Nobel peace ceremony hails absent winner amid China fury

OSLO – Defying Chinese outrage, exiled dissidents louis vuitton handbags, ambassadors from dozens of countries, Norwegian royals and other dignitaries will gather around an empty chair Friday to hail absent Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo.

Beijing has reacted with fury to the award of the peace to prize to Liu, describing the Norwegian Nobel Committee as “clowns,” and threatening other countries to stay away from the ceremony, while preventing the jailed dissident or a representative from travelling to Oslo to receive the award in person.

“Dr. Liu's chair will be conspicuously empty at today's award ceremony,” Irwin Cotler, a member of Liu's international legal team, said in a statement just hours before the ceremony was to kick off in the Oslo city hall at 1:00 pm (1200 GMT).

Friday marks only the second time in the more than 100-year history of the prize that neither the laureate nor a representative will be able to accept the award.

The only other time was when German journalist and pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who was locked up in a Nazi concentration camp, could not travel to Oslo for his prize ceremony in 1936.

Like Ossietzky replica louis vuitton, who was a critic of the regime under which he lived, Liu has long been an outspoken opponent of Chinese leadership in Beijing.

The writer and former university professor was at the forefront of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

He was jailed in December 2009 for 11 years on subversion charges after co-authoring “Charter 08″, a manifesto that spread quickly on the Internet calling for political reform and greater rights in China.

“I have long been aware that when an independent intellectual stands up to an autocratic state, step one toward freedom is often a step into prison,” Liu said shortly after his sentence was handed down on Christmas Day.

“Now I am taking that step, and true freedom is that much nearer,” he added.

As well as threatening “consequences” for countries that show Liu support, Beijing has clamped down on media and dissidents at home.

The laureate's wife, Liu Xia, has been placed under house arrest since the prize was announced on October 8, and hours before Friday's ceremony in Oslo, security was strong in front of her Beijing apartment complex, with marked and unmarked police cars lining the road.

Many other dissidents in China were either unaccounted for or under strict surveillance, with many unable to communicate to the outside world as their Internet access was cut off and phone use limited, rights groups said.

Nonetheless, a large protest took place in front of the United Nations office in Beijing on Friday, international Human Rights Day and also the two-year anniversary since Liu published “Charter 08.”

Amid Chinese pressure on countries not to attend Friday's ceremony, Nobel Institute director Geir Lundestad told AFP early Friday that the list of absentees had dwindled to under 20 while more than 40 countries were expected to attend.

In addition to China, the official list of absentees was made up of Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Venezuela, Vietnam and the Palestinian Authority.

And despite Beijing's best efforts, world leaders and foreign parliaments continue to laud Liu's achievements while UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had to defend himself against charges by human rights groups that he had not raised Liu's case with China's President Hu Jintao on a visit to Beijing last month.

At home, Chinese media have largely shied away from covering this year's Nobel Peace Prize, while Beijing has cracked down on dissidents and worked hard to block its critics from travelling to Oslo.

A number of Chinese dissidents living in exile have nonetheless made the trip.

In addition to placing an empty chair on the podium to represent Liu, he will be remembered with a photograph and one of his texts read by Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann.

He will receive his gold medal, Nobel diploma and prize money of 10 million Swedish kronor (1.1 million euros, 1.5 million US dollars) at a later date.

The laureates of the Nobel prizes for chemistry, physics, literature and economics will collect their awards at a separate ceremony in Stockholm later Friday.

WikiLeaks Myanmar building nuclear sites

WASHINGTON: Dockworkers and foreign businessmen have seen evidence of alleged secret nuclear and missiles weapons sites being built deep in the Myanmar jungle watches replica, a leaked US diplomatic cable said Thursday.

“The North Koreans replica louis vuitton, aided by Burmese workers, are constructing a concrete-reinforced underground facility that is '500ft from the top of the cave to the top of the hill above',” according to the cable, published by the British daily The Guardian.

The cable from the US embassy in Rangoon was among those released Thursday by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, and quoted a Myanmar officer who said he had witnessed the North Korean technicians helping the construction work.

One foreign businessman told the embassy that he had seen reinforced steel bars, larger than for just a factory project, being shipped on a barge. Meanwhile dockworkers also told of seeing suspicious cargo.

A cable dating from August 2004 revealed information from a Myanmar officer in an engineering unit who said surface-to-air missiles were being built at a site in a town called Minbu in west-central Myanmar.

He said some 300 North Koreans were working at the site, although the US cable noted this was improbably high, The Guardian said.

