW__sbjZr2os53tgM/s1600/tim-cook.jpg" width="200" /></a>The meeting comes days after a Chinese web monitoring group published a report saying Apple users in China have been targeted in a sophisticated and widespread attack by hackers seeking private user data stored on the iCloud service.<br /><br />The group, Greatfire.org, has alleged Chinese government involvement in the hack, a claim the government has strongly refuted. Apple has not issued any public statements on the matter.<br /><br />At a meeting on Wednesday in Zhongnanhai, the Beijing complex housing China's central government, Cook and Vice Premier Ma Kai exchanged views on "protection of users' information" as well as "strengthening cooperation and in information and communication fields," according to Xinhua.<br /><br />Greatfire told Reuters that Apple appeared to have rerouted user data on Tuesday to circumvent the hack.<br /><br />The company did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

Apple CEO discusses security with top Chinese official amid hacking claims:Xinhua

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) Chief Executive Tim Cook discussed user data security at a meeting on Wednesday with a top Chinese government official in...

China's Alibaba renames Alipay unit in financial services push

Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N) said on Thursday it has changed the name of its Alipay financial services unit to Ant Financial Services Group as it steps up its push into the financial services industry.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXgGIGRBb2vhulhP6aGUFdnTSpd48KGuRzPsrz9x_ptSUIjbATsHl35gPIF6cuuU28NgGjTKCjMzWquTyFNRciPE_Gtbpc6qAhvtEsQbh_9xoGephMoHEZ_6v7ga2DvxE3aS-P0DWTyU/s1600/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXgGIGRBb2vhulhP6aGUFdnTSpd48KGuRzPsrz9x_ptSUIjbATsHl35gPIF6cuuU28NgGjTKCjMzWquTyFNRciPE_Gtbpc6qAhvtEsQbh_9xoGephMoHEZ_6v7ga2DvxE3aS-P0DWTyU/s1600/20.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Alibaba, the world's largest e-commerce company, already processes roughly half of China's e-commerce transactions through the unit. The company has been aggressively offering new financial services around Alipay, including a money market fund for consumers, a mobile payment app and even a new private bank that was recently approved by the Chinese government.

China's Alibaba renames Alipay unit in financial services push

Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N) said on Thursday it has changed the name of its Alipay financial services unit to...

FBI warns U.S. businesses of cyber attacks,blames Beijing

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Wednesday that hackers it believes to be backed by the Chinese government have recently launched attacks on U.S. companies.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeR2RhT1-0yH8pTuxMoVFlI6507uhrKO6lssdLlojNGhUMfrn9j_txstZjOF1EiLtCVyj8lO-MJA03wdXUp4sF71HBIorD-JT-HJ2dLZf_-SIb4fFVw-VP30AtwLVWlh_XSWVh7cEI6KU/s1600/Bzfa.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeR2RhT1-0yH8pTuxMoVFlI6507uhrKO6lssdLlojNGhUMfrn9j_txstZjOF1EiLtCVyj8lO-MJA03wdXUp4sF71HBIorD-JT-HJ2dLZf_-SIb4fFVw-VP30AtwLVWlh_XSWVh7cEI6KU/s1600/Bzfa.png" width="320" /></a>The "flash" warning to businesses described tools and techniques used by the hackers and asked companies to contact federal authorities if they believe they are the victims of such attacks.<br /><br />The document said the agency recently obtained information regarding "a group of Chinese government affiliated cyber actors who routinely steal high-value information from U.S. commercial and government networks through cyber espionage."<br /><br />FBI spokesman Josh Campbell confirmed via email that the FBI had released the document, which was obtained by Reuters and described specific mitigation steps that companies should take following attacks.<br /><br />"The FBI has recently observed online intrusions that we attribute to Chinese government affiliated actors," he said. "Private sector security firms have also identified similar intrusions and have released defensive information related to those intrusions."<br /><br />The Chinese embassy in Washington fired back by asking "the U.S. side to stop this kind of unfounded accusation," echoing past responses to U.S. allegations of government-backed cyber security breaches.<br /><br />"I’m not aware of the investigation by the U.S. FBI," Chinese embassy spokesman Geng Shuang said. "Judging from past experience, conclusions of this kind of investigations are usually lacking in provable facts and hard evidence."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YG0OmhB7ic-1OMhsvygYzCHgjBdvLmLkUmuN5qK1l7TvmBI6m_sMHWmriBCcwhdpcgLkTSDnWvImPO0UK7M63ytKb0j83Y6VK9NGW-__MSHD40v173YC2fbMn7vRHEa5Z7iSL0MFfEo/s1600/0a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YG0OmhB7ic-1OMhsvygYzCHgjBdvLmLkUmuN5qK1l7TvmBI6m_sMHWmriBCcwhdpcgLkTSDnWvImPO0UK7M63ytKb0j83Y6VK9NGW-__MSHD40v173YC2fbMn7vRHEa5Z7iSL0MFfEo/s1600/0a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />

FBI warns U.S. businesses of cyber attacks,blames Beijing

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Wednesday that hackers it believes to be backed by the Chinese government have recently lau...

Hong Kong police dismantle protest barriers, reopen major road

Hundreds of Hong Kong police used sledgehammers and chainsaws to dismantle pro-democracy barricades near government offices and the city's financial center on Tuesday, reopening a major road for the first time since protests began two weeks ago.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7s0EOCZ7PgxzdSMoDuSgQqA43bAZxv63YDvh-4QwXprZZN-X85e1IhnZCn7PynXFwNcFXfWTMZQsCc2vReDX6QWzDkQhHoWrVNuzDpzayfT5fsVRdpp-gLmVDOoNwXVA24QijbccG18U/s1600/18_G.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7s0EOCZ7PgxzdSMoDuSgQqA43bAZxv63YDvh-4QwXprZZN-X85e1IhnZCn7PynXFwNcFXfWTMZQsCc2vReDX6QWzDkQhHoWrVNuzDpzayfT5fsVRdpp-gLmVDOoNwXVA24QijbccG18U/s1600/18_G.jpg" width="320" /></a>In a setback to protesters, traffic flowed freely along Queensway Road after their sit-in and barricades were cleared from the road. But other major protest sites remained in tact in the Admiralty and Mong Kok districts and pro-democracy demonstrators were defiant.<br /><br />"We will rebuild them after the police remove them," said protester Bruce Sze. "We won't confront the police physically."<br /><br />Unlike Monday, which saw clashes between anti-protest groups and pro-democracy activists after police removed barricades, Tuesday's operation resulted in no such confrontations.<br /><br />However, tensions are expected to escalate on Wednesday when taxi drivers, who say business has dropped by around 50 percent, have threatened to remove barricades if protesters have not cleared them by then. Truck drivers have made similar threats.<br /><br />Taxi and truck drivers were among those who tried to dismantle barricades on Monday when hundreds of people, some wearing surgical masks and carrying crowbars and cutting tools, tore down barricades and clashed with protesters.<br /><br />"Reopening of (Queensway) is better than nothing at all as it allows more options to the drivers. But still it is not good enough and traffic will still be very heavy," said 53-year-old taxi driver Li Hung-on.<br /><br />"My income was down by half in the past two weeks and drivers like us are still the victims. It would be good if all the roads resume normal."<br /><br />The protesters, mostly students, are demanding full democracy for the former British colony, but their two-week standoff has caused traffic chaos and fueled frustrations in the Asian financial hub, draining some public support.<br /><br />Some of the city's most powerful tycoons had warned prior to the protests that any moves to occupy the heart of the city could undermine Hong Kong's stability. They have remained largely silent since the protests kicked off.<br /><br />Police, criticized for using tear gas and batons in the first 24 hours of the protests, have adopted a more patient approach, counting on protesters to come under public pressure to clear some of the city's major arteries.<br /><br />The removal of barricades but not protesters by Hong Kong police suggests a strategy of slow attrition, similar to that used against Occupy Wall St protests.<br /><br />Protester numbers have dwindled significantly from their peak of around 100,000 at three sites, but observers believe they will sit it out.<br /><br />"I don’t think the protesters, having suffered tear gas, endured the attacks by the anti occupy people, I don't think they will just surrender unconditionally and leave," said Joseph Wong, political analyst at the University of Hong Kong.<br /><br /><b>TRAFFIC FLOWS AGAIN</b><br /><br />By noon on Tuesday, the main thoroughfare of Queensway Road was reopened allowing traffic, including school and tour buses, to flow to the Central business district that is home to global companies such as HSBC Holdings and Standard Chartered.<br /><br />Engineers were checking tram lines in Admiralty district, where "Not in Service' trams rolled through, apparently preparing to restart operations.<br /><br />Around 100 protesters staged a sit-in outside the Admiralty Centre shopping complex surrounded by scores of police.<br /><br />Police say the removal of barricades is aimed at easing congestion and that protesters can stay, but many students believe Monday's clashes were co-ordinated and involved triad criminal groups and people paid to cause trouble. They said some police stood by or did not act quickly enough.<br /><br />Student protesters reinforced barricades late on Monday, erecting bamboo scaffolding four meters high along one major thoroughfare, while others mixed concrete to pour over the foundations of their road blocks. Makeshift spears made of bamboo protruded from some of the barricades.<br /><br />On Tuesday, police with chainsaws cut down the towering bamboo structures and used sledgehammers to smash cemented barricades outside the Bank of China's Hong Kong headquarters and next to the office of Asia's richest man, Li Ka-shing.<br /><br />Scores of office workers streamed out onto the streets to watch as police tore down the barricades.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzLT9nxsA_NX5TJvsqwDpYFGwSoeXvKZK8wDGx7qmkYPP2PnUSBhS5WtyXIp6XaVfFNRD60nag22uaUIeArErMmEibOfdp-8wW4gAwM4fLH_XNUtbSxDU0OC6BUvW2vPBERo-b1AR3Uc/s1600/141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzLT9nxsA_NX5TJvsqwDpYFGwSoeXvKZK8wDGx7qmkYPP2PnUSBhS5WtyXIp6XaVfFNRD60nag22uaUIeArErMmEibOfdp-8wW4gAwM4fLH_XNUtbSxDU0OC6BUvW2vPBERo-b1AR3Uc/s1600/141.jpg" width="320" /></a>China rules Hong Kong under a "one country, two systems" formula that accords the former British colony a degree of autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China, with universal suffrage set as an eventual goal.<br /><br />The protesters have called on the city's embattled leader, Leung Chun-ying, to step down after Beijing in August ruled out free elections for Hong Kong's next leader in 2017.<br /><br />Leung has vowed to remain in office and warned that there was "zero chance" that China's leaders in Beijing would change an August decision limiting democracy in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong police dismantle protest barriers, reopen major road

