News » Politics » Sichuan Hanlong Group acquires Sundance Resources for $1.4 bn

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• Sichuan Hanlong Group acquires Sundance Resources for $1.4 bn
• Deceased Shanghai blogger helps expose cancer cure con
• Yao Ming’s Move Into Private Equity Won’t Be a Slam Dunk
• Three multinational retail giants face problems in China
• Taiwan's economy looks stable: industry group
• Taiwan’s Jimmy Wang Notches First Victory in U.S. Open Main Draw
• 300 Henan AIDS patients bust down government door
• North Korean economic zone aspires to new development
• Top China Stories from WSJ: Egypt Ties, Buffet and BYD, Vineyard Scuffle
• Striker’s Health at Risk
• iPhone 5 to be released by the end of September
• China to invest RMB2tn in green energy projects
• Ancient China warhorse supplier breeds its way into modernity
• Taiwan carries 9 straight months of economic slump
• Luxury watch cannot stop the ill-timed smile of Shaanxi official
• Apple seeks ban on sale of Samsung devices in US
• China's Economy--a hard, soft or crash landing?
• Chinese parents defrauded by 'perfect' education
• Hong Kong police target Pearl River triads
• Tibetan teenagers set themselves on fire in China

Sichuan Hanlong Group acquires Sundance Resources for $1.4 bn Posted: 29 Aug 2012 05:10 AM PDT China's Sichuan Hanlong Group has reached an agreement to acquire Australian mining company Sundance Resources for AU$1.37 billion (US$1.42 billion), about a fifth less than its earlier offer. Hanlon...

Deceased Shanghai blogger helps expose cancer cure con Posted: 29 Aug 2012 04:42 AM PDT It was in April last year that a female doctoral student in Shanghai who had shared her battle with cancer through her microblog succumbed to the disease. Only recently, however, has a rather tragic p...

Yao Ming’s Move Into Private Equity Won’t Be a Slam Dunk Posted: 28 Aug 2012 08:41 PM PDT Former NBA player Yao Ming may have been a star on the basketball court, but he moves onto an unfamiliar arena — the private equity arena — following reports he has bought and rebranded Chongqing Yufu Assets Management Group.

Three multinational retail giants face problems in China Posted: 29 Aug 2012 04:22 AM PDT Multinational retailers Walmart, Carrefour and Tesco are all encountering major problems in the Chinese market. A local retail company manager told the Shanghai-based National Business Daily that ...

Taiwan's economy looks stable: industry group Posted: 29 Aug 2012 03:58 AM PDT The deputy head of a Taiwanese industry group said Monday that he does not expect any volatility in Taiwan's economy in the coming months prior to two major political events in China and the United St...

Taiwan’s Jimmy Wang Notches First Victory in U.S. Open Main Draw Posted: 28 Aug 2012 08:11 PM PDT Taiwanese tennis player Jimmy Wang has scored his maiden U.S. Open main draw win, overcoming former world No. 14 Ivo Karlovic in 3 hours and 3 minutes.

300 Henan AIDS patients bust down government door Posted: 29 Aug 2012 03:46 AM PDT Around 300 AIDS patients in central China's Henan province who contracted the disease during a state-run blood collection program in 1995, broke down the front door of the provincial government office...

North Korean economic zone aspires to new development Posted: 29 Aug 2012 03:42 AM PDT The Rason Economic and Trade Zone, a special economic zone of North Korea, is hoping to push its own development with a high-profile trade fair. The second Rason International Trade Fair showcased ...

Top China Stories from WSJ: Egypt Ties, Buffet and BYD, Vineyard Scuffle Posted: 28 Aug 2012 06:55 PM PDT Egypt is becoming tied more tightly to Beijing; with BYD profits slumping, the effect of Warren Buffett's seal of approval is waning; a Macau casino executive Louis Ng tries to calm the French storm that followed news he purchased a vineyard in Burgundy.

