Loggers’ release not victory of diplomacy

Myanmar President U Thein Sein granted a presidential pardon on Thursday, which released 6,966 prisoners, including 155 Chinese loggers who were detained in the country not long ago. The freed Chinese loggers were released on Thursday afternoon and were heading to the Sino-Myanmar border. The 155 Chinese were convicted of illegal logging by Myitkyina district court of Myanmar, among whom, 150 were given 20 years in jail. This is the largest number of Chinese nationals sentenced by a foreign court in recent years. The Chinese Embassy in Myanmar has lodged representations with the Myanmar government. Yet a Myanmar official told the press that if its own citizens commit crimes abroad, they will also be punished according to the local laws, therefore, the Chinese government should not intervene in its court decision through diplomacy. Chinese public opinion should hence not read the amnesty as a "result of Chinese diplomacy," otherwise, we will show disrespect to Myanmar. As a matter of fact, these 155 Chinese are only 2 percent of those released, and some of a total 210 freed foreigners. We can only say that these Chinese were lucky, as they have been beneficiaries of Thein Sein's presidential pardon this year. The president has issued pardons a dozen times since he assumed office. Of course, these people should celebrate the friendship between China and Myanmar for they have escaped jail after being sentenced. They should be thankful, and engrave the experience in their minds. Although they have been released, the profound lesson should not be forgotten or written off. These loggers are considered "victims" of illegal labor service companies. China should seriously examine how many of the procedures by which they entered Myanmar and engaged in logging are legal or illegal. The 155 people are surely not "heroes," as they have harmed their country's reputation, and caused trouble for their native land. If some of them are indeed responsible for the incident, they should be punished for it. Despite the fact that Myanmar has pardoned them, if any of them have actually violated Chinese law, they also deserve the punishment of China's judicial system. We hope this is the last group of Chinese who were sentenced in Myanmar, and we do not wish to witness any more dramas of Chinese being put behind bars first and then being pardoned. If in the future, more Chinese are to be severely sentenced, they should not count on the Sino-Myanmar friendship to come to the rescue. Northern Myanmar is a region filled with conflicts between government troops and ethnic armed forces for regional dominance. Such complexity should be deemed by Chinese as risks rather than opportunities in terms of doing business in Myanmar. The sobering experience of these 155 people should be an alarm call for everyone, to prevent the same mistake from happening again.

‘Role model’ rape victim asks public to focus on human trafficker

Gao Yanmin, the female teacher from North China's Hebei province at the center of a public debate after local media cited her as a role model while largely ignoring coverage of her abduction and rape, said people should vent their ire on the human trafficker instead of her and her family, the Global Times learned Thursday. A Global Times reporter went to Xiashan village, Baoding city, Hebei to visit Gao Thursday morning. Gao said she is annoyed by the recent public attention and wants the public to give her peace. "It [the public debate] is harmful. I only want a peaceful, quiet life," Gao said. She explained that several police officers visited her on Wednesday night, claiming that they want to investigate her abduction 20 years ago. The policemen have left right before the Global Times reporter arrived. The visit from the police has shocked her and her family. Gao said her father-in-law has been suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Gao said he was frightened by the police visit. The police should not investigate her family but the human trafficker, she said. Gao's phone has been ringing and has received tons of messages since Wednesday afternoon, but she has not read any of them, she said, adding that she is worried that the public attention will affect her daughter who will be taking the national college entrance examination next year. "My child has grown up, it is meaningless to talk about the past," Gao explained. Gao has been teaching in Hebei's mountainous Xia'an village following her kidnapping in 1994 from a train station in Shijiazhuang, Hebei when she was 18 years old and sold for 2,700 yuan to a village shepherd. Her story was later adapted into a film, The Story of an Abducted Woman, which was released in 2009, where Gao was portrayed as a devoted teacher. But the story has recently attracted growing criticism for neglecting her ordeal, after the old story was reposted by a commentary on a public account on WeChat entitled "A nation's shame: abducted woman praised as the most beautiful teacher." Gao said her father-in-law is nice to her, despite there was some conflicts at the very beginning. She clarified that she is not angry about his father-in-law but she has been thankful for the fact that he bought her. "I grasped his leg, begged him to help me out from the trafficker. But the human trafficker said I could go only if money was paid. My father-in-law pitied me and paid the money," she said. For the film, The Story of an Abducted Woman, Gao said she has not watched it. "I never watch movie, nor access the internet. I am not familiar with the government policies. I seldom left the mountain. All I want is a peaceful, quiet life where no one would harm my family," she said.

Afghan Taliban confirms Mullah Omar's death

The Afghan Taliban on Thursday confirmed the death of their leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, one day after Afghan government announced his demise, the outfit said in a statement without saying when and where Omar passed away. "Leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the name of the ousted Taliban regime) and the family of late Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid...today announced that Amir al-Muminin (Commander of the Faithful) Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid has passed away due to illness," the Taliban statement issued here late on Thursday reads. The statement did not provide details about the successor of the former Taliban leader Omar. Omar's brother Mullah Abdul Manan Akhond and elder son of Omar Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoub urged the Muslims to pray for the soul of the late Taliban leader. Omar's date of birth and the exact place of birth are uncertain, but according to most sources, he was born sometime between 1955 and 1962 possibly in Nodeh, a village in Panjwai district of southern Kandahar province. Omar, who established the Taliban Movement in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province in 1994 and announced his Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan after capturing Kabul in 1996, has been leading a bloody insurgency since the collapse of Taliban regime in 2001 to re-establish his fanatic Islamic Emirate in the war- torn central Asian country. The statement came amid reports that the second round of peace talks between Taliban representatives and the Afghanistan government has been postponed. The first round of face-to-face talks between the two sides was held in Pakistan earlier this month and the second round was expected to be held probably in Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Friday, July 31. The postponement was requested by the Taliban leadership, citing the uncertainty caused by Omar's death as the reasons, according to a press release issued by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry on Thursday afternoon.

Plane debris may be MH370

Investigators headed to a tiny Indian Ocean island Thursday to inspect whether plane wreckage that drifted ashore was from missing flight MH370, raising hopes of solving one of aviation's greatest mysteries. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the two-meter-long piece of wreckage found on the French island of La Reunion was "very likely" from a Boeing 777, but it remained to be seen if it indeed came from MH370. Australia described Wednesday's discovery of the piece of wreckage, which appeared to be part of a wing, as an "important development" after more than 16 months of searching. The wreckage will be sent to France for investigation. Part of a bag was found Thursday on La Reunion not far from plane debris. "The piece of luggage was here since yesterday but nobody really paid attention," said Johnny Begue, a member of the local clean-up association who found the piece of wreckage. But Malaysia Airlines and authorities involved in the search, yet to make a thorough inspection of the debris, cautioned against jumping to quick conclusions. "Whatever wreckage is found needs to be further verified before we can further confirm whether it belongs to MH370," Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, told reporters. The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, vanished over the South China Sea on March 8 in 2014 shortly after takeoff with 239 people on board. Authorities involved in an Australian-led search at sea believe it eventually went down in the southern Indian Ocean. But no confirmed physical evidence has ever been found and Malaysian authorities in January declared that all on board were presumed dead. "This obviously is a very important development and if it is indeed wreckage from MH370, it starts to provide some closure for the families of the people on board," said Australia's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Warren Truss. Excitement over the discovery was tempered by suggestions it could be from planes that went down in the region before, including a South African Airways Boeing 747 that crashed near the island of Mauritius in 1987, killing all 159 people on board. For relatives of those aboard, torn between wanting closure and believing their loved ones were still somehow alive, the discovery was yet another painful turn on an emotional rollercoaster. Relatives of Chinese passengers on the flight said in a joint statement on Thursday that no matter whether the debris came from the missing airplane or not, the authorities should continue searching for the plane. "The Chinese side will follow closely how this plays out and properly handle relevant follow-up matters," said Hong Lei, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Thursday. Angry next of kin have accused Malaysia's government of incompetence, secrecy, and insensitivity toward relatives, and many have questioned the focus on the Indian Ocean, saying other possibilities were being ignored. "It has started all over again, staring at the phone constantly for news," said Jacquita Gonzales, wife of Patrick Gomes, the flight's cabin crew supervisor. Speculation about the cause of the plane's disappearance has focused primarily on a possible mechanical or structural failure, a hijacking or terror plot, or rogue pilot action. However, no evidence has emerged to substantiate any scenario, sustaining a flow of conspiracy theories, with books, documentaries and online debates positing a range of possibilities. These include suggestions that the plane was diverted to Kazakhstan, or commandeered to be used as a "flying bomb" headed for US military installations on the Diego Garcia atoll, and that it was then shot down by the Americans. The US has dismissed this. La Reunion lies about 4,000 kilometers from the area considered the most likely impact zone, but experts said it could have drifted there.

