North Korea and the triads: gangsters, ghost ships and spies

 

A convicted gambling tycoon, a Hong Kong gold trader, and a racing car driver from Macau: the FT and think-tank Rusi reveal some of the individuals behind a network connecting Chinese criminal groups to North Korean oil procurement and intelligence operations which help to sustain the country's military and nuclear weapons programme

Taiwan: How Not To Payoff Your Gambling Debts (video)

In Taiwan, the residents of a typically quiet suburb were surprised to hear gunshots, a sound so rare in Taiwan that some nearby residents even mistook the gunshots for firecrackers.

The shooter, Mr. Xu Wanzhen, age 54, was up to his eyeballs in debt. Mr. Xu had a gambling addiction and owed a local gangster over USD $90,000. The gangster, Mr. Lu Yalong, owed the gambling hall where Mr. Xu had lost all of his money and he had hired some fellow gang members to go encourage Mr. Xu to pay up.

The men had beaten up Mr. Xu and told him he needed to hurry up and get the money together. A few days later Mr. Xu called up Mr. Lu and told him he had the money. The two arranged to meet so that Mr. Xu could pay off his debt.