China plays down dam failure concerns
Posted 3 minutes ago
Experts and officials played down concerns about the possibility for catastrophic infrastructure failure caused by the quake in Sichuan province [Link]

Strong aftershock hits China quake epicenter - WABC
Posted 13 minutes ago
BEICHUAN, China -- A strong aftershock sparked landslides Friday near the epicenter of this week's powerful earthquake, while some survivors were pulled from rubble after being buried for four days ... [Link]

Quake tragedy in China opens door slightly for media, new and old - Kansas City Star
Posted 13 minutes ago
Amid a national outpouring of grief over Monday's huge earthquake, China has relaxed its grip - perhaps only briefly - on the Internet and some media outlets. Chinese witnesses to the devastation in Sichuan province have flooded Web sites with ... [Link]

KongZhong sinks after co. says 1Q profit dropped (AP)
Posted 14 minutes ago
Shares of KongZhong Corp. fell Friday after the Chinese wireless entertainment provider said its first-quarter profit fell over 94 percent as expenses and revenue sharing with handset makers increased. [Link]

Video: China Quake Footage
Posted 19 minutes ago
This footage was shot on May 12 in a county just 100 km from the epicenter of the 7.9 magnitude quake in Wenchuan county. The death toll stood at 21,500 on May 16, but with thousands still trapped under rubble. Video courtesy of Reuters. (May 16) [Link]

Malaysia finds evidence of judge-fixing conspiracy
Posted 30 minutes ago
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is investigating several high-profile individuals, including former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, after a high-level inquiry found evidence that they were involved in a conspiracy to manipulate the appointment of judges. [Link]

Metals Stocks: Gold futures climb past $900 as oil prices surge
Posted 31 minutes ago
Gold futures stage early surge, as crude oil’s rally to a fresh record high above $127 a barrel gives the precious metal’s appeal as an inflation hedge a boost. [Link]

ADR Report: Oil stocks lift index as crude-price rise hits Wall Street
Posted 40 minutes ago
U.S.-listed shares of overseas companies gain ground, paced by an advance in oil issues as crude futures gush to another record high. [Link]

Hong Kong index climbs 0.4 percent - Boston Globe
Posted 44 minutes ago
HONG KONG— Hong Kong stocks advanced modestly Friday after Wall Street gained overnight and Cheung Kong rose on an analyst upgrade. The blue chip Hang Seng Index climbed 105.15 points, or 0.4 percent, to 25,618.86. For the week, the index gained 2 ... [Link]

Rescuers at China quake epicenter, digging by hand - Washington Post
Posted 44 minutes ago
In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, collapsed buildings are seen in the quake-stricken Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. Soldiers who hiked over landslide-blocked roads to reach the ... [Link]

Dalai Lama speaks out against China at start of tour - Big Pond News
Posted 44 minutes ago
The Dalai Lama has lashed out at the "suppression" of anti-Chinese unrest in Tibet, as he arrived in Germany ahead of the Beijing Olympics. "The Chinese political authorities' reaction, as before, was suppression. So it is very sad," he said after ... [Link]

Tiny Bodies in a Morgue, and Grief in China - New York Times
Posted 44 minutes ago
JUYUAN, China — The bodies are everywhere. Some are zipped inside white vinyl bags and strewn on the floor. Others have been covered in a favorite blanket or dressed in new clothes. There are so many bodies that undertakers want to cremate them in ... [Link]

Death toll hits 43 in China from hand, foot and mouth disease virus ... - MSNBC
Posted 44 minutes ago
BEIJING - The death toll rose to 43 from the hand, foot and mouth disease virus that has sickened tens of thousands of children across China, a report said Friday. A 22-month-old girl from eastern Jiangxi province died Thursday in a local hospital ... [Link]

Time running out for China quake survivors
Posted 48 minutes ago
Cries for help echoed from under the rubble of shattered communities Friday as China warned time was running out to save survivors of an earthquake that has claimed an estimated 50,000 lives. [Link]

