http://www.youtube.com/v/-wCVBoEu0iA?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Read more: The FBI and pressure cookers, Ai Weiwei films Beijing street brawl
British Olympic sailor dies in yacht accident
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$26mln for excess kids: China’s top director probed for having seven kids instead of one
Family planning authorities in the eastern city of Wuxi, where Zhang’s wife lives, are preparing a report and will release it soon, Xinhua agency said.Online rumors surfaced earlier that 61-year-old Zhang might have a total of seven children: three with his current spouse actress Chen Ting, three with two other women and a daughter from his first marriage, wrote the People’s Daily. The renowned director may avoid having to pay the penalty if his alleged children were born abroad and have been granted citizenship of the states they were born in.Zhang, who directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, won a number of prestigious awards for his films and was nominated for an Academy Award in 1991 for the film “Ju Dou.” He gained international recognition as a highly gifted director with his movie Red Sorghum, which won the Golden Bear at 1987 Berlin Film Festival.The speculation has sparked heated debate in Chinese social media with many users being outraged at how the rich and influential can get around the law and solve whatever they want using their money. In China – with a population of an impressive 1.3 billion people – couples are allowed to have only one child. There can be exceptions to the rule under certain circumstances such as if twins are born, if both spouses come from one-child families or if their first kid has a non-inherited illness. In most rural provinces, couples are permitted to have a second child if their first-born is a daughter or suffers from physical disability or mental illness.Families breaching tough population control policy face severe financial penalties, some may lose their jobs and in some cases women are even forced to abort their babies or be sterilized. According to Beijing, the policy helped to prevent 400 million births since the regulations were introduced over 30 years ago. … Read More
China ‘reviews’ Okinawa ownership in new territorial challenge to Japan
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‘China in position to talk to everyone in Middle East’
The leaders of Palestine and Israel are visiting China simultaneously. Although China’s offered to host a meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmud Abbas, neither side has expressed any willingness to attend. However, lLan Maor believes China has everything to become a conciliator between the Palestinian Authority and Israel in the near future.RT: You’ve have billions worth of trade with China, yet, Beijing still sides politically with Palestine. Why is that?Ilan Maor: I don’t think we should mix the two issues. On the one hand Israel and China are improving relations in basically all aspects. On the other hand China has long-term relations with Palestine and is putting more interest into the Middle Eastern conflict. I don’t think they are now taking sides but are trying to find their position in the Middle East discussion. That’s what we are seeing now – they’ve met with the Palestinians already and will be meeting the Israeli Prime Minister in a few days.RT: Why is China seeking to stretch into the Middle East anyway? The market for its goods there is much smaller, and not even that stable?IM: This is a new trend in China. I think a few years ago China would be reluctant to be involved in such a conflict. But in the past decade we’ve seen China getting more and more involved in the international issues and the Middle East for China is an important area. China imports resources from the Middle East and therefore stability in the region becomes more and more important for China. At the same time, the major power for stabilization in the region, the US, is taking a bit less interest in the Middle East, and there is more need for somebody else to be involved. That’s why we see the Russians and the Chinese involved, and I think we’ll see this trend continue in the future. RT: With China’s economic rise, comes a political one. Do you believe it can match America’s clout in the Middle East?IM: China is China. They aren’t looking for competition or balance with anyone. China is regaining its position as a major global player. It has a unique position in the fact that, on the one hand, it has very good and long-standing relations with Palestinians and all the Arab world including Iran. At the same time, in the past 20 years they’ve developed good relations with Israel as well. That puts them in a very interesting position to talk to everyone. Moreover, China is very well known for its peacefulness, they are against conflicts and violence. Bringing somebody to the Middle East, who is supporting finding solution without using violence, if it is taking action not only by statements and pushing the Hezbollah and the Hamas to lower the flames – that can be useful for everyone. RT: What does Israel have to gain from a close relationship with China, aside from small increases to trade?IM: Trade and economic relationship is important by itself, but I think this is a very important visit. This will be the first time the Israeli leadership will meet the new leadership of China, which will lead the country for the next decade. It is very important to have personal connection, to create direct communication between the two leaderships. If this visit creates good communication between the two leaderships given that China is getting more and more involved in the Middle East, this could be very beneficial for Israel. … Read More
Israel PM Netanyahu ‘orders brief freeze’ on Jewish settlements
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Israeli media reports say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is visiting China, has stalled new Jewish settlement building to help US-led peace efforts.
The Israeli leader has been visiting Shanghai before going to Beijing. It comes as China shows signs of becoming more proactive in Middle East diplomacy.
There has been no immediate comment from the Israeli government on the settlement issue.
Newspapers and Israeli Army Radio say Netanyahu has ordered a temporary freeze on tenders for new housing projects in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The daily paper Haaretz said the prime minister had promised to refrain until mid-June from publishing new tenders, in a move aimed at helping US Secretary of State John Kerry with his diplomatic campaign to revive peace talks.
Netanyahu’s visit coincides with a separate trip to China by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who met President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday.
China has offered to help should the Israeli and Palestinian leaders wish to meet during their trips, but there are no plans for them to do so.
“We support Palestine and Israel resolving their differences and disputes through peaceful talks. China’s hosting of state visits by leaders of the two countries is part of our efforts to promote the peace process in the Middle East,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Hunying.
Mahmoud Abbas told Chinese media he would ask Beijing leaders to use their influence with Israel to try to remove obstacles blocking the Palestinian economy.
He welcomed Netanyahu’s visit, saying it was good for the Chinese to talk to both sides.
The Chinese president said Beijing firmly supported what he called the “just cause” of the Palestinian people.
More about: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Israel-Palestine Peace Process, West Bank
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Pentagon accuses China of hacking US defence networks
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China is spying on the United States to fuel its fast-paced military modernisation programme, according to the Pentagon.
It is the first time Washington has directly accused Beijing of mounting a cyber-espionage campaign.
The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, David Helvey, said: “China’s military continues to explore the role of military operations in cyberspace as a feature of modern warfare. In addition, in 2012, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the United States government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to China’s government and military organisations.”
The Pentagon also cited progress in Beijing’s effort to develop advanced-technology stealth aircraft and build an aircraft carrier fleet to project power further offshore.
China has dismissed the report as groundless.
The U.S. Defense Department had repeatedly “made irresponsible comments about China’s normal and justified defense build-up and hyped up the so-called China military threat,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
More about: China, Espionage, USA
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