News & Reports 2010-09-19

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In This Edition

China marks 79th anniversary of Japanese invasion with protests demanding release of fisherman detained by Japan.

Polish police detained Chechen Rebel Leader, Akhmed Zakayev, one of Russia's most wanted men but later released him.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called on the United States to free Iranians following the release of a US citizen by Iran.

And United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says more needs to be done to maintain the progress of the UN's Millennium Development Goals.

Hot Issue Reports

Chinese Mark Japanese Invasion with Protests While Sirens Wail

Hundreds of Chinese gathered outside Japanese diplomatic residences across the country to protest Japan's seizure of a Chinese fishing boat earlier this month as sirens wailed to mark the 79th anniversary of Japan's invasion.

In Beijing, dozens of protestors gathered outside the Japanese embassy, unfurling banners and chanting "Don't forget national humiliation" and other slogans.

Days before the sensitive anniversary, a Chinese fishing boat was seized by the Japanese Coast Guard in waters off the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, over which China claims sovereignty.

Though Japan has released the boat and other crew members, the captain is still being held.

The incident has since triggered Chinese indignation and protests.

One protestor who preferred to only identify himself as Mr. Wu, held a cake, the icing of which formed the image of the Diaoyu Islands and China's national flag.

"The important thing is not how big this particular protest is, the important thing is that this is really how we Chinese feel."

Similar protests were also staged in Shanghai, Shenyang and Hong Kong.

As part of routine commemorative activities, sirens wailed in many cities including Harbin, Xi'an, Changchun and Chengdu.

On Sept. 18, 1931, Japanese forces attacked the barracks of Chinese troops in Shenyang. The move marked the beginning of the Japanese invasion and occupation that lasted 14 years.

Afghans Cast Ballots for Parliament

Afghans have cast their ballots for a new parliament with mild turnout amid intimidation of attacks from the Taliban.

The election is the first since a fraud-marred presidential ballot last year.

Observers across the country report fewer voters than a year ago, even though the number of sites have been cut to help authorities provide better security.

Afghan Defence Minister Rahim Wardak described the turnout as "low."

"Why was the participation low? Nobody can be sure definitively, but it might be as a result of the enemy's negative campaign to terrorise the people not to participate, because they were claiming that that way they would be able to create much more damage than they were able to inflict physically."

The Taliban has pledged to disrupt the vote and launched attacks starting with a rocket fired into the capital.

Interior Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi says at least 11 civilians and three police officers were killed.

The election commission has yet to provide an overall turnout figure. But it says that 3.6 million people cast ballots at the 86 per cent of polling stations that have reported figures so far.

Nearly 6 million ballots were cast in the presidential vote last year.

At one polling station in Kabul, Sayed Ali, an election observer, says he was concerned that the low turnout will undermine the legitimacy of the election.

About 2,500 candidates were vying for 249 seats in the parliament. A host of allegations of fraud and election worker misconduct have already piled up in the first few hours of the vote.

Poland Arrests Chechen Rebel Leader Zakayev

Polish police detained Chechen Rebel Leader, Akhmed Zakayev, one of Russia's most wanted men but later released him.

Zakayev faces charges in Russia of murder, kidnapping and terrorism.

A former senior rebel commander, Zakayev was viewed by Russia as a terrorist but granted political asylum by Britain in 2003.

He had gone to Poland to attend a congress of Chechens supporting independence, despite Polish authorities warning he would be arrested in accordance with an Interpol arrest warrant.

Adam Borowski, a supporter of Zakayev, said he had been heading to the prosecutor's office to hand himself in when police detained him.

"I'd like to say that Ahmed Zakayev wanted to come here himself. It's not a police victory to have caught Mr Zakayev. But we were prevented from showing our good will. Zakayev didn't want to hide in Poland, nor did he want to run away from Poland."

A spokeswoman for Russia's prosecutor-general said Moscow was preparing to send a request to the Polish authorities for Zakayev's extradition.

Yet Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he did not expect Zakayev to be extradited.

