News » Society » Undercover pro-life activist secretly films 'abortion clinic supporting plan to terminate baby because it is a girl'

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• Undercover pro-life activist secretly films 'abortion clinic supporting plan to terminate baby because it is a girl'
• Prince Charles launches range of memorabilia to cash in on his mother's Jubilee celebrations
• Britain's ailing economy shows signs of life as retailers take on more staff for the first time in nearly a decade
• ALEX BRUMMER: Andrew Tyrie seeks to Taser the Bank of England
• Demand from China, and a little help from Victoria Beckham, drives luxury car sales for Jaguar
• United Nations to issue warning against 'world's most powerful computer virus' over fears it could cripple entire countries
• VIDEO: Strong China sales boost JLR profits
• Great haul of China: Incredible collection of supercars worth more than £50m goes on display at Shanghai's F1 track
• Are you sure? United claim everyone supports the Red Devils... well, at least 10 per cent of the world!
• Could Apple's long-awaited iTV be on store shelves this Christmas? Early versions are already being tested in China
• FTSE CLOSE: Markets rally despite fears over Spain's ailing economy
• Ted tide kills abalones
• Chinese national victim
• Beijing summit to be 'fruitful'
• Putin's state visit
• Novelist's gift turned into retreat for the rich
• Officials punished after fatal fire
• Police bust kidney-transplant ring
• Peking duck restaurant sorry for swill oil sale
• Ex-fugitive Lai heads to life term

Undercover pro-life activist secretly films 'abortion clinic supporting plan to terminate baby because it is a girl' Posted: 29 May 2012 06:25 PM PDT Pro-lifers Live Action, founded by UCLA graduate Lila Rose (pictured), sent a pregnant woman into a Planned Parenthood clinic with a hidden camera in Austin,Texas. She made it clear to a counselor that she will only have a termination if the child is female but would keep a baby boy.

Prince Charles launches range of memorabilia to cash in on his mother's Jubilee celebrations Posted: 29 May 2012 05:40 PM PDT The future king is selling commemorative gifts - including a stuffed corgi - through his Highgrove website, all profits from which go to charity.

Britain's ailing economy shows signs of life as retailers take on more staff for the first time in nearly a decade Posted: 29 May 2012 03:29 PM PDT The CBI said the number of people employed in the sector, including on the High Street, in shopping centres and at car dealerships, increased in May – ending a decline dating back to February 2003.

ALEX BRUMMER: Andrew Tyrie seeks to Taser the Bank of England Posted: 29 May 2012 03:25 PM PDT Relations between the Bank and Treasury Select Committee are fractious. The dispute focuses on Andrew Tyrie's determination to bring what he regards as an over-powerful Bank under more control.

Demand from China, and a little help from Victoria Beckham, drives luxury car sales for Jaguar Posted: 29 May 2012 02:56 PM PDT Profits accelerated 35 per cent for the year to the end of March, helped by strong demand for its Range Rover Evoque, which was launched by the former Spice Girl, who put her name to a special edition of the off-roader.

United Nations to issue warning against 'world's most powerful computer virus' over fears it could cripple entire countries Posted: 29 May 2012 04:41 PM PDT In what was being seen as the dawn of a new era in cyber warfare, UN computer security chiefs issued 'the most serious warning they have ever put out' over the massive 'Flame' superbug.

VIDEO: Strong China sales boost JLR profits Posted: 29 May 2012 11:51 AM PDT Jaguar Land Rover, the Indian-owned car manufacturer, has reported a 34% rise in profits after sales hit a record high.

Great haul of China: Incredible collection of supercars worth more than £50m goes on display at Shanghai's F1 track Posted: 29 May 2012 01:39 PM PDT Ultra-wealthy petrolheads from across the 'People's Republic' showed up at the racetrack in their 200mph-plus supercars for an annual parade.

Are you sure? United claim everyone supports the Red Devils... well, at least 10 per cent of the world! Posted: 29 May 2012 11:26 AM PDT Manchester United have claimed that almost 10 per cent of the world's entire population support Sir Alex Ferguson's team.

Could Apple's long-awaited iTV be on store shelves this Christmas? Early versions are already being tested in China Posted: 29 May 2012 10:32 AM PDT The TV is rumoured to have voice control, and was one of the last major projects Steve Jobs worked on before he died - it's rumoured to be in production in Foxconn's Shenzhen factory.