Hundreds of Hong Kong police used sledgehammers and chainsaws to dismantle pro-democracy barricades near government offices and the city...

Scuffles erupt in HK business district as hundreds break down protest barriers

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NtnxHcc3fRDxRTcZdH8kwCCQDuY-rC0ASMVxD5ukqBYJk3reOVF6zoTYcPpI6koRHilenHQcC6Gdv7I8xG67xbMoDpCXEwwaVlzKjTQmAVPir-pYKZfZM1XG1Rf1WTzgf7ytQIS3pVo/s1600/gGallery1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NtnxHcc3fRDxRTcZdH8kwCCQDuY-rC0ASMVxD5ukqBYJk3reOVF6zoTYcPpI6koRHilenHQcC6Gdv7I8xG67xbMoDpCXEwwaVlzKjTQmAVPir-pYKZfZM1XG1Rf1WTzgf7ytQIS3pVo/s1600/gGallery1.jpg" /></a>Hundreds of unidentified people, some wearing masks, tried to break down protest barriers in the heart of Hong Kong's business district on Monday, scuffling with protesters who have occupied the streets for the past two weeks.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjH8P_Q6u9XLQ32hKvnMwd4jxdr8Kvcw2WOCKvMBJ-B20GKaJsVOtr7SLFq7hdw33hlbGi37dojihg6EVtW2TI0oNgvy9euwnJFgE96y-dPQq6068Yhnwzd5lWOjzzZohOPatFeeWOAPo/s1600/gGallery2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjH8P_Q6u9XLQ32hKvnMwd4jxdr8Kvcw2WOCKvMBJ-B20GKaJsVOtr7SLFq7hdw33hlbGi37dojihg6EVtW2TI0oNgvy9euwnJFgE96y-dPQq6068Yhnwzd5lWOjzzZohOPatFeeWOAPo/s1600/gGallery2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Taxi drivers, opposed to the protests which have seriously affected their business, surrounded some barricades, as police tried to protect protesters and barricades.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHSoaoB6eJFLX-u2_6Tj7nIksOVKlFhKTXNOq1eTeaoBvO-NGcWglZfA7bOU2jZ4kyEINBEIyjwEfNQcGKUnES5Jd6lpE8uY8WDA6OIQCPIRpJD9Kb86RaavHmL7mTlsCUN1gGNYqf0M/s1600/HONGKONG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHSoaoB6eJFLX-u2_6Tj7nIksOVKlFhKTXNOq1eTeaoBvO-NGcWglZfA7bOU2jZ4kyEINBEIyjwEfNQcGKUnES5Jd6lpE8uY8WDA6OIQCPIRpJD9Kb86RaavHmL7mTlsCUN1gGNYqf0M/s1600/HONGKONG.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />

Scuffles erupt in HK business district as hundreds break down protest barriers

Hundreds of unidentified people, some wearing masks, tried to break down protest barriers in the heart of Hong Kong's business district ...

Pitching tents, Hong Kong democracy protesters dig in for long haul

Hundreds of student activists camped overnight at major protest sites in Hong Kong as the democracy movement sought to re-gather momentum after the government called off talks on defusing unrest in the global financial hub.<br /><br /><a href="http://us.mobile.reuters.com/do/getGalleryImages?u=USKCN0I005320141011&i=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://us.mobile.reuters.com/do/getGalleryImages?u=USKCN0I005320141011&i=1" /></a>Protests escalated late last month, after Beijing's decision on Aug. 31 to impose conditions that effectively would have stopped pro-democracy candidates from contesting an election of the city's chief executive set for 2017.<br /><br />The occupation movement suffered a noticeable dip in support over the past week, but strong crowds of over 10,000 on Friday for rallies in the former British colony.<br /><br />By Saturday evening, thousands of protesters had returned to join the stalwarts, including parents and children in a more relaxed, festival-like atmosphere. Scores more brought tents, foam and ground sheets to form a kind of sprawling urban campground hemmed in by towering skyscrapers.<br /><br />"Hong Kong is my home, we are fighting for Hong Kong's future, our future," said Lawrence Chan, a 23-year-old media studies student, who has taken part in the protests from the outset.<br /><br />Hong Kong Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, who announced the postponement of talks with the students on Thursday because of their persistent calls to escalate action, said on Saturday that she hadn't given up hope of getting them on track again.<br /><br />"It's most important that we must make clear the aim and nature of the meeting," she told reporters during a weekend trip to China, stressing that the dialogue should center on Beijing's proposed framework for electoral reform in 2017.<br /><br />Since taking to the streets around two weeks ago, the activists have blocked major roads around the government precinct in Admiralty, as well as the shopping districts of Central and Causeway Bay.<br /><br />At Friday's rallies, protest leaders urged demonstrators to prepare for a protracted struggle instead of expanding the protests geographically. The protests have led to some resentment among the public because of traffic jams and loss of business. A few street fights have broken out that pitted the students against anti-occupy mobs and local gangsters or triads.<br /><br />It was unclear how long Hong Kong authorities will tolerate the occupation or how the standoff might be resolved. For now, however, police presence remains thin with authorities seemingly reluctant to risk fresh flare-ups.<br /><br />Riot police had cracked down on protesters massing near the government headquarters on Sept. 28, but the authorities have taken a softer line since. Police on Saturday again warned the protesters to leave.<br /><br />Over one hundred colorful tents were sprinkled across the eight-lane Harcourt Road highway, among scores of red and blue portable marquees serving as supply and first aid stations; stocked with water, biscuits, noodles and cereals.<br /><br />"We have tents here to show our determination that we're prepared for a long-term occupation," said Benny Tai, one of the leaders of the movement, who emerged bleary-eyed from a tent pitched outside the Hong Kong government's headquarters.<br /><br />Scores of people ran a marathon in support of the students early on Saturday, and bridges remained festooned with umbrellas, protest art demanding full democracy and satirical images lampooning Leung Chun-ying, the city's Beijing-backed leader.<br /><br />The atmosphere was perhaps at its most relaxed since the Occupation movement began. Students, families and snap-happy tourists strolled along Harcourt Road, folding yellow paper origami umbrellas and penning colorful democracy missives.<br /><br />Those notes have filled an entire covered walkway outside government headquarters christened the "Lennon" wall as a tribute to John Lennon.<br /><br />Other studied and typed in an open-air classroom at makeshift desks with power sockets set up on the highway, while others gathered to hear and join stump speeches on democracy.<br /><br />The 'Occupy Central' protests, referring to the Central business district, was an idea conceived over a year ago. It has presented Beijing with one of its biggest political challenges since it crushed pro-democracy demonstrations in and around Tiananmen Square in the Chinese capital in 1989.<br /><br />NO SIMPLE WAY OUT<br /><br />In the first direct public comments by a senior Chinese leader in response to the protests, Premier Li Keqiang said Hong Kong authorities had the ability to protect the city's economic prosperity and social stability.<br /><br />"Maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong is not only in China's interests but is mostly in the interests of the people of Hong Kong," Li said in Germany on Friday.<br /><br />Since Britain handed back control in 1997, China has ruled Hong Kong through a "one country, two systems" formula which allows wide-ranging autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland and specifies universal suffrage as an eventual goal.<br /><br />The Communist Party leadership has dismissed the Hong Kong protests as illegal and has left Leung to find a solution.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cVoluqT64-w-iHFH7nuCX3aRnVuCDEtjcIZCiolipJ-VjZOEvRvNX6pgoydq2Ds3_s7ZypoQYvQCrRnLKDZEPcunHW9dWBhNlh2_eCqQoDjg35U5baNevR9bonD8MwWqorGMWJ8PtzU/s1600/p.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cVoluqT64-w-iHFH7nuCX3aRnVuCDEtjcIZCiolipJ-VjZOEvRvNX6pgoydq2Ds3_s7ZypoQYvQCrRnLKDZEPcunHW9dWBhNlh2_eCqQoDjg35U5baNevR9bonD8MwWqorGMWJ8PtzU/s1600/p.png" width="200" /></a>The Hong Kong Federation of Students urged President Xi Jinping in an open letter to allow full democracy in Hong Kong in what would be a "pioneering achievement" for him. Beijing fears that calls for democracy in Hong Kong could spread to the mainland, with China already facing separatist unrest in Tibet and Xinjiang.<br /><br />Leung has so far ignored the demand by the protesters for full democracy and their calls for him to quit. Earlier this week, some lawmakers demanded that anti-graft officers investigate a $6.4 million business payout to Leung.<br /><br />The leader of Hong Kong's largest pro-Beijing political party, Tam Yiu-chung, conceded after a late meeting with Leung that while the protests should be cleared as soon as possible: "It is not a simple thing and it is not a ripe time now."

