No Arguments - Ajahn Brahm

Chinese Drivers Pose Fresh Risks for Foreign Insurers

"People like us who buy Ferraris don't care too much about insurance because we buy cars for speeding," said Li, in his twenties and the son of a Pearl River Delta factory owner, as he took delivery of a new 5 million yuan ($787,500) 458 Spider, his fourth red Ferrari. "If we crash, we just throw them away."

Read more...

Odd twist in China stock index evokes crackdown

In an unlikely coincidence certainly unwelcome to China’s communist rulers, the stock benchmark fell 64.89 points Monday, matching the numbers of the June 4, 1989 crackdown in the heart of Beijing.

Robots lift China's factories to new heights

The giant orange robotic arms that swiftly weld together car frames at the Great Wall Motors factory in Baoding might seem like the perfect answer to China's fast-rising labour costs - they don't ask for a raise, get injured or go on strike.

Nick Bartman’s investigation of fake wine, other IPR issues in China

In March of 2010, I met Nick Bartman twice in Beijing to talk about wine and intellectual property rights (IPR) in China. At that time, Bartman was investigating the scale of IPR infringements, including fake wines, in China and had started The Wine Protection Group in an effort to get major industry players to pool their resources.

Retired SPH Editor: The problem with Singapore’s media

I am publishing this post, dear reader, because I believe that Singaporeans place too much trust in our mainstream media to deliver “the truth”. It really irks me that Singapore’s media keeps patting itself on the back, when it suffers from several problems, not least a pro-government bias. So, I have decided to show six very clear examples of poor journalism. Each one is different, but together they highlight everything that is wrong with our media. Please scroll to the middle of this post to see them. Or, if you permit some preliminary yakking, then read on here….

Exploration ambitions reach new depths

Manned deep-sea submersible heads off in attempt to set a Chinese record for the deepest dive - 7,000 metres down in the West Pacific’s Mariana Trench

Hints of a Rift Between Myanmar’s Political Reformers

The first trip abroad in more than two decades by Myanmar’s opposition leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, appears to have strained her crucial relationship with President U Thein Sein, who is leading the country’s transformation from military dictatorship to embryonic democracy.

911 In Plane Site - ALL MEDIA LIED ON 9/11!

Dark chocolate cuts heart deaths

Australian researchers have found that eating a block of dark chocolate daily over 10 years has "significant" benefits for high-risk cardiac patients and could prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Beijing Exhibiting New Assertiveness in South China Sea

In tropical waters off the coast of the Philippines, a standoff between half a dozen Chinese fishing boats, two Chinese law enforcement vessels and an aging Philippine Navy ship recently attracted a lot of attention in Washington, Beijing and other capitals across Asia.

China's wine industry: the numbers

Part of his role as a lecturer at the Beijing University of Agriculture has Li Demei casting his eye over how the wine industry in China is developing, and he said Thursday he thought that, in the forseeable future at least, the country would continue to rise as an importer of wines rather than an exporter.

Experts say Chinese wine industry still needs time to mature

The wine industry itself would have us believe that China will soon be the "largest vineyard" in the world but a group of wine experts told a seminar Thursday they remained unconvinced by the claim.

Which way now for China?

Brahma Chellaney says the Communist Party’s sudden about-face on Bo Xilai and rising popular discontent are signs that China is at a political crossroads, with five potential scenarios

Is China’s culture holding back its scientists?

The nation produces research faster than Western nations, but little of it is top-quality, and it loses some of its best minds to freer countries

Hong Kong wine traders try to offset export drop

A dramatic slowdown in the growth of wine exports to the mainland is forcing traders to come up with new business strategies to maintain Hong Kong’s position at the centre of the trade in Asia.

Another mainland owned supercar crash

   It's one of the rarest and most expensive cars in the world and the favourite marque of British superspy 007 James Bond.
   The top-of-the-range racer has a massive 750 horsepower and a top speed of more than 320km/h.
   It is thought to be owned by a mainlander, and has a list price in the UK of £1.4 million (HK$16.7 million).
   Only 77 of the One-77 model have been built and they have all been sold, making the car one of the most sought-after on the planet.
   A spokesman at Aston Martin's headquarters in Britain confirmed that an Aston Martin One-77 crashed in Hong Kong.
   "This type of supercar is made for the track, not for normal road use," he said. "Many drivers who buy them can't handle the car, as it has too much horsepower for them.
   "They don't have the skills or experience to control them. It's more than likely this was the reason behind this crash."

Copy of Alpine Hamlet opens to jibes

A group of Austrians whose scenic mountain village has been copied down to the statues by a Chinese developer attended yesterday’s opening in China for the high-end residential project. But they were still miffed about how the firm did it.

