Diane is a perfectionist. She enjoys searching the internet for the hottest events from around the world and writing an article about it. The details matter to her, so she makes sure the information is easy to read and understand. She likes traveling and history, especially ancient history. Being a very sociable person she has a blast having barbeque with family and friends.
Princess Cristina of Spain has become the first member of the country’s royal family to be put on trial.
The princess is charged with being an accomplice in an alleged embezzlement scam involving her husband Inaki Urdangarin and 16 other defendants, who all deny the charges.
Infanta Cristina, 50, faces eight years in jail if found guilty by a three-member panel of judges.
The trial in Palma, Majorca, is seen as an embarrassment for the royal family.
Princess Cristina arrived at the court in Palma on January 11 with Inaki Urdangarin, who is accused of embezzlement and money laundering.
They made no statement to reporters. A small group of anti-monarchists protested outside.
As the judges read out the charges, the princess sat at the back of a makeshift courtroom at the public administration school in Palma. Inaki Urdangarin sat in the same row but court rules prevented them from sitting together.
Three rows of six defendants sitting in court on blue chairs, facing the panel of judges.
Photo AP
In the third row, at one end, sits Princess Cristina, sixth in line to the Spanish throne.
It’s something many people in Spain thought they would never see – the powerful being held to account.
Princess Cristina’s lawyers will try to get charges against her dismissed. In a country where corruption has become a huge political issue, this is a big moment.
Inaki Urdangarin’s supposedly non-profit Noos Institute sports foundation was allegedly used as a vehicle to win falsely inflated contracts from regional government bodies, before channeling the money to personal accounts via tax havens.
Noos is alleged to have received more than €6 million ($6.5 million) of public money, most of it from the Balearic Islands and Valencia regional governments.
If found guilty, Inaki Urdangarin could face 19 years and six months in jail.
Princess Cristina was a board member at the foundation and, with Inaki Urdangarin, co-owned a real estate company called Aizoon, which prosecutors say was used to launder embezzled funds.
One of the allegations against Princess Cristina is that she made personal use of Aizoon funds for paying for clothes and dance lessons for the couple’s children as well as work on the couple’s Barcelona mansion.
The case was launched in 2010 by a judge investigating corruption among Balearic Islands officials. It has become highly symbolic of perceived corruption among Spain’s elites, including the royal family.
Mexico has started the process of extradition to the United States of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
According to the Mexican authorities, Interpol officers served El Chapo Guzman’s papers at the Altiplano jail, near Mexico City.
El Chapo Guzman, 58, escaped from the maximum security jail in July and was recaptured on January 8.
Mexico is also considering whether to investigate Sean Penn, who interviewed El Chapo Guzman soon after his jail break.
Unnamed Mexican officials have said Sean Penn’s secret meeting helped lead them to the fugitive.
In the Rolling Stone magazine’s article, where Sean Penn’s 7-hour interview with El Chapo Guzman was published, the actor and the fugitive discuss various topics, including drug trafficking.
Mexico began extradition proceedings in line with US requests from 2014.
In a statement, Mexico’s attorney general’s office said Interpol Mexico agents went to El Chapo Guzman’s prison to execute two arrest warrants.
The US filed extradition requests so he could face charges of smuggling vast amounts of drugs into the country.
El Chapo Guzman, who was named Public Enemy Number One by the Chicago Crime Commission in 2013, has been indicted by at least seven US federal district courts.
Mexico and the US have an extradition treaty – but the process can take months.
El Chapo Guzman’s lawyers can raise motions to try and block any extradition and the process has to go through the judicial system.
Many people believe he should face justice in Mexico first. But the case goes beyond sovereignty and national pride.
Joaquin Guzman, who was one of the world’s most wanted drug traffickers, escaped from jail through a tunnel dug in the showers.
That was his second escape – he was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and escaped from Puente Grande jail in 2001, reportedly in a laundry basket after bribing officials.