Amnesty given to 155 Chinese loggers jailed in Myanmar

The 155 Chinese loggers detained in Myanmar were returned to China Thursday night, a move analysts see as a goodwill gesture by the Myanmar government to maintain Sino-Myanmar ties. The loggers returned to Yunnan Province's Tengchong county near the Chinese-Myanmar border by bus, and were welcomed by family members. Li Cailiang, a family member of one detained logger, told the Global Times Thursday night that his relatives have been waiting near the border since this afternoon after they received the news from the provincial government. The Chinese loggers were among 6,966 prisoners granted amnesty by President U Thein Sein on Thursday, including 210 foreigners. Hong Lei, foreign ministry spokesman, said China values the decision made by the Myanmar government. The loggers were arrested in January in Kachin state, close to the Chinese border in Yunnan Province, during a military operation against illegal logging. On July 22, they were sentenced for violating Myanmar's law against destroying public property, leading to a protest from the Chinese government. They were sentenced to up to 35 years in prison for illegal logging, including two 17-year-olds who were handed 10-year jail terms, while a woman from the group was given an additional 15 years for drug possession. Hong said Thursday that the Chinese government has been in close contact with Myanmar to seek the return of the Chinese loggers. Last month, Chinese officials handed over 205 Myanmar nationals detained in China for living and working in China illegally, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Mutual efforts Analysts said they believe the quick release reflects the efforts made by the governments of both countries. "Constant communication has played a key role in their release, which was sooner than expected. The Myanmar government is aware that the sentence was too harsh and will severely affect bilateral ties," Zhu Zhenming, a research fellow at the Yunnan Academy of Southeast Asian and South Asian Studies of the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. The Myanmar government has been granting amnesty to political prisoners as part of its democratization efforts and response to Western criticism, Zhu said. The order is made to ensure stability and national reconciliation and to allow everyone to participate in the political process, as well as on humanitarian grounds, the amnesty order said. "Myanmar will be holding a general election in November. It is important for the government to maintain stability and avoid confrontation with other countries," Zhu said. China and Myanmar share a 2,000-kilometer border, which has been a hotbed for the illegal trade in timber and jade, and the battleground between the Myanmar government and Kokang, an ethnic minority rebel group. The war with the Kokang has spilled across the Chinese border, further straining the two countries' relations. Xu Liping, a professor at the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said he believes relations between the two countries would not be affected by this single episode, stressing it provides an opportunity for the two sides to review their ties. "In the long run, the two countries should work together to strengthen border security to stop illegal logging activities," Xu noted. "Bilateral ties are undergoing a readjustment following Myanmar's democratic reforms. Myanmar has revised its diplomatic policies which have weakened its link with China," Xu told the Global Times on Thursday.

Henan govt to investigate Shaolin abbot’s sex scandal

Religion affairs authorities in Henan Province said on Thursday that it will investigate the alleged sex scandal involving Shaolin Temple Abbot Shi Yongxin and will safeguard the religious society's rights. Shi was recently accused online by a self-proclaimed follower as an "embezzler and womanizer." The alleged follower also claimed that Shi has illegitimate children. A spokesperson of the State Administration for Religious Affairs said it has asked the Henan provincial religious department to verify the accusations against the abbot. The Buddhist Association of China also said on Thursday that the association has talked to related departments and hopes the investigation ends soon because the incident involves the temple's and Chinese Buddhism's image and reputation. On Tuesday, the alleged follower revealed the identity of one woman who he claims is the mother of one of Shi's illegitimate children. The Shaolin Temple has denied all the allegations and has reported the alleged follower to the police for "fabricating information and malice." Shi has courted controversy in the past for overly commercializing the Shaolin Temple.

South China Sea drill criticisms ‘groundless’

Analysts have slammed the "groundless" and "exaggerated" allegations made by countries and media outlets who have claimed that China's ongoing military drill in the South China Sea is worsening regional tensions. China's 10-day-long military training exercise, held east of South China's Hainan Province in the South China Sea, concludes on July 31 and another eight-day military training exercise will kick off in the Bohai and Yellow seas on July 31, a day before China's Army Day. Vietnamese authorities have urged China to stop the drill as it "violates the country's sovereignty," according to a report published in the US-based Diplomat magazine on Monday. The Philippine government also said that they are monitoring China's military drill, Philippine media website abs-cbnnews.com reported on Wednesday. "Such reactions from Vietnam and the Philippines are groundless and they constitute a double-standard," Zhang Junshe, a naval captain and research fellow at the Chinese Naval Research Institute, told the Global Times. "These countries also conduct military drills in the South China Sea with the US, which are more frequent and larger than China's." The Philippine and US militaries held one of their largest joint drills ever in April in the South China Sea, which involved some 5,000 Philippine troops and 6,500 US soldiers. Zhang added that China's military exercise has focused on defense rather than offense, which demonstrates China is trying to maintain the stability of the region. However, the joint military drills of the US and the Philippines often simulate battles with China and include island capture exercises, he said. "Such drills are more aggressive and threaten regional peace." More than 100 Chinese naval vessels and dozens of military aircraft conducted live-fire maneuvers in the South China Sea on Tuesday. According to a naval officer, the drill, covering the largest area ever, has aimed to enhance the PLA's capabilities in IT-based warfare. Reconnaissance, anti-reconnaissance, interference and anti-interference both on the sea and in the air were designed to be more difficult than ever in this exercise. The Ministry of National Defense (MOD) stated on July 22 that the drills are regular military exercises scheduled in the military's annual plan, without targeting any other country. "China's drill is legal and rightful. The overreaction of foreign countries shows that they want to provoke troubles in the South China Sea and are attempting to harm China's interests," a military expert, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times. The MOD said that the US has militarized the South China Sea by staging patrols and joint military drills in the region. The US was hyping up the "China threat" and attempting to sow discord between China and other South China Sea claimant countries, ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a news briefing. "China is extremely concerned at the United States' drive to militarize the South China Sea region," he said. "What they are doing can't help but make people wonder whether they want nothing more than chaos." Military experts said that China's drills completely follow their schedule and are normal. "The drills also demonstrate that China has the confidence to defend its territory and citizens if any unexpected incidents occur in the region," Zhang said.

Markets rebound as rescue measures kick in

Mainland stock markets rebounded on Wednesday, largely as a result of government support measures such as cracking down on malicious trading activities, experts said Wednesday. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose by 3.44 percent or 126.17 points to close at 3,789.17 points on Wednesday, following a steep decline of 8.48 percent on Monday and a slightly milder 1.68 percent drop on Tuesday. The Shenzhen Component Index climbed 4.11 percent or 506.30 points to close at 12,823 points on Wednesday, after dropping 7.59 percent and 1.41 percent on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. More than 400 stocks on the two bourses climbed by their daily trading limit of 10 percent, with the tourism, aviation and agriculture sectors seeing strong performance. Yu Fenghui, a financial commentator, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the rebound was a direct result of the government's intervention following a dramatic plunge in the market on Monday. According to a post on the official Weibo account of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) on Tuesday, the CSRC is investigating short-selling activities that may have contributed to the market slide on Monday. Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AICC) published an announcement on its official website on Wednesday, saying that two of its subordinate listed companies, Zhonghang Heibao Co and AVIC Capital Co, had received a notice from the CSRC saying that they would be investigated for possible involvement in illegal stock trading activities. AICC said in the announcement that it would firmly support and cooperate with the CSRC. The company also noted that it had taken steps to launch self inspections, and would deal with any irregularities in accordance with the law. AVIC Capital also announced on Wednesday that the company's board of directors had decided to remove Yang Shengjun from the position of general manager. According to a report by People's Daily on Wednesday, companies are usually investigated for improper activities such as illegal release of information. Apart from investigations into abnormal trading activities, the authorities have also launched a batch of rescue measures in recent weeks to curb the downward trend in the markets that began in mid-June. The measures included suspension of approvals for new IPOs and requiring State-owned banks not to sell shares in their listed units. The CSRC also released a message on Monday, saying that it would not stop its efforts to stabilize the markets. Li Daxiao, chief economist at Shenzhen-based Yingda Securities, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the government's urgent measures to save the stock markets were "necessary." "It helps to eliminate public panic and restore investors' confidence in domestic stock markets," Li said. Yu, however, cautioned that domestic stock markets should not be entirely reliant upon government rescue measures. "The government should see to it that they don't disrupt the rules of mainland stock markets during the process of cracking down upon certain malicious operations," Yu said. Yu also said that he was not sure the government's rescue measures would help domestic stock markets to recover completely. "The markets are still in an uncertain state," Yu said, adding that big fluctuations could take place again.

S. Korea promoting "creative economy"

In order to help boost the domestic economy and create jobs in South Korea, in 2013, the Park Geun-hye government advanced what it termed as "the creative economy." The policy, enunciated under the plan, Creative Economy Measures to Create the Ecosystem for Creative Economy, is aimed at supporting and expanding small-to-medium businesses that can lead to job creation up the value chain. In the same year, the South Korean government allocated 3.31 trillion won (some 3 billion US dollars) to support startup companies as the new growth engines. The Small and Medium Business Association also earmarked 3.9 trillion won (some 3.6 billion US dollars) in 2014 and 4 trillion won (some 3.5 billion US dollars) this year to support start-up ventures. Large conglomerates like Samsung or Hyundai, which led in propelling South Korea's remarkable economic growth in half a century, found it hard to continue their competitiveness in recent years. South Korea's GDP has suffered a four consecutive years of below 4 percent growth. Thus, the government was forced to reduce its reliance on the conglomerates and instead focused in promoting small and medium industries. The country started to build innovative business ecosystem through online to offline connection. A website named Creative Economy Town has been launched as an idea hub where young entrepreneurs can upload their ideas and seek ways of turning them into business. Mentoring service and various government-founded venture competitions are also available online. A more practical move was the opening of 17 Centers for Creative Economy & Innovation (CCEI) across the country as regional innovation hubs to support startup ventures. These centers spread over 17 cities and provinces in supported jointly by local governments and major Korean companies. South Korea's large business groups, known as chaebols, have lent their expertise and resources to startups through support in R&D, marketing and overseas expansion. The 17 centers have certain industries to support, mainly in line with the chaebols' own core business. Samsung Electronics, for example, has set up two centers in the southeastern cities of Daegu and Gumi to support electronic startups. Hyundai Motor has one center in the southwestern city of Gwangju, which is trying to make it an innovative hub of new energy vehicles. South Korea's CJ group, which owns the country's largest film distributors, has supported a center that cultivates K-pop startups. The Daejeon Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (DCCEI) is being supported by both the South Korean government and the country's third largest Chaebol SK group. Over 24 startups have been "incubated" by DCCEI this year. Under the DCCEI program, each startup receives 20,000 US dollars for starting capital and 200,000 US dollars for technology development. It also gets a chance to attract investments from SK-KNET fund and Daejeon "angel" fund. Daejeon, where the DCCEI is based, is seen as a perfect place for the hub of open innovation. The city accommodates almost 30,000 scientists and engineers from 30 R&D institutes, 35 research centers of enterprises and 13 universities, including the country's top research university.