Striker’s Health at Risk Posted: 28 Aug 2012 05:59 PM PDT The family of a prominent Uyghur religious leader whose prison sentence had been arbitrarily extended several times has called on the international community to press the Chinese authorities to release him, saying his health is in serious jeopardy after a 270-day hunger strike. Kerem Abduweli, 57, a Muslim leader in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, looked frail and weak after ending his marathon fast, according to his mother who last saw him in June.   "His health condition was terrible and he looked like he was dying. I asked [the prison officials] to let him come home and stay with me, just until his health recovered, but they refused," 78-year-old Meremnisa Abduweli told RFA's Uyghur service. His brother Memtimin Abduweli, who spoke with RFA from Sweden, said family members told him Kerem Abduweli "looked like a skeleton with skin hanging on it and he was in a wheelchair," after they met with him two months ago. Another brother, Ablimit Abduweli, said his mother pleaded for the support of the international community and of Uyghur organizations in exile abroad to take actions to seek his freedom. Kerem Abdulweli was arrested for "acts of separatism" on Nov. 17, 1990 and found guilty by trial and sentenced eight months later to 12 years in jail—retroactive to the time of his arrest. He was scheduled to be released from a prison in the Xinjiang capital Urumqi on Nov. 16, 2002. But Chinese authorities have extended his sentence four times—for three years each time—citing dangers that he might stir public unrest upon his release. Based on the last extension imposed in November 2011, he is due for release in 2014. According to his family, officials only provided verbal notice of Kerem Abduweli's sentence extensions, except for the most recent one which was communicated in written form. In protest against the extended punishments, he began a hunger strike on Sept. 24 last year which ended some nine months later in June, family members said. During the hunger strike, Kerem Abduweli's family members were summoned to the jail on four occasions in an attempt to convince him to abandon his protest. His family believes that he was eventually force fed by prison officials intravenously. The longest recorded hunger strike ended in 1973 after 385 days when Briton Dennis Galer Goodwin protested his innocence of a rape charge in a prison in England. Goodwin was fed orally, through a tube. Family visits Meremnisa Abduweli said she had visited him on the 40th day of his hunger strike in November last year and that he couldn't say much because he met with her in front of four or five prison officials. However, he didn't seem afraid of the officials either, she said. "I told him that his brother wanted to take the matter to court, but he told me that it would be useless and said we should not waste our time," she said in an interview earlier this month. "I told him to stop fasting and eat, but he refused." Meremnisa Abduweli said she only next saw her son in April this year, when she was summoned by prison officials to visit him. She was shown a letter by police which stated that he had been fasting for 198 days at that time. "I am almost certain that [the Chinese officials] only invited me to visit my son hoping that I could convince him to eat again," she said. Ablimit Abduweli, 44, and who lives in Kucha, in western Xinjiang's Aqsu prefecture, said that before the hunger strike, he had only been able to visit his brother once or twice a year. Since Kerem Abduweli was hospitalized after the hunger strike, he said, he had visited him every two months. His last visit to the prison hospital was in June. "He was able to talk but he was barely surviving. He couldn't hear in one ear," Ablimit Abduweli said. Memtimin Abduweli, 48, confirmed that his brother had gone months without food, according to information relayed to him by his family members. "He stopped eating on Sept. 24 last year and only ate for the first time in June of this year, so he didn't eat for about nine months," the Sweden-based Memtimin Abduweli said. "[The police] showed the family a document back in April stating that he hadn't eaten for 198 days. They didn't give them the document; they only let them read it and then took it back," he said. Strike end On June 26, Kerem Abduweli ended his 270-day hunger strike, although it was unclear whether he was forced to do so or had done so voluntarily. His family members said they believe that prison staff had been force feeding him intravenously. Reports suggest that Chinese officials have used forced feeding tactics to keep prisoners on hunger strikes alive. "Kerem had been fasting all along and the police would always advise the family to convince him to eat," Memtimin Abduweli said. "The only reason he is still alive is because [the Chinese officials and prison staff] are forcefully using IVs [intravenous feeding] on him to keep him alive," he said. "He is now very thin and his health is in terrible condition. He even began saying his last words to the family." Kerem Abduweli's mother also spoke about meeting with her son in the prison hospital after he ended his hunger strike, saying "I hope to see him one day if he gets better, otherwise he will die in prison and there is nothing I can do about it. "Thankfully, I have yet to hear the news of his death," she said. "All I ask is for my son to be released from prison." "All we ask is for him to come home. My mother is getting old and she has suffered too much because of Kerem's fate," Ablimit Abduweli said. "She needs to be able to spend the remainder of her years with her son." Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

iPhone 5 to be released by the end of September Posted: 29 Aug 2012 02:02 AM PDT Apple's telecom operators in the United States, AT&T and Verizon, have requested all their employees cancel any request for leave between Sept. 21-30, a sign that the latest version of the iPhone is ...

