The Chinese super-rich are about to flood the US real-estate market - Yahoo Finance: "The chaos of the past few weeks is likely to lead to an acceleration in the rate of real-estate purchases by wealthy Chinese buyers in the US and elsewhere.
"[Chinese] Investors who were looking at investing overseas may bring forward their purchases," James MacDonald, head of Savills Research in China, wrote in an email to Business Insider. "While some of those that may not have been considering the purchase of property in the U.S. may now look at doing so."
The Chinese see US real estate as a relatively moderate risk, high-return investment, Svenja Gudell, the chief economist at real-estate-research site Zillow, told Business Insider. Especially if buyers anticipate further RMB devaluation and market volatility.
Wealthy Chinese are already the largest group of foreign real-estate buyers in the US, with 16% of the single homes and condominiums purchased by foreign buyers snapped up by Chinese last year, according to the US National Homebuyers Association. They were trailed by Canadians, who bought 14% of homes.
These houses are typically more expensive properties, worth an average $831,800. Domestic buyers average $345,800 on a new single-family home, according to the US Census Bureau."
'via Blog this'
Monday, August 31, 2015
Friday, August 28, 2015
Deal With the Devil: How the Global Elite Re-colonized China - YouTube
Deal With the Devil: How the Global Elite Re-colonized China - YouTube: "The "Chinese dragon" of the last two decades may be faltering but it is still hailed by many as an economic miracle. Far from a great advance for Chinese workers, however, it is the direct result of a consolidation of power in the hands of a small clique of powerful families, families that have actively collaborated with Western financial oligarchs."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Ethical, organic, safe: the other side of halal food | Life and style | The Guardian
Ethical, organic, safe: the other side of halal food | Life and style | The Guardian: "The halal industry, he says, tends to focus too much on how animals die rather than on how they live. Halal certification audits may focus on the details of whether there's alcohol in the hand sanitiser at abattoirs, or use of the unlawful "blessed blade", which has the pre-slaughter prayer written on it rather than having it pronounced for each individual animal. But there are broader issues at stake, springing from Islam's emphasis on sustainable living and kindness to animals. The Qur'an commands Muslims to "eat of what is in the earth lawful and wholesome", but too often, notes Lutfi, the emphasis remains on the lawful – halal – rather than tayyib, the wholesome and pure. Many halal meat producers too often mirror the pitfalls of the mass food industry: expediency and cheapness often trumping Islamic dictates on natural methods of farming and raising animals. "Halal is so much wider than just how an animal is killed or about meat," says Muhammad Nazir, CEO of Ghanim International UK, a halal food company backed by the Brunei government. "It's about eating food that benefits an individual in their physical and spiritual wellbeing.""
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
PLA base in Djibouti to expand China's influence at US expense｜WCT
PLA base in Djibouti to expand China's influence at US expense｜WCT: "The small East African nation of Djibouti has ordered US troops to leave their secondary military base in the country, Camp Obock, in order to turn it over to China, reports Duowei News, a media outlet run by overseas Chinese, citing California-based left-wing magazine CounterPunch.
Due to China's significant investments in the country, Djibouti president Ismail Omar Guelleh has publicly spoken of the importance the country's "new friends from Asia," according to the magazine report.
If the reports are true, Beijing will undoubtedly be pleased to finally establish an overseas military base for itself.
Camp Obock is a secondary base to the only permanent US military base in Africa, Camp Lemonnier, which houses 4,000 soldiers and is a major drone base for the US in the region and plays an important role in the US's intelligence gathering operations targeting Islamic State and al-Qaida.
Djibouti, strategically located on the Horn of Africa on the western bank of the Gulf of Aden at the neck of the Red Sea as it passes into the Indian Ocean, is also one of landlocked Ethiopia's only access routes to the sea and China is currently constructing a US$3 billion railroad from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa to Djibouti and has invested US$400 million to modernize its underdeveloped port, according to the magazine. The US, in comparison, pays just US$63 million a year for use of Camp Lemonnier.
The announcement calling for the vacation of the base was made the day after a visit to the country in May by the US secretary of state, John Kerry, which has raised concerns in Washington given the prospect that 10,000 Chinese troops will occupy a base neighboring the main US base in Africa, according to the magazine.
The UK's Daily Telegraph stated that the move may prompt the US "to relocate sensitive intelligence-gathering operations to more secure locations outside Djibouti where they are better protected from interception by the Chinese.""
'via Blog this'
Due to China's significant investments in the country, Djibouti president Ismail Omar Guelleh has publicly spoken of the importance the country's "new friends from Asia," according to the magazine report.
If the reports are true, Beijing will undoubtedly be pleased to finally establish an overseas military base for itself.
Camp Obock is a secondary base to the only permanent US military base in Africa, Camp Lemonnier, which houses 4,000 soldiers and is a major drone base for the US in the region and plays an important role in the US's intelligence gathering operations targeting Islamic State and al-Qaida.
Djibouti, strategically located on the Horn of Africa on the western bank of the Gulf of Aden at the neck of the Red Sea as it passes into the Indian Ocean, is also one of landlocked Ethiopia's only access routes to the sea and China is currently constructing a US$3 billion railroad from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa to Djibouti and has invested US$400 million to modernize its underdeveloped port, according to the magazine. The US, in comparison, pays just US$63 million a year for use of Camp Lemonnier.
The announcement calling for the vacation of the base was made the day after a visit to the country in May by the US secretary of state, John Kerry, which has raised concerns in Washington given the prospect that 10,000 Chinese troops will occupy a base neighboring the main US base in Africa, according to the magazine.
The UK's Daily Telegraph stated that the move may prompt the US "to relocate sensitive intelligence-gathering operations to more secure locations outside Djibouti where they are better protected from interception by the Chinese.""
'via Blog this'
Shadian in Yunnan said to have been base for terror cells｜WCT
Shadian in Yunnan said to have been base for terror cells｜WCT: "Close to the border with Vietnam, Shadian was used as a transfer center to move personnel, equipment and money into Southeast Asia from China. Shadian has a population of 15,000, of which 90% are ethnic Hui — Han Chinese who practise Islam.
Local authorities have forced all Uyghurs to leave Shadian, fearing another attack against Han Chinese. Hui people from Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region in northwestern China have also been forced to leave unless they can be vouched for by locals. Ma Fubao, an Uyghur businessman who had purchased a mansion in Shadian, has been forbidden from residing in the town."
'via Blog this'
Local authorities have forced all Uyghurs to leave Shadian, fearing another attack against Han Chinese. Hui people from Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region in northwestern China have also been forced to leave unless they can be vouched for by locals. Ma Fubao, an Uyghur businessman who had purchased a mansion in Shadian, has been forbidden from residing in the town."
'via Blog this'
US stocks end sharply higher after afternoon surge - Yahoo Finance
US stocks end sharply higher after afternoon surge - Yahoo Finance: "The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 619 points, or 4 percent on Wednesday.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index jumped 72 points, or 3.9 percent, to 1,940. That's the biggest gain for the index since November, 2011.
The Nasdaq composite surged 191 points, or 4.2 percent, to 4,697."
'via Blog this'
The Standard & Poor's 500 index jumped 72 points, or 3.9 percent, to 1,940. That's the biggest gain for the index since November, 2011.
The Nasdaq composite surged 191 points, or 4.2 percent, to 4,697."
'via Blog this'
China's stock market falls for the fifth straight day - Vox
China's stock market falls for the fifth straight day - Vox: "After a day of big swings, China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index closed down 1.2 percent on Wednesday.