Asia to be base for 60 pc of U.S. fleet

Defence chief Panetta says majority of America’s warships will be in Asia-Pacific by 2020 but China has nothing to fear; it’s no big deal, PLA general says

Clinton won’t comment on spy case

Secretary of state refuses to discuss the detention of Chinese aide accused of passing information to US

Homebuyers just want a fair deal

Angry about losing up to 30pc of their investments as Beijing’s property curbs force down prices, rallies turn violent as protesters demand compensation

Another banker caught in ABC graft probe's net

Officer from mid-sized mainland lender arrested for indirect links to corruption suspect Yang Kun

Mainland home prices fall for ninth straight month

Mainland home prices fell for the ninth straight month as property curbs continued to bite, with major cities posting the biggest falls, a property survey shows.

China developer slashes prices by a quarter

Guangdong-based Agile Holdings offers huge discount on price of flats at 10 of its projects as government refuses to ease curbs to stop market overheating

Row over ‘accept graft’ editorial

China Youth Daily and internet users express outrage over state-run Global Times piece saying corruption is a disease that can never be cured

Banker’s arrest may cause aftershocks in real estate

Property businesses that received loans from ABC executive at risk of being caught up in his graft case

China Arrests Official on Suspicion of Spying for the US

Chinese state security official has been arrested on suspicion of spying for the United States, sources said, a case both countries have kept quiet for several months as they strive to prevent a fresh crisis in relations.

Media coverage of 2011 presidential elections was biased: Tan Cheng Bock

The former presidential candidate Dr Tan Cheng Bock believes the media coverage of last year’s Presidential Elections was “biased towards the government-backed candidate”.

SMS traffic sliding :-(

Users switching to better-value smartphone apps for messaging

Women warming to white wines in China

Fruity reds are the kings of the Chinese wine market, but experts at Asia’s biggest wine fair say women are leading a trend toward whites that will open new revenue streams for producers worldwide.

Shiraz with your Peking Duck? Sacre bleu!

China's rapid emergence as a major international wine market has sparked intense debate among growers about how best to pair their wines with the country's rich array of culinary delights.

Zhang Ziyi demands apology on Bo claims

Mainland actress Zhang Ziyi is demanding an apology from a Hong Kong newspaper over publication of claims that she had a paid relationship with disgraced former Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai.

Lawlessness threatens China, Chen says

Blind activist Chen Guangcheng has accused the government in Beijing of failing to uphold its own laws, saying its abusive treatment of dissidents threatens the country’s political stability.

Top official in dissident’s province sacked

The eastern province of Shandong where blind activist Chen Guangcheng was under house arrest before he fled has sacked the top official in charge of the courts, prosecution and police, state press said on Wednesday.

Chen Xitong praises reformists

Deemed a hardliner, the former Beijing party boss surprises with views on nation’s leaders of the 1980s and ‘90s - describing Jiang Zemin as ‘power crazy’

Chen and Yao’s plan to ‘set the record straight’

Scholar admits courting trouble with decision to publish tell-all book about the events at Tiananmen

Sina imposes code of conduct on weibo users

Users cannot post messages violating principles of the constitution; a points system will penalise offenders

Mainland logs in to world wine web

Online shoppers will now be able to buy brands from the world's top wine producers as the e-service operator Yihaodian widens its retail offer

Classically framed

Fed up with the education system, some mainland parents are sending their children to traditional schools, where the sole subject is the Confucian canon

Zhang Ziyi in paid sex scandal with Bo Xilai

Actress Zhang Ziyi is allegedly under investigation by the Chinese government for being paid to have sex with disgraced former top government official, Bo Xilai.

Jiang behind my downfall, Chen suggests

Former Beijing party leader hints that he was undone by rumours and is the victim of the biggest injustice since the Cultural Revolution

Young Men in China Struggling to Catch Up in Class

Educators say that the academic rift between boys and girls in China is apparent, and statistics indicate that it is quickly growing wider.

A storm over a herbal tea can in China

Firms’ fight over name rights reflects growing recognition of brand value

China detains ex-top official for rape

Accused of sexually assaulting over 10 underage girls he seduced online

Rules will limit work when it’s too hot

Proposed regulations call for all outdoor work to stop if temperature tops 40 degrees Celsius, and employers can be prosecuted if they don’t toe the line

Deaths confirmed of 11 missing in Yunnan

The Central government says it plans to severely penalise local officials whose professional negligence left a 56-year-old suspect at large for several years

Wine expo looks north, where palates gain polish

Anderson says it is difficult to talk about the wine trade in China as a whole, because it is made up of so many different markets, with big differences between the leading and secondary cities. But the days of mainlanders mixing Coke or Sprite with wine are over.

U.S. backs down in visas row

State Department revises directive that led to warning some Chinese teachers working for the Confucius Institute would have to leave America next month

‘Tasting splendour’ ended in tragedy

“There is just one life. Taste all the splendour the world has to offer.”