Pitching tents, Hong Kong democracy protesters dig in for long haul

Hundreds of student activists camped overnight at major protest sites in Hong Kong as the democracy movement sought to re-gather momentum af...

China sentences two cult members to death for McDonald's murder

China on Saturday sentenced two members of a banned religious cult - a father and daughter - to death for the murder in a McDonald's restaurant of a woman who refused an apparent attempt by the group to recruit her, state media said.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://us.mobile.reuters.com/do/getNewsImages?n=topNews&u=USKCN0I005B20141011&i=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://us.mobile.reuters.com/do/getNewsImages?n=topNews&u=USKCN0I005B20141011&i=1" /></a></div>The 37-year-old woman, surnamed Wu, was attacked in May in the eastern province of Shandong by members of Quannengshen, the Church of Almighty God, which had preached that a global apocalypse would take place in 2012.<br /><br />The case sparked a national outcry after it was revealed that Wu was beaten to death for refusing to give her telephone number to members of the group.<br /><br />The Yantai Intermediate People's Court sentenced Zhang Fan and her father, Zhang Lidong, to death for intentional homicide and gave another member of the group, Lu Yingchun, life in prison, the official Xinhua news agency said.<br /><br />"Zhang Hang and Zhang Qiaolian, another two cult members, were sentenced to ten and seven years of jail terms respectively," Xinhua said.<br /><br />Zhang Hang is also a daughter of Zhang Lidong.<br /><br />Xinhua did not report ages of the five defendants, who were tried in August.<br /><br /><b>KICKING AND STOMPING</b><br /><br />According to Xinhua, Zhang Fan and Lu had called Wu an "evil spirit" and the group beat, kicked, and stomped on her head until she died on the scene.<br /><br />The Quannengshen group, which originated in central Henan province, believes that Jesus was resurrected as Yang Xiangbin, wife of the sect's founder, Zhao Weishan, according to previous Xinhua reports.<br /><br />Zhao is also known as Xu Wenshan, Xinhua has said, adding that the couple fled to the United States in September 2000.<br /><br />In 2012, China launched a crackdown on the group, which called for a "decisive battle" to slay the "Red Dragon" Communist Party, and preached that the world would end that year.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7dIlUQPTAiowcGzRBR2AtI_j_wsTx2tXvR1QB56qXna2bzC8DWSRv3O8EjIuNHbq-AeEoFhyTOp-0JfybjmBN84PQZqPFjM1gA6PnV8qmM3z4l5aIkASoe4w6YX245wDA-Jo09AvoGY/s1600/wo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7dIlUQPTAiowcGzRBR2AtI_j_wsTx2tXvR1QB56qXna2bzC8DWSRv3O8EjIuNHbq-AeEoFhyTOp-0JfybjmBN84PQZqPFjM1gA6PnV8qmM3z4l5aIkASoe4w6YX245wDA-Jo09AvoGY/s1600/wo.png" width="320" /></a>The party brooks no challenge to its rule and is obsessed with social stability. It has cracked down on cults, which have multiplied in recent years. Demonstrations have been put down with force and some sect leaders executed.<br /><br />In 1999, then-President Jiang Zemin launched a campaign to crush the Falun Gong religious group. It was banned as "evil cult" after thousands of practitioners staged a surprise but peaceful sit-in outside the leadership compound in Beijing to demand official recognition of their movement.

China sentences two cult members to death for McDonald's murder

China on Saturday sentenced two members of a banned religious cult - a father and daughter - to death for the murder in a McDonald's res...

Fiat and Chrysler to build 3 Jeep models in China

ROME - Fiat and Chrysler announced plans Saturday to build three new Jeep models in China for that market, the biggest for the vehicles outside the United States, as they attempt to boost sales in a country where they lag behind their competitors.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBoWcMEpdGPqInshWbdmE1Gcl0DrJEtDzTLlJcu8WDZMQfbVXuhz-r7jYlKKzXZwlOtNSmcPtlhu4wk4ukvTTbw4_ZqljVJoiSA0NAN9MFcp9xVRb3EMfb5eYcpKeIzVTsJAP4JoymLgw/s1600/promobox_icon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBoWcMEpdGPqInshWbdmE1Gcl0DrJEtDzTLlJcu8WDZMQfbVXuhz-r7jYlKKzXZwlOtNSmcPtlhu4wk4ukvTTbw4_ZqljVJoiSA0NAN9MFcp9xVRb3EMfb5eYcpKeIzVTsJAP4JoymLgw/s1600/promobox_icon.png" /></a></div><br />The automakers said they will expand their joint venture with China's Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd., and increase the portfolio of Jeeps, which are currently imported to China.<br /><br />Production is expected to start in late 2015 in Guangzhou, the companies said in a statement, adding that they are considering a Jeep model "uniquely designed for China."<br /><br />The companies offered no additional details, and representatives of all three members of the joint venture did not immediately return requests from The Associated Press for comment.<br /><br />Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said in the statement that the deal represents the next phase in the "expansion on a global scale of the Jeep brand."<br /><br />China represents the largest Jeep market outside the U.S. with nearly 60,000 vehicles sold last year. Fiat and Chrysler were expected to try to increase sales in the high-growth Chinese market.<br /><br />Marchionne said last month he hopes to complete the legal merger of Fiat and Chrysler by the end of this year to create Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the world's seventh-largest automaker. The executive plans to outline a new multi-year business plan in Detroit in May.

Fiat and Chrysler to build 3 Jeep models in China

ROME - Fiat and Chrysler announced plans Saturday to build three new Jeep models in China for that market, the biggest for the vehicles outs...