The market has lost 22 percent of its value in 5 straight days of losses. Chinese stocks have lost 43 percent of their value since June.
Over the past two months, the Chinese government has taken extreme measures to reverse the stock market's decline.
China's stock market had a debt-fueled boom, followed by a crash
Between June 2014 and June 2015, China's Shanghai Composite index rose by 150 percent. A big reason for the stock market rally was that a lot of ordinary Chinese people began investing in the stock market for the first time. More than 40 million new stock accounts were opened between June 2014 and May 2015."
'via Blog this'
The market has lost 22 percent of its value in 5 straight days of losses. Chinese stocks have lost 43 percent of their value since June.
Over the past two months, the Chinese government has taken extreme measures to reverse the stock market's decline.
China's stock market had a debt-fueled boom, followed by a crash
Between June 2014 and June 2015, China's Shanghai Composite index rose by 150 percent. A big reason for the stock market rally was that a lot of ordinary Chinese people began investing in the stock market for the first time. More than 40 million new stock accounts were opened between June 2014 and May 2015."
'via Blog this'
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Honour killing? Girl from Tikamgarh found dead on wedding day - The Times of India
Honour killing? Girl from Tikamgarh found dead on wedding day - The Times of India: "BHOPAL: In a suspected case of honour killing, a minor and her cousin were shot dead and bullet-riddled bodies were found in a farm in a village 40 km from district headquarters of Tikamgarh early on Thursday morning, barely 16 hours before the 17-year-old was to get married.
The girl, Badi Raja, 17, and her married cousin Chandrabhan Singh, 23, had bullet wound on chest when a villager spotted bodies under a mango tree in the field of village Haupura.
Superintendent of police (SP) Nimish Agrawal told media, "They had a love affair and it looks like a case of murder." Investigations are on, he said. Badi Raja, who belongs to Thakur community, went missing with Chandrabhan, who was married a year ago, around 10 on Wednesday night. "
'via Blog this'
The girl, Badi Raja, 17, and her married cousin Chandrabhan Singh, 23, had bullet wound on chest when a villager spotted bodies under a mango tree in the field of village Haupura.
Superintendent of police (SP) Nimish Agrawal told media, "They had a love affair and it looks like a case of murder." Investigations are on, he said. Badi Raja, who belongs to Thakur community, went missing with Chandrabhan, who was married a year ago, around 10 on Wednesday night. "
'via Blog this'
Suspected case of honour killing: Teenage youth battered to death in Mainpuri - The Times of India
Suspected case of honour killing: Teenage youth battered to death in Mainpuri - The Times of India: "KANPUR: In a suspected case of honour killing, a teenage youth was killed after the family members of the girl with whom he was in alleged relationship, attacked him, in Mainpuri district on Monday night.
According to the police, the incident took place when members of the girl's family caught the two in a compromising position in one of the rooms of their house on late Monday night.
The incident came to light after the brutally battered body of the youth identified as Nitesh son of Sarvendra of Nagariya Angautha was found lying close to a private transport company's office on Karhal road in Mainpuri, on Tuesday. An FIR has been registered against girl's father and her brother with the Kotwali police station on a complaint filed by Nitesh's father Sarvendra.
The accused include girl's father Sushil Chauhan and sibling Rishi Chauhan. The police have arrested both and sent them to jail."
'via Blog this'
According to the police, the incident took place when members of the girl's family caught the two in a compromising position in one of the rooms of their house on late Monday night.
The incident came to light after the brutally battered body of the youth identified as Nitesh son of Sarvendra of Nagariya Angautha was found lying close to a private transport company's office on Karhal road in Mainpuri, on Tuesday. An FIR has been registered against girl's father and her brother with the Kotwali police station on a complaint filed by Nitesh's father Sarvendra.
The accused include girl's father Sushil Chauhan and sibling Rishi Chauhan. The police have arrested both and sent them to jail."
'via Blog this'
China cuts rates, reserve ratio after stocks plummet again - Yahoo Finance
China cuts rates, reserve ratio after stocks plummet again - Yahoo Finance: "Major Chinese stock indexes nosedived more than 7 percent on Tuesday, hitting their lowest levels since December, following a more than 8 percent plunge on Monday."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Monday, August 24, 2015
Stock bloodbath continues: Dow drops as much as 1,089 points
Stock bloodbath continues: Dow drops as much as 1,089 points: "NEW YORK — Stocks plunged at the open as the market bloodbath showed no signs of letting up with the Dow tumbling as much as 1,089 points in the opening minutes of trading.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index plunged 4.4% as the broad-based index joined the Dow in correction territory, a drop of 10% or more from its recent high. The Nasdaq composite index dropped 5% and also fell into a correction.
Market anxiety is on the rise after a big sell-off in China overnight, where the Shanghai composite index shed 8.5%, its biggest one-day decline since 2007 — and Chinese media were dubbing the selloff "Black Monday." The global stock rout then moved to Europe where major indexes there are off roughly 5%."
'via Blog this'
The Standard & Poor's 500 index plunged 4.4% as the broad-based index joined the Dow in correction territory, a drop of 10% or more from its recent high. The Nasdaq composite index dropped 5% and also fell into a correction.
Market anxiety is on the rise after a big sell-off in China overnight, where the Shanghai composite index shed 8.5%, its biggest one-day decline since 2007 — and Chinese media were dubbing the selloff "Black Monday." The global stock rout then moved to Europe where major indexes there are off roughly 5%."
'via Blog this'
Bitcoin CEO's arrest leaves trail of unanswered questions - The Times of India
Bitcoin CEO's arrest leaves trail of unanswered questions - The Times of India: "TOKYO: The arrest of MtGox boss Mark Karpeles has begun to shed light on the defunct Bitcoin exchange after hundreds of millions of dollars in virtual currency vanished from its digital vaults last year.
But as details of a lengthy investigation by Japanese police trickle out, at least one crucial question remains unanswered: where is the money?
On Friday authorities issued a fresh arrest warrant for Frenchman Karpeles over claims he stole several million dollars from clients, including about $48,000 allegedly spent on a luxury canopy bed.
Karpeles, 30, who has reportedly denied the allegations, was initially taken into custody earlier this month and has been held without formal charges for three weeks, as allowed under Japanese law.
A fresh warrant resets the clock on how long police can hold him and grill the self-described computer geek over Tokyo-based MtGox's missing Bitcoins.
So far, police have accused Karpeles of manipulating data and stealing sums that amount to just a fraction of the 850,000 coins -- worth around $480 million at the time, or $387 million at current exchange rates -- that disappeared last year.
MtGox, which once said it handled around 80% of global Bitcoin transactions, filed for bankruptcy protection soon after the cybermoney went missing, leaving a trail of angry investors calling for answers.
The company initially said there was a bug in the software underpinning Bitcoins that allowed hackers to pilfer them.
Karpeles later claimed he had found some 200,000 of the lost coins in a "cold wallet" -- a storage device, such as a memory stick, that is not connected to other computers. "
'via Blog this'
But as details of a lengthy investigation by Japanese police trickle out, at least one crucial question remains unanswered: where is the money?
On Friday authorities issued a fresh arrest warrant for Frenchman Karpeles over claims he stole several million dollars from clients, including about $48,000 allegedly spent on a luxury canopy bed.
Karpeles, 30, who has reportedly denied the allegations, was initially taken into custody earlier this month and has been held without formal charges for three weeks, as allowed under Japanese law.
A fresh warrant resets the clock on how long police can hold him and grill the self-described computer geek over Tokyo-based MtGox's missing Bitcoins.
