An exiled Uighur group says Chinese authorities have turned the northwestern region of Xinjiang into a “police state,” three years after the outbreak of deadly riots between ethnic Uighurs and settlers of China’s Han majority. A spokesman for the Washington-based World Uyghur Congress Thursday said Xinjiang security forces have intensified street patrols of Uighur neighborhoods […]
Uighurs: China’s Xinjiang a ‘Police State’ 3 Years After Riots
Posted July 5th, 2012 at 3:45 pm (UTC-5)
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Panel: Fukushima Nuclear Disaster ‘Man-Made’
Posted July 5th, 2012 at 6:45 am (UTC-5)
A Japanese parliamentary panel has concluded that last year’s Fukushima nuclear disaster was “man-made,” even as authorities announced the controversial return of nuclear power for the first time following the crisis. The report, based on a six-month investigation, faulted both the government and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, for failing to foresee and […]
Panel: Fukushima Nuclear Disaster ‘Man-Made’
Posted July 5th, 2012 at 3:25 am (UTC-5)
A Japanese parliamentary panel has concluded that last year’s Fukushima nuclear disaster was “man-made,” even as authorities announced the controversial return of nuclear power for the first time following the crisis. The report, based on a six-month investigation, faulted both the government and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, for failing to foresee and […]
Amnesty: Three Years After Riots, China Still Cracking Down on Uighurs
Posted July 5th, 2012 at 1:50 am (UTC-5)
Amnesty International says China continues to silence ethnic Uighurs who speak out about human rights abuses allegedly committed three years ago, during deadly riots in the western province of Xinjiang. The rights group says “dozens, if not hundreds” of Uighurs are still being detained after they “disappeared” in the aftermath of the riots that killed […]
South Korea To Use “Science” Loophole for Whaling
Posted July 4th, 2012 at 10:35 pm (UTC-5)
South Korea says it plans to hunt whales under regulations permitting whaling only for scientific research. South Korea announced its intentions Wednesday at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Panama. The announcement was immediately condemned by anti-whaling nations, including Australia and New Zealand. South Korea says its hunting of minke whales would take […]
Burma’s VP Resigns in Reshuffle That Could Boost Reforms
Posted July 4th, 2012 at 10:35 am (UTC-5)
Burma has confirmed the resignation of a conservative vice president as part of a Cabinet reshuffle that reformist lawmakers hope will reduce the influence of anti-reform figures in the government. The speaker for Burma’s two houses of parliament announced the departure of Vice President Tin Aung Myint Oo for health reasons on Wednesday, as the […]
Chinese City Stops Metal Plant Project After Mass Protests
Posted July 4th, 2012 at 6:55 am (UTC-5)
Chinese authorities have scrapped a plan to build a copper plant in a central city after residents staged several days of protests against the prospect of heavy pollution from the factory. Thousands of residents of Shifang city in Sichuan province had taken to the streets in the past three days to protest the refinery, complaining […]
Burma President Considering Cabinet Reshuffle to Accelerate Change: Reports
Posted July 4th, 2012 at 3:30 am (UTC-5)
Burmese President Thein Sein is reported to be planning to reshuffle his cabinet and appoint a new vice president as part of an effort to push for quicker reforms in the Southeast Asian nation. Senior government officials were quoted in reports Wednesday as saying the president will soon drop several hardliner government ministers who were […]
Japan Holds Regional Military Drills
Posted July 4th, 2012 at 2:35 am (UTC-5)
Japan is hosting several of its Pacific neighbors for a joint military exercise intended to boost readiness to halt the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The drill, which will also include Australian, South Korean, and Singaporean airmen, will simulate the forced landing and inspection of a plane carrying radioactive substances flying into Japanese airspace. […]
Burma Parliament Reconvenes with Focus on Economy
Posted July 4th, 2012 at 1:50 am (UTC-5)
Burma’s parliament reconvenes Wednesday, with lawmakers set to begin debate on a series of laws aimed at developing the impoverished country’s long-stagnant economy. The new session of the National Assembly is a key test for rapidly changing Burma, which has made a series of dramatic political reforms since its long-time military rulers stepped aside last […]