El Chapo Guzman was on the run for 13 years before being held again in 2014. Previous extradition requests from the US have been turned down.
Sean Penn’s interview with Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been criticized by the Obama administration and Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio.
The interview was conducted in October in the Mexican jungle after El Chapo Guzman’s jail break, and published by Rolling Stone magazine.
A White House spokesman said Sean Penn’s “so-called interview” was “maddening”, while Marco Rubio said it was “grotesque”.
El Chapo (Shorty) Guzman, 58, was recaptured on January 8 after months on the run.
Unnamed Mexican officials say Sean Penn’s secret meeting helped lead them to the boss of the Sinaloa drug cartel.
El Chapo Guzman has now been returned to the maximum-security Altiplano jail, from where he escaped in July 2015 via a tunnel dug to the shower in his cell.
In the Rolling Stone article, the result of a seven-hour “sit-down”, El Chapo Guzman said he was the world’s leading supplier of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana.
White House chief of staff Denis McDonough told CNN: “One thing I will tell you is that this braggadocious action about how much heroin he sends around the world, including the United States, is maddening.
“We see a heroin epidemic, an opioid addiction epidemic, in this country… But El Chapo’s behind bars – that’s where he should stay.”
The Mexican authorities would not say whether they would investigate Sean Penn and a Mexican actress, Kate del Castillo, who apparently arranged the interview.
Denis McDonough declined to answer a question about whether the US would hand Sean Penn over to Mexico for questioning.
“Well, it poses a lot of very interesting questions both for him and for others involved in this-so-called interview, so we’ll see what happens on that – I’m not going to get ahead of it,” he said.
Marco Rubio told ABC: “If one of these American actors who have benefited from the greatness of this country, who have made money from our free enterprise system, want to go fawn all over a criminal and a drug trafficker in their interviews, they have a constitutional right to do it. I find it grotesque.”
Mexico has said it will begin the process of extraditing El Chapo Guzman to the US, in line with extradition requests from 2015.
He is charged with smuggling vast amounts of drugs into the US.
No detail has been given about the timeframe for extradition but experts say the process could take months.
Mexico and the US have an extradition treaty but there are many steps that need to be taken and officials who need to approve the request.
Previous requests from the US have been turned down.
El Chapo Guzman, who was named Public Enemy Number One by the Chicago Crime Commission in 2013, has been indicted by at least seven US federal district courts.
Sean Penn interviewed Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman at a secret location soon after his jail break.
The interview, conducted in October in the Mexican jungle, is published in January 9 edition of Rolling Stone magazine.
El Chapo (Shorty) Guzman escaped from the maximum security Altiplano jail in July and was recaptured on January 8.
According to Mexican officials, Sean Penn’s secret meeting helped lead them to the fugitive who is back in Altiplano.
Their comments chime with public pronouncements by Attorney General Arely Gomez, who said on January 8 that an important aspect of his recapture “was discovering Guzman’s intention to have a biographic film made”.
“He contacted actresses and producers, which was part of one line of investigation.”
In the Rolling Stone article, the result of a seven-hour “sit-down”, Sean Penn and El Chapo Guzman discuss various topics, including drug trafficking.
El Chapo Guzman, 58, is quoted as saying: “If there was no consumption, there would be no sales.”
Photo YouTube
The drug lord also rejects responsibility for drug addiction, saying “the day I don’t exist, it’s not going to decrease in any way at all”.
The meeting, apparently arranged by Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, took place in a remote part of Durango state, a Mexican official told Associated Press. Durango borders Sinaloa state, the center of El Chapo Guzman’s operations.
A picture of El Chapo Guzman in Rolling Stone shaking hands with Sean Penn is dated October 2. Two weeks later, the Mexican authorities reported that the cartel leader narrowly evaded recapture in northwest Mexico and suffered face and leg injuries as he fled.
The authorities said they could have fired on El Chapo Guzman at his hideout, but decided against because he was with two women and a child.
Another source, quoted by Reuters, said the Mexicans were considering investigating Sean Penn and Kate del Castillo.