Politicians in Europe and the United States have condemned Chechen rebel violence but many are sympathetic to their independence cause.

Al Qaeda Suspected of Niger Kidnappings

France says it suspects al Qaeda is behind the kidnapping of seven foreigners, including five French nationals, in the western African republic of Niger.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner believes it's the work of the terrorist group's North African wing:

"We suspect it's the same groups, and if not the very same groups, then groups linked to the mainstream of AQIM, that is, al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb. The fact the kidnapped are Tuareg, I point out that there are five French people, a person from Togo and someone from Madagascar."

In July, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the killing of a French aid worker, who had been abducted in Niger three months earlier.

Thursday's latest kidnappings included a French employee of nuclear firm Areva and his wife.

The Arlit region in northern Niger, where Areva has its uranium mining operations, was also the location of a simmering Tuareg rebellion.
In June 2008, four of Areva's French workers were kidnapped by the Tuaregs and held for four days.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has held emergency security talks with the Prime Minister, Interior Minister and head of the armed forces to decide what measures France should take.

Iranian President Urges US to Release Iranians as a Humanitarian Gesture

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called on the United States to free Iranians following the release of a US citizen by Iran.

Sarah Shourd, one of three Americans held in Iran on suspicion of spying, was released earlier this week and Ahmadinejad says he is now waiting for a similar response from the U.S.

"The Islamic Republic did this one-way act to be humane. Now we have to see what they will do. I hope they appreciate this act by the Islamic Republic and they, too, should do something humanitarian."

Shourd was detained near Iran's border with Iraq in July 2009 along with two male companions. Their families say the three were on a mountain hike in northern Iraq at the time, while Iran accuses them of spying.

The case of the three Americans has further complicated relations between Tehran and Washington, already fraught over Iran's nuclear activities.

Earlier on Friday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Iran should free the two remaining US citizens as a "significant humanitarian gesture".

Australian Frigate Warramunga Begins Its Visit to China

The Australian naval frigate Warramunga has begun a four-day visit to Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong province.

Officials of the countries' navies say the trip aims to promote cooperation between them and enhance mutual trust.

Our reporter Zhang Cheng watched the boat arrive.

Reporter: The Warramunga was greeted in Qingdao harbour by bright sunshine and by Dou Wenhui, a senior naval official of the North Sea Fleet, who spoke enthusiastically at the welcome ceremony.

"The cooperation and friendship between the Chinese and Australian navies have been strengthened and deepened. I believe Warramunga's visit will further promote concrete communication and cooperation between the Chinese and Australian navies and enhance mutual understanding and trust."

Warramunga Commander Bruce Legge echoed those sentiments.

"I think what we want, both China and Australia is to mature our relationship to work to together and work towards regional security that is a visible sign that my ship coming here to achieve."

The commander also emphasized the importance of cooperation between the navies.

"Australia is very committed to developing strong and positive defense relations with China, that helps contribute to regional security and stability. Over the past few years, the Royal Australian force and Australian defense force have enhanced our engagement with China."

He added that later this month two Chinese vessels, a frigate and a training ship, would be visiting Australia bases in Sydney and Darwin.

During their stay in China, the Australian crew will run joint exercises with China's navy including helicopter transfers, search-and-rescue exercises and live-fire exercises.

Officers and soldiers will also visit each other's ships and spend leisure time together.

The Warramunga is the fifth Australian navel ship to visit Qingdao. It has 183 crew and, is 120 meters long, 15 meters wide with a tonnage of 3.600 tons. It's the fifth time an.

After four-day visit in Qingdao, Warramunga will leave for its next stop in north China's port city Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province.

For CRI, I'm Zhang Cheng in Qingdao.

UN Secretary-General Warns Over Global Poverty

Next week's United Nations summit in New York will confirm member nations' pledges to slash global poverty by 2015 but budget cutbacks in rich nations will keep them from setting ambitious new goals.

The global leaders will gather from September 20 to 22 to review the targets, which aim to drastically reduce poverty and hunger in the next five years.

