HONG KONG
Qing bowl fetches US$30.4m
An extremely rare Qing Dynasty bowl made for emperor Kangxi (康熙) yesterday fetched US$30.4 million at auction, Sotheby’s said. The bowl, just under 6 inches (14.7cm) in diameter, is decorated with falangcai (琺瑯彩) — painted enamels combining Chinese and Western techniques — and flowers, including daffodils, which are not typically depicted on Chinese porcelain. The bowl, said to have been used by the emperor in the early 18th century, was sold within five minutes to an unnamed phone bidder from the “Greater China” region, Sotheby’s Asia chairman Nicolas Chow (仇國仕) said. “This is the absolute finest example to exist. There are only three examples altogether that use this beautiful pink [background],” he said.
PAKISTAN
IS attacks Christian family
The militant group Islamic State (IS) yesterday claimed responsibility for killing four members of a Christian family in the southwest. A statement issued by the group claimed that Islamic State militants fired on the group of Christians as they were traveling on Monday in the city of Quetta, killing four. The family was traveling in a rickshaw when armed men on a motorcycle intercepted them and opened fire. “It appears to have been a targeted attack,” provincial police official Moazzam Jah Ansari said. “It was an act of terrorism.” The attack came a day after the Christian community celebrated Easter.
SOUTH KOREA
Park verdict to be broadcast
The Seoul Central District Court yesterday said it would allow a rare live broadcast of the verdict at the trial of disgraced former president Park Geun-hye later this week. Park was arrested last year on a slew of corruption charges after being removed from office following months of huge rallies calling for her ouster. Prosecutors are demanding a 30-year prison term if the court finds her guilty. The court said it decided to allow the hearing to be televised live in consideration of public interests. It would mark the first broadcast for a verdict at the trial of a district court, though trials at higher-level courts have been broadcast.
SAUDI ARABIA
Spouse spying banned
The government on Monday announced that “spying” on your spouse’s phone is now a criminal offense potentially punishable by a hefty fine — and a year in jail. “Married individuals planning to spy on their spouse in Saudi Arabia will need to think twice, because such an activity could potentially attract a fine of 500,000 riyals [US$133,000], along with a prison term for a year,” read an English-language statement released by the information ministry. The provision, part of a new anti-cybercrime law that came into force last week, is meant to “protect morals of individuals and society and protect privacy,” it said.
INDONESIA
Oil spill sparks emergency
The government has declared a state of emergency around a port on Borneo island, officials said yesterday, after a large oil spill and fire killed four people at the weekend. Disaster mitigation officials were able to control the blaze in the port city of Balikpapan, but were still working to contain the spill, which started on Saturday and spread over an area of about 12km2. “We have warned the public not to carry out activities that could spark fires,” said Suryanto, head of the city’s environmental agency. State-owned energy firm Pertamina said it was investigating where the oil had originated and that its underwater pipeline in the area did not have any leaks.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese