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| Heavy snow, dangerous cold snarl travel in northeastern U.S Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 07:23 PM PST  By Elizabeth Dilts and Scott Malone NEW YORK/BOSTON (Reuters) - The governors of New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency and pleaded with residents to stay indoors on Thursday as a major snowstorm bore down on the northeastern United States, delaying or canceling thousands of flights. The first major winter storm of 2014 brought bone-chilling temperatures and high winds from the lower Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast, with parts of New England, including Boston, bracing for up to 14 inches of snow by Friday morning. "As this winter storm unfolds, bringing heavy snow and high winds to many parts of the state, I strongly urge all New Yorkers to exercise caution, avoid travel and stay indoors," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. Amid flight cancellations that hit just as many travelers were returning from holiday breaks, officials at Boston's Logan International Airport said that up to a quarter of its scheduled flights had been canceled on Thursday afternoon and evening. Full Story | Top |
| Cambodian forces open fire as factory strikes turn violent Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 10:59 PM PST  By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian military police opened fire with assault rifles on Friday to quell a protest by stone-throwing garment factory workers demanding higher pay, killing at least three people, witnesses said. Chaos during nationwide strikes erupted for a second day as security forces were deployed to break up the demonstration by thousands of workers, who refused to move and threw bottles, stones and petrol bombs outside a factory in Phnom Penh. The clash represents an escalation of a political crisis in Cambodia, where striking workers and anti-government protesters have come together in a loose movement led by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). Unions representing disgruntled garment workers have joined opposition supporters protesting against the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen to demand a re-run of an election in July that the opposition says was rigged. Full Story | Top |
| FireEye buys cyber forensics firm Mandiant for about $1 billion Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 02:04 PM PST  By Jim Finkle BOSTON (Reuters) - Cybersecurity company FireEye Inc has acquired Mandiant Corp, the computer forensics specialist best known for unveiling a secretive Chinese military unit believed to be behind a series of hacking attacks on U.S. companies. FirEye shares jumped more than 20 percent after Thursday's announcement of the $1.05 billion cash-and-stock deal, which FireEye said closed on Monday. It unites two companies with relatively new technologies for thwarting cyber attacks, and brings together two of the most-respected executives in the security industry: FireEye CEO Dave DeWalt and Mandiant founder Kevin Mandia. While sales of older anti-virus products have been on the decline, security experts expect strong growth in both FireEye's cloud-based systems for detecting malicious software and Mandiant's software that analyzes cyber attacks. Full Story | Top |
| China December services PMI falls to four-month low Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 07:39 PM PST  By Koh Gui Qing and Jonathan Standing BEIJING (Reuters) - Growth in China's services sector fell to a four-month low in December as business expectations dropped, a government survey showed, adding to evidence that the world's second-largest economy lost steam into the close of 2013. The official purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the non-manufacturing sector dropped to 54.6 in December from November's 56, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Friday. While the services PMI held above the 50 level that indicates expansion, slackening growth mirrors a fourth-quarter cooldown in factory activity and the broader economy as credit supply moderated and firms rebuilt inventories more slowly. Ting Lu, an economist at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong, said another factor was the fading effect of China's "mini" economic stimulus rolled out in mid-2013 to prop up slowing activity. Full Story | Top |
| Chinese icebreaker stuck after helping in Antarctic rescue Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 11:05 PM PST  By Maggie Lu Yueyang SYDNEY (Reuters) - A Chinese icebreaker that helped rescue 52 passengers from a Russian ship stranded in Antarctic ice found itself stuck in heavy ice on Friday, further complicating the 9-day "roller-coaster" rescue operation. It now had concerns about its own ability to move through heavy ice, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said. The Australian icebreaker carrying the rescued passengers, the Aurora Australis, will remain on standby in open water in the area "as a precautionary measure", the rescue agency said. The Aurora Australis had meant to sail towards an Antarctic base to complete a resupply before carrying the rescued passengers back to Australia. Full Story | Top |
| China tells police to be loyal to party amid graft crackdown Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 09:03 PM PST  China's police chief wrote on Friday that his officers must uphold the leadership of the Communist Party and be loyal to it, as the government targets the domestic security apparatus in a crackdown on corruption. Sources have told Reuters that China's former security tsar, Zhou Yongkang, one of the most powerful politicians of the decade, has been put under effective house arrest while the party investigates corruption allegations against him. Last month, the government began a graft investigation into a one-time deputy public security minister, Li Dongsheng, an ally of Zhou's. Li held a rank equivalent to cabinet minister, and state media says he is the first member of the ruling party's Political and Legal Affairs Committee, the influential domestic security body which Zhou used to head, to be investigated for graft. Writing in the party's official People's Daily, Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun said his more than two million officers had to be "absolutely loyal and absolutely clean" and stand steadfastly in line with the orders and politics of President Xi Jinping. Full Story | Top |
| Car bomb kills at least five in Hezbollah district of Beirut Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 01:04 PM PST By Oliver Holmes and Stephen Kalin BEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb killed at least five people in Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut on Thursday, the latest in a series of deadly attacks on Shi'ite and Sunni targets in Lebanon. A security source said the blast was caused by a car bomb. The explosion occurred less than a week after former finance minister Mohamad Chatah, a critic of the Shi'ite Hezbollah militant group and its ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was killed along with six others by a car bomb in Beirut. Last summer, bombs exploded in southern Beirut and outside two Sunni Muslim mosques in the northern city of Tripoli, killing scores of people. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. factory, jobs data show underlying strength in economy Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 10:00 AM PST  By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. factory activity held near a 2-1/2-year high in December and the number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell again last week, suggesting the economy was poised for stronger growth in 2014. The strengthening fundamentals were underscored by other data on Thursday showing construction spending hit its highest level in nearly five years in November. Conditions seem to be coming together for a very good year," said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pennsylvania. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of national factory activity stood at 57.0 last month. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. ship to depart soon on chemical weapons mission to Mediterranean Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 03:11 PM PST  By David Alexander PORTSMOUTH, Virginia (Reuters) - The U.S.-owned cargo ship with the capability to destroy the nastiest of Syria's chemical weapons will depart for the Mediterranean in about two weeks, officials said on Thursday as shipyard workers readied the vessel for new sea trials. Forklifts moved equipment and sparks flew as workers welded containers and other gear on the deck of the MV Cape Ray, which is being outfitted with modular housing to accommodate three times its normal complement of personnel, plus two hydrolysis units for destroying Syrian chemicals used in mustard and nerve gas weapons. "Without this ship, this mission is not possible," top Pentagon arms buyer Frank Kendall, who has oversight of chemical, biological and nuclear arms, told reporters who were invited to tour the vessel at dock in Portsmouth, Virginia. Damascus agreed to eliminate its chemical weapons last year in the face of threatened U.S. military action following a Syrian chemical attack against rebels and their supporters in a civil war aimed at overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad. Full Story | Top |
| Fiat shares jump on Chrysler merger deal Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 08:18 AM PST  By Agnieszka Flak MILAN (Reuters) - Fiat's $4.35 billion deal to gain full control of Chrysler Group LLC sent its shares to a near 2-1/2-year high on Thursday, despite doubts over whether the Italian carmaker could use the merger to cut losses in Europe. Investors welcomed the deal struck by Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne, under which Fiat will buy the 41.46 percent of the No. 3 U.S. automaker it does not already own, without raising funds from the stock market. Marchionne, who has run both companies since Chrysler's 2009 U.S. government-funded bankruptcy restructuring, aims to merge the two into the world's seventh-largest auto group. However, analysts were concerned that the deal will increase Fiat's already heavy debt burden, despite a relatively low price negotiated by Marchionne after more than a year of talks. Full Story | Top |
| Briton, New Zealander killed in western Libya: security source Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 01:58 PM PST A Briton and a New Zealander, both with gunshot wounds, were found dead in western Libya on Thursday, while two Americans were arrested in the eastern city of Benghazi, Libyan security sources said. The security situation has deteriorated in recent months in the North African country where the government is struggling to rein in militias and tribesmen who helped oust Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and kept their guns. Another source said the New Zealander was a woman and the Briton a man. A spokeswoman for Britain's Foreign Office said, "We are aware of reports that the bodies of two foreign nationals have been found in Libya and we are urgently seeking further information from the authorities." A New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said the ministry was aware of reports that a New Zealander may have been killed in Libya. Full Story | Top |
| Netanyahu gloomy as Kerry returns for peace talks Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 10:58 AM PST  By Arshad Mohammed JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered a gloomy assessment of peace prospects with the Palestinians on Thursday as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry began his 10th visit to the region in pursuit of a deal. "There is growing doubt in Israel that the Palestinians are committed to peace," said Netanyahu, speaking with Kerry at his side and accusing Palestinian officials of orchestrating a campaign of "rampant" incitement against Israel. Netanyahu specifically criticized Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the heroes' welcome he gave a group of Palestinian prisoners, most convicted of murdering Israelis, who were released from Israeli jails on Tuesday. In the days before Kerry's latest trip to Jerusalem, Palestinian leaders have likewise accused Israel of trying to sabotage the talks aimed at ending their decades-old conflict. Full Story | Top |
| Daughter sees foul play in death of Palestinian envoy Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 12:48 PM PST  By Jan Lopatka and Nidal al-Mughrabi PRAGUE/GAZA (Reuters) - The Palestinian envoy to Prague was 'deliberately killed', his daughter alleged on Thursday, a day after he died in a mysterious explosion after opening a safe in his residence. Czech police said the blast that killed ambassador Jamal al-Jamal might have been caused by mishandling an explosive securing the safe. Jamal suffered lethal injuries to his head, chest and abdomen in the explosion on New Year's Day. His daughter Rana al-Jamal, 30, told Reuters: "We believe my father was killed and that his death was something arranged and not an accident. Full Story | Top |
| World manufacturing ends 2013 on a strong note Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 12:50 PM PST  By Richard Leong, Andy Bruce and Aileen Wang NEW YORK/LONDON/BEIJING (Reuters) - Global manufacturing ended 2013 on a strong note, as major exporters like the United States, Japan and Germany all saw demand pick up, although China's performance remained modest, surveys showed on Thursday. Years of loose monetary policy, along with soaring stock markets, appear to be bolstering economic confidence. China's growth rate fell to a three-month low, though the index was still above the 50 mark that indicates expansion. U.S. manufacturing activity grew in December at its swiftest pace in 11 months and the rate of job growth was the strongest since March, according to Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index. Full Story | Top |
| Heavy snow, dangerous cold snarl travel in northeastern U.S. Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 03:44 PM PST By Elizabeth Dilts and Scott Malone NEW YORK/BOSTON (Reuters) - The governors of New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency and urged residents to stay indoors as a major storm hit the northeastern United States on Thursday, bringing heavy snow and delaying or canceling thousands of flights. The first major winter storm of 2014 brought dangerously low temperatures and strong winds from the lower Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast, with parts of New England including Boston bracing for as much as 14 inches of snow by Friday morning. "As this winter storm unfolds, bringing heavy snow and high winds to many parts of the state, I strongly urge all New Yorkers to exercise caution, avoid travel and stay indoors," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. Amid flight cancellations that hit just as many travelers were returning from holiday breaks, officials at Boston's Logan International Airport warned that takeoffs would likely end at about 8:30 p.m. (0130 GMT) and officials at New York area airports set up cots for potential stranded travelers. Full Story | Top |
