China nets 680 fugitives in anti-graft drive

A former high-ranking official on run arrives at Beijing Capital Airport on Dec 22, 2014, after he turned himself in to the police.

At least 680 economic fugitives have been nabbed from 69 countries and regions since a crackdown was launched in July on suspects fleeing overseas, said the Ministry of Public Security at a news conference on Thursday.

The number of economic fugitives caught is 4.5 times that of 2013. Among the fugitives arrested, 74 of them were involved in financial crimes each valued over 100 million yuan ($16.4 million) and 390 were persuaded to return to confess their crimes.

"I was living in extreme fear and helplessness when I was in the US," said Wang Guoqiang, former Party chief of a city in Northeast China, when turning himself in to the police in 2014. Wang fled to the United States in 2012 reportedly with 200 million yuan.

In July, China launched an operation named Fox Hunt 2014, targeting corrupt officials and suspects of economic crimes who had fled the country. The goal was to "block the last route of retreat" for corrupt officials and narrow the space for abuse of power.

China has signed agreement on judicial assistance, extradition, and the transferring of convicted persons with around 63 countries in the campaign to bring economic fugitives back home, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/

Girls beaten and forced to sell their virginity

This file photo shows Wuqi senior high school.

Authorities in Wuqi county, Shaanxi province, are investigating a case in which some girls reportedly beat up fellow students, forced them to take their clothes off and tried to sexually assault them.

Seven teenage girls allegedly thrashed and threatened five girl students in Wuqi senior high school on Sept 21, 2014, according to local public security bureau.

"The students beat the five in a dormitory of the school from 11 pm on Sept 21 till 5 am on Sept 22, and forced three of them to take off their clothes and took their nude photos," the police report said.

On Sept 26, six of the seven perpetrators were detained and one was allowed to go home as she was not 16 years old.

However, the police report did not mention why the seven students beat the five ones but the parents of the victims later told media that their girls were beaten because they refused to sell their virginity.

Meanwhile, the parents of the seven students claimed their children were also victims as they were given money by some businessmen who asked the girls to find teenage students to sell their virginity to local officials. The businessmen wanted to please the officials as they wanted some construction projects approved.

"I was told that the two students who led the others to beat the younger students had bank cards with 1.2 million yuan ($193,133) and 800,000 yuan deposits respectively, which were given by some businessmen to buy virginity," one of the seven students' parents said, who refused to reveal his name.

Qi Jingtao, a local village committee director who is reportedly involved in the case, was arrested on Dec 17, 2014.

Some local officials were punished by Party discipline in November, 2014, including Qi Naike, director of the county's education bureau; Liu Zhanrong, deputy director of the education bureau; Zhang Junyin, schoolmaster of Wuqi senior high school; Yan Zhijun, deputy schoolmaster of the school; and six other school management staff and teachers.

However, the local government and police have not named the officials and businessmen involved in the case.

"The case is investigated and we cannot tell anything about the case because the identity of the teenage students is protected by law," said a county police who wished to remain anonymous.

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/

Worldwide Demonstrations Follow Charlie Hebdo Massacre

Thousands of demonstrators gathered Wednesday at the Place de la Republique after the shooting deaths at a French satirical newspaper in Paris.

Many who poured into Place de la Republique in eastern Paris near the site of the noontime attack waved papers, pencils and pens.

The messages of condolence, outrage and defiance over the Paris terrorist attack on a newspaper office spread quickly around the world Wednesday with thousands of people taking to the streets to protest the killings and using the slogan "Je Suis Charlie" on social media.

Demonstrations, including some silent vigils, took place in some U.S. cities, at London's Trafalgar Square, in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, in Madrid, Brussels, Nice and elsewhere.

"No matter what a journalist or magazine has to say, even if it is not what the majority of people think, they still have the right to say it without feeling in danger, which is the case today," said Alice Blanc, a London student who is originally from Paris and was among those in the London crowd, estimated in the hundreds.

In San Francisco, hundreds of people held pens, tiny French flags and signs that read "I am Charlie" up in the air outside the French Consulate in the financial district. A handful of the participants lit candles that spell out "Je Suis Charlie," while others placed pens and pencils and bouquets of white carnations and red roses by the consulate's door.

Julia Olson, of Nimes, France, said she wanted to be in the company of other people after hearing the news.

"There is nothing we can do but be together," the 26-year-old said.

Several hundred people gathered in Manhattan's Union Square amid chants of "We are not afraid" and holding signs in English and French saying "We are Charlie."

In Seattle, about 100 people assembled near the French Consulate office with many holding signs in support of the victims.

Source: www.abcnews.go.com

Terror attack in Paris, France. 12 life's have been claimed so far.

Source: An eye witness 

Live: Deadly shooting at Paris HQ of French satirical magazine

Shots have been fired at French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in the heart of Paris Wednesday, with Paris officials reporting at least 10 fatalities. Witnesses at the scene reported seeing multiple masked gunmen. Follow FRANCE 24’s live blog.

Watch Live: http://www.france24.com/en/20150107-live-blog-gun-shots-french-paris-charlie-hebdo-satirical-magazine/#

source: http://www.france24.com/

Shanghai to cancel massive gatherings 'if necessary'

SHANGHAI - Shanghai decided on Tuesday to tighten controls on large gatherings after the stampede that killed 36 people during the New Year's Eve celebrations.

Mass activities in Shanghai will face stricter registration procedures, and will be canceled if they violate safety rules, said Zhou Bo, vice mayor of Shanghai, at a national conference on workplace safety.

The stampede occurred on Shanghai's historic riverfront walk, the Bund, where tens of thousands of people gathered to ring in the New Year.

The tragedy in one of China's wealthiest and most modern cities, has cast a shadow over urban management and emergency response in the crowded cities.

Zhou said the Shanghai making changes to emergency procedures and rearranging scheduled gatherings.

On Tuesday, Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong said the city should draw a "bloody lesson" from the stampede and reflect deeply.

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/