Canadian Brian Dickson convicted of murder seen through webcam

TORONTO -A man accused of attacking a Chinese student in her Toronto apartment as her ex-boyfriend watched via webcam from China was convicted Monday of first-degree murder.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=YMdTiiC4G-EJFM&tbnid=X_96AXjLOidmEM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-2588339%2FTrial-Canadian-webcam-murder-suspect-begins.html&ei=jbVDU4v3JMK82gXInYDoCw&bvm=bv.64367178,d.b2I&psig=AFQjCNE1sB3Ommc_fZJhPTNFkbOqEvYgAg&ust=1397032634393334" id="irc_mil" style="border-image-source: none; border: 0px currentcolor; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img class="irc_mut" height="428" id="irc_mi" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/03/24/article-2588339-1C8B380100000578-690_634x790.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="343" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian Dickson, pictured in <br />a photo from his Myspace account</td></tr></tbody></table>The jury deliberated for four hours before delivering its verdict against Brian Dickson, 32. Justice Anne Molloy imposed a life sentence with a chance of parole after 25 years.<br /><br />Qian Liu, 23, was found dead in April 2011, a few hours after her former boyfriend in China watched via webcam as she tried to fend off an attacker who appeared at her door. The boyfriend told police he saw Liu struggling with a man before her computer was shut off.<br /><br />Liu's parents travelled from China for the trial. The father wiped away tears as the verdict was read.<br /><br />"We are still very sad," Jian Hui Liu said after hearing the verdict through a translator. His wife clutched a picture of their daughter and cried silently.<br /><br />Dickson had offered to plead guilty to manslaughter, but the prosecution rejected the lesser charge.<br /><br />Dickson lived in an apartment in the same building as Liu, who had moved to Canada from China to study English. Her boyfriend, Xian Meng, testified that Dickson forced his way inside the apartment while Liu was pushing at his chest and saying "no." Meng said Dickson pushed Liu down off camera and after the sound of two muffled bangs, he heard no more sounds from Liu.<br /><br />After a period of silence, Meng said he heard Dickson breathing heavily, and moments later he appeared naked in front of the webcam and turned off the computer.<br /><br />The jury saw video and photographs of Liu's body, lying face down next to her bed, with her nightgown and sweater pulled up to her shoulders. Blood could be seen on the floor around her face. The prosecutor said semen found on Liu's abdomen and groin area matched DNA evidence collected from Dickson.<br /><br />Police said Liu's laptop computer, webcam and mobile phone were taken from the apartment the night of the attack. Police said the online chat was on a live streaming camera and was not recorded.<br /><br />Dickson's lawyer, Robert Nuttall, said his client has been "absolutely remorseful for a very long time."<br /><br />"He didn't say anything. He just accepted the verdict," Nuttall said.<br /><br />He said it's too early to say if Dickson will appeal.(AP)<br /><br /><div class="irc_mutc"><a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=iXoYoMx65VK58M&tbnid=Ug3D62r-9I4OlM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.nationalpost.com%2F2014%2F04%2F07%2Fbrian-dickson-32-guilty-of-first-degree-murder-in-webcam-slaying-of-toronto-student-qian-liu%2F&ei=RLVDU_ytFOP42QWex4FI&bvm=bv.64367178,d.b2I&psig=AFQjCNE1sB3Ommc_fZJhPTNFkbOqEvYgAg&ust=1397032634393334"><img class="irc_mut" height="478" 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" 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Canadian Brian Dickson convicted of murder seen through webcam

TORONTO -A man accused of attacking a Chinese student in her Toronto apartment as her ex-boyfriend watched via webcam from China was convict...

China and Afghanistan Sign Economic and Security Deals-on September 24, 2012

China eyes post-Nato and US Afghanistan.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ua7x18n3oAA4hW_o_v67vv-gtvWOVkovd3u4dQ8bZePFGY-LLDwTUhPaBK83gkhYYCraSNhwGN9mlpEkwysgfKRiXUgOWkW7o59E_lBjWVqe6SZFpVnTLczaaa85u0NwAqhlkf-iHXc/s1600/karzai-zhou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ua7x18n3oAA4hW_o_v67vv-gtvWOVkovd3u4dQ8bZePFGY-LLDwTUhPaBK83gkhYYCraSNhwGN9mlpEkwysgfKRiXUgOWkW7o59E_lBjWVqe6SZFpVnTLczaaa85u0NwAqhlkf-iHXc/s1600/karzai-zhou.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />China and Afghanistan have signed a series of economic and security agreements following a surprise visit by Chinese domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang to Kabul, Reuters reported.<br /><br />The visit, the first by a Chinese official in 46 years, was not announced in Beijing due to security reasons.<br /><br />Zhou and Afghan President Hamid Karzai held discussions on issues such as terrorism, drug trafficking and transnational crimes along with matters concerning bilateral trade and investment.<br /><br />Zhou said China was ready to help in bringing peace and stability to militancy-ravaged Afghanistan.<br /><br />The BBC reports that, under one of the agreements, China will assist in the training of Afghan police. Around 300 Afghan policemen will be trained in China in the next four years.<br /><br />"It is a priority of China's foreign policy to strengthen good-neighboured relations with surrounding countries. It is the consistent policy of the Chinese government and the CPC to consolidate and develop China-Afghanistan relations," Zhou said in a statement published by the state-owned news agency Xinhua.<br /><br />"We will continue to provide assistance to Afghanistan with no attached conditions and sincerely hope the Afghan people can regain peace as soon as possible and build a better home in a peaceful environment," he added.<br /><br />Analysts suggest that the Chinese visit gains significance as US and Nato troops are to pull out of Afghanistan and several other nations are looking to boost their influence in the country.<br /><br />China is one of the first countries to have invested in Afghanistan, said Xinhua, adding that Chinese direct investment in the country stood at $200m at the end of 2011.<br /><br />China's Afghan investments include mineral resources, copper mines and the extraction and exploration of oil.<br /><br />"Zhou's visit shows China is seriously planning its Afghan strategy for the days after 2014," Wang Lian, a professor with the School of International Studies at the Peking University in Beijing, told Bloomberg.<br /><br />"Almost every great power in history, when they were rising, was deeply involved in Afghanistan, and China will not be an exception."

China and Afghanistan Sign Economic and Security Deals-on September 24, 2012

China eyes post-Nato and US Afghanistan. China and Afghanistan have signed a series of economic and security agreements following a surprise...

China seizes $14.5 billion assets from family,associates of ex-security chief -sources