| Scandal-plagued Toronto mayor launches re-election campaign Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 08:21 AM PST By Andrea Hopkins TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who won global ridicule last year after admitting to having used crack cocaine, registered on Thursday for the October mayoral election, saying he was the best mayor Canada's largest city has ever had and would be re-elected. Supporters and opponents alike have urged him to enter rehab, but Ford has insisted he is not an addict. Full Story | Top |
| Somali Islamists claim Mogadishu hotel bombing Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 07:33 AM PST Islamist militants in Somalia said on Thursday that they carried out the triple bombing on a Mogadishu hotel that killed at least 11 people. Al Shabaab, who are battling African peacekeepers for control of territory in southern and central Somalia, said its bombers had targeted intelligence officials who were meeting at the Jazira hotel at the time. "The apostates are the eyes and the ears of the invaders and these attacks serve as a well-deserved punishment for their role in guiding and assisting the invading forces in their crusade," al Shabaab spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage said in a statement. Al Shabaab said it had killed more than a dozen people in Wednesday's attack. Full Story | Top |
| Egypt arrests seven over Mansoura suicide bombing Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 07:33 AM PST  Seven people, including the son of a Muslim Brotherhood leader, have been arrested in connection with a suicide bomb attack on a police station north of Cairo that killed 16 people last month, the interior minister said. The army-backed government listed the group as a terrorist organization after accusing it of carrying out the attack, one of the worst Egypt has faced since the army deposed Islamist Mohamed Mursi in July following protests against his rule. The Brotherhood, which won five consecutive elections since the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011, denies any link to violence. A Sinai-based militant group, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, claimed responsibility for the December 24 attack in Mansoura. Full Story | Top |
| Rebel ambush kills army commander in eastern Congo Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 10:11 AM PST  The colonel in charge of military operations against insurgents in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was killed on Thursday in an ambush by the ADF-NALU, a Ugandan rebel group, the government said. Colonel Mamadou Ndala, who helped to secure the military defeat of the powerful M23 rebel movement in November, died of his wounds after a rocket attack on his vehicle near the village of Mavivi in North Kivu province. His killing highlighted the challenge facing the Congolese government and a 21,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission in their efforts to pacify dozens of armed groups operating in the mineral-rich east of the vast central African nation. "Colonel Mamadou Ndala was killed in a ambush set by the ADF-NALU," said a government statement read on state television. Full Story | Top |
| Manufacturing growth hits 11-month high: Markit Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 06:19 AM PST  U.S. manufacturing ended the year on a high note, growing in December at its fastest pace in 11 months, while the rate of job growth was the swiftest since March, an industry report showed on Thursday. Financial data firm Markit said its final U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index rose to 55.0 last month, beating November's 54.7 reading and an initial December estimate of 54.4. Williamson said the index suggests manufacturing jobs are being created at a rate of about 20,000 per month. Signs of strength in both the manufacturing and services sector as well as stronger job growth across the economy contributed to the Federal Reserve's decision in December to begin slowing its monthly bond purchases. Full Story | Top |
| Asia's manufacturers buoyant at end 2013, China a question mark Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 02:54 AM PST  By Aileen Wang and Se Young Lee BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) - Asia's manufacturing sector ended 2013 on a strong note, with expansion hitting multi-year highs in export-driven Japan and Taiwan, but signs of moderation in China raises concerns about the outlook for the new year. Both official and private measures of manufacturing activity in China fell in December, reinforcing views the world's second-largest economy lost some steam in the final quarter of 2013. The HSBC/Markit Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for China slipped to a three-month low of 50.5 in December, consistent with a dip in the government's PMI to a four-month low of 51.0. That could temper some of the optimism about export-dependent countries such as Japan, where the last week the Markit/JMMA Manufacturing PMI rose to a 7-1/2 year high in December. Full Story | Top |