So far, police have accused Karpeles of manipulating data and stealing sums that amount to just a fraction of the 850,000 coins -- worth around $480 million at the time, or $387 million at current exchange rates -- that disappeared last year.
MtGox, which once said it handled around 80% of global Bitcoin transactions, filed for bankruptcy protection soon after the cybermoney went missing, leaving a trail of angry investors calling for answers.
The company initially said there was a bug in the software underpinning Bitcoins that allowed hackers to pilfer them.
Karpeles later claimed he had found some 200,000 of the lost coins in a "cold wallet" -- a storage device, such as a memory stick, that is not connected to other computers. "
'via Blog this'
California Apartments Raided in Federal Investigation of Chinese ‘Birth Tourism’ - The New York Times
California Apartments Raided in Federal Investigation of Chinese ‘Birth Tourism’ - The New York Times: "Federal agents stormed 37 locations in Southern California early Tuesday, gathering evidence about what they say are three illegal “birth tourism” businesses for wealthy Chinese women.
According to affidavits unsealed Tuesday, the businesses arranged for pregnant women to come to the United States on tourist visas to give birth to babies. The children will be American citizens, entitled to birth certificates and passports — and, when they turn 21, able to help their parents become legal residents of the United States.
“This is still very much an ongoing investigation, coming after undercover activities that have lasted most of the last year,” said Virginia Kice, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman. “Today is just the execution of search warrants and evidence gathering. We are not anticipating any arrests right now.”
The affidavits, filed in support of search warrants, describe businesses that charge clients up to $60,000, with the size of the fee depending on housing arrangements, the number of Chinese-speaking nannies desired once the baby is born and other factors. The businesses arrange the women’s transportation, housing and prenatal care, and obtain birth certificates and passports for the babies before they leave the country.
The companies caution the women to wear loosefitting clothes, to lie to the American authorities about the intent of their trip and not to wait too far into their pregnancy before traveling. Most women arrive two to three months before their due date, many initially flying to a tourist destination like Hawaii or Las Vegas rather than the Los Angeles airport, where there is greater scrutiny. They usually stay for about a month after giving birth.
According to the affidavits, clients were told not to bring any maternity clothes and were given some coaching on how to answer immigration questions; one company, USA Happy Baby, promised a refund if a client was sent home at the airport.
While Mexicans, Koreans and families from other countries have also engaged in so-called birth tourism, in recent years it has been most often Chinese families who have been willing to pay large sums to have their children born in the United States. The births usually occur in Southern California, where, one of the affidavits said, Chinese women delivered more than 400 American babies at just one Orange County hospital.
The affidavits quote Chinese government sources as reporting that Chinese nationals had 10,000 babies in the United States in 2012, up from 4,200 in 2008.
One of the businesses said on its website, starbabycare.com, that since it began in 1999, it had served 8,000 pregnant women, 4,000 of them Chinese."
'via Blog this'
According to affidavits unsealed Tuesday, the businesses arranged for pregnant women to come to the United States on tourist visas to give birth to babies. The children will be American citizens, entitled to birth certificates and passports — and, when they turn 21, able to help their parents become legal residents of the United States.
“This is still very much an ongoing investigation, coming after undercover activities that have lasted most of the last year,” said Virginia Kice, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman. “Today is just the execution of search warrants and evidence gathering. We are not anticipating any arrests right now.”
The affidavits, filed in support of search warrants, describe businesses that charge clients up to $60,000, with the size of the fee depending on housing arrangements, the number of Chinese-speaking nannies desired once the baby is born and other factors. The businesses arrange the women’s transportation, housing and prenatal care, and obtain birth certificates and passports for the babies before they leave the country.
The companies caution the women to wear loosefitting clothes, to lie to the American authorities about the intent of their trip and not to wait too far into their pregnancy before traveling. Most women arrive two to three months before their due date, many initially flying to a tourist destination like Hawaii or Las Vegas rather than the Los Angeles airport, where there is greater scrutiny. They usually stay for about a month after giving birth.
According to the affidavits, clients were told not to bring any maternity clothes and were given some coaching on how to answer immigration questions; one company, USA Happy Baby, promised a refund if a client was sent home at the airport.
While Mexicans, Koreans and families from other countries have also engaged in so-called birth tourism, in recent years it has been most often Chinese families who have been willing to pay large sums to have their children born in the United States. The births usually occur in Southern California, where, one of the affidavits said, Chinese women delivered more than 400 American babies at just one Orange County hospital.
The affidavits quote Chinese government sources as reporting that Chinese nationals had 10,000 babies in the United States in 2012, up from 4,200 in 2008.
One of the businesses said on its website, starbabycare.com, that since it began in 1999, it had served 8,000 pregnant women, 4,000 of them Chinese."
'via Blog this'
China's stock market suffers biggest one-day fall since 2007 - Yahoo Finance
China's stock market suffers biggest one-day fall since 2007 - Yahoo Finance: "BEIJING (AP) -- China's stock market fell Monday by its biggest margin in eight years, defying the government's multibillion-dollar effort to stop a slide that has wiped out the gains of this year's price boom.
The decline threatened to weigh anew on global markets after last week's Chinese losses triggered a worldwide selloff.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 8.5 percent to close at 3,209.91 points, its biggest one-day loss since an 8.8 percent decline on Feb. 27, 2007. The index is down 38 percent from its June 12 peak and just under 1 percent below its closing on Dec. 31, last year's final trading day.
"A disastrous result for China, after working so hard to breathe life back into domestic equities after the 2007 crash and having spent hundreds of billions of dollars propping up the market since June," said Angus Nicholson of IG Markets in a report.
Small investors have suffered heavy losses, souring many on stock ownership and threatening to disrupt Communist Party plans to use the market to raise money for reforms of state industry."
'via Blog this'
The decline threatened to weigh anew on global markets after last week's Chinese losses triggered a worldwide selloff.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 8.5 percent to close at 3,209.91 points, its biggest one-day loss since an 8.8 percent decline on Feb. 27, 2007. The index is down 38 percent from its June 12 peak and just under 1 percent below its closing on Dec. 31, last year's final trading day.
"A disastrous result for China, after working so hard to breathe life back into domestic equities after the 2007 crash and having spent hundreds of billions of dollars propping up the market since June," said Angus Nicholson of IG Markets in a report.
Small investors have suffered heavy losses, souring many on stock ownership and threatening to disrupt Communist Party plans to use the market to raise money for reforms of state industry."
'via Blog this'
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Rohingya migrants raped at Thai-Malaysia border camps: Report - The Times of India
Rohingya migrants raped at Thai-Malaysia border camps: Report - The Times of India: "KUALA LUMPUR: Muslim Rohingya women who were held at human-trafficking camps in Thailand and Malaysia were subjected to gang rapes by their captors, assaults that left at least two of them pregnant, a Malaysian media report said.
Malaysia's state-run Bernama news agency quoted a Rohingya survivor of the camps, Nur Khaidha Abdul Shukur, as saying young women would be taken away nightly from the jungle post where she was held near Padang Besar in Thailand.
She passed through the camp last year, according to the report released late Monday.
"Every night, two or three young and pretty Rohingya women were taken out from the detention pens by the guards to a clandestine place," she was quoted saying.
"They would be gang raped by the guards. Two young women at the camp became pregnant after the gang rape."
The report also quoted her husband Nurul Amin Nobi Hussein saying he witnessed similar crimes taking place at nearby camps on the Malaysian side of the border.
The discovery last month of human-trafficking camps -- and scores of nearby graves -- first in Thailand and then over the border in Malaysia has caused shock and revulsion in Southeast Asia.
