News » Politics » Breaking: Tibet continues to burn, 15th self-immolation in November
News » Politics » Breaking: Tibet continues to burn, 15th self-immolation in November |
- Breaking: Tibet continues to burn, 15th self-immolation in November
- Era of personal computers past: Taiwan executive
- More than 1,000 new coal plants planned worldwide, figures show
- DPP to invite Aung San Suu Kyi to visit Taiwan
- Potential investors invited to share opinion on Matsu casino project
- Product safety concerns see Chinese liquor company shares suspended
- China Stalls Move to Quell Asia Disputes Over Territory
- China's growing military sophistication on display at Zhuhai airshow
- Hong Kong’s Bond, IPO Markets Revive
- Powerful Backer for China’s New Manhattan
- Matsu's plan for mahjong competition draws protests
- Chinese, US police bust luxury bag counterfeiting ring, 73 arrested
- 72% of Chinese int'l students return to China after studies
- HTC chairwoman rebuts 'groundless' report about CEO
- African buyers place US$110 million worth of orders in Taiwan
- Taiwan's DOH defends decision on looser apple pesticide regulations
- Taiwanese oil firm denies scrapping Malaysia investment plan
- Taiwan visitors to Japan set October high, China tourist numbers fall
- Bird species tagged in Taiwan spotted in Australia for first time
- Scholars in China Call for Abolishing Extralegal Committee
| Breaking: Tibet continues to burn, 15th self-immolation in November Posted: 19 Nov 2012 08:39 PM PST In continuing escalation in self-immolation protests in Tibet, another Tibetan set himself on fire in the Kangtsa region of eastern Tibet in an apparent protest against China's continued occupation of Tibet. |
| Era of personal computers past: Taiwan executive Posted: 20 Nov 2012 05:31 AM PST The era of personal computers has past. The sooner the local information technology industry realizes this and adapts accordingly, the better it will be for that sector, an executive of a local elect... |
| More than 1,000 new coal plants planned worldwide, figures show Posted: 19 Nov 2012 09:01 PM PST  World Resources Institute identifies 1,200 coal plants in planning across 59 countries, with about three-quarters in China and India More than 1,000 coal-fired power plants are being planned worldwide, new research has revealed. The huge planned expansion comes despite warnings from politicians, scientists and campaigners that the planet's fast-rising carbon emissions must peak within a few years if runaway climate change is to be avoided and that fossil fuel assets risk becoming worthless if international action on global warming moves forward. Coal plants are the most polluting of all power stations and the World Resources Institute (WRI) identified 1,200 coal plants in planning across 59 countries, with about three-quarters in China and India. The capacity of the new plants add up to 1,400GW to global greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of adding another China – the world's biggest emitter. India is planning 455 new plants compared to 363 in China, which is seeing a slowdown in its coal investments after a vast building programme in the past decade. "This is definitely not in line with a safe climate scenario – it would put us on a really dangerous trajectory," said the WRI's Ailun Yang, who compiled the report, considered to be the most comprehensive in the public domain. But she said new emissions limits proposed in the US and a voluntary cap on coal use in China could begin to turn the tide. "These policies would give really strong signals about the risks to the future financial performance of coal of climate policies." Nick Robins, head of the Climate Change Centre at HSBC, said: "If you think about low-carbon energy only in terms of carbon, then things look tough [in terms of not using coal]. But if you take into account all factors, then dealing with coal [ie not using it] looks a little less difficult." He cited the increasing replacement of coal with shale gas and renewable energy, tightening air pollution regulations, the gradual cleaning of economies like China's and the increasing scarcity of water, which is needed in large quantities by coal-fired power stations. "We expect financiers and investors increasingly to include these factors into investment decisions for coal to avoid the threat of stranded assets," Robins said. The WRI report also found that, after a slight dip during the economic troubles of 2008, the global coal trade has rebounded and rose by 13% in 2010. A structural shift has moved the bulk of the international coal trade from the Atlantic, serving Europe and the US, to the Pacific. China became a net importer of coal in 2009 but the biggest changes are fast-rising imports by Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, which all have large numbers of coal-fired plants but produce virtually no coal of their own. However, Germany, the UK and France remain in the top 10 importers, and coal use rose 4% in 2011 in Europe as prices fell and plants due to close under clean air rules use up their allotted running hours. Indonesia and Australia are the largest coal exporters, with the latter planning to triple its mine and port capacity to almost 1bn tonnes a year. Many developing countries, such as Guatemala, Cambodia, Morocco, Namibia, Senegal and Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan, are planning new coal-fired plants even when they produce almost no coal at all. "There is a long way to go to raise awareness that you can meet energy needs from sources other than coal," said Yang. Most new coal-fired plants will be built by Chinese or Indian companies. But new plants have largely been financed by both commercial banks and development banks. JP Morgan Chase has provided more than $16.5bn (£10.3bn) for new coal plants over the past six years, followed by Citi ($13.8bn). Barclays ($11.5bn) comes in as the fifth biggest coal backer and the Royal Bank of Scotland ($10.9bn) as the seventh. The Japan Bank for International Co-operation was the biggest development bank ($8.1bn), with the World Bank ($5.3bn) second. Guy Shrubsole, at Friends of the Earth, said of the WRI report: "This is a scary number of coal-fired plants being planned. It is clear that the vested interests of coal companies are driving this forward and that they will have to be reined in by governments." In January, the Bank of England was warned that fossil fuel sub-prime assets posed a systemic risk to economic stability, because only 20% of the reserves of the top 100 coal and top 100 oil and gas companies could be burned while keeping the global temperature rise under the internationally agreed limit of 2C. 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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| DPP to invite Aung San Suu Kyi to visit Taiwan Posted: 20 Nov 2012 04:43 AM PST The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said Monday it plans to invite Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to visit Taiwan. The DPP said in a statement that it has asked delegates of... |
