TOKYO: Japan has ordered geological survey ships to prepare for possible deployment to the East China Sea after it detected Chinese drilling near the disputed maritime border, a source with direct knowledge of the order said yesterday. A plan by Chinese state-run oil firms to dramatically expand gas drilling in the disputed East China Sea, which threatens to further damage ties between Asia’s two biggest economies.
Outrage over vendor’s killing
BEIJING: Police beat to death a roadside fruit seller in a dispute, reports said, provoking outrage online. Images online showed Deng Zhengjia, who sold watermelons on the streets in central China’s Hunan province lying motionless on the ground after being beaten by regulation enforcers known as chengguan. They kicked and punched Deng and one used a metal-measuring weight to smash his head, the Beijing Times quoted Deng’s wife Huang Sujun as saying. Local officials promised to investigate the death.
Nazi-themed cafe in spot
JAKARTA: Authorities in central Indonesia will ask a restaurant owner to explain reasons for opening a Nazi-themed cafe that has sparked controversy among locals and tourists, Ayi Vivananda, Deputy Mayor of Bandung, said. Soldatenkaffee includes a red wall of Nazi-related memorabilia, including a large flag with the swastika and a giant picture of Adolf Hitler. He said a letter was sent yesterday summoning owner Henry Mulyana to discuss his motives.
Japan radiation spike ruled out
TOKYO: The operator of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant insisted yesterday there was no sign of spiking radiation at the crippled facility, after steam was found in a reactor building. Tokyo Electric Power Co said it believed rainwater sitting on the reactor was the source of the vapour, which did not contain an abnormally high level of radiation.
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