Seven camps were uncovered in Thailand beginning in early May and 33 bodies found in mass graves.
In late May, Malaysian police announced they had found 28 camps on their side of the border and 139 graves, which are still being exhumed.
The camps are believed to have been used by people-smuggling syndicates who move large numbers of impoverished Rohingya out of Myanmar, where they face systematic repression, with most heading for Malaysia.
Speaking from the northern Malaysian town of Alor Setarm, Nur Khaidha told Bernama that she entered the country illegally late last year after paying the smugglers to release her from the camp.
She said women sometimes were taken away by guards for several days to be used as sex slaves.
Her husband, who said he transited the Malaysian camps earlier in 2014, told Bernama the same occurred there.
"In the night, several of the guards would go to the pens housing the women and take them to a nearby place," he said.
"We heard the shrieks and cries of the women because the place they raped them was very close to our pens, but as the incidents were at night, we could not see what was happening." "
'via Blog this'
Malaysia's state-run Bernama news agency quoted a Rohingya survivor of the camps, Nur Khaidha Abdul Shukur, as saying young women would be taken away nightly from the jungle post where she was held near Padang Besar in Thailand.
She passed through the camp last year, according to the report released late Monday.
"Every night, two or three young and pretty Rohingya women were taken out from the detention pens by the guards to a clandestine place," she was quoted saying.
"They would be gang raped by the guards. Two young women at the camp became pregnant after the gang rape."
The report also quoted her husband Nurul Amin Nobi Hussein saying he witnessed similar crimes taking place at nearby camps on the Malaysian side of the border.
The discovery last month of human-trafficking camps -- and scores of nearby graves -- first in Thailand and then over the border in Malaysia has caused shock and revulsion in Southeast Asia.
Seven camps were uncovered in Thailand beginning in early May and 33 bodies found in mass graves.
In late May, Malaysian police announced they had found 28 camps on their side of the border and 139 graves, which are still being exhumed.
The camps are believed to have been used by people-smuggling syndicates who move large numbers of impoverished Rohingya out of Myanmar, where they face systematic repression, with most heading for Malaysia.
Speaking from the northern Malaysian town of Alor Setarm, Nur Khaidha told Bernama that she entered the country illegally late last year after paying the smugglers to release her from the camp.
She said women sometimes were taken away by guards for several days to be used as sex slaves.
Her husband, who said he transited the Malaysian camps earlier in 2014, told Bernama the same occurred there.
"In the night, several of the guards would go to the pens housing the women and take them to a nearby place," he said.
"We heard the shrieks and cries of the women because the place they raped them was very close to our pens, but as the incidents were at night, we could not see what was happening." "
'via Blog this'
Saturday, August 22, 2015
California’s Latest Nightmare: San Joaquin Valley is Sinking - Yahoo Finance
California’s Latest Nightmare: San Joaquin Valley is Sinking - Yahoo Finance: "It’s bad enough that California is being battered by one of its worst droughts on record and that thousands of wildfires are consuming over 100,000 acres of woods amid fears that global warming may be making matters even worse.
Now comes a report that huge chunks of the state are literally sinking into the ground – posing serious threats to homes, businesses and roads in the affected areas."
'via Blog this'
Now comes a report that huge chunks of the state are literally sinking into the ground – posing serious threats to homes, businesses and roads in the affected areas."
'via Blog this'
Friday, August 21, 2015
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Donald Trump's proposal on H-1B visas is bad news for Indian workers - The Times of India
Donald Trump's proposal on H-1B visas is bad news for Indian workers - The Times of India: "More than half of H-1B visas are issued for the program's lowest allowable wage level, and more than 80 per cent for its bottom two, the Trump campaign said.
"Raising the prevailing wage paid to H-1Bs will force companies to give these coveted entry-level jobs to the existing domestic pool of unemployed native and immigrant workers in the US, instead of flying in cheaper workers from overseas," it said.
"This will improve the number of black, Hispanic and female workers in Silicon Valley who have been passed over in favor of the H-1B program. Mark Zuckerberg s personal Senator, Marco Rubio, has a bill to triple H-1Bs that would decimate women and minorities," the Trump campaign said."
'via Blog this'
"Raising the prevailing wage paid to H-1Bs will force companies to give these coveted entry-level jobs to the existing domestic pool of unemployed native and immigrant workers in the US, instead of flying in cheaper workers from overseas," it said.
"This will improve the number of black, Hispanic and female workers in Silicon Valley who have been passed over in favor of the H-1B program. Mark Zuckerberg s personal Senator, Marco Rubio, has a bill to triple H-1Bs that would decimate women and minorities," the Trump campaign said."
'via Blog this'
Brothers behead teen sister in Bareilly, display head - The Times of India
Brothers behead teen sister in Bareilly, display head - The Times of India: "BAREILLY: Two brothers, enraged by the affair their 17-year-old sister was carrying on with a cousin, beheaded the girl and marched around the village with the severed, bleeding head. The incident occurred at Bamani Chowki village, under the jurisdiction of Paraur police station in Shahjhanapur district on Monday.
READ ALSO: 'Girl was beheaded with motorised apparatus'
Gul Hasan, 25, and his brother Nanhey, 20, spotted their sister Phool Jahan outside the house of their cousin on Monday afternoon. The girl had also spent the night at her cousin's house. She had earlier expressed a desire to marry him. Her brothers had opposed the idea of marriage and warned her to stay away from their cousin."
'via Blog this'
READ ALSO: 'Girl was beheaded with motorised apparatus'
Gul Hasan, 25, and his brother Nanhey, 20, spotted their sister Phool Jahan outside the house of their cousin on Monday afternoon. The girl had also spent the night at her cousin's house. She had earlier expressed a desire to marry him. Her brothers had opposed the idea of marriage and warned her to stay away from their cousin."
'via Blog this'
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Friday, August 14, 2015
The Great China Ponzi—-An Economic And Financial Trainwreck Which Will Rattle The World | David Stockman's Contra Corner
The Great China Ponzi—-An Economic And Financial Trainwreck Which Will Rattle The World | David Stockman's Contra Corner: "Re: "the Zillion dollar question is always - how much longer can the Fed keep infusing trillions into the US and world economy to prop up the Ponzi scheme?"
I'm no expert, but my guess is "quite a while". I think the 2008 experience convinced the Fed that it must act early and often when signs of trouble "bubble" to the surface. As long as labor can be arbitraged freely around the world, consumer inflation will be under little pressure because wages will remain low. And as long as bad debts can be shuffled off to central banks, they can be papered over with freshly-minted cash.
The difficulty lies in the method used to pump the freshly minted cash into the economy. At the moment, it's done via deficit spending by the federal government, with the large banks skimming off the top by playing the spread between the near-zero interest rate at the Fed, and the 1% - 3% interest rate of the treasury bonds. Everyone on Washington and New York becomes incredibly rich while the rest of the country gets bupkas. The incredibly rich -- both financial institutions and individuals -- bid up asset prices since only a very small portion of their income is needed for even lavish consumption and there is no point in investing in productive enterprises when workers don't have any money to buy stuff. Thus they will use their wealth to either speculate or seek rents.
The endpoint arrives in one of four ways:
1) The financial runaway train scenario: the cost of servicing the Federal debt exceeds government revenues.
2) The runaway inflation scenario: The federal deficit becomes so large that a significant amount of the freshly-minted money trickles out into the real economy via government salaries and purchases which sparks inflation.