| Mursi to face trial over jail break case on January 28 Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 03:32 AM PST  Egypt's former Islamist president, Mohamed Mursi, will face trial on January 28 over a mass jail break in 2011, one of three cases against him since he was ousted by the army in July, judicial sources said. Since Mursi was deposed, security forces have launched a wide crackdown against his Muslim Brotherhood group, arresting thousands over accusations of inciting violence and designating the group a terrorist organization last month. Mursi has also been charged in connection with the killing of protesters and collaborating with Islamist Hamas group and Hezbollah to carry out a terrorist conspiracy against Egypt. Mursi, along with other leaders of the Brotherhood, escaped from prison on January 28, 2011, after being rounded up with other Brotherhood leaders during the 18-day uprising that toppled veteran leader Hosni Mubarak. Full Story | Top |
| Myanmar president supports changing army-drafted constitution Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 03:38 AM PST  By Aung Hla Tun YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's president gave his backing on Thursday for amending a military drafted constitution and indicated support for changes that would make Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi eligible to lead the country. Thein Sein, the reformist general and former top member of the army regime that ruled Myanmar for 49 years, said changing the constitution could help national reconciliation and he did not support laws that bar anyone from becoming president. "I would not want restrictions being imposed on the right of any citizen to become the leader of the country," Thein Sein said in a monthly televised address to the nation. "At the same time, we will need to have all necessary measures in place in order to defend our national interests and sovereignty." The comments by the president are likely to be welcomed by opposition leader Suu Kyi, the 68-year-old leader of a peaceful two-decade struggle against military dictatorship, who has in recent months stated her wish to become president. Full Story | Top |
| Pakistan's Musharraf taken to hospital with chest pain, misses trial Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 01:40 AM PST  By Katharine Houreld ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf was taken to hospital with chest pains on Wednesday while on his way to face treason charges in a special court in the capital, Islamabad. It was the third time that Musharraf has failed to appear in court to face the charges. Musharraf, 70, seized power in a 1999 military coup when he was army chief. Musharraf's lawyers say he does not recognize the jurisdiction of the court and accuses it of bias. Full Story | Top |
| Malaysia's Islamic authorities seize Bibles as Allah row deepens Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 03:22 AM PST  By Niluksi Koswanage KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Islamic authorities in Malaysia on Thursday seized 321 Bibles from a Christian group because they used the word Allah to refer to God, signaling growing intolerance that may inflame ethnic and religious tension in the Southeast Asian country. That ruling overturned a court decision that allowed a Roman Catholic newspaper printed in Malay, the country's national language, to use Allah. The change has heightened concern that religious authorities, which issue rulings for Muslims and operate alongside civil courts, now have more legal muscle. Analysts say new rulings that affect non-Muslims could be a way of deflecting anger against Prime Minister Najib Razak's government from poor Malay Muslims over subsidy cuts likely to force up electricity, petrol and sugar prices. Full Story | Top |
| Cambodian troops in riot gear break up factory strike Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 01:09 AM PST  Witnesses said around 100 soldiers wearing riot gear and carrying assault rifles used force to clear hundreds of workers protesting outside their factory about 20 km (12 miles) west of the capital, Phnom Penh. "Soldiers beat up everyone," said labor rights activist Chhorn Sokha of the Community Legal Education Center. The clashes mark a violent turn after two weeks of relatively peaceful strikes, marches and demonstrations of unprecedented scale in Cambodia. The garment workers, whose industry is a major employer worth $5 billion a year to the economy, have joined protests led by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which says it was cheated out of more than 2 million votes in an election last July. Full Story | Top |
| Thai stocks, currency plunge over election uncertainty Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 12:01 AM PST  By Viparat Jantraprap and Martin Petty BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai stocks and the baht currency tumbled on Thursday as uncertainty deepened about a February election that anti-government forces are determined to block in their bid to oust Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Investors are worried a February 2 poll will not go ahead, leaving Yingluck's government exposed to prolonged attacks by opponents. National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanatabut said on Thursday security agencies were considering declaring a state of emergency after protesters said they would try to "shut down" the capital from January 13. "We may need to call for tougher measures and security agencies have planned for that." The latest bout of political tumult erupted in November after a blunder by the ruling Puea Thai Party, which tried to push through an unpopular amnesty bill that would have annulled the jail sentence of Yingluck's self-exiled brother and former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra, the divisive tycoon at the heart of eight years of on-off conflict. Full Story | Top |