More than 300 of Zhou's relatives, political allies, proteges and staff have also been taken into custody or questioned in the past four months, the sources, who have been briefed on the investigation, told Reuters.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2NWIrij0167Bz0_p4e2BRNBWB1BtkLrWwgLJ-5bdbXJDNvnVsNkonJsb0tO7jB8QptPc82v1_YUx77lVdvN4zGZwkfsCX9FAmc-4YBgOks3ZjRV15hKelFuoz00fNfBtLkxV2MvTetI/s1600/karzai-zhou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2NWIrij0167Bz0_p4e2BRNBWB1BtkLrWwgLJ-5bdbXJDNvnVsNkonJsb0tO7jB8QptPc82v1_YUx77lVdvN4zGZwkfsCX9FAmc-4YBgOks3ZjRV15hKelFuoz00fNfBtLkxV2MvTetI/s1600/karzai-zhou.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />The sheer size of the asset seizures and the scale of the investigations into the people around Zhou - both unreported until now - make the corruption probe unprecedented in modern China and would appear to show that President Xi Jinping is tackling graft at the highest levels.<br /><br />But it may also be driven partly by political payback after Zhou angered leaders such as Xi by opposing the ouster of former high-flying politician Bo Xilai, who was jailed for life in September for corruption and abuse of power.<br /><br />Zhou, 71, has been under virtual house arrest since authorities began formally investigating him late last year. He is the most senior Chinese politician to be ensnared in a corruption investigation since the Communist Party swept to power in 1949.<br /><br />"It's the ugliest in the history of the New China," said one of the sources, who has ties to the leadership, requesting anonymity to avoid repercussions for speaking to the foreign media about elite politics.<br /><br />The government has yet to make any official statement about Zhou or the case against him and it has not been possible to contact Zhou, his family, associates or staff for comment. It is not clear if any of them have lawyers.<br /><br />The party's anti-corruption watchdog and the prosecutor's office did not respond to requests for comment. In the secretive world of China's Communist Party, targets of its investigations usually disappear, often for months or even years, until an official announcement is made.<br /><br />Xi ordered a task force formed in late November or early December to look into accusations against Zhou, sources have previously told Reuters. They have not said what the allegations were except that they were related to violating party discipline, official jargon for corruption.<br /><br />A third source with ties to the leadership said Zhou had refused to cooperate with investigators, insisting he was the victim of a power struggle.<br /><br />"Zhou Yongkang is tough and claims its political persecution," the source said.<br /><br />Zhou rose through the ranks of China's oil and gas sector before joining the elite Politburo Standing Committee in 2007, where as domestic security chief his budget exceeded defense spending. He retired in 2012 and was last seen at an alumni event at the China University of Petroleum on October 1.<br /><br />BONDS, VILLAS, CARS, LIQUOR, GOLD<br /><br />The first two sources said prosecutors and the party's anti-corruption watchdog had frozen bank accounts with deposits totaling 37 billion yuan and seized domestic and overseas bonds and stocks with a combined value of 51 billion yuan after raiding homes in Beijing, Shanghai and five provinces.<br /><br />Investigators had also confiscated about 300 apartments and villas worth around 1.7 billion yuan, antiques and contemporary paintings with a market value of 1 billion yuan and more than 60 vehicles, the sources added. Other items seized included expensive liquor, gold, silver and cash in local and foreign currencies.<br /><br />The seized assets belonged to those in custody, the sources said, without saying how many people in total had been detained compared to just questioned. Most of the assets were not in Zhou's name, they added.<br /><br />According to the sources, the seized assets had a combined value of at least 90 billion yuan, although it was unclear what share of that total was ill-gotten and would be turned over to the state.<br /><br />The amount eventually made public could be smaller to avoid embarrassing the party and angering ordinary Chinese, the sources said.<br /><br />Such asset seizures, while large, are not uncommon in China, where excess has often been revealed from graft probes in recent years. In January, the respected Chinese magazine Caixin said authorities had seized a solid gold statue of Mao Zedong among other things from the mansion of a senior military officer who has been under investigation since he was sacked in 2012.<br /><br />LONG LIST<br /><br />The first two sources added that more than 10 of Zhou's relatives had been detained. They included Zhou's one-time television reporter wife Jia Xiaoye, his eldest son from a previous marriage Zhou Bin, Zhou Bin's in-laws and Zhou Yongkang's brother.<br /><br />About 10 officials who held a rank equivalent to at least vice minister were also under investigation, the sources said.<br /><br />Among them were Jiang Jiemin, former chairman of both state energy giant PetroChina and its parent China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), former Vice Minister of Public Security Li Dongsheng and Ji Wenlin, ex-vice governor of the southernmost island province of Hainan.<br /><br />Chinese state media has announced that all three were being investigated for serious violations of discipline. They were either proteges or aides to Zhou.<br /><br />Reuters has been unable to contact the three men. It's unclear if they have lawyers.<br /><br />More than 20 of Zhou's bodyguards, secretaries and drivers had also been detained, the sources said. Many other family members and associates had been questioned.<br /><br />THE BIGGEST TIGER?<br /><br />Since becoming head of the party in late 2012 and then president a year ago, Xi has vowed to go after both powerful "tigers" and lowly "flies" in an effort to crack down on the corruption he says threatens the party's very existence.<br /><br />But Xi is in a dilemma over whether to put Zhou on trial lest it further undermine public faith in the party, the three sources said, referring to the growing disillusionment in China over rampant graft and abuse of power.<br /><br />Xi would also risk alienating other party elders who fear that they and their families could be next, political analysts say.<br /><br />Putting someone as powerful as Zhou in the dock would be a political decision that only Xi could make after getting the consensus of senior party members, Xi's predecessors and other retired top officials, they say.<br /><br />In ordering the investigation, Xi broke with an unwritten rule that incumbent and retired members of the Standing Committee were immune from prosecution.<br /><br />As a member of the Standing Committee, the apex of power in China, and a former domestic security chief, Zhou would have intimate knowledge of the skeletons in the party's closet.<br /><br />It is still unclear exactly why Zhou has been targeted, though an early sign that he might have overstepped was when he retired and the position of domestic security chief was dropped from the Standing Committee.<br /><br />Sources have also said Zhou angered Xi and other leaders over Bo Xilai, whose career was ended in 2012 by a murder scandal in which his wife was eventually convicted of poisoning a British businessman who had been a family friend.<br /><br />Before Bo's downfall, Zhou had recommended that Bo succeed him as domestic security chief, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter have said.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="File photo of then China's Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang in Beijing.: File photo of then China&#39;s Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang in Beijing." src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/22/7eb56adae6964199119ce56b963b8/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">File photo of then China's Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang in Beijing.</td></tr></tbody></table>

China seizes $14.5 billion assets from family,associates of ex-security chief -sources

More than 300 of Zhou's relatives, political allies, proteges and staff have also been taken into custody or questioned in the past four...

China demands answers as leaks claim NSA spied on Huawei

BEIJING — China demanded a U.S. explanation Monday about reports that the National Security Agency infiltrated Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies to see if it was spying for Beijing and to turn its equipment against other countries such as Iran.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUM5nmmKXVRbXpYiNizbc7V4DCb2azkokkgMJnp-cBfpTnaZ7TKc-qsD_jRIKFkwNzFZTjwzjozy7vy8xBAtk1HPKrw-veGFPpOyx1j-CCqNApbpYphKsK4V1ghf03rIENb3AIQYbbYQ/s1600/012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUM5nmmKXVRbXpYiNizbc7V4DCb2azkokkgMJnp-cBfpTnaZ7TKc-qsD_jRIKFkwNzFZTjwzjozy7vy8xBAtk1HPKrw-veGFPpOyx1j-CCqNApbpYphKsK4V1ghf03rIENb3AIQYbbYQ/s1600/012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />“China has lodged complaints to the United States about this many times. We urge the U.S. side to make a clear explanation and stop this kind of acts,” said China Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei. He said that China was “gravely concerned” about reports of “eavesdropping, surveillance and stealing of secrets by the United States.”<br />The NSA operation to hack into Huawei was disclosed by the New York Times this weekend based on leaked documents obtained from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. According to one classified 2010 document published on Saturday, the NSA believed that “many of our targets communicate over Huawei-produced products, we want to make sure that we know how to exploit these products — we also want to ensure that we retain access to these communication lines, etc.”<br /><br />Because Huawei’s Chinese-made equipment has often been sold to nations that are also of particular national security interest to the United States, the NSA proposed using Huawei equipment to penetrate the networks of countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kenya and Cuba, according to the document.<br /><br />Among information obtained by the NSA, the report said, was data about how the company’s routers worked and communications of Huawei’s top executives.<br /><br />On Monday, Huawei issued a statement through a spokesman, saying: “If the actions in the report are true, Huawei condemns such activities that invaded and infiltrated into our internal corporate network and monitored our communications.”<br /><br />The statement also said, “Huawei disagrees with all activities that threaten the security of networks and is willing to work with all governments, industry stakeholders and customers, in an open and transparent manner, to jointly address the global challenge of network security.”<br /><br />The report comes after nine months of disclosures about NSA surveillance based on documents leaked by Snowden that have greatly diminished trust in the agency and hurt American technology companies that cooperate under court order with the NSA.<br /><br />It also comes as the Obama administration has sought to confront China on reducing cyber-conflict and Chinese industrial cyber-espionage. For several years, the United States has been concerned about Chinese hacking of U.S. industry to steal commercial and military secrets.<br /><br />The timing of the report, many experts noted, came just days ahead of Monday’s high-level meeting between President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Reports last year, also based on the first batch of leaked documents from Snowden, were also released days before a meeting between Obama and Xi in Sunnylands, Calif.<br /><br />Some, including Jin Canrong, associate dean of international studies at Renmin University in Beijing, believe the latest leak this weekend was deliberately timed — whether by Snowden or other players on the global stage — for maximum effect on U.S. relations. One result of Snowden’s disclosures, Jin noted, is an improved position for China in its ongoing fight with the United States over cybersecurity and allegations of Chinese hacking.<br /><img height="640" src="http://cloudtimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/huawei-logo.jpg" width="640" />

China demands answers as leaks claim NSA spied on Huawei

BEIJING — China demanded a U.S. explanation Monday about reports that the National Security Agency infiltrated Chinese telecommunications gi...

