CHINA’S most famous philanthropist on Thursday started handing out cash on the first day of a controversial trip to Taiwan that has sparked criticism and protests from anti-China groups. Chen Guangbiao, who made his fortune recycling construction materials, handed three traditional ‘red envelopes’ containing a total of NT$70,000 (US$2,400) to a woman who had been […]
CCTV catches out masked robber
A BRITISH robber was behind bars today after CCTV images showed him raiding a store in Wales wearing the same Halloween mask he bought from the shop days earlier. Neil Simons, 27, from Cardiff, south Wales, was the only man who bought the £3.99 ($6.00) Halloween disguise from the combined Co-op shop and gas station […]
World’s first artificial hip for German tiger
A TIGER in Germany has become the world’s first to be given an artificial hip after a three-hour-operation by a team of vets that she only just survived, Leipzig University said on Thursday. Girl, as the Malayan tiger at Halle Zoo in eastern Germany is known, had been in visible pain for close to a […]
2011 ‘make or break year’ for WTO Doha talks
WORLD leaders on Friday called for the rapid conclusion of a global free trade deal, saying this would amount to a cost-free stimulus for the economy. British Prime Minister David Cameron told the Davos gathering of business and political elite: ‘This is a stimulus that doesn’t cost money, so it’s a stimulus that we need.’ […]
Obama backs corporate rate cut
US President Barack Obama will call on Congress to cut the top US corporate tax rate for the first time in 25 years “without adding to our deficit,” signalling that businesses will have to give up cherished tax breaks in exchange for lower rates. The President also will press for simplifying the tax system for […]
Wounded UK soldier in charity skydive
A PARATROOPER who lost both legs in a landmine explosion in Afghanistan has jumped out of a plane to raise money for wounded soldiers. Ben Parkinson, the most seriously wounded British soldier to survive the war in Afghanistan, took part in yesterday’s “fantastic” charity skydive for to help other wounded soldiers. He jumped from a […]
China to fine Carrefour, Wal-Mart for deceptive prices
CHINA said on Wednesday it would punish certain Carrefour and Wal-Mart stores for deceptive pricing practices as Beijing struggles to rein in inflation. Local authorities have been ordered to fine more than 10 Carrefour stores and three Wal-Mart outlets and confiscate their ‘illegal income’, the National Development and Reform Commission said on its website. The […]
China’s premier says public should criticise govt
STATE media is reporting that China’s premier has urged citizens to voice their criticisms of the government and speak out about injustice. The official Xinhua News Agency says Wen Jiabao made an unprecedented visit to China’s top petition bureau, where ordinary citizens are allowed to file complaints about the government. Xinhua reported late on Tuesday […]
Cell phone ban on planes to ease
The Japanese government is planning to let airlines decide whether to allow passengers to use cell phones in the cabin during boarding and disembarking starting April 1, officials said Tuesday. All Nippon Airways said it plans to remove its ban on cell phones as soon as the rule change takes effect, while Japan Airlines said […]
Children ‘programmed’ to be overweight
WOMEN who have gestational diabetes are more likely to have children who will battle diabetes and weight problems through their lives, Australian research suggests. The scientists found that when mice developed the condition during pregnancy it had the effect of “foetal programming” weight and other problems into their offspring. There was evidence of changes in […]