Much of the world's economic progress is currently confined to China and India but United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says more needs to be done to maintain the progress of the UN's Millennium Development Goals.

"The MDGs are difficult and ambitious, but doable. Many poor countries have made enormous progress. The world as a whole is on-track to reduce poverty by half by 2015. Of course, the deadline is approaching fast, and many countries are falling short, especially in Africa."

The summit, which will be addressed by leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, precedes the annual U.N. General Assembly which formally begins on September 23.

Clinton to Launch First Visit to Australia

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and US Defence Secretary Robert Gates will head to Australia in November for strategic and security talks aimed at strengthening the alliance between the two nations.

The November 8 visit was announced in Washington by Clinton and Kevin Rudd, the former Australian Prime Minister and now Foreign Minister.

"I am delighted to announce that I will travel to Australia in November to participate in Australia-US ministerial talks. Secretary Gates and I will be meeting our Australian counterparts, ministers Rudd and Smith, for what will be the 25th anniversary of the first such meeting. This will be my first trip as Secretary of State because I had to cancel my prior trip due to the earthquake in Haiti and I am so looking forward to returning to a country that I admire so greatly."

Rudd, Australia's former prime minister, was in Washington before going to New York for next week's UN General Assembly session, where both he and Clinton will attend meetings that include a conference of donors to the humanitarian efforts in flood-ravaged Pakistan.

Obama Assigned Special Adviser to the Newly Established American Consumer Watchdog

U.S. President Barack Obama has named Wall Street critic Elizabeth Warren as the person to set up his new consumer watchdog agency, drawing praise from liberals and an outcry from Republican opponents and the financial industry.

Warren, a Harvard law professor and outspoken consumer advocate, will set up a powerful new consumer financial protection agency.

Obama says he and Warren share a concern for the rights of all:

"The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be a watchdog for the American consumer. Elizabeth understands what I strongly believe: that a strong, growing economy begins with a strong and thriving middle class and that means that every American has to get a fair shake in their financial dealings."

Obama announced Warren not as head of the new agency but as special adviser to oversee its establishment, allowing him to avoid a bitter clash with the Senate.

Reunions of Korean Families are Pending

North and South Korea have agreed to hold a reunion of families separated by the Korean War next month, but there is no agreement yet over the event's venue.

According to the official North Korean News Agency, the meetings will be held at the North's Diamond Mountain - Mount Kumgang - between October 21 and 27.

The announcement came hours after the two sides ended Red Cross talks at the North Korean border city of Kaesong to discuss Pyongyang's proposal to resume the reunions.

North Korea's Central News Agency, KCNA, said the two sides agreed to meet next Friday for further discussions.

Still, Kim Eyi-do, head of South Korea's Red Cross delegation, said the two sides haven't quite achieved their goal.

"We neared agreement to hold the reunions of families on October 21 to 27 in Mount Kumgang."

The two sides failed to agree on the venue and scale.

New ISS Crew Prepares for October Mission

The US and Russian crew of the upcoming International Space Station launch say their countries have outlined very different priorities for the mission.

The cosmonauts-Alexander Kalery and Oleg Skripochka from Russia and Scott Joseph Kelly from the United States - were approved by an inter-departmental commission after training earlier this week.

Kalery, the crew's commander, says while the international crew will communicate openly and move freely around the ISS, their tasks will be different.

"The Russian program will be a traditional one. We will cover areas, such as fundamental sciences, medical and biological studies and geophysics."

Kelly says the American mission is more concentrated on the future of space travel.

"We have hundreds of experiments that are conducted on board. And it consists of different categories. Some are life science experiments, in most cases investigating how we can fly people in long-duration-space-flight safely."

The crew plans to carry out work in open space on three occasions.

A final set of tests is planned in Kazakhstan before the mission launch on October 7.

25 Killed in Police Station Explosion in Eastern Sri Lanka

Explosives meant for road construction have detonated and killed 25 people, two of them Chinese, outside a police station in eastern Sri Lanka.