Afghan official confirms death of Taliban leader Omar

The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) spokesman on Wednesday confirmed the death of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, saying that Omar died in summer 2013 but his death was kept secret to avoid Taliban foot soldiers' demoralization. "Based on credible information, the NDS has confirmed that Taliban leader Omar has died in a mysterious way in a hospital in Pakistan's Karachi two year and four months ago," spokesman Hassib Seddiqi told Xinhua. However, the spokesman of the NDS, the country's intelligence agency, said that details about the Omar's death will be released to the media when appropriate. The comments came amid peace talks between Taliban representatives and Afghan government officials. The first round of talks between the two sides was held in Pakistan earlier this month and the second round is expected to be held within days, probably in Islamabad. A wanted man by the United States, the one-eyed Omar who has escaped the biggest Washington military manhunt in the region over the past 14 years has several times been reported dead, but no one has seen his coffin. The Taliban spokesmen were not immediately available to make comments on the claim. Mullah Omar, who established Taliban Movement in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province in 1994 and announced his Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan after capturing Kabul in 1996, has been leading a bloody insurgency since collapse of Taliban regime in 2001 to re-establish his fanatic Islamic Emirate in the war-torn central Asian country.

US to maintain strong presence in Middle East: Pentagon chief

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday sought to assure lawmakers that the US military would maintain a strong presence in the Middle East to " check Iran's malign influence" despite the nuclear deal. "In the face of that malign activity, we will continue to meet our commitments to our friends and allies in the region, especially Israel, and continue to build on and enhance our cooperation in meaningful ways," Carter told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Carter, together with chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey appeared before the Senate panel to testify on the Iran nuclear deal, which is facing skepticism from Congress ahead of a crucial vote this fall. Secretary of State John Kerry, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew also joined the Pentagon leaders, in testifying in their third public hearing in two weeks. Carter endorsed the agreement as "a good deal," saying that it removes a continued source of threat and uncertainty in "a comprehensive and verifiable way" by preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Amid fear of Republicans and some Democrats that the Iran deal will risk Israel's security, Carter pointed out that the US would maintain its "ironclad commitment to Israel's qualitative military edge" in the region. "We will keep providing Israel with advanced capabilities, for example, next year, Israel will be our first and only friend in the region flying the F-35 stealth fighter," he said. The US will also help improve the capabilities of other Gulf partners. "And, we've offered sophisticated defense equipment, including the THAAD ballistic missile defense system and long-range precision strike capabilities, to some of our Gulf partners," he said. Carter said the US would continue to maintain a "robust" force posture in the region, which includes tens of thousands of U. S. troops and sophisticated ground, maritime, air and ballistic missile defense assets. US Congress is expected to vote on the deal in the fall. A resolution of disapproval by Congress would prevent the White House from lifting US sanctions on Iran, unless President Barack Obama vetoed the resolution and Democrats sustained that veto.

Myanmar grants amnesty to 6,966 prisoners including Chinese loggers

The Myanmar government on Thursday granted an amnesty to 6,966 prisoners including 155 detained Chinese loggers, a higher official confirmed. The 155 Chinese loggers were among 210 foreigners of 6,966 prisoners freed on the same day. The 210 foreign prisoners will be deported beginning Thursday with a view to maintaining mutual friendship and ties with related countries and on social ground. On July 22, the Chinese loggers were sentenced for violating Myanmar's law against destroying public properties. Last month, Chinese officials handed over 205 Myanmar nationals who were detained in China for illegal migration and working.

South Korea declares end to MERS outbreak

South Korea on Tuesday declared the effective end to a deadly outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that killed 36 people, triggered widespread panic and stymied growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy. Addressing a meeting of government officials in Seoul, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said the danger posed by what was the biggest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia was over. "After weighing various circumstances, the medical personnel and the government judge that the people can now be free from worry," Hwang said. "I ask the public to shake off all concerns over MERS and to resume normal daily activities, including economic, cultural, leisure and school activities," he added. Thousands of schools were closed at the peak of the outbreak, as anxious parents kept their children home. The outbreak took a heavy toll on the national economy, stifling consumer spending and devastating the tourist sector. Local businesses including shopping malls, restaurants and cinemas reported a sharp drop in sales as people shunned public venues with large crowds. The government recently announced a 22 trillion won ($19.8 billion) stimulus package, much of which was aimed at supporting businesses hurt by the MERS crisis. Earlier this month, the Bank of Korea (BOK) cut its 2015 economic growth forecast for the third time this year, from 3.1 percent growth to 2.8 percent. Citing sluggish exports and weak domestic consumption exacerbated by the MERS outbreak, the central bank has kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at a record low of 1.5 percent. The virus is considered a deadlier but less infectious cousin of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed hundreds of people when it appeared in Asia in 2003. Criticized for its initial response to the outbreak, the government introduced sweeping quarantine measures that saw nearly 17,000 people confined to their homes. The policy was effective in restricting the spread of the disease to medical facilities, with no infections reported in the wider community. With one patient still undergoing treatment in hospital, Tuesday's announcement by the prime minister stopped short of formally declaring South Korea MERS free. World Health Organization standards call for a four-week waiting period after the last MERS patient fully recovers, before declaring the outbreak is definitively over. "We will continue to carry out remaining measures and responses until the situation comes to a formal end," senior health ministry official Kwon Duk-cheol told reporters. "We still have many arrivals from the Middle East so there is always a possibility that new patients can come in," Kwon said, adding that screening stations in airports would continue to operate. While no additional MERS infections have been reported since July 4, BOK governor Lee Ju-Yeol said the economic impact of the deadly disease would last through August.

TPP’s geopolitical leverage may be inflated

The negotiation over the US-initiated Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is reported to be entering the final round. Trade ministers from 12 countries are convening a meeting from Tuesday to Friday on the Hawaiian island of Maui, with the goal of wrapping up the deal. If the deal is finalized within this year, it would be considered a major US achievement. Some relatively radical and optimistic US analysts believe that the conclusion of the TPP will become a landmark of US-dominated global trade rules, and China will once again be driven into a corner. In asking how much influence the TPP will have on trade patterns in the Asia-Pacific region, the answer does not depend entirely on the deal itself. What happens in the realm of global trade depends on a variety of practical factors, especially the irreplaceable role of "interests." All Asia-Pacific nations are striving to maximize their own national interests, yet no single multilateral or bilateral trade deal can meet these needs. Therefore, one country will simultaneously join different trading systems to gain as much benefit as possible. Although US President Barack Obama has said that "if we don't write the rules, China will write the rules out in that region," it is still hard to say whether the TPP will thus become a new US tool of geopolitical competition against China. But one thing is certain, most of the other 11 nations that are negotiating with Washington over the TPP have no interest in this regard. China is now promoting the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), and has already signed bilateral free trade deals with South Korea and Australia. In the meantime, Australia is also crucial to the TPP negotiations. It shows the universal mentality of countries in the Asia-Pacific - all potential interests are welcome. China is the largest trading nation in the region, as well as the second-largest economy in the world. The temptation of its market potential is irresistible. The TPP will hence find it hard to capture all the member states' hearts. There is a sharp difference in terms of the development level and the social governance model among all 12 TPP nations. If the deal is to be completed, the US will have to lower its standards over labor and environmental protection. In the end, the deal will only be a compromised version. China's GDP is almost equivalent to all 11 countries combined except for the US in the TPP negotiations. China's economic presence and influence in the Asia-Pacific can neither be ignored nor bypassed. Even the White House is positive toward expanding bilateral trade with Beijing. The days of US dominance over the Asia-Pacific economic map may already be over. Chinese people should be confident while observing the development of talks on the TPP, and calmly measure the relationship between the promotion of the FTAAP and whether to join the TPP. On this issue, our focus should not be on geopolitics. When or if the TPP is signed, the positive or negative impacts it will have on China cannot be seen clearly for now, neither can they be precisely estimated by the US. Today's China is capable of handling the uncertainties of international trade, and is no longer in the position where it can be steamrollered or coerced into signing treaties.

Hong Kong's giant panda Jia Jia set to become world's oldest

One of the resident giant pandas in Hong Kong, Jia Jia, who is turning 37 years, is officially recognized as the oldest member of the species in captivity in the world, Blythe Ryan Fitzwilliam, adjudicator of Guinness World Records said at a ceremony at the Ocean Park on Tuesday. Female panda Jia Jia has been officially recognized as "Oldest panda ever in captivity" and "Oldest panda living in captivity", Fitzwilliam said. The record was previously held by another giant panda Du Du, who died in 1999 just short of reaching 37. Another male giant panda, An An, who will soon turn 29, is the world's second oldest living male giant panda under human care, according to the Ocean Park. Jia Jia and An An were gifted to Hong Kong by China's central government in 1999, and have been living in the care of the Ocean Park since then. Over the past 16 years, close to 27 million visitors have visited them and learned about pandas and conservation. Carrie Lam, Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said, "Thanks to the care given by the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan and Ocean Park, An An and Jia Jia are enjoying a healthy life in their sunset years."