Those are the words that Ma Chi chose to greet people with on his instant-messaging service.

IMF head Lagarde: Tax-shy Greeks must help themselves

IMF head Christine Lagarde has urged Greeks to pay taxes, saying she worries more about the plight of children in sub-Saharan Africa than the people of the crisis-hit European nation.

And when asked if she was saying to the Greeks and other European nations that they had had a nice time and it was now payback time, Ms Lagarde responded: "That's right."

Read more...

After Barreling Ahead in Recession, China Finally Slows

A nationwide real estate downturn, stalling exports and declining consumer confidence have produced what a Chinese cabinet adviser, quoted on the official government Web site on Thursday, characterized as a “sharp slowdown in the economy.”

Chinese couple bury woman alive, sparking outrage

Chinese police have arrested a young couple who buried an old woman alive believing she was dead after their car hit the 68-year-old, newspapers said on Thursday, in a case which has sparked outrage over declining public morality.

愛很簡單 - 陶喆

The bursting of the luxury bubble

It is all going a little flat for China's once ravenous investors. One by one, they are seeing their bubbles burst.

Russian cellist fired for rant on train

Beijing orchestra sacks musician for abusive tirade at woman that has fuelled anti-foreigner sentiment

Beijing orchestra fires abusive Russian cellist

The Beijing Symphony Orchestra has fired a Russian cellist who was caught on camera verbally abusing a female passenger on a train, sparking an online outcry over the behaviour of foreigners in China.

The wines of China

A look at the country's wine-producing regions

Read more...

Bo’s feud with police chief: Trio failed to broker peace

Early this year, as then Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai nearly came to blows with his police chief Wang Lijun over his wife’s possible involvement in a mysterious death, three men flew into the south-western Chinese metropolis within a day or two of one another.

Crews held by N Koreans return home

All 28 fishermen are released alive after 13 days in a dark room filled with rotting fish, and some suffered regular physical beatings

Mayor says he defied Bo on axing

Huang Qifan challenged party chief, who yelled and kicked him out of high-level meeting at which Bo Xilai announced decision to sack police chief

Tycoons seek wives in dating contest

More than 300 women are vying to tie the knot with one of 11 super rich men in a contest that takes the dating game to a whole new level.

Heartbreaker by Dionne Warwick

This song for Robin Gibb. A beautiful song written by Bee Gees.

Are consumers’ rights really protected by the Lemon Laws?

When things turn sour: The introduction of the Lemon Laws may lead to a rise in disputes being filed at the Small Claims Tribunal

Staying competitive in a time of transition

The last five years have seen rapid change for Singapore law firms. The next five promise acceleration of change.

An era of new opportunities

Singapore’s position as a leading international arbitration hub and the liberalisation of the legal industry signal the start of an exciting and challenging era which should be welcomed

Leader’s Fall in China Put Allies in Peril

Early this year, as a crisis unfolded in the chambers of power here, three men flew into this fog-wreathed riverside metropolis within a day or two of one another. They were members of the inner court of Bo Xilai, the Communist Party aristocrat who ran the city, and they had come to repair a rupture between the strong-willed Mr. Bo and his equally driven police chief.

China reformer sees his opportunity after Bo’s fall

Wang Yang, leader of Guangdong province and well known for his deft handling of recent civil unrest there, is the first of three provincial-level party bosses who stand to benefit after a murder scandal snuffed out Bo’s career last month.

Singapore should abolish archaic laws

Mabel Au calls on the Singapore government to respect internationally accepted human rights

Law needed to force declaration of assets

Making officials and family members reveal their wealth would go a long way to fighting corruption and boosting transparency on the mainland

Wang Lijun in treason trial

Wang Lijun, the former Chongqing vice-mayor whose attempted defection to the US in February brought down Bo Xilai, may go to court next month

Bee Gees' singer Robin Gibb dies after cancer battle

Bee Gees’ singer Robin Gibb has died aged 62 after a lengthy battle with cancer, his family said.

BBC Obituary: Robin Gibb
CNN News
Reuters
Time 

US-China ties on collision course

Graeme Maxton says America’s provocations to win influence in Asia at the expense of its strategic rival, China, not only highlight its double standards, but also endanger regional peace

Europe stings Asian visitors

Chinese tourists flying off in search of luxury goods that are cheaper than at home will find firms like Louis Vuitton have raised their prices

Shenzhen’s rich buy basics in Hong Kong

Well-educated residents spend HK$24.6 billion a year on items such as toothpaste because of safety concerns about goods at home and high taxes

Shanghai, Beijing to lead commercial sell-off

Developers selling assets to raise cash for housing projects as credit tightens

KL to scrap arrival cards for foreigners

Foreigners entering Malaysia will not need to fill up arrival cards issued by the Immigration Department from June 1, the Home Ministry has said in a statement.