FTSE CLOSE: Markets rally despite fears over Spain's ailing economy Posted: 29 May 2012 09:55 AM PDT Hopes for the economic recovery in the US today offset the damage caused to banking stocks hit by fears over Spain's struggling economy.

Ted tide kills abalones Posted: 29 May 2012 10:29 AM PDT Seafood farmer You changxiong in Yutang Village, Baiqing Town in east China's coastal Fujian Provice holds dead abalones from his seafood farm as red tide hits the waters off the coast in Pingtang, Fujian. You will suffer aloss of an estimate 3 million yuan from the red tide. Local fishery authorities reported that the red tide has killed l 50 percent of the 100 million abalones local seafood farmers have raised, causing a damage totalling 220 million yuan. Red tide is a phenomenon resulted from large concentrations of aquatic microorganisms. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Chinese national victim Posted: 29 May 2012 10:18 AM PDT A Chinese national was killed in yesterday's earthquake, the Chinese Consulate General in Milan said. The death was reported by other Chinese living in the stricken area. The identity of the deceased was not available.

Beijing summit to be 'fruitful' Posted: 29 May 2012 09:10 AM PDT THIS year's Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit is expected to produce fruitful results, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping said in Beijing yesterday. The 12th meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States takes place in Beijing on June 6-7. Cheng said the summit will identify the direction for the SCO's development and major tasks for the next decade and adopt the Strategic Plan for the Medium-Term Development of the SCO in accordance with the consensus reached at the Astana summit, he said. Cheng said significant outcome documents would be adopted. "In the political field, we will adopt the Declaration on Building a Region with Lasting Peace and Common Prosperity, which will be the first political document of the SCO themed on building a harmonious region," he said. In the security field, the amendments to the SCO Regulations on Political and Diplomatic Measures and Mechanism of Response to Events Jeopardizing Regional Peace, Security and Stability will be adopted, which will boost the SCO's ability to prevent and tackle emergencies. In the economic field, member states will reach a new consensus on establishing multilateral financing guarantee mechanisms and speeding up transportation facilitation, he said. China has been the SCO rotating president since last year's Astana summit in Kazakhstan.

Putin's state visit Posted: 29 May 2012 09:09 AM PDT RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to China on June 5-6, the Kremlin press service said yesterday. In Beijing, Putin will take part in a Heads of State Council meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Founded in Shanghai in 2001, the SCO comprises six countries - China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Putin is to visit Uzbekistan on June 4 and Kazakhstan on June 7.

Novelist's gift turned into retreat for the rich Posted: 29 May 2012 09:07 AM PDT A classic garden and library donated to the city of Hangzhou by China's bestselling kung fu novelist has been turned into a high-end clubhouse serving expensive meals. In 1994, Hong Kong-based Louis Cha, better known by his pen name Jin Yong, spent nearly 14 million yuan (US$2.21 million) building the Cloudy Pine Sanctum, a tranquil retreat for literature and cultural communications, beside the scenic West Lake, and donated it to the government of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, in 1996. But instead of serving the public, the exquisite garden has been turned into a luxurious club targeting wealthy businessmen and government officials, the China News Service reported yesterday. An unnamed employee told the news agency that the garden offered four meals a day. The minimum charge for a feast was 500 yuan per person, and a group banquet could cost 10,000 yuan, he said, adding that a pot of tea cost 100 yuan per person. An official with the property-management authority surnamed Fan said large banquets were held only occasionally and mainly for the authorities. But Fan disclosed that "an internal employee" signed a contract and paid 450,000 yuan in rent per year to operate the Cloudy Pine Sanctum. Before a major renovation in 2008 when the structure was turned into the luxurious club, local cultural groups set up offices there, Zhang Dong, an official with the Hangzhou West Lake Culture Research Association, told CNS. The Suzhou-style garden, occupying an area of 3,200 square meters, used to be a popular rendezvous for writers and artists, and it cost just 35 yuan per person for a pot of tea, he said, adding that the group was "swept away" after the renovation. Zhang said the authorities never followed Cha's instructions and charged admission fees. Cha, 88, is one of China's most renowned literary figures. His 15 works written between 1955 and 1972 earned him a reputation as one of the greatest martial arts writers. He is also the bestselling living Chinese author, with more than 100 million books sold worldwide. They have been translated into English, French, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Burmese and Thai. The novelist could not be reached for comment.