At least 29 killed in suspected Boko Haram attack on Nigeria villages: official

At least 29 people were confirmed killed after suspected Boko Haram fighters raided villages in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno on Monday and early Tuesday, a local official said. The insurgents stormed Dille community and two other surrounding villages in Askira Uba local district of the restive Borno State, destroying lives and property of the local people in one of the latest incidents of insecurity in the West African country, Jubrin Satumari, a federal lawmaker representing the province in the Nigerian parliament, told Xinhua. "It was really a sad day for me to learn that there were renewed attacks in my constituency. People are being killed in cold blood, churches, mosques, shops and residential houses were destroyed, it is very unfortunate. I pray for the repose of the souls of those killed by insurgents and quick recovery for the injured ones," he said, adding many of the survivors had gunshot wounds. The Nigerian official said the suspected Boko Haram fighters, who stormed the area on motorcycles and vans, used petrol bombs and AK 47 rifles to wreak havoc on the villages. The attack began on Monday afternoon and snowballed to Tuesday morning. Local residents blamed extremist group Boko Haram for the attack. The group usually claims responsibility for such attacks in the most populous country in Africa. Since 2009, Boko Haram has killed more than 13,000 people in violent attacks in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and biggest economy. On July 14, 2014, Boko Haram was responsible for the killing of at least 14 residents in Dille community, a predominantly Christian settlement in Borno State. The group also burned down three churches in the area, during the attack last year. Boko Haram stepped up its attacks in the northeastern region of Nigeria since May 29, after President Muhammadu Buhari announced the relocation of the military command center to Borno State in a bid to rout the terror group from its stronghold.

South Korea declares end to MERS outbreak

South Korea on Tuesday declared the effective end to a deadly outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that killed 36 people, triggered widespread panic and stymied growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy. Addressing a meeting of government officials in Seoul, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said the danger posed by what was the biggest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia was over. "After weighing various circumstances, the medical personnel and the government judge that the people can now be free from worry," Hwang said. "I ask the public to shake off all concerns over MERS and to resume normal daily activities, including economic, cultural, leisure and school activities," he added. Thousands of schools were closed at the peak of the outbreak, as anxious parents kept their children home. The outbreak took a heavy toll on the national economy, stifling consumer spending and devastating the tourist sector. Local businesses including shopping malls, restaurants and cinemas reported a sharp drop in sales as people shunned public venues with large crowds. The government recently announced a 22 trillion won ($19.8 billion) stimulus package, much of which was aimed at supporting businesses hurt by the MERS crisis. Earlier this month, the Bank of Korea (BOK) cut its 2015 economic growth forecast for the third time this year, from 3.1 percent growth to 2.8 percent. Citing sluggish exports and weak domestic consumption exacerbated by the MERS outbreak, the central bank has kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at a record low of 1.5 percent. The virus is considered a deadlier but less infectious cousin of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed hundreds of people when it appeared in Asia in 2003. Criticized for its initial response to the outbreak, the government introduced sweeping quarantine measures that saw nearly 17,000 people confined to their homes. The policy was effective in restricting the spread of the disease to medical facilities, with no infections reported in the wider community. With one patient still undergoing treatment in hospital, Tuesday's announcement by the prime minister stopped short of formally declaring South Korea MERS free. World Health Organization standards call for a four-week waiting period after the last MERS patient fully recovers, before declaring the outbreak is definitively over. "We will continue to carry out remaining measures and responses until the situation comes to a formal end," senior health ministry official Kwon Duk-cheol told reporters. "We still have many arrivals from the Middle East so there is always a possibility that new patients can come in," Kwon said, adding that screening stations in airports would continue to operate. While no additional MERS infections have been reported since July 4, BOK governor Lee Ju-Yeol said the economic impact of the deadly disease would last through August.

"Varoufakis gate" shadows launch of third bailout talks for Greece

The "Varoufakis gate" saga on Tuesday shadowed the launch of talks on Greece's third bailout. Conservative main opposition New Democracy party leader Evangelos Meimarakis, who introduced the term, requested that former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and the government provide "clear explanations" on the contingency plans that lead to a return to drachma. Following media reports, Varoufakis admitted Monday that he had planned a parallel banking system in case banks closed down. The plan allegedly included accessing the ministry's online tax system to receive data with the help of an old friend working in the office. The former official claimed he had the authorization of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to make such plans long before the January general elections that brought the radical left Syriza party to power. Varoufakis stressed he never intended to lead Greece to leave the eurozone. Government sources denied there was ever a plan to return to the drachma, as opposition parties and citizens called for an in-depth inquiry into the case. Meanwhile, Varoufakis' childhood friend Michalis Hatzitheodorou, a Columbia University lecturer who he had recruited to the ministry, said there was never any attempt made to intervene in the ministry's information systems. In a statement released Tuesday, Hatzitheodorou, the head of the Finance Ministry's General Secretariat for Information Systems, dismissed as "absolutely false" reports regarding any type of intervention in the ministry's information systems. The statement came as the General Secretary for Public Revenues Katerina Savvaidou ordered an internal probe to determine whether Finance Ministry staff had committed illegal acts. A group of lawyers also filed a suit against Varoufakis and whoever was implicated in the affair. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court forwarded to the parliament two separate lawsuits filed against Varoufakis by a mayor and a citizen. As a legislator, the former minister cannot be prosecuted until the parliament gives the green light with a vote. Until then, the opposition requests his immediate summoning for questioning by a special parliamentary committee. The Varoufakis saga has cast a dark shadow on the start of the negotiations with envoy's of Greece's lenders in Athens on the terms of the release of further aid to the debt-laden country under a third bailout. The first round of talks on the level of technocrats has started, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said. The heads of the 50-member team are expected to start negotiations on a political level by Thursday, according to ministry sources. The lenders' envoys were to be briefed by the Greek side over the next days on fiscal data and planned reforms. In contrast to past assessments over the past five years, there are no planned visits of foreign officials to ministries in Athens for talks with ministers. The two sides aim to have sealed a deal by Aug. 20 when Greece needs to make a loan repayment to the European Central Bank.

TPP ministerial meeting starts, with key obstacles remaining to be solved for a deal

A new round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) ministerial meeting kicked off here Tuesday, with key obstacles remaining in the areas of market access and intellectual property to finalize the ambitious Asia- Pacific trade deal. The TPP, covering about 40 percent of global economy and believed to be the biggest trade agreement in the world in the past two decades, is central to the Obama administration's policy of advancing economic engagement in Asia and writing the rules for international trade and investment in the 21st century. Talks on the TPP had been stuck for months as other participating countries were reluctant to make major concessions needed to close a deal before the US Congress granted the trade promotion authority, also known as the fast-track authority, to President Barack Obama. That trade authority would allow the US president to submit trade deals to Congress for an up-or-down vote without amendments, which is crucial for the swift congressional consideration of a TPP deal. With the fast track authority in hands by the end of last month following weeks of tough fight in Congress, the Obama administration is stepping up efforts to push for an early conclusion of the Asia-Pacific trade pact. Optimism has grown in recent weeks that the four-day ministerial meeting could be the final round of negotiations on the broad TPP agreement. "I think the TPP ministers are going to Hawaii with the hope that they can finish or substantially complete the negotiations," Jeffrey Schott, a senior fellow and trade expert at the Washington- based Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), told Xinhua in an interview. Schott said there are "only a small number" of outstanding issues in the TPP trade talks, but they are "generally the most difficult, the most complex, or the most political sensitive", citing examples of rules on the intellectual property, discipline on the state-owned enterprises, labor and environmental provisions, and the investor-state dispute settlement. One of the highlights of the ministerial meetings is whether the United States and Japan, the two biggest players in the TPP, could complete their bilateral market access negotiations of agriculture and autos, which had stalled overall TPP trade talks. US Trade Representative Michael Froman is expected to meet Tuesday with Japanese Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Akira Amari to try to resolve the remaining sticking points in bilateral talks, including the US demand for an increased access to Japan' s rice market. "It's my understanding that the US and Japan paralleled negotiations will close simultaneously when the TPP closes because they're linked to the TPP deals," Tami Overby, the US Chamber of Commerce's senior vice president for Asia, told Xinhua. Overby said the United States and Japan are very close to make a deal, but "it would be not possible" for the two sides to conclude bilateral negotiations until the overall TPP deal does. The US and Japan are waiting for other countries to engage in market access negotiations before taking the final step, according to trade experts. In particular, Canada hasn't come forward with an offer on the market access of dairy products as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper faces re-election in October. A bipartisan group of US lawmakers have warned that it would be hard for them to support Canada's inclusion in a final TPP deal if Ottawa would not significantly open its market to more dairy imports. In terms of rules on the intellectual property, the big question of whether other TPP countries will agree to the US demand for 12 years of data protection for biologic medicines is still up in the air, according to US political news website Politico. Other countries have pushed back the US demand and voiced concerns that the US might use it as a vehicle to extend drug company monopolies over expensive biologic drugs. "What we do need is to ensure that we all rise to the same place, the same high standards of a comprehensive agreement that will create the right eco-system so that countries can develop their own IP (intellectual property)," said Overby. The Obama administration is under pressure to seal a TPP deal and get it passed in Congress as soon as possible, securing the president's trade legacy before the 2016 US presidential campaign heats up. Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb warned Sunday that failure to reach a TPP deal this week could delay an agreement for years due to elections in the United States and Canada. The talks this week "are very important, partly or mainly because of the political cycle in the US and also an impending Canadian election," Robb said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Company. "If we don't do it this week things are going to be very difficult I think to conclude it within a couple of years." The TPP talks involve Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.

