China: An official involved in an immoral act was sentenced to 14 years in jail for bribery yesterday, state media said, in the latest fallout from a case that transfixed the country.
Han Shuming, a former district head in the southwestern city of Chongqing, was convicted of accepting bribes worth 4.4m yuan ($724,759), according to a local court ruling, the Xinhua news agency said.
Han was one of more than 20 officials and executives at state-owned companies who were investigated after a gang blackmailed them with secretly recorded sex videos.
US, China ships avoid collision
WASHINGTON: A US guided missile cruiser operating in international waters in the South China Sea was forced to take evasive action last week to avoid a collision with a Chinese navy ship manoeuvring nearby, the US Pacific Fleet said in a statement yesterday.
The Pacific Fleet statement did not offer details about what led to the near-collision on December 5 involving the USS Cowpens. But it did say the incident underscored the need for the “highest standards of professional seamanship, including communications between vessels, to mitigate the risk of an unintended incident or mishap.”
Tsunami record found in cave
JAKARTA: Scientists said yesterday they had discovered a cave on the Indonesian island of Sumatra that provides a “stunning” record of Indian Ocean tsunamis over thousands of years.
They say layers of tsunami-borne sediments found in the cave in northwest Sumatra suggest the biggest destructive waves do not occur at set intervals — meaning communities in the area should be prepared at all times for a tsunami.
Inside the cave the researchers found layers of sandy sediment, which had been washed in by tsunamis thousands of years previously. The layers, which contained small fossils from the seabed, were well-preserved and separated by droppings deposited by bats.
Japan opts for nuclear power
TOKYO: Japan should embrace nuclear power as an “important and fundamental” energy source, a government panel said yesterday, in advice that looks almost certain to be accepted, despite widespread anti-nuclear feeling after the Fukushima disaster.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is keen to restart Japan’s idled nuclear reactors to cut the cost of fossil fuel imports which have swelled the trade deficit to a record and driven up electricity prices.
Beijing sues rights activist
BEIJING: China yesterday formally charged a prominent campaigner for officials to reveal their wealth, his lawyer said, after police accused him of breaking the law by organising demonstrations.
Xu Zhiyong, who has also pushed for greater civil rights, was arrested in August.
Xu’s lawyer, Zhang Qingfang, said Xu had been charged with “disturbing public order”, a common accusation against rights activists who attempt any form of protest.
Asked when the trial might be held, Zhang said, “All I can say is that it will be very quick, within a month.”
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