The police station was reduced to rubble and a nearby agriculture office crowded with farmers who had come to buy fertiliser was also destroyed.

A military spokesman says it is unclear what triggered the detonation of the explosives, which were stored by the police station for safety reasons.

"The explosion that took place in the police premises at Karadiyanaru was accidental. 25 deaths have been reported, of which 16 are policemen and 9 are civilians. Out of that, two are Chinese workers who belonged to the construction company."

The spokesman said the explosives, probably dynamite, were intended for blasting out rocks for a road construction project being carried out by a Chinese company.

The site of the blast, Karadiyanaru, is a small town in the former conflict zone between the government and the now-defeated Tamil Tiger rebels.

The government has initiated a major construction drive there to build roads, reservoirs and other infrastructure following the end of the war with the Tamil Tigers last year.

China Daily: Bureaucracy Partly to Blame for Academic Misconduct

China's State Councilor Liu Yandong has vowed to adopt a "zero tolerance" approach toward academic dishonesty.

Liu also called for the "moral upgrading" of colleges and intellectuals as a cure for China's widespread academic misbehavior.

An editorial in the China Daily says the comments reflect the authorities' awareness about the need to cultivate a clean academia but suggests Liu's approach does not go far enough.

The newspaper notes that academic misbehavior, including fraud, are on the rise along with an increasing number of papers published by Chinese scholars.

Earlier this year, a professor at Nanjing University publicly accused Professor Wang Hui of Tsinghua University of plagiarism in his 1985 doctoral paper on Chinese literary icon Lu Xun.

The China Daily says some intellectuals can be blamed for this moral decline but cautions against dumping all the blame on them.

The paper quotes some intellectuals as admitting they cheat - but claiming they have to if they want to get what they deserve.

It says China's academic institutions are burdened with bureaucracy and that affects their ability to accurately assess academic competence.

As a result, scholars' promotions are usually determined by the number of papers they publish in a fixed period, rather than the quality of their work.

The newspaper points out that the problematic bureaucracy has also played a role in driving the escalating academic misconduct.

In conclusion, it says reforming academic bureaucracy is an essential starting point for all steps aimed at keeping Chinese academics from behaving dishonestly.

QQ.com: Why Food Safety Remains a Top Concern in China

Food safety remains an issue of concern in China two years after the melamine-tainted milk powder scandal that killed several infants and sickened hundreds of others.

Since then, more food safety issues have come to light, including concerns about infant milk formula manufactured by Synutra International, which may cause premature sexual development, and crayfish cleaned with chemical detergents to improve their appearance.

In response, the Chinese government has issued a circular about a crackdown on illegal activities that compromise food safety.

Ke Zhixiong, a commentator who writes for the general news website QQ.com, has praised some of the circular's provisions. First, he points out that the document implies that central government leaders have taken direct responsibility for guaranteeing food safety.

Second, he notes that public security agencies, people's procuratorates, people's courts and judicial administrative bodies at all levels should strengthen their collaboration in punishing those who deliberately compromise food safety. The circular says such violators could receive the death penalty.

But Ke also challenges the effects the circular will likely have in safeguarding food products. He points out that while the document's proscriptions would be effective at times, they also would have some limits in achieving the government's goals. He argues that the provisions do not seem to "bark up the right tree."

Ke also summarizes the root causes of the lingering food safety issue. First and foremost, regulators have not faced up to the problem squarely, but merely have continued to issue reassuring messages to the public. Second, regulators believe the media have been a disruptive factor in monitoring food safety, arguing that they often sensationalize food safety issues. Third, tackling food safety issues in China continues to be very complicated because each part of the food processing chain can harbor hazards such as the quality of raw meat. Fourth, some officials still abuse their power or engage in unprofessional practices when it comes to food safety surveillance.

In conclusion, Ke believes that even the threat of the death penalty as punishment lacks teeth in addressing the root causes of food safety issues in China. Instead, he recommends that regulators tackle problems head on, appreciate the role of the media in monitoring food safety, strictly control each link in the food manufacturing process, and avoid misconduct and negligence.