Libyan court sentences Gaddfi's son Seif to death

A Libyan court on Tuesday sentenced Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, to death, according to judicial resources. The Tripoli-based court also ruled on eight other senior figures of the former government, including the former security chief, Abdullah al-Senussi. Seif has been held by militias in the western city of Zintan since the downfall of Gadaffi. The militant group refused to hand him over to the Libyan government and it was unclear whether the sentence could be carried out. Some local media also called the ruling controversial, saying the court was under pressure of the Islamist forces that have expelled the elected Libyan government and are currently occupying the capital city of Tripoli. Libya's Ministry of Justice earlier denounced the trials set by the Tripoli court on Seif as well as 37 other Gaddafi's close officials. Justice Minister Al-Mabruk Ghraira Omran called on the international community not to accept the verdicts, saying the judges involved were "working at gunpoint and in fear of murder or kidnap." Following the civil war which toppled Gaddafi, Libya has descended into anarchy, leaving a power vacuum in most of its territories and encouraging local warlords and extremism to grow. Since last September, the UN Support Mission in Libya has been struggling to solve the political jigsaw puzzle in the country by brokering peace talks, but endless clashes between different armed groups and the lack of genuine desire to reach a political solution has made the UN efforts fruitless.

Diplomats risk own lives for China’s future

A suicide bomb rocked the Jazeera Palace Hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Sunday, causing great damage to the Chinese Embassy in Somalia. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed today that the attack killed an embassy security officer and injured three other staff. This is the most severe attack on a Chinese diplomatic institution since the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in the former Yugoslavia in 1999. We strongly condemn this outrageous terrorist attack. The Jazeera Hotel is one of the most secure hotels in Mogadishu, accommodating diplomatic missions from China and many other countries. Engulfed in war since the 1990s, Somalia is one of the most combustible parts of the world. The US attempted an armed intervention, but suffered from publicly devastating losses in the end. The remains of American soldiers were dragged onto the street by Somali rebels. The US army was forced to withdraw from the area. In recent years, there has been an epidemic of coastal piracy along the African coast of the Indian Ocean. Most of these pirates are Somali rebels. Somali Islamist group Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack. It is a radical Al Qaeda-linked group which has challenged the government for more than 10 years. Al Shabaab seeks to promote Islamic law in the region. The Somali government has stepped up efforts to crack down on Al Shabaab in these years, following increased support from the African Union (AU) and the international community. The terrorist attack this time is considered to be retaliation from Al Shabaab against the AU mission in Somalia. Due to the unrest in the region, the Chinese Embassy to Somalia had long been closed before it re-opened in October last year. This disaster, which took place within one year of the re-opening, has alerted people to the tough security situation Chinese people are facing in Somalia Brave Chinese diplomats can be found in many other trouble spots. Different from many expectations, they do not always go to luxury facilities and mingle with people from all walks of life in posh gatherings. In many turbulent regions, diplomats are often pathfinders, risking all the dangers in the first place, and also making sure every compatriot leaves safely before they evacuate. They are sentinels defending China's national interest in dangerous places. With its rise, China can no longer be immune from turbulence and violence in faraway countries. Chinese diplomats and other representatives of Chinese national interests must head into many other unsafe regions. They will have to endure incredibly high risks, a price China has to pay for being strong. In order to make sure its giant society functions well, China has to maintain a stable and sufficient supply of energy and resources. It needs to explore new markets and befriend as many countries as possible. Therefore, some people have to take the risk of entering those regions which are unfamiliar to Chinese and may be full of peril. These people are not tourists, overseas students or business people. They are on a mission to extend the perimeter of China's national interest. These people need to be treated with respect. They should be remembered by every Chinese who lives in peace.

China vows market stability after biggest drop in eight years

China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) vowed to continue to take measures to stabilize the stock markets after share prices on the Shanghai Stock Exchange plunged 8.48 percent on Monday, the largest single-day drop since June 2007. Fears that the government may halt support measures may have triggered the drop, analysts said. The CSRC also said that it will look into the possibility of malicious short-selling activities, and welcome public support in identifying alleged short sellers and "severely" punish offenders. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dropped 345.35 points to close at 3,725.56 points on Monday, while the Shenzhen Component Index fell by 1,025.46 points, or 7.59 percent, to 12,493.05 points. Over 2,000 stocks on the Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses saw their share prices drop on Monday, with around 1,800 of them plunging by the daily limit of 10 percent, reports said. Only 77 stocks managed to gain on Monday. National Bureau of Statistics data showed on Monday that the combined profits of major industrial enterprises have declined 0.3 percent in June from the same period last year and dropped 0.7 percent in the first half. Also, the preliminary reading of Caixin's July manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) announced on Friday came in at 48.2, which was the weakest reading since April 2014, indicating that the industrial sector is still experiencing difficulties. A reading below 50 shows investments in the industry are dropping. But Li Daxiao, chief economist at Shenzhen-based Yingda Securities, said that the weak economic data is only a minor reason for souring market sentiment. "The more important factor is that some stocks on the two bourses are still overvalued, leading to the market correction," Li told the Global Times on Monday. The market has been recovering in recent days. Before the Monday plunge, the Shanghai Composite Index had gained over 16 percent from its July 8 low. Authorities announced measures to arrest the market slump that began on June 12, including a relaxation on margin trading rules - using borrowed money to invest in the market - a ban on major shareholders from selling within six months and a crackdown on "malicious" short selling. Southwest Securities announced on Monday that one of its shareholders, Chongqing Yufu Assets Management Group, is being investigated by the CSRC, as the Chongqing-based company has allegedly violated relevant laws or rules on reducing its holdings in the company. Market fears that the government may withhold further support measures may also be a reason behind the Monday retreat, according to analysts, after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) called on the Chinese government to refrain from rescue measures. Additional measures "If the market remains turbulent, the government may roll out additional measures to back the stock market," Liu Xuezhi, an analyst at the Bank of Communications, told the Global Times on Monday. Yingda's Li also said that it is unlikely that the Chinese government will accede to the IMF's call, adding that "State investors will be more prepared [if the market further tumbles] given the experience from the previous turbulence." Besides the disappointing economic data and fears of an end to government support, the CSRC's efforts to crack down on insider trading and other irregularities, despite long-term benefits, may have temporarily dampened the market, analysts said. The CSRC announced on Monday that it is investigating a firm in Shanghai and another in East China's Zhejiang Province on possible financing irregularities. The prospect that the US Federal Reserve may raise the interest rates in the fourth quarter as well as uncertainty in China's future monetary policies may also have contributed to the Monday drop, analysts said. The recent surge in pork prices in China, which may raise the inflation rate, could make it less likely that the central bank will adopt more relaxed monetary policies in the second half of the year. Liu said that it is still possible for the central bank to reduce the banks' reserve requirements in the second half of the year, but further interest rates cuts are unlikely. Despite this, Liu believes that the stock market will stabilize in the second half of the year amid the improving economy and the government's support measures. Besides, recent news reports said that up to 1 trillion yuan ($161 billion) from the social insurance fund may soon be invested in the stock market. Some investors think the stock market is intentionally being suppressed as the social insurance fund usually enters in a bearish market. "It [the speculation] is groundless," Li said, adding that the possible entry of the social insurance fund would merely boost the market.

Sex claims hit Shaolin abbot

The Shaolin Temple in Central China's Henan Province Monday has denied rumors that its abbot is allegedly involved in sex scandals and has illegitimate children, after a self-proclaimed former follower's claims spread online. Shi Zhengyi, who claims to be a former follower at the temple, posted an article on various online forums on Saturday, saying that the abbot, Shi Yongxin, maintains sexual relations with several women, including two nuns. Shi Zhengyi also claims that the abbot used the temple's income to support his alleged mistresses. The temple said in a statement that the "groundless" and "maliciously false" rumor has damaged the abbot's and temple's reputation. "According to Criminal Law and other regulations, Shi Zhengyi's behavior should be regarded as defamation and we urge authorities to deal with the case as soon as possible," the statement said. Shi Yongxin, one of the first Chinese monks to hold an MBA, is refererd to by media as the "CEO monk." He courted controversy for overly commercializing the Shaolin Temple by promoting lucrative kung fu shows and expanding the temple globally. More than 40 Shaolin cultural centers have been built overseas and a new temple is reportedly being planned in Australia. A police officer from the public security bureau of Dengfeng, Henan, surnamed Yang told the Global Times on Monday that they have received the Shaolin Temple's report and are investigating the case. Shi Zhengyi said the abbot's daughters and grandchildren live with his mother in Anhui Province. Shi also allegedly solicited a prostitute in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. He added that the abbot has taken on two identities. Shi Zhengyi named the abbot as a "tiger" in his article, a word which often implies a corrupt senior official. Shi Zhengyi claims that he left the temple in 2002 but refused to reveal why he left as well as his current identity when reached by the Global Times on Monday. "Many of the temple's followers provided evidence to me," Shi said. The Guangzhou-based Nandu Daily Monday quoted the Shaolin Temple as saying that Shi Zhengyi has never been a monk or temple follower. Shi Zhengyi said he has submitted his report to local authorities but declined which government department. He said that he "would soon release more evidence to prove his accusation." This is not the first time that the abbot has been linked to scandals. A Spanish Newspaper, El Periodico, reported in July 2013 that the abbot had a mistress who was a university student in Beijing and a son living in Germany. It also said that he had $3 billion in his overseas bank account. The temple likewise has denied that report.