Officials punished after fatal fire Posted: 29 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT SEVERAL officials have been punished after a kindergarten fire in central China's Hunan Province killed two children and injured three others on Sunday, local officials said. Chen Li, head of the Lantian Kindergarten, and Ou Xiuqiu, a school nurse, have been detained while eight local education officials, including the deputy director of the county education bureau, have been suspended from their posts. The fire broke out about midnight Sunday. Two children died of smoke inhalation and another three were slightly injured and are in stable condition, the Xinhua news agency reported yesterday. A preliminary investigation showed Ou ignited mosquito-repellent incense, which triggered the blaze, and left children sleeping alone without getting approval. The Lantian Kindergarten was located in a two-floor residential house away from the country fair in Haotou County. It has suspended classes and been cordoned off, the Sanxiang City Express, a local newspaper, reported. The injured students have been discharged from the hospital and are back home.

Police bust kidney-transplant ring Posted: 29 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT THE ringleader of a kidney-trafficking gang that housed kidney sellers in a residential complex in Hangzhou has been arrested and 28 sellers have been rescued, police said yesterday. The man identified as Dong Ge was apprehended in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, said Wang Jun, official with the Dingqiao police station in Hangzhou. He didn't reveal details as the police investigation is ongoing. According to an undercover report conducted by news portal qq.com, nearly 30 young men who were either in debt or wanted to earn quick money were waiting for surgery and cash payment of 35,000 yuan (US$5,530) for a kidney. A man surnamed Ji said he sold his kidney in order to buy a Yamaha motorbike. A seller surnamed Li, 20, said he had to collect money to compensate his co-worker in an accident settlement. The post said the gang found sellers in railway stations, took them to a hospital for physical examination and provided them accommodations as they waited for kidney-removal surgery. The illegal network rented a four-room apartment, three for sellers and one for agents, on April 24 in Hangzhou, capital of eastern China's Zhejiang Province. The sellers, including university students and bankrupt businessmen, had their cell phones taken away and were given nearly 50 yuan per day for food to cook by themselves. Some were found by agents, who could earn 3,500 yuan from a deal. Three sellers were escorted to underground kidney-transplant clinics in the southern provincial capitals of Kunming and Guangzhou, the post said.

Peking duck restaurant sorry for swill oil sale Posted: 29 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT A renowned Peking roast duck restaurant has issued a public apology after two of its chain locations were found to resell leftover kitchen oil to street vendors in Beijing. The Beijing-based Quanjude Group apologized after the arrest of Wang Duohao, who fabricated certificates, collected gutter oil in the capital's Sanyuanqiao and Aoyuncun outlets and resold it to street vendors who make fried snacks from 2004 to October 2011. Wang collected 50 to 60 kilograms of swill oil, including duck grease that dripped into collecting boxes and pipes under the restaurants' stoves, each day from a Quanjude outlet. He has been accused of making and selling toxic and harmful food, prosecutors in Chaoyang District said. The Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security said this February that producers and sellers of gutter oil or illegally recycled cooking oil could face the death penalty. The company said it has cooperated fully with the police investigation into Wang and retained the right to sue him. "We have rectified loopholes in kitchen residue management regulations," the group announced on its website. The two chain restaurants have changed to a licensed recycling firm and ordered it to provide information about the buyers of the reprocessed oil. "We attach great importance to the responsible disposal of waste oil. We will continue to fulfil our social responsibility and welcome supervision by the public and the media," the restaurant announced. Gutter oil can contain carcinogens and other toxins. The government launched a massive crackdown in 2011 after media reports said gutter oil was rampant in China. Police have busted 100 gutter oil manufacturers since last August and arrested about 800 suspects.

Ex-fugitive Lai heads to life term Posted: 29 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT LAI Changxing, a notorious smuggling ring kingpin, is to begin a life sentence for smuggling and bribery after he failed to appeal the court ruling, the Intermediate People's Court of Xiamen in Fujian Province said yesterday. Lai didn't appeal within 10 days after the verdict was announced on May 18, the Xinhua news agency reported. Lai formed a smuggling ring with bases in Hong Kong and Xiamen since 1991, importing cigarettes, cars and other commodities worth 27.395 billion yuan (US$3.69 billion) and evaded duties of nearly 14 billion yuan from December 1995 to May 1999, prosecutors told the court at his trial. Once China's No. 1 fugitive, Lai fled to Canada in mid-1999 and for 12 years fought deportation to China by arguing he could face the death penalty or be tortured and would not get a fair trial in his home country. He was repatriated to China on July 23, 2011.