China sentences Canadian to death for drug smuggling
Updated 0028 GMT (0828 HKT) January 15, 2019
A Canadian citizen in China has been sentenced to death after a court convicted him of drug smuggling on Monday, a move likely to further inflame tensions between Ottawa and Beijing.
The Dalian Intermediate People's Court in northeastern China said Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was given a death sentence based on the nature and severity of his crime and in accordance with the Chinese criminal code.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized the ruling, which comes as relations have strained between the two countries following the arrest of a senior executive from the Chinese tech firm Huawei in Vancouver last month.
'A tragic moment': thousands gather across Poland to mourn Gdańsk mayor
Donald Tusk remembers friend Paweł Adamowicz as debate turns to rise of hate speech
Thousands of people have gathered in cities across Poland after the fatal stabbing of Gdańsk mayor PawełAdamowicz in protest at what some say is a creeping pervasiveness of hate speech in Poland’s national discourse.
In Gdańsk, thousands gathered for a minute’s silence at the statue of Neptune in the city’s Long Market, which also hosts the city hall, where Adamowicz served as mayor for more than 20 years. Adamowicz died after he was stabbed in the chest on stage at a charity concert on Sunday evening.
They were addressed by European Council president Donald Tusk, a Gdańsk native, friend and longtime ally of Adamowicz. In an emotional address, Tusk addressed Adamowicz directly: “My dear Paweł, we are here with you today as your friends. You had to wait so long, until such a tragic moment, to see from up there just how many friends you have here in Gdansk.”
Antarctica's annual ice loss six times greater than 40 years ago, Nasa research shows
Warming since 1979 'tip of the iceberg' as accelerating pace of melting predicted to add metres to global sea levels
The Antarctic ice sheet is losing six times as much ice each year as it was in the 1980s and the pace is accelerating, one of the most comprehensive studies of climate change effects on the continent has shown.
More than half an inch has been added to global sea levels since 1979, but if current trends continue it will be responsible for metres more in future, the Nasa-funded study found.
The international effort used aerial photos, satellite data and climate models dating back to the 1970s across18 Antarctic regions to get the most complete picture to date on the impacts of the changing climate.
S. Korea's top sports body apologises for sex assault cases
Seoul (AFP)
The head of South Korea's top sports body Tuesday apologised for a litany of sexual assault cases between young athletes and their coaches and vowed to impose lifetime bans on offenders.
The move comes after double Olympic short track gold medallist Shim Suk-hee accused her former coach last week of raping and sexually molesting her multiple times, prompting several other victims to come forward.
Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) President Lee Kee-heung apologised for the "systematic flaw" that failed to prevent repeated misconduct.
"I will root out the coaches who try to manipulate the future of our athletes and use their status to commit unfair actions," Lee said.
Brexit: Theresa May faces 'meaningful vote' on her deal
MPs are preparing to vote on whether to back Theresa May's deal for leaving the European Union.
The so-called "meaningful vote" will take place later as five days of debate on Brexit comes to an end.
Mrs May has called for politicians to back her deal or risk "letting the British people down".
But with many of her own MPs expected to join opposition parties to vote against the deal, it is widely expected to be defeated.
Gov't plans to take steps against 'fake news' by June
Japan plans to come up with a set of measures aimed at preventing the spread of false online information or "fake news" particularly at times of elections and disasters, government sources said Monday.
The government is seeking to come up with the package around June, which may include a request to major American IT companies and other information providers to voluntarily formulate a code of conduct, the sources said.
While European countries have been staying ahead of such efforts, Japan is hoping to get involved in making international rules by drawing up necessary countermeasures first at home.
No comments:
Post a Comment