Woman dies in C China escalator fall

A woman was killed on Sunday morning after falling through a gap that suddenly opened at the top of an operating escalator in a Chinese shopping mall, with horrifying CCTV footage of the incident going viral online. The clip shows the 30-year-old, named by the local government as Xiang, briefly cling to the edge of the gap while holding her young son out to be rescued by a member of staff in the mall in Jingzhou city, Hubei Province. The municipal government of Jingzhou said the accident happened at about 10 am The child escaped unharmed but the mother was found dead inside the escalator later. One staff member tried to grab Xiang but failed. The accident became the most searched-for topic on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, on Monday, prompting a flurry of questions about whether the escalator had been properly maintained and operated. Local authorities are investigating the case.

DPRK marks armistice anniversary with dire warning to US

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday issued a dire warning against "US imperialism" as it commemorated the 62nd anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement. In the wee hours of the day, which DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un called "the eternal v-day" for his country, Kim paid tribute to late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at Kumsusan Palace of Sun, according to state-run news agency KCNA. Rodong Sinmun, Pyongyang's leading official newspaper, dedicated an editorial to the occasion, recalling that DPRK forces defeated "the US imperialist aggressors who boasted of being the'strongest' in the world" and urging the whole nation "to make dynamic advance along the road of final victory." On Sunday, the DPRK held a nation meeting "to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the Korean people's victory in the great Fatherland Liberation War," according to the KCNA. "It is more than 60 years since the ceasefire on the land but peace has not yet settled on it," General Pak Yong Sik, minister of the Korean People's Armed Forces, was quoted as saying at the conference. "If the US imperialists provoke a new war, oblivious of the lessons they drew from the documents of surrender signed by them in the past, the revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK will wipe out the aggressors to the last one so that there would be no one left to sign a surrender document," he warned. At a veterans conference on Saturday, Kim Jong Un lauded July 27 as a day of liberation "when our people defended with honour their country's dignity and sovereignty from the brigandish aggression by the US imperialists." He said that his country "has been the front line of the anti-US struggle, with the dark clouds of aggression and war constantly hovering over this land," and that the United States and its allies "are making a last-ditch attempt to stifle" the DPRK. "If the enemy, forgetful of the tradition governed by the law of history, commit another reckless act of provocation against our Republic, our revolutionary armed forces will bury them in the grave of final ruin," he said. "Our force at present is not what it was in the 1950s," he added, saying that the DPRK "now possess such a force as to fight any form of warfare of the choice of the United States" and "have a might powerful enough to deter the United States from unleashing a nuclear war." Across the 38th parallel north border, South Korean and US forces held a ceremony on Monday in the truce village of Panmunjom, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap. Lt. Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, deputy commander of the United States Forces Korea (USFK), was quoted as saying that the USFK will "do everything" to keep stability on the Korean Peninsula against what he called the DPRK's "continuing provocations." Also speaking at the ceremony, South Korean Army Maj. Gen. Chang Kwang-hyun said the only sure way to sustain the peace in South Korea amid national confrontation "is by obtaining a firm war-readiness position and capacity." The Korean Armistice Agreement, signed on July 27, 1953, marked the end of the three-year Korean War, yet the absence of a peace deal means that the two neighbors sharing the Korean Peninsula are still technically at war.

Harbin offers 72-hour visa-free entry

Northeastern Chinese city Harbin will offer a 72-hour visa-free entry for international transit passengers from August 1, a move to boost tourism and business. The policy covers travelers from 51 countries and regions, including the United States, Russia, Britain, France and Japan. They can enjoy a 72-hour stay in the city upon entry via the Harbin Taiping International Airport, providing they have third country visas and onward tickets to leave for a third country or region within 72 hours. The move will boost international tourism, commercial and trade cooperation as well as cultural exchanges, said Liu Yang, head of the the exit-entry administration department of the provincial public security bureau, at a press conference on Monday. Harbin airport has already launched direct flights to Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and several countries in southeast Asia. The same visa-free policy is already in place in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shenyang, Dalian, Guilin and Hangzhou cities.

Humanitarian assistance still needed in Nepal months after devastating quake

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Friday that three months after the devastating earthquake hit Nepal, hundreds of thousands of survivors continue to need and rely on urgent humanitarian assistance, said a UN spokesman at a daily news briefing. Shelter, food, livelihoods support, water, sanitation, protection, and medical and psychosocial care remain top priorities, said Eri Kaneko, the UN associate spokesperson. "The Humanitarian Coordinator for the country, Jamie McGoldrick, has urged the international community not to fail the most vulnerable communities, with the monsoon season underway and the winter fast-approaching," said Kaneko. UN agencies and their aid partners have only received 50 percent of the 422 million US dollars in finance appealed for humanitarian aid so far, according to Kaneko. The 7.9-magnitude earthquake which struck Nepal on April 25 and ensuing aftershocks have left nearly 9,000 people dead and destroyed or damaged infrastructure and tens of thousands of houses in Nepal, limiting access to food and leaving some 3.5 million people in need of food assistance.

Turkish planes begin strikes against IS targets inside Syria

Turkish fighter jets early Friday bombed the positions of Islamic State (IS) jihadists inside Syria for the first time, as police arrested hundreds of suspected extremists after a wave of violence. The air raids against IS targets marked a dramatic hardening of Turkey's attitude toward the group. Ankara had previously been criticized for not doing enough to combat the jihadists. IS members were among almost 300 suspected extremists arrested in early morning raids in Istanbul and other cities, authorities said. Kurdish militants and radicals were also detained. The operations came after the first major cross-border clashes between Turkey and IS jihadists on Thursday left one Turkish soldier and one militant dead, thrusting Turkey into an open conflict with the Islamists. The bombing raid was the first by the Turkish air force on IS since the extremists began their advance across Iraq and Syria in 2013, seizing control of swathes of territory right up to the Turkish border. It also came as Turkey, after months of negotiations, finally gave the green light for the US to use a key air base in its south for air strikes against IS. After taking off from the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir three Turkish F-16 planes dropped four guided bombs against three IS targets, a statement from the prime minister's office said. The planes struck just before 4:00 am local time and then returned to their base. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the Turkish war planes were "100 percent" successful in eliminating their targets.

Mitsubishi apologizes to wartime slaves

Japan's Mitsubishi Materials will apologize and pay compensation to the Chinese victims of forced labor during the World War II, the company told the Global Times on Friday, but some groups representing Chinese victims said that they have not reached an agreement on the terms of the apology and the amount of compensation. The planned apology to Chinese forced laborers, first reported by Kyodo News earlier on Friday, came after the unprecedented apology on Sunday to US prisoners of war (POW) used as forced labor by the company. If realized, it will mark a first positive step by the company to seek reconciliation with Chinese forced labor victims, the Xinhua News Agency said. According to an apology letter revealed by the China Federation to Demand Compensation from Japan on Friday afternoon, "The company honestly admits the historical facts that the human rights of Chinese laborers were infringed and expresses deep remorse." Data from the Japanese government showed that there about 39,000 Chinese laborers were forcibly taken to Japan, and 3,765 of them were sent to Mitsubishi Materials' wartime predecessor Mitsubishi Mining Co. "Some 722 Chinese laborers died and this problem remains unsolved," according to the letter. The company said that it would offer all the 3, 765 Chinese with a compensation of 2 million yen ($16,000) for each and sincere apology for its wartime wrongdoings to the victims. Mitsubishi will also erect a memorial monument and spend about 200 million yen to investigate in relevant issues, said Kyodo News. A media relations spokesman with the company in Tokyo said there are still lawsuits proceeding in China by the Chinese labor workers against the company; therefore it no details will be released until the legal charges close. Among the 3,765 Chinese laborers, only 1,500 survivors or their relatives were found, the Kyodo News said, adding that Mitsubishi and the group of Chinese plaintiffs have agreed to settle the forced labor case through apology and compensation. However, a group of 126 lawyers representing nearly 40 Chinese victims, including laborers and families of deceased laborers, sent an announcement to the Global Times on Friday, saying that they do not consider Mitsubishi's apology letter and 2-million-yen compensation as acceptable. "We will not consider the revealed apology letter being a reconciliation reached between our plaintiffs and the company," said Li Haiyan, one of the 126 lawyers representing the 30-plus Chinese victims, adding they would not drop the lawsuit. The 126 lawyers sued the company in February 2014 in Beijing No.1 Intermediate Court and the plaintiffs demanded $163,000 dollars of compensation each. Li said it's not only a problem of money. "On many other aspects the two sides failed to reach consensus…those who take this apology as a settlement were clouded by the company." However, Zhu Huizhong, a secretary with the China Federation to Demand Compensation from Japan, which claims to represent over 1,000 Chinese forced laborers and their families, told the Global Times that the apology letter and compensation plan should be considered a good start by the Japanese company. Zhu said that the lawyers' group could not represent all the Chinese forced laborers used by Mitsubishi and many victims she reached value a sincere apology more than the amount of compensation. "Legal procedures are likely to last for years, but many of those workers are very old now, so they want to see and hear the company admitting and apologizing and reflecting when they're alive," Zhu said. Since the 1990s, Chinese survivors have filed a series of lawsuits against Japanese companies seeking damages for wartime wrongs. Some 30 lawsuits have been filed by Chinese victims in Japan against the Japanese government and companies over wartime actions, but Japan's Supreme Court in 2007 ruled against the victims, saying their rights to claims were relinquished after a 1972 Sino-Japanese declaration that normalized ties between the two countries. Experts believe the settlement of the forced labor cases would help China and Japan improve their relationship. "Since the normalization, many in Japan have argued that the historical problems between the two countries are solved," Haruki Wada, historian and professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo, told the Global Times. "However, I believe the issue of forced labor along with that of comfort women are among the most important conflicts with lasting impact on the two countries' relations," he said. Earlier reports also said that Mitsubishi Materials will apologize to former British, Dutch and Australian WWII POWs.