Gong Li divorced from Singaporean businessman for 3 years

Singaporean businessman Ooi Hoe Seong has personally confirmed that he has been divorced from actress Gong Li for three years, a Sichuan, China, newspaper reported.

Princelings in China Use Family Ties to Gain Riches

What DreamWorks did not showcase, however, was one of its newest — and most important — Chinese partners: Jiang Mianheng, the 61-year-old son of Jiang Zemin, the former Communist Party leader and the most powerful political kingmaker of China’s last two decades.

Tracking Hidden Frenchman in China’s Political Drama

Throughout the drama this spring revolving around the dismissal of the ambitious Chinese official Bo Xilai and the investigation of his wife as a murder suspect, the most mysterious figure has been a French architect named Patrick Henri Devillers.

Mystery Frenchman in Bo saga seen in Cambodia

Throughout the drama revolving around the dismissal of ambitious Chinese official Bo Xilai and the investigation of his wife on murder charges, the most mysterious figure has been a French architect named Patrick Henri Devillers.

Empires under the red son

Relatives of disgraced former Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai are part of an extensive web of foreign firms

China sentences fugitive smuggler Lai to life term

The man once considered China’s most-wanted fugitive was sentenced to life in prison for smuggling and bribery in a lurid corruption case that reached into the highest echelons of the Communist Party and involved a decade-long extradition fight.

Party leaders called on to disclose assets

Three retired officials, including daughter of a revolutionary, post letter online urging top echelon to reveal personal finances before congress meeting

Lai was famous once, but Xiamen has moved on

Some Xiamen residents appeared ambivalent about Lai Changxing after the sentencing, with two saying the case was history.

From Red Mansion to a prison cell

Lai Changxing rose from obscurity to run an illegal empire built on smuggling, before fleeing to Canada, from where he fought for 12 years to avoid justice

Calls for political reform renewed

Political change should focus on people’s rights and limiting power of officials, says People’s Daily a second time since Bo Xilai was swept from power

Passport ban ends on Yunnan women

Young women in three counties in Yunnan will be able to apply for passports like other mainlanders from today after the lifting of restrictions imposed seven years ago due to concerns that many were becoming prostitutes in nearby countries.

Beijing in drive on illegal foreigners

Beijing has launched a 100-day crackdown targeting foreigners who have entered the country illegally, stayed longer than allowed or who are working in the capital illegally.

Chinese wines beat French in tasting, but it's not best vs best

Chinese wines took the top four places in a China vs Bordeaux blind tasting competition on Wednesday, but it wasn't exactly a thrashing of the world's most elite wines by Chinese upstarts.

Chinese wine makers looking to win back local taste buds

While China’s wine lovers continue their obsession with French vintages, a number of local labels are determined to lead the charge to convince them that Chinese winemakers can compete with the very best there is.

In Rise and Fall of China’s Bo Xilai, an Arc of Ruthlessness

“News 1+1” is a sort of Chinese “60 Minutes,” a newsmagazine on state-run China Central Television that explores — as much as the censors permit — the more contentious corners of Chinese society. In December 2009, the program took aim at a much-publicized anticorruption campaign in the metropolis of Chongqing, a crusade that had grabbed national attention for its sweep, but raised deep concerns about its brutality and disregard for the law.

Parents pay the price in grey area of school entry

Despite nine years of free education, Shanghai people pay dear for flats in top schools’ catchment areas

Myanmar villagers want share of energy bonanza

For decades, the islanders of Shweri Chai, a speck of land in the Bay of Bengal, have extracted oil using makeshift pulleys to draw the reddish liquid from the ground.

Wenzhou’s grey loan market in downturn

Private lending sinks 30pc from last summer’s highs, government survey finds, amid concerns about risks and overall drop in business activity

Wealthy Americans get the cold shoulder

The looming Fatca tax evasion law sends global financial institutions running for cover with its ‘draconian’ range of rules and penalties

Wang Yang says the party can't make you happy

Provincial party boss behind Happy Guangdong campaign says citizens should seize the day and stop thinking contentment comes from above

Inherited privilege is a scourge of old China that must be rooted out

Hu Shuli says the excesses of the children of officials are fuelling outrage over the collusion of the rich and powerful, and unchecked government power is to blame

Police probe sophisticated wine-scam syndicate

Hundreds of mainlanders and Hongkongers may have invested in vintage futures that never existed

Malaysian families seek British justice for 1948 massacre

Malaysian relatives of 24 rubber plantation workers killed by British troops in 1948 began a High Court appeal in London on Tuesday against the British government's refusal to hold a full inquiry.

 Read more...

Chen case exposes limits to central power in China

The case of a blind Chinese activist who sparked a diplomatic row with the United States is the latest illustration of the degree of power China’s local authorities have -- and how it can backfire on Beijing.