| Exiled Rwandan ex-spy boss murdered in South Africa Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 04:08 AM PST By Helen Nyambura-Mwaura JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - An exiled former Rwandan intelligence chief was found murdered in a Johannesburg hotel room, police said on Thursday, in a killing a Rwandan opposition party blamed on the country's government. Patrick Karegeya, who once headed military intelligence in his homeland, fled to South Africa in 2007 after allegedly plotting a coup against President Paul Kagame with former Rwandan army chief Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, who was also exiled there. Karegeya body was discovered on New Year's Day on a bed at Michelangelo Towers, an upscale hotel and apartment complex he had apparently booked in to three days earlier, South African police said. Paul Ramakolo, a spokesman for South Africa's Hawks, an elite crime fighting unit, confirmed Karegeya had been killed. Full Story | Top |
| Palestinian, 85, dies after clashes with Israelis-witnesses Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 02:18 AM PST An 85-year old Palestinian died on Thursday after inhaling tear gas fired by the Israeli army to disperse protesters in the occupied West Bank, witnesses said. He is the first Palestinian casualty of the conflict with Israel in 2014 following the clash with soldiers on the outskirts of Kufr Qaddoum village near Nablus. "Last night, a violent riot took place in the village of Qaddoum in which Palestinian residents hurled rocks at security forces, who responded with riot dispersal means," she said. Youths in the village were on Wednesday celebrating the 49th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, the party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, when the clash erupted. Full Story | Top |
| Scientists, tourists rescued from Antarctic ship begin long journey home Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 03:56 PM PST By Maggie Lu Yueyang SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian icebreaker with 52 passengers rescued from a Russian ship trapped in Antarctic ice since Christmas Eve began the long journey home on Friday. "The passengers seem very glad to now be with us and they are settling in to their new accommodation," Jason Mundy, Australian Antarctic Division Acting Director who is on board the ice breaker Aurora Australis, said on Friday morning. A helicopter from the Chinese icebreaker Snow Dragon ferried the 52 scientists and tourists in small groups from the ice-bound Akademik Shokalskiy and transferred them to the Antarctic supply ship Aurora Australis late on Thursday. The Aurora Australis is now sailing towards open water and will then head towards an Antarctic base to complete a resupply before returning to Australia. Full Story | Top |
| Wal-Mart recalls donkey product in China after fox meat scandal Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 02:11 AM PST  By Adam Jourdan SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, has recalled donkey meat sold at some outlets in China after tests showed the product contained the DNA of other animals, the U.S. company said. Wal-Mart will reimburse customers who bought the tainted "Five Spice" donkey meat and is helping local food and industry agencies in eastern Shandong province investigate its Chinese supplier, it said late on Wednesday in official posts on China's Twitter-like Weibo. The Shandong Food and Drug Administration earlier said the product contained fox meat. The scandal could dent Wal-Mart's reputation for quality in China's $1 trillion food and grocery market where it plans to open 110 new stores in the next few years. Full Story | Top |
| Chinese balloonist lands in midst of isle dispute with Japan Thursday, Jan 02, 2014 01:46 AM PST  By Junko Fujita TOKYO (Reuters) - A Chinese man landed himself, literally, in the midst of a territorial dispute between Asia's two great powers, crash-landing a hot air balloon near contested islands held by Japan. The Japanese coastguard said on Thursday it had rescued the balloonist, identified as 35-year-old-chef Xu Shuaijun, on Wednesday in the sea near the tiny isles, called the Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China. The man's attempt to land his multicolored balloon on the rocky outcrops looks unlikely to have big repercussions for the two countries, as a coastguard spokesman said Japan handed him over to a Chinese patrol vessel on Wednesday evening and Japan's coastguard was operating as normal. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang described the man as a "balloon enthusiast", and confirmed he had been handed over to a Chinese vessel upon being rescued and was in good health. Full Story | Top |
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