China seeks cash, supplies for earthquake relief - San Francisco Gate
Posted 54 minutes ago
The Chinese Embassy is encouraging Americans and others to send cash and supplies to victims of this week's powerful earthquake. But the embassy says it doesn't currently need any U.S. disaster relief teams. Embassy spokesman Wang Baodong said Friday ... [Link]

links for 2008-05-16
Posted 56 minutes ago
China relaxes grip on internet and media... [Link]

Notes of Bacon and Mencius on goodness
Posted 63 minutes ago
The desire of power in excess, cause the angel to fall; the desire of knowledge in excess, caused man to fall; but in charity, there is no excess. The inclination is goodness is deeply imprinted in the nature of men. Mencius also said, everyone has a sympathetic mind for others. 人皆有不忍人之心。孟子·公孫丑章句上。 But I don't quite follow why Bacon considered too ... [Link]

Hong Kong's Art Aspirations
Posted 74 minutes ago
The city wants to be Asia's culture capital, and ART HK 08, a glittering event of high-profile artworks and VIPs, may be just the ticket [Link]

New Airport Won't Ease Bangalore's Woes
Posted 74 minutes ago
The cons may outweigh the pros for the city's new airport: It's a long drive out on bad roads and it's not big enough [Link]

Why India and China Care About Bhutan
Posted 74 minutes ago
The tiny country has been getting a lot of attention from its outsize neighbors as they try to exert their influence [Link]

Bollywood Beckons Private Equity
Posted 74 minutes ago
The time is right for mutual funds to invest in India's growing entertainment industry. Global giants such as Disney and Viacom have shown interest [Link]

Xtep Guns for Nike and Adidas
Posted 74 minutes ago
China's second largest sportswear brand launches an IPO in the hopes of "producing more and selling more" to cash in on Olympic fever [Link]

Israel's High-Tech Hot Spots
Posted 75 minutes ago
From Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Mideast nation is blanketed with science parks and creativity clusters [Link]

New Challenges for BP in Russia
Posted 75 minutes ago
Who's behind the mysterious brokerage called Tetlis, and why don't they want BP experts working at the oil company's Russian subsidiary? [Link]

Why Twitter Matters
Posted 75 minutes ago
Can the fledgling microblogging service become a social media powerhouse to rival giants like Facebook—or will it be gobbled up? [Link]

China aftershock triggers landslides, buries cars
Posted 77 minutes ago
BEIJING - A strong aftershock near the epicentre of China's devastating earthquake triggered landslides that cut off roads and buried vehicles on Friday, state media reported. [Link]

China makes rare call for help in quake rescue efforts
Posted 77 minutes ago
SHANGHAI: As the death toll from China's earthquake continues to climb, the Chinese government made a rare call for rescue equipment and trained specialists to help in the disaster. [Link]

China seeks cash, supplies for earthquake relief (AP)
Posted 90 minutes ago
AP - The Chinese Embassy is encouraging Americans and others to send cash and supplies to victims of this week's powerful earthquake. [Link]

Dalai Lama says not seeking independence from China (AFP)
Posted 105 minutes ago
<p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/d~ src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg~ align="left" height="85" width="130" alt="The Dalai Lama insisted on Friday that he is not seeking independence for Tibet, as he pressed ahead with a five-country Western tour two months after deadly violence erupted in his homeland.(AFP/File)" border="0" /></a>AFP - The Dalai Lama insisted Friday he is not seeking independence for Tibet, as he pressed ahead with a five-country ... [Link]

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Climbs, Led by PetroChina, China Mobile - Bloomberg
Posted 107 minutes ago
May 16 (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong's main stock index rose to a seven-day high, led by oil and phone companies that recommenced operations in earthquake-damaged areas of China. PetroChina Co. gained the most in nine days after its oil refinery restarted ... [Link]