Chinese icebreaker stuck after helping in Antarctic rescue

A Chinese icebreaker that helped rescue 52 passengers from a Russian ship stranded in Antarctic ice found itself stuck in heavy ice on Friday, further complicating the 9-day "roller-coaster" rescue operation.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWqD0uVb9DiiJ72JRgCnLjQ6RmKoE19o_MH63Oqw1QaacEquUAqWeU_KpJYwFdC5Ph9p4ZedL0a3Yfyq2sOuZPER_2VCSkdRHLJpTf8QCZifWb5Z0d50ZAoIYkGYrtypSvxvRGK5-ufMI/s1600/001f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWqD0uVb9DiiJ72JRgCnLjQ6RmKoE19o_MH63Oqw1QaacEquUAqWeU_KpJYwFdC5Ph9p4ZedL0a3Yfyq2sOuZPER_2VCSkdRHLJpTf8QCZifWb5Z0d50ZAoIYkGYrtypSvxvRGK5-ufMI/s1600/001f.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The Snow Dragon had ferried the passengers from the stranded Russian ship to an Australian icebreaker late on Thursday. It now had concerns about its own ability to move through heavy ice, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.<br /><br />"It will attempt to maneuver through the ice when tidal conditions are most suitable during the early hours of 4 January 2014," AMSA said.<br /><br />The Australian icebreaker carrying the rescued passengers, the Aurora Australis, will remain on standby in open water in the area "as a precautionary measure", the rescue agency said.<br /><br />The Aurora Australis had meant to sail towards an Antarctic base to complete a resupply before carrying the rescued passengers back to Australia.<br /><br />A helicopter from the Snow Dragon carried the 52 scientists and tourists in small groups from the ice-bound Akademik Shokalskiy to the Australian supply ship late on Thursday.<br /><br />The rescue, delayed due to weather and ice conditions, took around five hours to complete. It had been a "roller-coaster" rescue, said Greg Mortimer, one of three expedition leaders on the Akademik Shokalskiy.<br /><br />"I was immensely relieved for the people under my care," Mortimer, quoted by the Age newspaper, said after arriving on the Aurora Australis. He said he was "very sad" to leave behind the Russian vessel and its crew.<br /><br />PASSENGERS HAPPY ABOARD ICEBREAKER<br /><br />"The passengers seem very glad to now be with us and they are settling in to their new accommodation," Jason Mundy, Australian Antarctic Division Acting Director, who is on board the Aurora Australis, said on Friday morning.<br /><br /><br /><img alt="The Xue Long (Snow Dragon) Chinese icebreaker, as seen from Australia's Antarctic supply ship, the Aurora Australis, sits in an ice pack unable to get through to the MV Akademik Shokalskiy, in East Antarctica, some 100 nautical miles (185 km) east of French Antarctic station Dumont D'Urville and about 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km) south of Hobart, Tasmania, January 2, 2014, in this handout courtesy of Fairfax's Australian Antarctic Division. REUTERS-Fairfax-Australian Antarctic Division-Handout via Reuters" height="412" src="http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20140103&t=2&i=826387586&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=700&pl=378&r=CBREA010JQL00" width="640" /><br /><br /><br />Mundy said there were enough rooms for the passengers, and the ship can "look after them well for the final part of their journey".<br /><br />Passengers, mostly Australians and New Zealanders, will probably arrive in Australia's southern island state of Tasmania around mid-January. The Akademik Shokalskiy's Russian crew will stay on board until the ice breaks up and the ship is freed.<br /><br />The Russian-owned research ship left New Zealand on November 28 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of an Antarctic journey led by Australian explorer Douglas Mawson.<br /><br />It became trapped on December 24, 100 nautical miles east of French Antarctic station Dumont d'Urville and about 1,500 nautical miles south of Tasmania.<br /><br />During their time on the ice, passengers amused themselves with movies, classes in knot tying, languages, yoga and photography, and rang in the New Year with dinner, drinks and a song composed about their adventure.<br /><br />The Chinese icebreaker got within sight of the Akademik Shokalskiy on Saturday, but turned back after failing to break through the ice, more than 3 meters (10 feet) thick in some places.<br /><br />The Aurora Australis and a French flagged ship tried to help, but failed to reach the ship because of strong winds and heavy snow.

Chinese icebreaker stuck after helping in Antarctic rescue

A Chinese icebreaker that helped rescue 52 passengers from a Russian ship stranded in Antarctic ice found itself stuck in heavy ice on Frida...