Libyan senior official survives assassination in Tunisia

Undersecretary of Interior of Libya's internationally recognized government, and Minister of Interior in charge Col. Mustafa Al-Debbashi on Thursday survived an assassination attempt in the Tunisian capital, according to the ministry's spokesman on Friday. "Tunisian authorities arrested a terrorist who was attempting to assassinate Col. Al-Debbashi as he was in Tunisia," the ministry's spokesman Lieutenant Tariq Kharraz said . "The arrested terrorist is a Tunisian national and linked to a Libyan terrorist group. He is being interrogated currently by the Tunisian security to uncover the motives behind the attempted assassination and for further details of the group he belongs to," Kharraz added. No group has claimed responsibility for the attempted assassination so far. Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya has been suffering a security vacuum with many armed groups fighting for dominance. The country is plagued with similar assassinations. Libya, an oil-rich North African country, suffers political division with two rival parliaments and governments battling for legitimacy.

US may release Israeli spy Pollard from prison soon: report

The Obama administration is preparing to release convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard in a move to smooth its ties with Israel which is strongly against the Iranian nuclear deal, according to a US media report Friday. Some US officials have been pushing for Pollard's release within weeks or months, considering his date of parole in November as a possible date for release, the Wall Street Journal reported on its website. Pollard, an American citizen and former civilian analyst of the US Navy, was arrested in November 1985 and later sentenced to life imprisonment for spying for Israel, in a sensational case which has often divided the two allies. Pollard supporters argue that the punishment was overly harsh given the fact that the country he spied for was a US ally, while Israel has also been strongly lobbying Washington for his early release. The US Justice Department insisted on Friday that "Pollard should serve his full sentence for the serious crimes he committed, in which case is a 30-year sentence as mandated by statute." Pollard, 60, is reportedly suffering from bad health in prison in North Carolina, and will be eligible for parole in November on the 30th anniversary of his arrest. He could win early release unless the US Parole Commission denies it on reasons that he has a record of bad behavior in prison or is likely to commit new crimes. The White House on Friday denied any linkage between the Pollard case and the rising tension in the US-Israeli ties caused by the Iranian deal, reached by Iran and the US-led six major nations last week. Israel has blasted the Iranian deal as a "historical mistake", saying easing economic sanctions on Iran could allow the Islamic state to provide funding to anti-Israel groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The White House also denied any linkage between the Pollard case and the Iranian deal. "Mr. Pollard's status will be determined by the US Parole Commission according to standard procedures," said National Security Council spokesman Alistair Baskey. "There is absolutely zero linkage between Mr. Pollard's status and foreign policy considerations," he added.

Draw of 2018 FIFA World Cup unveils

The draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia unveiled on Saturday night. Out of the 52 teams in European zone, 13 winners will qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Two group winners and two group runners-up in the Asian region will qualify for the World Cup, while the round four winner will advance to the Intercontinental Play-offs with team from North, Central America and Caribbean zone. Ten teams in South American zone would fight for the four spots for the World Cup, while the fifth placed team advances to the Intercontinental Play-offs with an Oceanian team, which would earn the first place after three rounds of matches with other seven teams from the same region. Top three placed teams of the all 20 from North, Central America and Caribbean zone would qualify for the World Cup, while the fourth placed team will have to prepare for another match with the round four winner in Asian zone to fight for qualification for World Cup. Another five winners out of 40 teams in African zone would join altogether 32 national teams, including that of the host nation, in the finals tournament, assuming the current format of the finals is maintained. Round matches in confederations are expected to end generally in November of 2017, while the 2018 FIFA World Cup is scheduled from June 14 to July 15. Russia won the bid for 2018 World Cup in December of 2010. This will be the first World Cup held in the area of the former Soviet Union and the first since 2006 to be held in Europe. Speaking at the beginning of the qualification draws, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised earlier in the day that Russia would do everything to ensure the safety and maximum comfort for football fans from all over the world.

Libyan senior official survives assassination in Tunisia

Undersecretary of Interior of Libya's internationally recognized government, and Minister of Interior in charge Col. Mustafa Al-Debbashi on Thursday survived an assassination attempt in the Tunisian capital, according to the ministry's spokesman on Friday. "Tunisian authorities arrested a terrorist who was attempting to assassinate Col. Al-Debbashi as he was in Tunisia," the ministry's spokesman Lieutenant Tariq Kharraz said . "The arrested terrorist is a Tunisian national and linked to a Libyan terrorist group. He is being interrogated currently by the Tunisian security to uncover the motives behind the attempted assassination and for further details of the group he belongs to," Kharraz added. No group has claimed responsibility for the attempted assassination so far. Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya has been suffering a security vacuum with many armed groups fighting for dominance. The country is plagued with similar assassinations. Libya, an oil-rich North African country, suffers political division with two rival parliaments and governments battling for legitimacy.

Rocket carrying new crew docks with ISS

Astronauts from Russia, Japan and the US Thursday docked successfully with the International Space Station (ISS) in under six hours after launch, NASA television showed. The Soyuz TMA-17M rocket - carrying cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, US astronaut Kjell Lindgren and Kimiya Yui of Japan - had roared skyward from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in the barren Kazakhstan steppe at 21:02 GMT. After a fly-around at around 350 meters, the rocket maneuvered to rendezvous with the ISS at 02:46 GMT Thursday. "We have contact," a NASA announcer said, as the craft soared high above the coast of Ecuador, 402 kilometers over the Pacific. One solar array - a type of power supply that captures energy from the Sun - did not deploy on time, but this did not affect the rocket's flight as the others were still operating, the US space agency said. Scientists and space enthusiasts around the world were watching the launch closely, and with some concern, since the mission had been delayed by two months because of a Russian rocket failure. Russia was in May forced to put all space travel on hold after the unmanned Progress freighter taking cargo to the ISS crashed back to Earth in late April. The doomed ship lost contact with Earth and burned up in the atmosphere. The failure, which Russia has blamed on a problem in a Soyuz rocket, also forced a group of astronauts to spend an extra month aboard the ISS. Russian officials earlier breathed a sigh of relief, with the space agency Roscosmos saying that the third stage of the Soyuz rocket separated on time and the crew were "feeling well." "Everything is okay, everything is according to plan," said veteran cosmonaut ­Fyodor Yurchikhin, providing live commentary of the liftoff. A workhorse of space that dates back to the Cold War, the Soyuz is used for manned and unmanned flights. "Training ... check. Equipment ... check. Rocket ... check. Press conference ... check. We are ready to fly!!" 42-year-old Lindgren said on Twitter before the liftoff. Japan's Yui, 45, is now the 10th Japanese astronaut to have traveled in space. Ahead of the launch, the three men met with 81-year-old cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man to walk in space. Sending the first man into space in 1961 and launching the first Sputnik satellite four years earlier are among key accomplishments of the Russian space program and remain a major source of national pride in the country. But over the past few years, Russia has suffered several major setbacks, notably losing expensive satellites and unmanned supply ships to the ISS. NASA has funneled $4.2 billion to Boeing and $2.6 billion to SpaceX to help the companies build a successor to the space shuttle and to encourage competition in the aerospace industry. The world's astronauts fly to the ISS aboard Russian Soyuz spaceships at a cost of $70 million per seat.

China maintains deficit in forex

China maintained a deficit in its foreign exchange (forex) settlements in the first half of the year, official data showed on Thursday. Domestic lenders bought $866.5 billion in foreign currency and sold $971.9 billion, resulting in a net sale of $105.4 billion, said Wang Chun­ying, spokeswoman of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE). The deficit was $62.5 billion in the second half of 2014. China saw a surplus of $125.8 billion in its foreign exchange settlements in 2014, but the volume narrowed significantly compared with $270.2 billion in 2013, SAFE data showed, indicating easing capital inflows. But volatility in cross-border capital flows has been easing, Wang said. The forex settlement deficit hit $91.4 billion in the first quarter, but it narrowed to $13.9 billion in the second quarter. In April alone, the deficit hit $17.3 billion, but in May there was a $1.3 billion surplus and in June there was a surplus of $2.1 billion, SAFE data showed. The stronger dollar was a key factor in China's cross-border capital outflows in the first quarter, but the pace of outflows slowed in the second quarter, Wang said. "There was no continuous large-scale capital outflow in the first half of the year. The pressure in the second quarter was down from the first quarter," Wang said. Capital outflows will not pose a major concern to the economy, and such flows are likely to slow in the second half, a J.P. Morgan economist said Wednesday. Market expectations of a weaker yuan and the government's decision to let companies hold more foreign currency contributed to the outflow, which to some extent actually reflected positive changes, according to Zhu Haibin, chief economist at J.P. Morgan China. Forex reserves dropped $113 billion in the first quarter, but only $36.2 billion in the second quarter. It is common practice for banks to sell foreign currencies to companies or individuals and buy foreign currencies from them. These transactions can be used to measure the supply-demand relationship in the inter-bank forex market, and they also affect the yuan's exchange rate, experts said.