China to invest RMB2tn in green energy projects Posted: 29 Aug 2012 01:50 AM PDT The Chinese government announced on Sunday that it will invest 2.36 trillion yuan (US$371 billion) in ten projects to reduce emissions and conserve energy in the remaining three years of the country's...

Ancient China warhorse supplier breeds its way into modernity Posted: 29 Aug 2012 01:50 AM PDT A horse ranch in northwest China is undergoing the biggest transformation in its 2,100-year history, as it moves away from breeding war horses to supplying racehorses and horses for equestrian sports ...

Taiwan carries 9 straight months of economic slump Posted: 29 Aug 2012 01:50 AM PDT Taiwan's economy continued to be affected by the global recession in July, government indicators showed Monday. The composite index of monitoring indicators rose to 16 in July from 15 for the previ...

Luxury watch cannot stop the ill-timed smile of Shaanxi official Posted: 29 Aug 2012 01:50 AM PDT A poorly timed smile from an official in northwestern China's Shaanxi province who was overseeing the handling of a deadly car accident has made him an object of ridicule among internet users. Also...

Apple seeks ban on sale of Samsung devices in US Posted: 29 Aug 2012 01:50 AM PDT Apple is seeking a US sales ban on 28 of Samsung's products after it won a patent trial against the South Korean company. Samsung was ordered to pay Apple US$1.05 billion in the latest verdict in ...

China's Economy--a hard, soft or crash landing? Posted: 28 Aug 2012 11:52 AM PDT There have been increasing signs that China's economy could be in more trouble than authorities would like to admit. Over the weekend, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited southern Guangdong Province. There, where China's manufacturing hub is located, factories are closing down or have already become bankrupt, because exports have sharply declined. It's not just exports either—though the impact of the global slowdown has left its dent on the export-dependent economy.