3) The bond vigilante scenario: For whatever reason, buyers of bonds get spooked and refuse to buy government bonds. This could happen if the Fed plays its hand poorly, or some event causes investors to head for the sidelines.
4) Currency destruction scenario: Foreign countries lose faith in the value of the dollars they're getting in return for their products and begin to demand more of them. This is equivalent to a devaluation of the US dollar. At this point, jobs would begin to stream back to the US, likely causing a spike in inflation and subsequent rise in interest rates demanded for US bonds, leading to scenario #1.
5) One must also consider the case where a large scale market manipulation was put into play that internally caused a market dislocation for profit. Allowing large banks to gorge on profits from the spread between the Fed and Treasury interest rates increases the chance that a large player will amass sufficient capital to succeed in such a manipulation.
Barring this last scenario, however, it seems to me that any of the other possibilities are still quite a ways off, so I think the current Ponzi scheme could conceivably go on for quite a long time, with the rich getting richer and everyone else just treading water."
'via Blog this'
I'm no expert, but my guess is "quite a while". I think the 2008 experience convinced the Fed that it must act early and often when signs of trouble "bubble" to the surface. As long as labor can be arbitraged freely around the world, consumer inflation will be under little pressure because wages will remain low. And as long as bad debts can be shuffled off to central banks, they can be papered over with freshly-minted cash.
The difficulty lies in the method used to pump the freshly minted cash into the economy. At the moment, it's done via deficit spending by the federal government, with the large banks skimming off the top by playing the spread between the near-zero interest rate at the Fed, and the 1% - 3% interest rate of the treasury bonds. Everyone on Washington and New York becomes incredibly rich while the rest of the country gets bupkas. The incredibly rich -- both financial institutions and individuals -- bid up asset prices since only a very small portion of their income is needed for even lavish consumption and there is no point in investing in productive enterprises when workers don't have any money to buy stuff. Thus they will use their wealth to either speculate or seek rents.
The endpoint arrives in one of four ways:
1) The financial runaway train scenario: the cost of servicing the Federal debt exceeds government revenues.
2) The runaway inflation scenario: The federal deficit becomes so large that a significant amount of the freshly-minted money trickles out into the real economy via government salaries and purchases which sparks inflation.
3) The bond vigilante scenario: For whatever reason, buyers of bonds get spooked and refuse to buy government bonds. This could happen if the Fed plays its hand poorly, or some event causes investors to head for the sidelines.
4) Currency destruction scenario: Foreign countries lose faith in the value of the dollars they're getting in return for their products and begin to demand more of them. This is equivalent to a devaluation of the US dollar. At this point, jobs would begin to stream back to the US, likely causing a spike in inflation and subsequent rise in interest rates demanded for US bonds, leading to scenario #1.
5) One must also consider the case where a large scale market manipulation was put into play that internally caused a market dislocation for profit. Allowing large banks to gorge on profits from the spread between the Fed and Treasury interest rates increases the chance that a large player will amass sufficient capital to succeed in such a manipulation.
Barring this last scenario, however, it seems to me that any of the other possibilities are still quite a ways off, so I think the current Ponzi scheme could conceivably go on for quite a long time, with the rich getting richer and everyone else just treading water."
'via Blog this'
ISIS Enshrines a Theology of Rape - The New York Times
ISIS Enshrines a Theology of Rape - The New York Times: "The Islamic State’s sex trade appears to be based solely on enslaving women and girls from the Yazidi minority. As yet, there has been no widespread campaign aimed at enslaving women from other religious minorities, said Samer Muscati, the author of the recent Human Rights Watch report. That assertion was echoed by community leaders, government officials and other human rights workers.
Mr. Barber, of the University of Chicago, said that the focus on Yazidis was likely because they are seen as polytheists, with an oral tradition rather than a written scripture. In the Islamic State’s eyes that puts them on the fringe of despised unbelievers, even more than Christians and Jews, who are considered to have some limited protections under the Quran as “People of the Book.”"
'via Blog this'
Mr. Barber, of the University of Chicago, said that the focus on Yazidis was likely because they are seen as polytheists, with an oral tradition rather than a written scripture. In the Islamic State’s eyes that puts them on the fringe of despised unbelievers, even more than Christians and Jews, who are considered to have some limited protections under the Quran as “People of the Book.”"
'via Blog this'
Can’t forget support India gave us during difficult times, Iran says - The Times of India
Can’t forget support India gave us during difficult times, Iran says - The Times of India: "NEW DELHI: On his first visit to India after the nuclear agreement freed Iran from global sanctions, Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif held discussions with the Indian leadership on the ISIS threat, energy investments and development of Chahbahar port.
Speaking to journalists later, Zarif said India and Iran are talking about investing in each other's energy sector. He said India is an important player in West Asia and can play a leading role in the region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi "conveyed India's commitment to work with Iran for development of the Chabahar port that would have far reaching benefit, not only for the people of India and Iran, but also for Afghanistan and the entire Central Asia region," a PMO statement said. Zarif said Iran considered India its "strategic partner and cannot forget the support India extended to Iran during its difficult times", it said. "
'via Blog this'
Speaking to journalists later, Zarif said India and Iran are talking about investing in each other's energy sector. He said India is an important player in West Asia and can play a leading role in the region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi "conveyed India's commitment to work with Iran for development of the Chabahar port that would have far reaching benefit, not only for the people of India and Iran, but also for Afghanistan and the entire Central Asia region," a PMO statement said. Zarif said Iran considered India its "strategic partner and cannot forget the support India extended to Iran during its difficult times", it said. "
'via Blog this'
The Biggest Reason Why China Is Finished | The Daily Sheeple
The Biggest Reason Why China Is Finished | The Daily Sheeple: "We have finally arrived at a point in history that economists have been dreading for years: the moment when the number of Chinese workers goes into decline for the first time in decades.
Since way before the 1990s, China has had one huge economic advantage over the rest of the world. Year after year, the number of people of working age increased.
Economic growth is closely tied to the growth in a country’s working population. Simply put, the more people you have working, the more wealth and wages you are likely to create. You can get these extra workers two ways: By making more babies or by letting immigrants come live with you.
For over four decades, China’s industrial revolution has been pulling in new workers year after year. But that demographic wave is coming to an end, and now the total size of the workforce is about to go into decline"
'via Blog this'
Since way before the 1990s, China has had one huge economic advantage over the rest of the world. Year after year, the number of people of working age increased.
Economic growth is closely tied to the growth in a country’s working population. Simply put, the more people you have working, the more wealth and wages you are likely to create. You can get these extra workers two ways: By making more babies or by letting immigrants come live with you.
For over four decades, China’s industrial revolution has been pulling in new workers year after year. But that demographic wave is coming to an end, and now the total size of the workforce is about to go into decline"
'via Blog this'
Mainland Chinese 'dominating' high-end Vancouver real estate market
Mainland Chinese 'dominating' high-end Vancouver real estate market: "With the average cost of a detached house in Vancouver hitting $2.23 million and little official government data about who is buying real estate in Vancouver, emotions have been high about what can be done.
Scarrow suggested the city could raise property taxes, which currently are below 0.5 per cent, compared to one per cent in Toronto and between two to three per cent in some U.S. cities."
'via Blog this'
Scarrow suggested the city could raise property taxes, which currently are below 0.5 per cent, compared to one per cent in Toronto and between two to three per cent in some U.S. cities."
'via Blog this'
Fire continues to rage in China as death toll mounts to 56 - The Times of India
Fire continues to rage in China as death toll mounts to 56 - The Times of India: "TIANJIN: Over 1,000 firefighters aided by military experts trained in nuclear and biological warfare today battled to put out flares emitting toxic fumes in north China as two fresh explosions struck this major port city after two massive blasts killed at least 56 people.