Chinese iron trade fuels port clash with Mexican drug cartel

<br /><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Port security patrol the delta of the River Balsas in the port of Lazaro Cardenas November 20, 2013. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido" height="213" src="http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20140101&t=2&i=825964096&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=580&pl=378&r=CBREA001E7C00" width="320" /></div><br />When the leaders of Mexico and China met last summer, there was much talk of the need to deepen trade between their nations. Down on Mexico's Pacific coast, a drug gang was already making it a reality.<br /><br />The Knights Templar cartel, steadily diversifying into other businesses, became so successful at exporting iron ore to China that the Mexican Navy in November had to move in and take over the port in Lazaro Cardenas, a city that has become one of the gang's main cash generators.<br /><br />This steelmaking center, drug smuggling hot spot and home of a rapidly growing container port in the western state of Michoacan occupies a strategic position on the Pacific coast, making it a natural gateway for burgeoning trade with China.<br /><br />Lazaro Cardenas opened to container traffic just a decade ago, and with a harbor deep enough to berth the world's largest ships, it already aims to compete with Los Angeles to handle Asian goods bound for the U.S. market.<br /><br />But that future is in doubt unless the government can restore order and win its struggle with the Knights Templar, who took their name from a medieval military order that protected Christian pilgrims during the Crusades.<br /><br />Mexico's biggest producer of iron ore, Michoacan state is a magnet for Chinese traders feeding demand for steel in their homeland. But the mines also created an opportunity for criminal gangs, such as the Knights Templar, looking to broaden their revenue base into more legitimate businesses.<br /><br />"The mines were mercilessly exploited, and the ore was leaving. But not in rafts or launches - it was going via the port, through customs, on ships," said Michoachan's governor, Fausto Vallejo, soon after the Navy occupied the port on November 4.<br /><br />Already a thriving criminal enterprise adept at corrupting local officials and squeezing payments from businesses, developers and farmers, the Knights took to mining with aplomb, according to entrepreneurs and miners working around the port.<br /><br />Hidden behind mountain roads about an hour from Lazaro Cardenas, one small town mustered hundreds of trucks this year to lead the gang's scramble to the port, a local miner said.<br /><br />That town - Arteaga - is the birthplace of Servando Gomez, the former school teacher who leads the Knights Templar.<br /><br />Gomez understood the potential of Lazaro Cardenas, which was a village best known for its coconuts until the government decided to build a steelworks there 40 years ago.<br /><br />The gang's trucks sped around Michoacan's iron mines to supply Chinese buyers, helping to push ore exports to 4 million tons by October from 1-1.5 million tons a year previously.<br /><br />Their business rests on several pillars, according to accounts of local officials, miners and entrepreneurs.<br /><br />Firstly, the Knights controlled how the ore moved, having imposed protection charges on local transport unions after becoming the dominant gang in the city a few years ago.<br /><br />It also helped local prospectors stake claims to mine areas either unclaimed by others or beyond the control of the existing concession-holders. Then the Knights took their cut.<br /><br />Finally, the gang pressured customs officials to ensure the ore passed through the port smoothly.<br /><br />"Most of the groups mining are Knights Templar or belong to them. They have the whole chain," a local official told Reuters.<br /><br />Fueled by the appetite of Chinese buyers, about half the mining in the area was done without proper permits this year, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.<br /><br />Those who talk openly can pay dearly. In April, an official at steel maker ArcelorMittal who local businessmen said had reported illegal mining to authorities was shot dead.<br /><br />One prospector from Arteaga, who asked to remain anonymous, said he ran a mine selling unprocessed iron ore to Chinese traders for $32 per ton, giving him a profit of about $5-7 per ton. By the time it reached China, the buyers could expect to sell the ore for a profit of around $15 per ton, he estimated.<br /><br />Because the Knights Templar control much of the local iron supply, the gang has pressured Chinese buyers to purchase ore from them or face reprisals, said a Mexican government security official who spoke on condition of anonymity.<br /><br />The combination of organized crime and Chinese buying of Mexican iron ore poses a problem for President Enrique Pena Nieto, who has gone out of his way to cultivate ties with China.<br /><br />China's President Xi Jinping has been in office only since March, but Pena Nieto has already met him three times. In June, Pena Nieto welcomed Xi to Mexico, signing a string of economic cooperation deals. But at the top of the agenda was how to narrow the massive trade imbalance between the two nations.<br /><br />Bilateral trade was worth $62.7 billion in 2012, up from just $431 million two decades ago, Mexican data shows. But 90 percent is accounted for by Chinese exports to Mexico, most of it goods such as computers and component parts.<br /><br />CHAOS, LOCKDOWN, MORE CHAOS<br /><br />Much of that trade goes directly through Lazaro Cardenas.<br /><br />In 2012, it had the biggest rise in traffic in North America's 20 top container ports, handling 1.2 million 20-foot equivalent units, or teus.<br /><br />Most of the port is still a dusty plain above which birds of prey soar in stifling heat. In a few years, though, projects started by Maersk-unit APM Terminals and Hutchison Port Holdings could expand its capacity to about 8 million teus - the amount moved in 2012 by the continent's top container hub, Los Angeles.<br /><br />But Michoacan is not California.<br /><br />Seven years ago, then-President Felipe Calderon began a nationwide crackdown on organized crime in Michoacan, sending in the army to tackle increasingly violent drug cartels.<br /><br />Over 80,000 people have since died in gang-related killings across Mexico, and assurances Pena Nieto gave that he would stop the rot when he took power a year ago are wearing thin.<br /><br />Although parts of Mexico have become safer since Pena Nieto took office, Michoacan has fallen into even more chaos.<br /><br />Over half of the state lives in poverty. Traditional work like resin production is dying out due to competition from China and elsewhere. That creates new recruits for organized crime.<br /><br />In October, a local bishop likened Michoacan to a failed state. A few days later, assailants temporarily knocked out power for hundreds of thousands in the state with a string of attacks on installations of the national electricity utility.<br /><br />Many blamed the Knights, though signs posted in Michoacan accused a small rival gang of staging the attack.<br /><br />The Navy took over the port authority and reinforced Lazaro Cardenas shortly afterward. All the local police and customs officials were initially suspended and the caravans of trucks carting ore started to thin out.<br /><br />But the lull is unlikely to last unless the government can regain control of the city beyond the port gates and open up mining to legitimate prospectors not controlled by the gang.<br /><br />Miners complain that the main concession-holders such as ArcelorMittal, which did not respond to requests for comment, use only a fraction of their land and are reluctant to let others mine it. The Knights have turned that dispute into money.<br /><br />Days after the Navy moved in, state governor Vallejo said criminal enterprise around Lazaro Cardenas could be worth up to $2 billion a year - or about half Michoacan's 2012 budget.<br /><br />'EVERYONE IS PAYING'<br /><br />Some involved in the mining industry say the area has become safer since the Knights Templar started to take control.<br /><br />But the facts suggest otherwise: government figures show kidnappings in Michoacan reached a record level in 2013, and murders climbed to a 15-year peak.<br /><br />Gomez has appeared in several YouTube videos trying to portray his Knights Templar as defenders of Michoacan.<br /><br />In one posted in August, he said the Knights had provided paid protection at the request of avocado farmers but that they did not extort businesses. However, he also conceded that some "foolish" members of his gang probably had engaged in extortion.<br /><br />The Knights' power in Lazaro Cardenas is often subtle.<br /><br />Unlike parts of northern Mexico living under the threat of violence, the restaurants, taco stands and bars on the city's main palm-lined boulevard are alive with people as night falls.<br /><br />Some residents say they are not squeezed by the cartel, and big companies say they can operate without fear of extortion.<br /><br />"We don't pay a cent to anyone," said Jose Zozaya, head of Kansas City Southern Mexico, which operates the rail link that connects the port with the United States.<br /><br />But others quickly vent their anger about the Knights.<br /><br />"Everyone is paying, but they won't tell you," said a local entrepreneur. "The people here are destroyed."<br /><br />The port is no stranger to crime, and during Calderon's presidency it became a big entry point for chemicals from China and other parts of Asia used to make methamphetamine. Some locals say chemicals have even been used to pay gangs for the iron ore.<br /><br />Asked if Mexico had discussed the iron ore issue with Beijing, a senior government official said: "The Chinese government doesn't always know what the companies are doing. The occupation of the port ... was the control measure adopted."<br /><br />Hua Chunying, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, said she was unaware of the situation in Lazaro Cardenas, adding: "But I can tell you that the Chinese government has consistently educated and asked Chinese companies to respect the law in other countries when they carry out business and trade cooperation."<br /><br />Successful Chinese firms are growing quickly in the region.<br /><br />Since setting up in 2009, Desarrollo Minero Unificado de Mexico (DMU), a Chinese iron mining company in Lazaro Cardenas, has gone from three employees to 600 nationwide, nearly all of them Mexicans, Director General Luis Lu told Reuters.<br /><br />With more than 30 concessions, Lu said his company mined all of its own iron and had not had any trouble with organized crime. He said he could not say how other Chinese firms fared.<br /><br />Still, Chinese success in Michoacan has caused friction with the Knights Templar. In the August YouTube video, gang leader Gomez had some strong words for them.<br /><br />"We have an excessive invasion of Chinese. An excess of Chinese," he said, surrounded by armed men. "It may suit the interests of various corporations, I don't know. But they're here with us now. And these people have their mafias too."

Chinese iron trade fuels port clash with Mexican drug cartel

When the leaders of Mexico and China met last summer, there was much talk of the need to deepen trade between their nations. Down on Mexico...

Chinese, Russian presidents exchange New Year greetings

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, exchanged New Year greetings Tuesday, expressing their shared wish to further enhance bilateral ties in 2014.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRZ5VMY7BdLtVy-i7e56BGJABVoOe2dAtQlKljAWBRxriOXRmKmxyAnsqfkC6tt0gfYB1Fs1j4V30j1GRiPufcU9s0gUVjgfK7Umv80X90vQfzWoGUeyU1Rfoyye8zLCvla3IyJCwdEY/s1600/edward-snowden.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRZ5VMY7BdLtVy-i7e56BGJABVoOe2dAtQlKljAWBRxriOXRmKmxyAnsqfkC6tt0gfYB1Fs1j4V30j1GRiPufcU9s0gUVjgfK7Umv80X90vQfzWoGUeyU1Rfoyye8zLCvla3IyJCwdEY/s1600/edward-snowden.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />In his message, Xi extended sincere greetings to Putin and the Russian people on behalf of the Chinese government, the Chinese people and himself.<br /><br />During the past year, China and Russia focused on the overarching objective of facilitating healthy and stable progress of the international situation and promoting the development and revitalization of both countries, Xi said.<br /><br />With a strategic vision and a global perspective, he added, the two countries pushed forward their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and scored significant achievements in bilateral cooperation in various areas.<br /><br />Expressing satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations in 2013, Xi said he always believes that a high-level and strong China-Russia relationship is a blessing not only for the people of both countries but for the entire world.<br /><br />In the new year, Xi said, he is ready to maintain close communication and contact with Putin and work together with him to further boost bilateral cooperation in various areas and steer the development of bilateral ties into a new phase.<br /><br />He also conveyed his confidence that the China-Russia Youth Friendly Exchanges Year program to be carried out in 2014 and 2015 will further deepen the understanding and friendship between the young generations of the two countries.<br /><br />In addition, the program will gain more public support for passing on the bilateral friendship from generation to generation and pursuing common development of the two countries, and contribute to the sustained development of the China-Russia partnership.<br /><br />For his part, Putin conveyed his heartfelt greetings for the New Year and the upcoming traditional Chinese Spring Festival.<br /><br />Noting that bilateral relations enjoyed plentiful good news during the past year, Putin said Xi's state visit to Russia in March was of especially great significance.<br /><br />The trip, he said, injected great energy into the development of the Russia-China partnership and the improvement of bilateral coordination in international affairs.<br /><br />Russia and China have successfully organized the Tourism Year program and now are jointly launching the Youth Friendly Exchanges Year program, he added.<br /><br />The Russian president said he is confident that the new event will further promote the mutual understanding and trust between the two peoples.<br /><br />Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, also exchanged New Year greetings.

Chinese, Russian presidents exchange New Year greetings

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, exchanged New Year greetings Tuesday, expressing their shared wish...

China evacuates 417,000 as typhoon approaches southeast.

