CHINA
Beijing tops ‘green’ index
The National Bureau of Statistics yesterday published its first “green development” index, listing regional governments that promote environmentally friendly development, with Beijing coming out top, though it came second-to-last in a survey of public satisfaction. The heavily polluted capital was first in the ranking of 31 provinces and regions for last year, followed by Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, while Tibet and Xinjiang were the lowest-ranked regions. Hebei Province, which surrounds Beijing and is home to several cities with some of the worst air pollution in the world, ranked 20th. While Beijing was top in the green index, it came in 30th out of 31 regions in a separate survey of public satisfaction with the environment published along with the “green” index data on the statistics bureau Web site. Tibet came in first in public satisfaction with the environment.
UNITED KINGDOM
Frigate tracks Russian ship
A Royal Navy frigate escorted a Russian warship on Christmas Day as it passed close to British territorial waters, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday, at a time of strained relations between London and Moscow. The HMS St Albans monitored the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov in the North Sea, “keeping track of its activity in areas of national interest,” it said in a statement. The St Albans, a Type 23 frigate, was deployed on Saturday to track the Russian vessel and was to return to its Portsmouth base yesterday. “I will not hesitate in defending our waters or tolerate any form of aggression,” Minister of Defence Gavin Williamson said in a statement after the incident. “Britain will never be intimidated when it comes to protecting our country, our people and our national interests.” The ministry said the patrol ship HMS Tyne also escorted “a Russian intelligence-gathering ship” through the North Sea and the English Channel on Sunday.
CHINA
Shanghai to limit population
Shanghai is to limit its population to 25 million people by 2035 as part of a quest to manage “big city disease,” the State Council said on its Web site late on Monday. The goal to control the size of the city was part of Shanghai’s masterplan for 2017 to 2035, which the government body had approved, it said. “By 2035, the resident population in Shanghai will be controlled at around 25 million and the total amount of land made available for construction will not exceed 3,200km2,” it said. State media has defined “big city disease” as arising when a megacity becomes plagued with environmental pollution, traffic congestion and a shortage of public services, including education and medical care.
SOUTH KOREA
Two arrested over fire
Police have arrested the owner and the manager of a building in the city of Jecheon where 29 people died in a fire on Thursday last week, accusing the pair of multiple safety lapses, including blocked exits and malfunctioning sprinkler systems. At least 20 of the victims were women who were overcome by toxic fumes in a second-floor sauna. Jecheon police have only identified the owner by his last name, Lee, and the manager, Kim. Both men are in custody in Jecheon after being arrested on Sunday, police announced yesterday. They face charges of committing involuntary homicide by professional negligence, while Lee also faces charges of violating fire safety regulations. Police said that Lee has retained a lawyer, while Kim has not.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number