Fires are still burning at the site of the two massive explosions some 36 hours after the blasts as another 6,200 people were evacuated to prevent further casualties.
Around 10,000 people were evacuated after the Wednesday blasts in a warehouse storing hazardous chemicals that sent fireballs, cars and containers shooting in the sky. "
'via Blog this'
Fires are still burning at the site of the two massive explosions some 36 hours after the blasts as another 6,200 people were evacuated to prevent further casualties.
Around 10,000 people were evacuated after the Wednesday blasts in a warehouse storing hazardous chemicals that sent fireballs, cars and containers shooting in the sky. "
'via Blog this'
Thursday, August 13, 2015
China blasts’ effect estimated to be equal to 21 tonnes of TNT - The Times of India
China blasts’ effect estimated to be equal to 21 tonnes of TNT - The Times of India: "The death toll from Wednesday night's massive explosions in Tinjian, around 150km from here, rose to 50 with authorities fearing the numbers could rise as more than 70 of the 700-odd people injured are in critical condition."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Shock wave sent survivor flying across his room - The Times of India
Shock wave sent survivor flying across his room - The Times of India: "TIANJIN (China): The massive force of the shock wave from the blast in the Chinese port city of Tianjin hurled Hua Hongwei a few metres, and then pinned him to the ground. The factory worker in his 20s, speaking from a hospital bed, recounts how he was lucky to survive the series of explosions that rocked his dormitory, situated about 1 km from the industrial area.
A few moments earlier, he had stepped out onto his balcony to check the scene after the first blast. He then returned inside just as the massive second explosion sent a fireball over the city. "I didn't understand what was happening," Hua said, recounting how he flew through the room and then was crushed to the floor. "
'via Blog this'
A few moments earlier, he had stepped out onto his balcony to check the scene after the first blast. He then returned inside just as the massive second explosion sent a fireball over the city. "I didn't understand what was happening," Hua said, recounting how he flew through the room and then was crushed to the floor. "
'via Blog this'
Deadly China blast disrupts world's 10th largest port - Yahoo Finance
Deadly China blast disrupts world's 10th largest port - Yahoo Finance: "Tianjin is northern China's largest port, a gateway to Beijing that has grown in importance as companies seeking lower manufacturing costs migrated from China's eastern and southeastern manufacturing centers. Motorola, Toyota, Samsung, Nestle, Honeywell, Coca-Cola, Bridgestone, Lafarge, GlaxoSmithKline and Novo Nordisk, among others, have operations in Tianjin, according to a government trade promotion website."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Your rent's about to get even higher - Yahoo Finance
Your rent's about to get even higher - Yahoo Finance: "As a result, rents are "set to accelerate," wrote Ed Stansfield and Andrew Hunter, economists at Capital Economics Ltd., in a note to clients. "Our forecasts that rents will grow at an annual rate of 5 percent both this year and next would represent the fastest rate of rental growth since the 1980s."
Rents rising that quickly may make homeownership much more attractive for those who can afford it. That, combined with the improving outlook for employment and incomes, means the "homeownership rate will soon find a floor," they wrote."
'via Blog this'
Rents rising that quickly may make homeownership much more attractive for those who can afford it. That, combined with the improving outlook for employment and incomes, means the "homeownership rate will soon find a floor," they wrote."
'via Blog this'
Renting in America has never been this expensive - Yahoo Finance
Renting in America has never been this expensive - Yahoo Finance: "Americans living in rentals spent almost a third of their incomes on housing in the second quarter, the highest share in recent history.
Rental affordability has steadily worsened, according to a new report from Zillow Group Inc., which tracked data going back to 1979. A renter making the median income in the U.S. spent 30.2 percent of her income on a median-priced apartment in the second quarter, compared with 29.5 percent a year earlier. The long-term average, from 1985 to 1999, was 24.4 percent."
'via Blog this'
Rental affordability has steadily worsened, according to a new report from Zillow Group Inc., which tracked data going back to 1979. A renter making the median income in the U.S. spent 30.2 percent of her income on a median-priced apartment in the second quarter, compared with 29.5 percent a year earlier. The long-term average, from 1985 to 1999, was 24.4 percent."
'via Blog this'
California braces for falling yuan's ripples - LA Times
California braces for falling yuan's ripples - LA Times: "In 2014, nearly 2.2 million visitors from China traveled to the U.S. — up more than 21% from the year before, according to Office of Travel and Tourism Industries. They spent almost $24 billion last year, outpacing their 2013 spending by 12.6%.
In November, the Obama administration gave a big boost to Chinese tourism by relaxing visa rules for Chinese tourists and business travelers."
'via Blog this'
In November, the Obama administration gave a big boost to Chinese tourism by relaxing visa rules for Chinese tourists and business travelers."
'via Blog this'
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Monday, August 10, 2015
Med Research: Why Asian Americans Live Longer | AsAm News
Med Research: Why Asian Americans Live Longer | AsAm News: "Asian Americans live on average 8 years longer than Whites, reports Med Research.
Francesco Acciai of the Department of Sociology at Pennsylvania State University has looked at some of the reasons why.
The diseases that lead to the cause of death in Asian Americans tend to strike at an older age versus those that more greatly impact the mortality of Whites.
Acciai says Asian American men especially outlive White men.
Interestingly, when Asians and Whites die of the same causes, Asians still outlive Whites."
'via Blog this'
Francesco Acciai of the Department of Sociology at Pennsylvania State University has looked at some of the reasons why.
The diseases that lead to the cause of death in Asian Americans tend to strike at an older age versus those that more greatly impact the mortality of Whites.
Acciai says Asian American men especially outlive White men.
Interestingly, when Asians and Whites die of the same causes, Asians still outlive Whites."
'via Blog this'
Friday, August 7, 2015
Super Typhoon Soudelor is world’s most powerful storm | Category 5
Super Typhoon Soudelor is world’s most powerful storm | Category 5: "While estimates of the cost of damage to areas like the Marianas are yet to come in, super Typhoon Soudelor developed into the world’s most powerful storm of the year by Tuesday as it took aim at Japan, Taiwan and China.
The storm was roaring across the western Pacific Ocean packing wind gusts up to 220 miles per hour (354km/h) according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center which rated it a maximum category five."
'via Blog this'
The storm was roaring across the western Pacific Ocean packing wind gusts up to 220 miles per hour (354km/h) according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center which rated it a maximum category five."
'via Blog this'
The Migrant Crisis in Calais Exposes a Europe Without Ideas - The New York Times
The Migrant Crisis in Calais Exposes a Europe Without Ideas - The New York Times: "After much hand-wringing and wrangling, and pressure from hard-pressed Italy, European leaders did agree to share the “burden” of some 40,000 refugees, a paltry number. More than 3.5 million refugees are now in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon, countries far less prosperous than European nations. A continent’s shame is written in the migrants’ misery."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Incurable American Excess - The New York Times
Incurable American Excess - The New York Times: "A few years ago, Americans and Europeans were asked in a Pew Global Attitudes survey what was more important: “freedom to pursue life’s goals without state interference,” or “state guarantees that nobody is in need.” In the United States, 58 percent chose freedom and only 35 percent a state pledge to eradicate neediness. In Britain, the response was the opposite: 55 percent opted for state guarantees and just 38 percent for freedom. On the European Continent — in Germany, France and Spain — those considering state protection as more important than freedom from state interference rose to 62 percent."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Money, Lust and Kung Fu: Shaolin’s ‘C.E.O. Monk’ Is Under Fire - The New York Times
Money, Lust and Kung Fu: Shaolin’s ‘C.E.O. Monk’ Is Under Fire - The New York Times: "Beyond the obvious legal repercussions, the abbot’s apparent lust for women, money and bling runs counter to the virtues of chastity and austere living that he has long sought to personify as one of the most prominent figures in Chinese Buddhism. To his growing legion of critics, the scandal has heightened public cynicism about a society in which greed and crass materialism often seem to trump morality, especially among those in positions of power.