| Potential investors invited to share opinion on Matsu casino project Posted: 20 Nov 2012 04:43 AM PST The Lienchiang county government on Monday kicked off the first of a series of events to solicit opinion from potential investors from home and abroad on a casino resort project in Taiwan's outlying i... |
| Product safety concerns see Chinese liquor company shares suspended Posted: 20 Nov 2012 04:43 AM PST The Shenzhen Stock Exchange suspend trading Jiugui Liquor Company shares on Nov.19 until further notice due to excessively high levels of some chemicals found in the company's products, the Chinese fi... |
| China Stalls Move to Quell Asia Disputes Over Territory Posted: 19 Nov 2012 09:00 PM PST Representatives of members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations take issue with a Cambodian statement on resolving disputes in the South China Sea. |
| China's growing military sophistication on display at Zhuhai airshow Posted: 20 Nov 2012 04:11 AM PST The achievements of the Chinese military's modernization efforts over the past two decades were on proud demonstration at the ninth China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition held in the coa... |
| Hong Kong’s Bond, IPO Markets Revive Posted: 19 Nov 2012 07:52 PM PST The smooth completion of China's once-a-decade political transition is triggering a boom for Hong Kong's "dim sum" bond market after a dearth of new issues in recent months. |
| Powerful Backer for China’s New Manhattan Posted: 19 Nov 2012 09:00 PM PST  The Yujiapu financial district, seen as a symbol of the nation's growing economy, was financed by state-owned banks, but is also closely associated with a little-known local politician. |
| Matsu's plan for mahjong competition draws protests Posted: 20 Nov 2012 03:11 AM PST Anti-gambling activists protested Monday after Lienchiang County government officials announced in Taipei that the county will hold a mahjong championship next year in Matsu, the island group off Chin... |
| Chinese, US police bust luxury bag counterfeiting ring, 73 arrested Posted: 20 Nov 2012 02:55 AM PST Chinese police working with US law enforcement have uncovered a major transnational criminal operation manufacturing and exporting fake international brands, arresting 73 suspects. The police have co... |
| 72% of Chinese int'l students return to China after studies Posted: 20 Nov 2012 02:39 AM PST More than 72% of overseas Chinese students returned to China after completing their education abroad since the late 1970s, according to a report from a government-backed agency. From 1978 to 2011, a... |
| HTC chairwoman rebuts 'groundless' report about CEO Posted: 20 Nov 2012 02:35 AM PST The chairwoman of Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC on Monday denied a local media report that claimed she has asked HTC's chief executive to improve the company's struggling operations within a specifie... |
| African buyers place US$110 million worth of orders in Taiwan Posted: 20 Nov 2012 02:35 AM PST Domestic suppliers received over US$110 million worth of orders from African buyers Monday at a sourcing fair in Taipei, Taiwan's main trade promotion organization said. The buyers engaged in more th... |
| Taiwan's DOH defends decision on looser apple pesticide regulations Posted: 20 Nov 2012 02:15 AM PST The Department of Health took issue Sunday with media reports that said the government raised maximum residue levels for 11 different pesticides to accommodate fruit imported from South Korea. Kang J... |
| Taiwanese oil firm denies scrapping Malaysia investment plan Posted: 20 Nov 2012 02:15 AM PST Taiwan's state-run oil refiner CPC Corp, Taiwan denied reports Saturday that it was scrapping a planned investment project in Malaysia, saying the plan was still undergoing a feasibility assessment. ... |
| Taiwan visitors to Japan set October high, China tourist numbers fall Posted: 20 Nov 2012 02:15 AM PST The number of Taiwanese visitors to Japan set a year-on-year high for October, while the number of Chinese tourists to the country tumbled, amid a territorial dispute in the East China Sea that is see... |
| Bird species tagged in Taiwan spotted in Australia for first time Posted: 20 Nov 2012 02:15 AM PST A little tern tracked by a group of Taiwanese ornithologists was spotted in Queensland, Australia in early November, the first time a little tern tagged by the group has been seen overseas, the Yilan ... |
| Scholars in China Call for Abolishing Extralegal Committee Posted: 19 Nov 2012 05:26 PM PST  A police squad with dogs enforces security during the closing of the recently-concluded 18th Party Congress. Liberals scholars in China have called for the abolishment of the Communist Party committee that oversees the police and all law enforcement in China. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images) The top committee that controls all law enforcement operations in China itself mostly operates outside any written law. That results in enormous abuses of power that some reformers in China are trying to address—at a current critical juncture in Chinese politics after a new leadership has been sworn in. Mao Zedong's former secretary, Li Rui, called for the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee (PLAC) to be abolished at a Peking University seminar which convened to discuss political reform, two days after the closing of the 18th People's Congress. Political magazine Yanhuang Chunqiu and the Peking University's Constitutional and Administrative Law Research Center sponsored the forum. Attendees, including liberal intellectuals, party reformers, professors and experts proposed a "reform consensus," developed in part from points in Hu's work report to the 18th Congress.