The ruling party in Myanmar has dismissed reports of its nuclear intentions and brushed aside Western concerns about possible cooperation with North Korea.

But in July US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed worries about military ties between the two countries saying a ship from Pyongyang had recently delivered military equipment to Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

“We continue to be concerned by the reports that Burma may be seeking assistance from North Korea with regard to a nuclear programme,” she said.

A June documentary by the Norwegian-based news group Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) said Myanmar was trying to develop nuclear weapons, citing a senior army defector and years of “top secret material.”

The DVB documentary gathered thousands of photos and defector testimony, some regarding Myanmar's network of secret underground bunkers and tunnels, which were allegedly built with the help of North Korean expertise.

According to another leaked US cable from 2009, a well-placed source in the Myanmar military government said General Thura Shwe Mann had visited North Korea in 2008.

But the source backtracked later insisting the talks were only exploratory.

China extends anti dumping anti subsidy probe into US made autos

China’s Ministry of Commerce said Saturday it has decided to extend anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into US-made off-road vehicles and sedans with an engine displacement of 2.0 liters and above.

The extension is for six months louis vuitton handbags, until May 6 replica louis vuitton, 2011, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

The ministry made the decision because the two cases are "special" and "complicated," the statement said without elaborating.

China launched the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy probes on Nov. 6, 2009 louis vuitton replica, after the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers complained that US carmakers had unfairly benefited from 31 government subsidy programs.

Bank out to stifle inflation

A staff member counts Renminbi (RMB) at a bank in Qionghai City, south China’s Hainan Province, Nov. 18, 2010. The People’s Bank of China said on Friday that it would increase banks’ reserve requirement ratio (RRR) by 50 basis points, its fifth such announcement this year. Photo: Xinhua

The People’s Bank of China said on Friday it will raise the required reserve ratios for banks by 50 basis points from Nov 29 – the fifth such increase this year – in a move aimed at strengthening liquidity management and further tightening credit.

Li Xunlei, chief economist with Guotai Junan Securities fake watches, said the move was within expectations louis vuitton, given the over-liquidity in the market and the subsequent rising inflationary pressure.

"Raising reserve requirements is a direct and more useful method to soak up liquidity," Li said, adding that the alternative of increasing interest rates usually has side effects that impact economic growth.

To soak up over-liquidity and control inflation, the central bank announced a raise of 50 basis points on Nov 10, after raising interest rates for the first time in three years by 25 points.

The latest 50-basis-point increase should lock up about 350 billion yuan ($52.7 billion) that would otherwise be available for banks to lend out.

Wang Tao, head of China research at UBS Securities replica louis vuitton, said the increase of foreign reserves in China might reach $80 billion in October because the trade surplus amounted to nearly $27.2 billion, which is more than a 60 percent increase from the previous month.

"That would impose more liquidity pressure on the market," Wang said.

In addition, liquidity levels remain a cause for concern because China lent out 587.7 billion yuan in October, which was more than expected, said the central bank on Nov 11.

M2, the broad measure of money supply, rose 19.3 percent in October from a year earlier.

Chinas FDI up 7.9% in Oct 15th consecutive monthly rise

China’s foreign direct investment increased 7.9 percent in October year on year to $7.663 billion replica louis vuitton, the Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday.

It was the 15th consecutive monthly gain.

Karzai stays determined on private security ban

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday that his government stands by its commitment to dissolve private security firms operating in the war-torn country set, after Washington called for an interim solution.

"The government of Afghanistan is firm on its decision to dissolve these companies and wants the practical and genuine cooperation of the international community in implementing it replica louis vuitton," Karzai said at a meeting in Kabul with senior Western offi-cials, including the head of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan according, General David Petraeus.

The president’s words came a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the two governments should develop a joint plan to replace private security guards gradually rather than enforce a ban that could threaten millions of dollars in aid work.

"Clinton pledged to work cooperatively to support a smooth transition to full Afghan security responsibility Washington," US State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley quoted Clinton as saying.

US media reports have said the proposed security guard ban could create security holes and imperil about $1.5 billion in reconstruction work, including projects key to NATO’s counterinsurgency strategy in the Afghan war.

Regarding such concerns, Karzai suggested that those big international development projects "present a list of their projects and security needs to the Afghan government so it can review these and make a decision."

While providing vital services in the war-torn country hours, the private security firms have become a point of friction, as some have been involved in high-profile shootings and other incidents.