The informer, a mysterious figure using a name that translates as “seeker of justice,” has told reporters he is fed up with the abbot’s hypocrisy and wants to see the “grounds of Shaolin purified again.” He declined interview requests and has yet to appear in public, saying he is afraid for his safety following threats from what he called “Shi Yongxin’s henchmen.”
“We want the outside world to know that the Shaolin abbot, using Buddhism as a cloak, is a maniacal womanizer and corrupt ‘tiger’ who brazenly exploits Shaolin’s assets and tarnishes its reputation,” he wrote in a statement last week that pleaded for a government investigation.
Among the evidence he has made public to support his accusations are police depositions and photographs of a woman said to be one of the abbot’s lovers, a Shaolin nun who appears dressed in brown monastic robes while holding the baby she says was fathered by Shi Yongxin. Another supposed mistress claims to have physical evidence of his lechery: semen, collected in a condom, that she sent to a doctor for safekeeping. Over the weekend, she used a social media account to post a photo of the underwear she says she wore during sex with the abbot."
'via Blog this'
The informer, a mysterious figure using a name that translates as “seeker of justice,” has told reporters he is fed up with the abbot’s hypocrisy and wants to see the “grounds of Shaolin purified again.” He declined interview requests and has yet to appear in public, saying he is afraid for his safety following threats from what he called “Shi Yongxin’s henchmen.”
“We want the outside world to know that the Shaolin abbot, using Buddhism as a cloak, is a maniacal womanizer and corrupt ‘tiger’ who brazenly exploits Shaolin’s assets and tarnishes its reputation,” he wrote in a statement last week that pleaded for a government investigation.
Among the evidence he has made public to support his accusations are police depositions and photographs of a woman said to be one of the abbot’s lovers, a Shaolin nun who appears dressed in brown monastic robes while holding the baby she says was fathered by Shi Yongxin. Another supposed mistress claims to have physical evidence of his lechery: semen, collected in a condom, that she sent to a doctor for safekeeping. Over the weekend, she used a social media account to post a photo of the underwear she says she wore during sex with the abbot."
'via Blog this'
China's 'CEO monk' at center of corruption investigation - Yahoo Finance
China's 'CEO monk' at center of corruption investigation - Yahoo Finance: "In China, he is known as the “CEO monk,” pivotal in the commercialization of his temple and his culture. Turning an ancient temple into a cash cow has been an attempt to help hold onto its history and, in modern times, spread the Buddhist culture.
The notoriety Shi and the temple are receiving now, however, has little to do with the Buddhist way of life. China’s religious affairs bureau has been tasked with investigating alleged improprieties by Shi that include embezzling millions from a corporation run by the temple, a collection of high-end cars (which goes against the Buddhist practice of austerity), a pair of children he may have fathered (violating the monk’s vow of celibacy) and even the hiring of prostitutes.
The accusations come mainly from someone who identifies himself as a “former monk” and who said in a statement last week, urging the government to intervene:
We want the outside world to know that the Shaolin abbot, using Buddhism as a cloak, is a maniacal womanizer and corrupt ‘tiger’ who brazenly exploits Shaolin’s assets and tarnishes its reputation.
The New York Times has looked into the matter and describes in sometime gritty detail one woman’s claims that her child was fathered by Shi:
Among the evidence he has made public to support his accusations are police depositions and photographs of a woman said to be one of the abbot’s lovers, a Shaolin nun who appears dressed in brown monastic robes while holding the baby she says was fathered by Shi Yongxin. Another supposed mistress claims to have physical evidence of his lechery: semen, collected in a condom, that she sent to a doctor for safekeeping. Over the weekend, she used a social media account to post a photo of the underwear she says she wore during sex with the abbot."
'via Blog this'
The notoriety Shi and the temple are receiving now, however, has little to do with the Buddhist way of life. China’s religious affairs bureau has been tasked with investigating alleged improprieties by Shi that include embezzling millions from a corporation run by the temple, a collection of high-end cars (which goes against the Buddhist practice of austerity), a pair of children he may have fathered (violating the monk’s vow of celibacy) and even the hiring of prostitutes.
The accusations come mainly from someone who identifies himself as a “former monk” and who said in a statement last week, urging the government to intervene:
We want the outside world to know that the Shaolin abbot, using Buddhism as a cloak, is a maniacal womanizer and corrupt ‘tiger’ who brazenly exploits Shaolin’s assets and tarnishes its reputation.
The New York Times has looked into the matter and describes in sometime gritty detail one woman’s claims that her child was fathered by Shi:
Among the evidence he has made public to support his accusations are police depositions and photographs of a woman said to be one of the abbot’s lovers, a Shaolin nun who appears dressed in brown monastic robes while holding the baby she says was fathered by Shi Yongxin. Another supposed mistress claims to have physical evidence of his lechery: semen, collected in a condom, that she sent to a doctor for safekeeping. Over the weekend, she used a social media account to post a photo of the underwear she says she wore during sex with the abbot."
'via Blog this'
Monday, August 3, 2015
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Iran says it offers India bigger role in strategic port - The Times of India
Iran says it offers India bigger role in strategic port - The Times of India: "NEW DELHI: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has asked India to invest in infrastructure projects worth $8 billion, including an expanded role in developing a strategic port that will open up access to Central Asia, Iran's envoy to New Delhi said on Friday.
The port of Chabahar in southeast Iran is central to India's efforts to circumvent arch-rival Pakistan and open up a route to landlocked Afghanistan where it has developed close security ties and economic interests.
READ ALSO: How to spend $100 billion? Policy headaches loom for Iran
Historic Iran nuclear deal to energize New Delhi's ties with Tehran
Rouhani suggested the larger role for India during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of a summit in Russia days before the historic nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, Iran's ambassador to India told Reuters."
'via Blog this'
The port of Chabahar in southeast Iran is central to India's efforts to circumvent arch-rival Pakistan and open up a route to landlocked Afghanistan where it has developed close security ties and economic interests.
READ ALSO: How to spend $100 billion? Policy headaches loom for Iran
Historic Iran nuclear deal to energize New Delhi's ties with Tehran
Rouhani suggested the larger role for India during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of a summit in Russia days before the historic nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, Iran's ambassador to India told Reuters."
'via Blog this'
85,000-square foot Church demolished in China - The Times of India
85,000-square foot Church demolished in China - The Times of India: "BEIJING: Chinese authorities have demolished a huge 85,000-square foot church in Sanjiang city, often described as China's Jerusalem, in Wenzhou area of the eastern Zhejiang province. Local Christians who had been protesting against the planned demolition were dispersed before it was broken down using explosives.
Local authorities contended that the $5 million Sanjiang Protestant Church with its high spires and ceilings was four times larger than the permitted size. Reports in the Christian media including UCA news, a news agency covering Catholic issues in Asia, said this was part of a campaign against the spread of Christianity.
Another church in Wenzhou's Longgang Hill, a site of Roman Catholic pilgrimage, was sealed off by government workers who used bricks to "hide" statues portraying moments from the Passion of Christ, including the Crucifixion. Statues of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, were also covered from public view.