Chinese parents defrauded by 'perfect' education Posted: 28 Aug 2012 08:12 AM PDT Parents in China 'cheated' by summer course claiming to allow children to read books in 20 seconds For ambitious Chinese parents, the opportunity was too good to miss – even with its 100,000 yuan (£9,950) price tag. Their children would learn to read books in just 20 seconds and identify poker cards by touch. The most talented would instantly see answers in their heads when presented with test papers. Around 30 pupils aged between seven and 17 were duly enrolled for the Shanghai summer course. But 10 days later their "special abilities" had not materialised. "I found that my child learned nothing except how to cheat," one disgruntled parent complained. Experts say the bizarre programme's popularity was simply an extreme example of how families seek to aid their offspring in the intensively competitive education system. Chinese parents have long focused on the college entrance exam, the gaokao (pronounced "gow-kow"). Now families say they are caught in a chain, because good results depend on getting into a good high school, which, in turn, requires a good primary. Even some kindergartens in big cities have waiting lists and interviews. After-hours classes, weekend tutoring and summer courses are common before middle-class children hit their teens. Few are quite as spectacular as the Shanghai programme, which claimed it achieved remarkable results by training children to use the right-hand side of their brain. A tutor told an undercover reporter from the Oriental Morning Post that pupils learned to detect "certain waves" that emanated from everything, including words. Those waves were "recorded in their brains as pictures" so that they could read without even looking, she added. Police are now investigating the company behind the course. One angry father told the Guardian the teachers had convinced his daughter she really could read cards by touch. Though his tests quickly proved her wrong, other parents were reluctant to accept the truth, he said. The case underlines the lengths that parents will go to as they seek to give their children a competitive edge, or simply help them keep up. Of the wider phenomenon, one Beijing mother, who has paid for extra English and maths lessons since her daughter was just six – a year before she started primary school, said: "Every kid is going to after school classes nowadays. It's not only kids who are not good at school but also top students." Ms Wei, who asked that only her surname be used, said her previously carefree daughter was already showing signs of stress. "But what can we do? If she fails to get into a good high school, her future won't be bright," she added. "Kids have to fight fiercely in order to go to top schools. It's like a real battle with blood and bruises." Such anxieties are widespread. Last year research by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found that China was the only country in which most people – 68% in all – thought parents put too much pressure on students. In contrast, 64% of Americans thought parents applied too little pressure. Children seem to agree. A 2010 study by British and Chinese researchers found that more than a third of the primary school pupils they surveyed in the eastern province of Zhejiang suffered headaches and stomach pains at least once a week. "The competitive and punitive educational environment leads to high levels of stress and psychosomatic symptoms," said the researchers, who were led by Professor Therese Hesketh of the Centre for International Health and Development at University College London. Officials have already tried to curb some excesses. Earlier this year, Chinese media reported that the ministry of education had banned kindergartens from setting homework. But parenting expert Yin Jianli, who urges families to value creativity and independence, said it was also time for fathers and mothers to grow up. She acknowledged that people worried about their sons' and daughters' futures, but added: "They won't let their children have a proper break during holidays. They know very little about education and child-rearing, but they have a strong sense of being competitive. So they will just follow other parents blindly." That was not just tough on the children, but counter-productive, she warned: "In the short term, kids will feel tired. In the long run, they will lose their interest in studying." Additional research by Kathy Gao China Tania Branigan guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Hong Kong police target Pearl River triads Posted: 28 Aug 2012 06:05 AM PDT Operation Thunderbolt leads to 1,200 arrests after police use undercover agents to infiltrate gangs Bundles of crisp new bank notes in several currencies, large butcher's knives, PCs, half a dozen iron bars, and several mahjong sets: this is a sample of the material seized by Hong Kong police during an August investigation targeting crime gangs known as triads. Operation Thunderbolt, supported by police in Macao and neighbouring Guangdong province, consisted of 1,700 raids on suspicious premises including gambling dens, unlicensed bars and warehouses. Almost 1,200 suspects were arrested on charges ranging from drug trafficking or illegal possession of arms to membership of a criminal organisation, an offence in Hong Kong. Investigators seized about $450,000, along with drugs, contraband cigarettes, pornographic DVDs and large amounts of untaxed petrol. The triads thrive on the administrative divisions between Macao and its casinos to the west, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou to the north, and the financial centre of Hong Kong. Chief superintendent Kwok Ho-fai, head of the organised crime and triad bureau, described the situation as stable and said the triads' business interests – which include trafficking, racketeering, forgery, prostitution and gaming – remain unchanged. After several raids on nightclubs, where ketamine – which has superseded heroin as the most popular drug among young people – was widely available, police attention has switched to boat parties, three of which were raided. Police used undercover agents to infiltrate the triads. For instance, on Lantau island, at the mouth of the Pearl river, where unemployment among young people makes them easy prey for triad scouts, police sent young officers to be recruited. Operation Thunderbolt was swiftly followed by the announcement of a crackdown – codenamed Landchaser – on criminals specialising in fake alcohol. Hong Kong police seized 600 branded bottles of whisky and vodka filled with low-grade alcohol. Hong Kong is one of the world's safest cities, with a very low crime rate. This story originally appeared in Le Monde China Organised crime Florence de Changy guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Tibetan teenagers set themselves on fire in China Posted: 28 Aug 2012 01:27 AM PDT Latest deaths in protests at Chinese rule take to 51 the number of self-immolations since 2009, says rights group Two Tibetan teenagers have died after setting themselves on fire outside a monastery in the latest protest against Chinese rule, according to an overseas rights group. The deaths pushed to 51 the number of confirmed self-immolations since 2009, London-based Free Tibet said in a statement. The group said 18-year-old monk Lobsang Kalsang and 17-year-old former monk Damchoek set themselves on fire on Monday outside Kirti monastery in Aba county in the south-west Chinese province of Sichuan. They died later that day in hospital, Free Tibet said. Citing witnesses, Free Radio Asia said the two teenagers shouted slogans condemning Chinese policies in Tibet. Police in Aba county said on Tuesday they had no information on the self-immolations, which are rarely reported by Chinese state media. There have been at least 27 self-immolations in Aba, according to an earlier tally by the International Campaign for Tibet. Supporters say the self-immolations are done in protest against Beijing's heavy-handed rule in Tibetan regions and to call for the return of the Dalai Lama. China has blamed the Tibetans' exiled spiritual leader for inciting the deaths, but the Dalai Lama denies the claim. He has never publicly supported or denounced the acts. Lobsang Sangay, the political leader of Tibetan exiles, said earlier this month the incidents were against the movement's commitment to non-violence but it was his duty to highlight why the protesters were dying. He expressed his disappointment that the self-immolations by Tibetans have not received the same international attention as the similar suicide of a Tunisian man that sparked the Arab spring. In Washington, the state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Monday the US had called on Beijing to "meet the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people within China to protect their human rights, to protect their way of life, and to work on these issues through dialogue". Tibet China Protest Asia Pacific guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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