Agencies

Frances new government announced

The Secretary-General of the Elysee Palace Claude Gueant announced the formation of the new government which is still headed by Francois Fillon on Sunday night. louis vuitton handbags

The reshuffled cabinet was streamlined from a total of 37 members to 22 ministers and 8 secretaries of state, embracing several new faces such as ex-premier Alain Juppe and Michele Alliot-Marie.

Alain Juppe replaced Herve Morin as defense minister while Alliot-Marie took over Bernard Kouchner’s post of foreign minister and another new comer Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet will be ecology minister.

Both defense minister and foreign minister are also state ministers.

Former Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo who was hot candidate to replace Fillon’s premier post left Sarkozy’s administration for good.

Except for Borloo, four other ministers were shed from the new government: Bernard Kouchner (foreign minister), Eric Woerth ( labor minister) replica louis vuitton, Rama Yade (sports minister) and Fadela Amara ( minister for city policies).

Xavier Bertrand, former secretary-general of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), was nominated to minister for Labour, employment and health, meanwhile Jean-Fran-ois Cope took his place to lead the ruling UMP.

Some members such as Economy Minister Christine Lagarde and Budget Minister Francois Baroin secured their posts in the reshuffle. Baroin will also act as the spokesman of the government.

US soldiers charged with killing Afghans

Five US soldiers in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province have been charged with murdering three Afghan civilians louis vuitton, the Washington Post reported Sunday.

In its early edition, the Post cited army documents as saying infantry personnel replica louis vuitton, including one staff sergeant, murdered the civilians between January and May of this year.

The Post cited military court documents and interviews with people familiar with the case, alleging that the killings "were committed essentially for sport by soldiers who had a fondness for hashish and alcohol."

The accused, including seven additional members of the 5th Stryker Combat Brigade who are charged with lesser offenses, denied wrongdoing through lawyers and family members, the newspaper reported.

The five accused of murder began talking about creating a "kill team" in December 2009 and murdered their first victim on January 25, 2010, in the village of La Mohammed Kalay in Kandahar, according to the accusations.

Reuters

Rumors about Mandelas health denied in S Africa

Nelson Mandela, 92, South Africa’s iconic first democratically elected president replica louis vuitton, is in good health fake watches, despite foreign rumors to the contrary, his family told City Press newspaper in Johannesburg on Sunday.

In Ljubljana, Slovenia, organizers of a gala event for Mandela’s art and charity project were informed by email that Mandeals’grandson, Mandla Mandela, was unable to attend because the older man’s health had deteriorated so much that family members had been told not to leave South Africa.

However, Mandla Mandela told City Press that he had never intended to attend the function in Slovenia.

He also said it was "absolutely untrue" that his grandfather was seriously ill.

"My grandfather is in good health. His only problem the past few years has been his weakened knees," he said.

"His sense of humor has aged like good wine as he gets older. He becomes funnier by the day."

Mandla Mandela also said nobody in the family has been told not to leave the country.

He added that he was himself due to accompany the South African parliament’s committee for rural development to Botswana and Malawi next month. The Nelson Mandela Foundation confirmed that all was well with the former president’s health.Mandela’s last public appearance was a brief attendance at the FIFA World Cup final in Johannesburg on July 11.

Nepali govt gears up to unveil new budget

Nepali caretaker government has geared up preparations to unveil new budget for the fiscal year 2010/11 by the third week of November. replica watch

Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal held a meeting with concerned ministers and government officials Friday.

"The prime minister has directed the Ministry of Finance to expedite preparations with a view to unveil new budget by the third week of November louis vuitton handbags," said a press statement issued by the prime minister’s press advisor Bishnu Rijal.

The prime minister is scheduled to hold a meeting with the leaders of parties that support his coalition Saturday afternoon. The prime minister has also called a cabinet meeting for Saturday afternoon. "The cabinet meeting is likely to announce the date for unveiling new budget louis vuitton," said a source close to the prime minister.

According to him, the new budget aims at increasing allocation for the educational sector, allocating money to construct micro- hydro projects in 1,000 Village Development Committees (VDCs) and constructing playgrounds at every VDCs across the country.

Likewise, the new budget has incorporated a program to build a four-lane East-West highway along the hilly regions with a plan to establish 20 new towns in the hills.

Among other things replica louis vuitton, the new budget will lower the age-limit to 50 years from existing 60 years for widows to be eligible to receive state allowance and introduce a policy of tax waiver for certain period to those who want to open standard hotels to make the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 a success.

The government has failed to present new budget supposed to be presented before mid-July as the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has threatened to obstruct such move arguing that caretaker government can not present budget.