"All other religious decoration was demolished," reported UCA news. "The authorities' behaviour is reminiscent of the smashing of church property during the Cultural Revolution," a member of the city's Catholic community told UCA News's Chinese-language service.
Four Catholics were beaten and injured by government officials in Wenzhou last week when an argument broke out during the forced demolition of a church, the news agency claimed."
'via Blog this'
Local authorities contended that the $5 million Sanjiang Protestant Church with its high spires and ceilings was four times larger than the permitted size. Reports in the Christian media including UCA news, a news agency covering Catholic issues in Asia, said this was part of a campaign against the spread of Christianity.
Another church in Wenzhou's Longgang Hill, a site of Roman Catholic pilgrimage, was sealed off by government workers who used bricks to "hide" statues portraying moments from the Passion of Christ, including the Crucifixion. Statues of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, were also covered from public view.
"All other religious decoration was demolished," reported UCA news. "The authorities' behaviour is reminiscent of the smashing of church property during the Cultural Revolution," a member of the city's Catholic community told UCA News's Chinese-language service.
Four Catholics were beaten and injured by government officials in Wenzhou last week when an argument broke out during the forced demolition of a church, the news agency claimed."
'via Blog this'
Now 'made in China' Christian theology - The Times of India
Now 'made in China' Christian theology - The Times of India: "Christian theology which is practiced in China must be compatible with the country's path of socialism, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, Wang Zuoan, said at a seminar in Shanghai.
"Over the past decades, the Protestant churches in China have developed very quickly with the implementation of the country's religious policy. In the future we will continue to boost the development of Christianity in China," he said.
"The construction of Chinese Christian theology should adapt to China's national condition and integrate with Chinese culture," China Daily quoted Wang saying at the seminar on ' Sinicization of Christianity'. The seminar was part of events organized to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China.
Government approved churches are usually called 'patriotic' churches to distinguish them from underground churches which do not have official approval.
Figures disclosed at the seminars showed that China now has about 23 million to 40 million Protestants, 1.7 to 2.9 percent of the total population. Each year about 500,000 people are baptized as Protestants, the paper said. "
'via Blog this'
"Over the past decades, the Protestant churches in China have developed very quickly with the implementation of the country's religious policy. In the future we will continue to boost the development of Christianity in China," he said.
"The construction of Chinese Christian theology should adapt to China's national condition and integrate with Chinese culture," China Daily quoted Wang saying at the seminar on ' Sinicization of Christianity'. The seminar was part of events organized to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China.
Government approved churches are usually called 'patriotic' churches to distinguish them from underground churches which do not have official approval.
Figures disclosed at the seminars showed that China now has about 23 million to 40 million Protestants, 1.7 to 2.9 percent of the total population. Each year about 500,000 people are baptized as Protestants, the paper said. "
'via Blog this'
China steps up campaign to remove church crosses - The Times of India
China steps up campaign to remove church crosses - The Times of India: "The campaign is not restricted to Wenzhou, but with an estimated number of Christians of more than a million, it presents a prominent target.
Bob Fu, president of US-based religious rights group the China Aid Association, said the pace has "definitely increased".
"It seems there is a government directive to finish the campaign under a deadline," he told AFP.
But church members said they had seen no formal documents, and received only verbal orders.
"Now we have people guarding the churches. It's also likely that there will be clashes," said a church representative in Tengqiao town."
'via Blog this'
Bob Fu, president of US-based religious rights group the China Aid Association, said the pace has "definitely increased".
"It seems there is a government directive to finish the campaign under a deadline," he told AFP.
But church members said they had seen no formal documents, and received only verbal orders.
"Now we have people guarding the churches. It's also likely that there will be clashes," said a church representative in Tengqiao town."
'via Blog this'
Islamic State is brutal, but United States is worse, says PIO professor - The Times of India
Islamic State is brutal, but United States is worse, says PIO professor - The Times of India: "WASHINGTON: An Indian-American professor of media studies has set off a firestorm in the media and academic circles by declaring that the United States is more brutal than the Islamic State because it has killed more people in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
"Yes ISIS is brutal, but US is more so, 1.3 million killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan #NoToWar," Deepa Kumar, an associate professor at Rutgers University tweeted on March 26, in a broadside consistent with her anti-US and anti-war critiques."
'via Blog this'
"Yes ISIS is brutal, but US is more so, 1.3 million killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan #NoToWar," Deepa Kumar, an associate professor at Rutgers University tweeted on March 26, in a broadside consistent with her anti-US and anti-war critiques."
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Five-month-old baby eaten alive by pigs near Hyderabad - The Times of India
Five-month-old baby eaten alive by pigs near Hyderabad - The Times of India: "MAHBUBNAGAR: A five-month-old girl was torn apart and partially eaten up by stray pigs in Balusupally village at Devarakadra mandal on Thursday. The girl was left in a hut by her mother, a daily wage labourer, along with her 11-year-old daughter, who was supposed to look after the baby while she was out for work. "
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Five-month-old baby eaten alive by pigs near Hyderabad - The Times of India
Five-month-old baby eaten alive by pigs near Hyderabad - The Times of India: "MAHBUBNAGAR: A five-month-old girl was torn apart and partially eaten up by stray pigs in Balusupally village at Devarakadra mandal on Thursday. The girl was left in a hut by her mother, a daily wage labourer, along with her 11-year-old daughter, who was supposed to look after the baby while she was out for work. "
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'Chinese student held in Iraq not IS linked' - The Times of India
'Chinese student held in Iraq not IS linked' - The Times of India: "A Chinese archaeology student captured by the Iraqi volunteer forces has no links with the Islamic State (IS) terror group and will be sent home soon, a media report said here on Monday.
"We have verified with local police. They do not think that the Chinese man is a terrorist... will ensure his safety," a Chinese embassy official in Iraq told the Global Times over the weekend.
The response came after the Fars News Agency reported on July 15 that the volunteer forces, Hashad al-Shabi, seized the student while fighting among the IS ranks in Iraq's Anbar province. It also posted a picture of an Asian-looking man who was sitting in a chair and was guarded by armed men.
The embassy official said the man was being held in a police station in Samarra, a city in Salahuddin province.
The man was later identified as Liu Wei, an archaeology student from Peking University who went to Iraq for an archaeological tour.
"Liu went to Iraq to visit historical sites, as some of them are disappearing. He learned some simple Arabic and customs related to Ramadan before entering the country," Liu's friend said on Saturday."
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"We have verified with local police. They do not think that the Chinese man is a terrorist... will ensure his safety," a Chinese embassy official in Iraq told the Global Times over the weekend.
The response came after the Fars News Agency reported on July 15 that the volunteer forces, Hashad al-Shabi, seized the student while fighting among the IS ranks in Iraq's Anbar province. It also posted a picture of an Asian-looking man who was sitting in a chair and was guarded by armed men.
The embassy official said the man was being held in a police station in Samarra, a city in Salahuddin province.
The man was later identified as Liu Wei, an archaeology student from Peking University who went to Iraq for an archaeological tour.
"Liu went to Iraq to visit historical sites, as some of them are disappearing. He learned some simple Arabic and customs related to Ramadan before entering the country," Liu's friend said on Saturday."
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Online sperm buying proves to be a big hit in China - The Times of India
Online sperm buying proves to be a big hit in China - The Times of India: "Sources said the donated sperm is in demand not only from couples unable to conceive on their own but also from a rising number of working women who want to be single parents without getting into marriage."
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