<h3>China evacuates 417,000 people and calls boats back to shore as typhoon approaches southeast.</h3><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.publimetro.us/" target="_blank"><img abp="423" alt="Onda gigante provocada pelo tufão Fitow atinge píer em Wenling, China, em 6 de outubro de 2013" class="vlz" height="432" src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/Sh2n0ao6ed9hp6SnRbbr2Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD0zNDY7cT03NTt3PTUxMg--/http://media.zenfs.com/pt_BR/News/AFP/8b00fbc7caeebe4d19641b2a1ef50defe1e42021.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Onda gigante provocada pelo tufão Fitow atinge píer em Wenling, China, em 6 de outubro de 2013" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.publimetro.us/" target="_blank">Onda gigante provocada pelo tufão Fitow atinge píer em Wenling, China, em 6 de outubro de 2013</a></td></tr></tbody></table>BEIJING, China - Hundreds of thousands of people in southeast China were evacuated and fishing vessels called back to shore on Sunday because of an approaching typhoon, authorities said.<br /><br />Typhoon Fitow is expected to make landfall early Monday between Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, according to the National Meteorological Center.<br /><br />Provincial authorities said that by noon Sunday more than 65,000 boats had returned to port or moved to safer areas. Zhejiang's provincial government said 289,000 people had been evacuated from fishing boats and coastal areas. Fujian's government said 128,000 boat workers and dwellers had been evacuated, including 7,000 elderly people and children who were on fishing rafts.<br /><br />The typhoon will bring heavy or torrential rain to five provinces, Shanghai and Taiwan over the next three days, the meteorological centre said. Some coastal areas may see rainfall of 250 millimeters (9.84 inches), it said.<br /><br />Another typhoon was blowing east of the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes on Sunday with sustained winds of 130 kilometres (81 miles) per hour and gusts of 160 kph (100 mph), but was too far out in the ocean to affect any part of the country. Typhoon Danas may blow toward southern Japan later this week if it does not change direction, according to the Philippine weather agency.<br /><div><br /></div>

China evacuates 417,000 as typhoon approaches southeast.

China evacuates 417,000 people and calls boats back to shore as typhoon approaches southeast. Onda gigante provocada pelo tufão Fitow atinge...

China and Russia issue warnings over Syria intervention

Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao says military action would have a negative impact on the global economy.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="China, Russia issue warnings over Syria intervention: Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao: Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao speaks at the G-20 summit." class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/6f/81a3715ae32faaa9e092e87acec4ae/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao speaks at the G-20 summit.</td></tr></tbody></table>ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — China is warning other world powers of global economic risks of a potential U.S.-led military intervention in Syria's civil war.<br /><br />Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao says such "military action would definitely have a negative impact on the global economy, especially on the oil price."<br /><br />He spoke in St. Petersburg on Thursday ahead of a summit of leaders of the Group of 20 leading world economies.<br /><br />He cited estimates that a $10 rise in oil prices could push down global growth by 0.25 percent.<br /><br /><br />He urged a negotiated U.N. solution to the standoff over allegations that Syria's government used chemical weapons against its own people, expressing hope that "the world economic balance will become more stable rather than more complex and more challenging."<br /><br />Meanwhile, Russia has warned that any U.S. strike on Syria's atomic facilities might result in a nuclear catastrophe and is urging the U.N. to present a risk analysis of such a scenario.<br /><br />The warning comes from Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Alexander Lukashevich. He said in a statement Wednesday that a strike on a miniature reactor near Damascus or other nuclear installations could contaminate the region with radioactivity, adding: "The consequences could be catastrophic."<br /><br />International Atomic Energy Agency spokeswoman Gill Tudor told the Associated Press in an email Thursday that her agency is ready to "consider the questions raised" by Lukashevich if it receives a formal request to do so from Moscow.<br /><div><br /></div>

China and Russia issue warnings over Syria intervention

Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao says military action would have a negative impact on the global economy. Chinese Vice Finance Min...

Chinese airplanes taking off without landing times

Chronic flight delays in China have led to new rules requiring planes to take off as soon as passengers are aboard. Landing is another story.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="China planes new rules: An Air China plane over Beijing Capital International Airport" class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/a3/677babc32df66f65c6a44397115b/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese airplanes now must take off as soon as passengers are aboard.</td></tr></tbody></table>To combat China's notorious flight delays, the country's eight busiest airports have been given a new edict by the Civil Aviation Administration of China – get going as soon as passengers are on board, even if there's no place to land.<br /><br />The new policy, labeled "unrestricted take off," gets planes in the air on time, but arriving is another story. Quartz.com, in this report, detailed that planes are circling destinations for hours waiting for runway slots to become available. The initial flight delays are caused by a variety of factors, including overcrowded airspace and air traffic controller woes.<br /><br /><br /><br />Quartz cited Yang Xinsheng, dean of the College of Air Traffic Management at the Civil Aviation University, who said, "Waiting on the ground is always safer than waiting in the air."<br /><br />There are costs and hazards in keeping planes circling over major urban destinations, from burning expensive fuel to creating carbon emissions over already polluted areas.<br /><br />The measures are in part due to the fact that China's booming population makes them the second-largest domestic airline market behind the United States. However, more than three-quarters of the nation's airspace is controlled by the military, putting a crunch on everyday passengers and leading to the temporary solution of hurry up and wait.<br /><br /><br /><br />In the United States, Alaska Airlines is testing a satellite system at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport that could prevent circling above airports, since it would eliminate the delay caused by use of radar. With satellites, planes can fly much closer together since air traffic controllers would have accurate portrayals of their locations at all times.<br /><br />"This makes much better use of the airspace," Alaska Captain Mike Adams told the New York Times last year. "It improves efficiency and reduces congestion. That's the holy grail we're all aiming for."<br /><div><br /></div>

Chinese airplanes taking off without landing times

Chronic flight delays in China have led to new rules requiring planes to take off as soon as passengers are aboard. Landing is another story...

11 injured in Hong Kong bus attack

HONG KONG,July 31- Eleven people were injured in a knife attack on a coach in Tuen Mun this morning.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUM5nmmKXVRbXpYiNizbc7V4DCb2azkokkgMJnp-cBfpTnaZ7TKc-qsD_jRIKFkwNzFZTjwzjozy7vy8xBAtk1HPKrw-veGFPpOyx1j-CCqNApbpYphKsK4V1ghf03rIENb3AIQYbbYQ/s1600/012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUM5nmmKXVRbXpYiNizbc7V4DCb2azkokkgMJnp-cBfpTnaZ7TKc-qsD_jRIKFkwNzFZTjwzjozy7vy8xBAtk1HPKrw-veGFPpOyx1j-CCqNApbpYphKsK4V1ghf03rIENb3AIQYbbYQ/s1600/012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The attack happened as the coach was taking workers to their offices at Tai Po Industrial Estate. Police said a 60-year-old man attacked other passengers with a chopper, injuring the 11 people, most of whom suffering minor injuries.<br /><br />The attacker was quickly subdued by passengers and later detained by the police. He was also injured.<br /><br />The police are now investigating the case.<br /><div><br /></div>

11 injured in Hong Kong bus attack

HONG KONG,July 31- Eleven people were injured in a knife attack on a coach in Tuen Mun this morning. The attack happened as the coach was ta...

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's office Made "on" China

Spanish PM mixes up quake & train crash in condolences.<br /><h3>Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's office mistakenly expressed condolences to Chinese earthquake victims instead of train derailment victims. </h3><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Mariano Rajoy issues wrong condolences: Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy inspects the aftermath of Yesterday's train crash." class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/4b/761b1bb3a07dcf654a91d5c9195fb6/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, center, inspects the aftermath of Yesterday's train crash.</td></tr></tbody></table>A glaring typographical error by Spanish officials has embarrassed Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's administration and attracted widespread criticism as the country deals with the fallout from a train derailment that killed at least 80 people in Northern Spain on Wednesday.<br /><br />Rajoy's office issued a condolence statement Wednesday that in one paragraph mistakenly conveyed sympathy for victims of Monday's earthquake in Gansu, China, in addition to the train derailment victims near Santiago de Compostela, where Rajoy is from, The Telegraph reported.<br /><br /><br />"I wish to convey my sympathy for the loss of life and the huge material damage that has resulted from the earthquake in Gansu," the error read.<br /><br />It was quickly redacted and the official letter that went out to the train victims' families did not contain the gaffe.<br /><br />While it's unlikely that Rajoy himself authored the mistake, the error invited scorn and ridicule in a Spanish political environment that has grown increasingly critical of him.<br /><br />Rajoy is currently embroiled in a financial scandal, accused of receiving illegal campaign funds. He has repeatedly denied all allegations.<br /><div><br /></div>

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's office Made "on" China

Spanish PM mixes up quake & train crash in condolences. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's office mistakenly expressed condolenc...