Li Rui, 95-year-old former executive vice minister of the Central Organization Department, spoke at the forum, emphasizing that it is not enough to remove the PLAC from the Politburo Standing Committee, and that it should be abolished completely. He referred to the Bo Xilai case, where Bo's abuse of power was a result of his position as protégé to former regime leader Jiang Zemin, and heir apparent to Zhou Yongkang, the former secretary of the PLAC. Rui also proposed nationalization of the military, which is under the command of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Military Commission. Ruan Ming, speechwriter and advisor to former CCP party secretary Hu Yaobang, told the New York-based NTD Television that he supports Li Rui's proposal. "In the past, when the PLAC's Party Secretary Zhou Yongkang was part of the Politburo Standing Committee, he turned the PLAC into an independent kingdom. He could order the provincial PLACs offices to arrest and suppress people under the name of ensuring stability," At the 18th Party Congress the PLAC was removed from the Politburo Standing Committee, and nine committee positions became seven. Ruan Ming also said that though the PLAC is no longer part of the Standing Committee, it can continue to commit "evil deeds" as long it still exists. Thus, it is necessary to abolish it completely, he says. The position held by Zhou Yongkang reflected former leader Jiang Zemin's sustained control over key parts of the CCP even after leaving office. Shi Zangshan, a Washington-based analyst of Chinese politics, says that the worst crimes of Jiang's faction, such as the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, were carried out by the PLAC. Jiang Ping, former president of China University of Political Science and Law pointed out at the conference that China's judicial system had deteriorated since the 17th Party Congress, as the judicial system, under the PLAC, is not independent and the authority of the PLAC has increased. Chen Guangzhong, another former president of that university, believes that China must maintain the independence of its judicial system, as the PLAC often "misjudged a case and shirked responsibility later." While the PLAC misjudged a large numbers of cases, or even manufactured cases, the Propaganda Department powered the state media to spread propaganda and rumors. An example, in the persecution of Falun Gong, was a self-immolation case in 2001, where PLAC secretary Luo Gan worked with Jiang Zemin to frame Falun Gong. Shi Zangshan says that even after Jiang stepped out of office the authority of the PLAC continued to increase, and the agency demanded a budget higher than the military's in order to "maintain stability." In recent years, the PLAC has extended its persecution to other groups, such as minorities, Christian house churches, petitioners, political dissenters, and human rights activists and lawyers, confiscating their assets, and subjecting them to arbitrary arrest, surveillance, and illegal raids on their homes. The Chinese government restricted many liberal scholars from speaking publicly until after the end of the Congress. Some were even surprised that the forum was allowed to be held at all, given the intense political scrutiny given to such discussions in China. Attendee Hu Xingdou, professor of economics at the Beijing Institute of Technology, when asked his thoughts on that question by a Hong Kong newspaper, said simply: "I don't know either." Related ArticlesRead the original Chinese article. Editor's Note: When Chongqing's former top cop, Wang Lijun, fled for his life to the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu on Feb. 6, he set in motion a political storm that has not subsided. The battle behind the scenes turns on what stance officials take toward the persecution of Falun Gong. The faction with bloody hands—the officials former CCP head Jiang Zemin promoted in order to carry out the persecution—is seeking to avoid accountability for their crimes and to continue the campaign. Other officials are refusing any longer to participate in the persecution. Events present a clear choice to the officials and citizens of China, as well as people around the world: either support or oppose the persecution of Falun Gong. History will record the choice each person makes. The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.
 Click www.ept.ms/ccp-crisis to read about the most recent developments in the ongoing crisis within the Chinese communist regime. In this special topic, we provide readers with the necessary context to understand the situation. Get the RSS feed. Who are the Major Players? |
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