Tibetan sources tell VOA that another person has set himself on fire in western China, as part of a protest against Chinese rule in ethnic Tibetan areas. Sources say a 29-year-old monk, Lobsang Gendun, had his hands clasped in prayer as flames engulfed him Monday evening. Witnesses in Qinghai province say the monk shouted slogans […]
Singapore Jails Chinese Immigrant for Rare Labor Strike
Posted December 3rd, 2012 at 10:05 am (UTC-5)
Authorities in Singapore have sentenced a Chinese immigrant bus driver to six weeks in prison for his involvement in the city-state’s first labor strike in more than a quarter of a century. 38-year-old Bao Feng Shan received his jail sentence Monday. He is one of five bus drivers charged for their involvement in the strike. […]
Hundreds Evacuate as Typhoon Approaches Philippines
Posted December 3rd, 2012 at 9:15 am (UTC-5)
Hundreds of people evacuated parts of the southern Philippines Monday as a powerful typhoon barreled toward the nation. Forecasters reported early Monday that Typhoon Bopha was about 550 kilometers southeast of Surigao del Sur province’s Hinatuan township. They said the storm had gusts of up to 210 kilometers per hour and that it should make […]
Japan Inspecting Tunnels Across the Country
Posted December 3rd, 2012 at 6:25 am (UTC-5)
Japan has ordered emergency inspections of highway tunnels across the country after concrete slabs from the ceiling of a tunnel west of Tokyo fell onto moving vehicles Sunday, killing at least nine people. On Monday, the government ordered the immediate inspections of the 49 other highway tunnels of similar design in Japan. Safety officials are […]
Russia Urges North Korea to Cancel Rocket Launch
Posted December 3rd, 2012 at 3:25 am (UTC-5)
Russia is urging North Korea not to go ahead with a planned rocket launch later this month. The statement was issued Monday by the Russian Foreign Ministry. Russia joins an international chorus expressing concern about the North’s intentions. Pyongyang says the rocket will carry an earth observation satellite into orbit, but the effort is widely […]
At Least 9 Dead in Japan Tunnel Collapse
Posted December 3rd, 2012 at 12:45 am (UTC-5)
((updates death toll in hed, lede; new info in grafs 1-2, 5) Japanese officials say at least nine people died Sunday when concrete ceiling panels fell in a highway tunnel west of Tokyo. Early Monday, rescue officials were forced to suspend their work until more supports can be added to the remaining panels. Police said […]
Tibetan Teen Injured in Self-Immolation
Posted December 2nd, 2012 at 3:50 pm (UTC-5)
Tibetan sources tell VOA that a 17-year old Tibetan man has set himself on fire as part of a protest against Chinese rule in ethnic Tibetan areas of western China. Sources say Songdhi Kyab from the Gannan region of Gansu province self-immolated around 3:30 p.m. local time Sunday. Witnesses say he was alive but appeared […]
China Imprisons Local ‘Interceptors’
Posted December 2nd, 2012 at 11:50 am (UTC-5)
China is denying reports that a Beijing court has imprisoned 10 men for illegally detaining citizens who tried to lodge complaints with the central government. Chinese media reported Sunday that 10 officials from central Henan province hired men to stop petitioners from airing their grievances in Beijing in an effort to cover up abuses. In […]
At Least 3 Dead in Japan Tunnel Collapse
Posted December 2nd, 2012 at 6:00 am (UTC-5)
Japanese officials say a highway tunnel collapsed early Sunday west of Tokyo, killing at least three people. Police had earlier said that they saw a number of charred bodies in a burned-out car. The death toll could be higher since several people are believed to be missing. Television reports showed black smoke billowing from the […]
China Imprisons Local ‘Interceptors’
Posted December 2nd, 2012 at 5:10 am (UTC-5)
Chinese state media are reporting that a Beijing court has imprisoned 10 men for illegally detaining citizens who tried to lodge complaints with the central government. Under China’s “petitioning” system, people can request that the central government investigate abuses by local officials at a complaints office in the capital. However, Beijing’s Chaoyang District Court found […]
