Eyeing rich bounty, China in line for Afghan role

Eyeing rich bounty, China in line for Afghan role China, long a bystander to the conflict in Afghanistan, is stepping up its involvement as US-led forces prepare to withdraw, attracted by the country’s vast mineral resources but concerned that any post-2014 chaos could embolden insurgents. China, long a bystander to the conflict in Afghanistan, is stepping up its involvement as US-led forces prepare to withdraw, attracted by the country’s vast mineral resources but concerned that any post-2014 chaos could embolden insurgents in its own territory. Cheered on by the US and other Western governments, which see Asia’s giant as a potentially...

Read more »

Nepal, India to work on another crossborder power transmission line

Nepal, India to work on another crossborder power transmission line Nepal and India have agreed to work for the second cross-border line for the import and export of electricity from both the sides. In the seventh meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Committee on Water Resources ( JCWR ) that concluded here on Friday, the two countries agreed to work for the line connecting Gorakhpur in India and a suitable location near Bardaghat in Nepal under the government-to-government cooperation. “The JCWR decided that the Nepalese side would prepare a concept paper along with the available technical details and send it to the Indian side for review,”...

Read more »

Peace marchers set off from Rangoon to Kachin State

Peace marchers set off from Rangoon to Kachin State About 30 Burmese activists set off on Monday morning from Rangoon on a 1,300-km journey by foot to the besieged town of Laiza in Kachin State, calling for an end to the ongoing conflict in Kachin State. Peace activists set off from Rangoon on January 21 on a 1,300-km march to Laiza in Kachin State. (Photo: Bo Bo/ Mizzima) According to a report in Radio Free Asia (RFA), the peace marchers said they expect to cover the 800-mile walk in about two months, during which time they hope to gather more participants and step up their peace campaign.The Burmese government announced a unilateral...

Read more »

Scientist wants food waste criminalized

Scientist wants food waste criminalized Many support idea, but legal experts say it is unenforceable A pre-eminent Chinese agricultural scientist has suggested the government criminalize wasting food. Waitresses clear tables, where plenty of food was left over, after a dinner for staff members from a State-owned enterprise at a five-star hotel in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Sunday. The dinner included more than 70 tables at a cost of 3,900 yuan ($627) per table. [Photo/Xinhua] "Our country has such a huge population and the arable land is very small if it is divided for each Chinese individual. … For years we agricultural...

Read more »

Circling the Issue: South Asian connections to Tibet By Iona Liddell and Samdup Tenzin in Issue 5 - July 2012 The town was under complete lock down that cold January day when two young Tibetan men ducked into the courtyard of a hotel, doused their bodies in kerosene and set themselves alight. Running out into the streets of Ngaba in Sichuan province they shouted “His Holiness the Dalai Lama must return to Tibet” and “May His Holiness the Dalai Lama live for 10,000 years!” as they burned. Tennyi, a monk of Kirti monastery, died of his injuries that same day, and Tsultrim, thought to be an ex-monk of the same monastery, passed away the next day. Tennyi and Tsultrim’s self-immolations were the first of 2012 in Tibet. There have been 23 more since then, taking the total...

Read more »

Pr0teges Vs Peoplist-CPC sends inspectors to provincial elections

How much longer will China change? Gorwacov China who will be conferred. Pr0teges Vs Peoplist      CPC sends inspectors to provincial elections     The Communist Party of China (CPC) has sent inspection teams across the country to supervise ongoing elections of provincial authorities and ward off corruption in these power reshuffles. Legislatures and political advisory bodies of the 31 provincial regions will elect governors or mayors for the regions, as well as heads of provincial legislatures and political advisory bodies during their annual sessions. The sessions have have so far opened in 18 provincial level regions. Guizhou is the last province to usher in the political events on January 28. Inspection teams comprising members of the disciplinary arm...

Read more »