Kerry mounts furious defense of Iran deal

US Secretary of State John ¬Kerry mounted a furious counter¬attack against critics of the Iran nuclear deal on ¬Thursday, ¬telling skeptical lawmakers that rejection of the accord would give Tehran "a great big green light" to swiftly accelerate its atomic program. Testifying before Congress for the first time since Iran and world powers reached the deal last week, Kerry fought back against accusations by a senior Republican that America's top diplomat was "fleeced" by Iranian negotiators in the final round of the Vienna talks. He insisted that those who oppose the deal, which curbs Iran's nuclear program in ¬return for sanctions relief, are pushing an unrealistic ¬alternative that he dismissed as a "sort of unicorn arrangement involving Iran's complete ¬capitulation." "The fact is that Iran now has extensive experience with nuclear fuel cycle technology," Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "We can't bomb that knowledge away. Nor can we sanction that knowledge away." Kerry said that if Congress turns thumbs down on the deal, "the result will be the United States of America walking away from every one of the restrictions we have achieved." "We will have squandered the best chance we have to solve this problem through peaceful means," he said as Congress began a 60-day review of the deal to decide whether to support or reject it. Opening the hearing, the committee's Republican chairman, Bob Corker, offered scathing criticism of Kerry for the terms he secured in negotiating the deal. "Not unlike a hotel guest that leaves only with a hotel bathrobe on his back, I believe that you've been fleeced," he said. Corker chided Kerry and other administration officials for their line of argument that the only alternative to the Iran deal would be more war in the Middle East, saying that the real alternative would be a better deal. US Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the committee, said he has not yet decided how he would vote but said he felt US negotiators had made significant progress. "Our negotiators got an ¬awful lot, particularly on the nuclear front," Cardin said. Under a bill President Barack Obama signed into law in May, Congress has until ¬September 17 to approve or reject the agreement. Republicans have majority in both houses of Congress. Many have come out ¬strongly against the pact, which they say will empower Iran and threaten US ally Israel. Obama, who could gain a ¬legacy boost from his ¬diplomatic outreach to US foe Iran, needs to convince as many of his ¬fellow Democrats as ¬possible to support the agreement. If a disapproval resolution passes Congress and survives a veto, Obama would be unable to waive most of the US ¬sanctions imposed on Iran, which could cripple the nuclear pact.

Berlin gets ready to say ‘Hello, Lenin’

Buried and long forgotten, the head of a giant Lenin statue is set to make a comeback in the German capital a quarter-century after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Soviet leader will gaze again on the people when the 3.5-ton piece is resurrected from its current grave - a sandpit under a pile of rocks home to a colony of lizards. The goateed head of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, alias Lenin, is to be unearthed, trucked across Berlin and displayed in a lineup of historical sculptures marking the end of an odyssey that started in the Cold War. "Lenin was always set to be part of the exhibition because it's a special statue, given its size alone," said Andrea Theissen, curator of the Citadel Spandau hosting the exhibition from September. A similarly oversized bust of Lenin starred in the award-winning 2003 comedy-drama Good Bye Lenin!, ­showing the Russian revolutionary leader suspended from a helicopter, unceremoniously carted over the roofs of a reunited Berlin. That scene never actually took place, but the real-life journey of the statue has been no less dramatic. People power Once upon a time, the 1.7-meter-high head was part of a Lenin statue carved from Ukrainian pink granite that towered 19 meters above East Berlin, framed by Soviet Union pre-fab ­apartment blocks. It was designed by Nikolai Tomsky, then-president of the Soviet Academy of Arts, and its massive stone blocks were hauled to the socialist brother-state in a convoy of trucks. The statue was inaugurated before 200,000 people on April 19, 1970, three days before the 100th anniversary of Lenin's birth, and stayed there for 31 years, dominating a square named after the Bolshevik revolutionary.­ After a wave of people power brought down the Wall and the Iron Curtain, sending Lenin and Marx statues toppling across eastern Europe, the Berlin icon too became a lightning rod for public anger. It was at "the heart of citizen protests and of debates in the Berlin government assembly," said Theissen. The first mayor of reunited Berlin, the conservative Eberhard Diepgen, ordered its removal in late 1991. The statue was painstakingly disassembled over months as workers cut through granite, concrete and steel beams inside, splitting Lenin into about 120 parts. The pieces then were trucked to a secluded forest in Berlin's far southeast and buried in sandy earth, a location chosen for reasons that are now lost to history. Politically sensitive For a long time it seemed Lenin's head would remain buried in the sand, despite city pledges to send it to the Spandau exhibit. As recently as August 2014, the Berlin government claimed no one knew exactly where it was and that excavating it would be too costly anyway. "That's when I contacted the ­Berliner Zeitung (newspaper) and I told them, I know where it is," laughs Rick Minnich, a Berlin-based US documentary filmmaker. The Californian, together with a German friend, had used shovels to unearth the head back in the early 1990s and filmed the scene for a "mockumentary," since posted online. "Last summer, someone decided the head would not be excavated, and it was the huge press reaction that put very heavy pressure on the local government to fulfill the promise it had made," he said. Berlin's administration admitted it had dragged its feet on the matter. "To the question of whether this is politically sensitive, I think we should say yes," said Petra Rohland, Berlin city spokesperson for development and the environment. "It has been 25 years since the fall of the Wall and we naturally thought: Is it wise to have Lenin pass through the city and exhibit him in a ­museum?" The exhibit organizers finally convinced the city administration to go ahead. But then Lenin's return ran into another unexpected obstacle - the lizards. Endangered lizards In January, a local Greens Party politician warned that a colony of endangered sand lizards had found a home above Lenin's buried head. Excavation plans were halted and a biological field study kicked off amid lengthy discussions with ­environmental groups. An agreement was finally reached to respect both nature and history. Once the lizards' hibernation period was over, and before their ­summertime mating began, the critters would be plucked off their rocks and transferred to a new habitat before the earth-moving equipment arrived. Now Theissen is looking forward to the arrival of Lenin's head for the exhibition, titled Unveiled. Berlin and its Monuments.. It features some 100 original works dating back to the 18th century, in the Spandau Citadel in western Berlin. "We will show the monuments as they were found," she said. As for Lenin "he is not shown as a heroic figure ... What we expect is to present him like he was underground."

Ministry says no timetable set for introduction of two-child policy

The National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) denied Thursday that China would further relax its family planning policy to allow all couples to have a second child by the end of this year. Some media reported Wednesday that the two-child policy is to be applied as early as the end of 2015, citing researchers who participated in a survey launched by the NHFPC in March. The survey, results of which were not made public, consulted health and family planning experts on whether the government should further relax the family planning policy, and most experts said yes, according to the Shanghai-based China Business News. China relaxed its decades-old one-child policy in late 2013, allowing couples to have a second child if either parent was a single child. But the number of couples wanting to have a second child has been lower than expected, and experts think it is necessary to fully relax the family planning policy. However, the NHFPC told Beijing Morning Post on Thursday that the media reports are untrue and there was no timetable for further relaxing the current policy. China saw 16.9 million recorded births in 2014, up 470,000 than the previous year, which showed that the current second-child policy is having effect, the NHFPC said at a news conference on July 10. A total of 1.45 million Chinese couples had submitted applications for a second child as of the end of May, with an average of 80,000 to 90,000 applications each month, the NHFPC data showed. China saw a third consecutive annual drop in its workforce in 2014, with 3.7 million less working age people than the previous year, data released from the National Bureau of Statistics showed. Despite the denial by the NHFPC, some demographers and sociologies believe that the restrictions on having a second child will be fully lifted, considering that the current one is only a transitional reform measure. They believe that a new policy will be issued at the beginning of the 13th five-year plan period starting 2016.

Number of Internet users reaches 668 million in China

The number of Internet users in China continued to grow in the first half of this year, with about 90 percent of the users accessing the internet through mobile phones, according to a report released Thursday. The semi-annual report by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) showed that there were a total of 668 million online users in China by the end of June, an increase of 19 million in the past six months. Among the users, 27.9 percent or 186 million are rural residents, an increase of 8 million. Most of the online users are aged between 20 and 29 and are mainly students and freelancers. About 90 percent of the users access the Internet through mobile phones, 68 percent access through desktop and about 43 percent use laptop, the report said. The popularity of smartphones has shot up recently due to a drop in prices, making them more affordable. The government has also increased its support to mobile Internet services and has required operators to lower the Internet fees. The growth of apps useful in daily lives also contributed to attract online users, the report said. Besides, the report found that online shopping, group buying and trip booking have been increasing steadily, while the number of online payment apps also saw a significant rise as the related systems and infrastructure became more mature, according to the report. Following a boom in the stock market that began last year, the number of people using mobile apps to trade shares rose by 50 percent in the first half of this year to 5.6 million, the report showed.

More Chinese companies become world top 500

A total of 106 Chinese companies made this year's Fortune Global 500 list, up from 100 firms in 2014, according to the annual ranking released Wednesday. Sinopec Group, China's top oil refiner, was the second largest company in the world this year by total revenue, up from the third place in 2014, according to the new list topped by US retail giant Walmart. PetroChina, the largest oil and gas producer in China, remained in fourth place this year, while the State Grid Corporation, the largest electric utilities company, remained seventh. The number of Chinese companies in the list trailed only the US, which boasts 128 companies. The world's 500 largest companies generated 31.2 trillion US dollars in revenues and 1.7 trillion US dollars in profits in 2014.

Late Chinese leader Wan Li cremated

The body of Wan Li, former chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, was cremated on Wednesday morning in Beijing. President Xi Jinping, premier Li Keqiang, former president Hu Jintao, and senior leaders Zhang Dejiang, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli, attended the funeral at Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery. They gave their respects to Wan, and offered his family their condolences. Wan died at the age of 99 in Beijing on July 15. He was chairman of the NPC Standing Committee from 1988 to 1993, and he also served as secretary of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice premier prior to being the top legislator. Wan's official obituary praised him as an "excellent Party member, a time-tested and loyal communist soldier, and an outstanding proletarian revolutionist, statesman and leader of the Party and the state."