Mexico meanwhile says it will begin the process of extraditing Joaquin Guzman to the United States, in line with extradition requests from 2014.
El Chapo Guzman, who was one of the world’s most wanted drug traffickers, escaped from jail through a tunnel dug in the showers.
That was his second escape – he was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and escaped from Puente Grande jail in 2001, reportedly in a laundry basket after bribing officials.
The drug lord was on the run for 13 years before being held again in 2014. Previous requests from the US have been turned down.
No detail was given about the time frame for an extradition but experts say the process could take months.
Mexico attorney general’s office said that lawyers for El Chapo Guzman would have three days to file objections and 20 more days to prove them, though that timeframe could be extended, AFP reports.
In a statement welcoming El Chapo Guzman’s recapture, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said he had caused “significant violence, suffering and corruption on multiple continents”.
The US filed requests in 2014 for his extradition so he could face charges of smuggling vast amounts of drugs into the country.
El Chapo Guzman, who was named Public Enemy Number One by the Chicago Crime Commission in 2013, has been indicted by at least seven US federal district courts.
He was recaptured in the north-western city of Los Mochis in his home state of Sinaloa – which he had come to dominate through his drugs cartel.
During the raid, El Chapo Guzman managed to flee through a drain but was later caught by marines in a shootout. Five suspects were killed in the operation and one marine wounded.
Catalonia’s assembly is due to choose a new regional president after Artur Mas stepped down and pro-independence parties reached an agreement to form a coalition.
The anti-capitalist CUP party and the Junts pel Si (Together for Yes) alliance are expected to elect Carles Puigdemont as regional president.
The two sides had disagreed over whether Artur Mas could continue as Catalan president following elections.
Artur Mas has stepped aside in favor of Carles Puigdemont to avoid new elections.
Disagreements between secessionist parties, which gained a majority in September’s regional polls, have blocked the formation of a new Catalan government.
Artur Mas has been in power since 2010 and heads Junts pel Si, which won 62 of the 135 seats. However, the CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy), which holds 10 seats, has refused to support him.
Carles Puigdemont is the mayor of the town of Girona.
Nationally, Spain faces weeks of political uncertainty after an inconclusive general election on December 20.
In November, the Catalan parliament voted to start the secession process – a move declared unconstitutional by Spain’s conservative Popular Party (PP), which ran the country before last month’s election.
Catalonia is a highly industrialized and populous region in Spain’s north-east that accounts for about a fifth of the country’s economic output.
Both the PP and the Socialists (PSOE), who came first and second respectively in Spain’s general election, oppose Catalan secession.
Mexico will begin the process of extraditing recaptured drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman to the United States, the Mexican attorney general’s office has announced.
It said the move was in line with US extradition requests from 2014.
On January 8, El Chapo Guzman was detained and sent back to the maximum-security prison he escaped from six months ago.
El Chapo Guzman, who was one of the world’s most wanted drug traffickers, escaped from the Altiplano prison in July through a tunnel dug in the showers.
That was his second escape – he was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and escaped from Puente Grande jail in 2001, reportedly in a laundry basket after bribing officials.
El Chapo Guzman was on the run for 13 years before being held again in 2014. Previous requests from the US have been turned down.
Photo AP
On January 9, Rolling Stone magazine published an article by Sean Penn based on a meeting he had with El Chapo Guzman at his secret hideout before his capture.
The two men discuss various topics, including drug trafficking. El Chapo Guzman is quoted as saying: “If there was no consumption, there would be no sales.”
No detail was given about the time frame for an extradition but experts say the process could take months.
The attorney general’s office said that lawyers for Joaquin Guzman would have three days to file objections and 20 more days to prove them, though that timeframe could be extended, AFP reports.
In a statement welcoming El Chapo Guzman’s recapture, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said he had caused “significant violence, suffering and corruption on multiple continents”.
The US filed requests in 2014 for his extradition so he could face charges of smuggling vast amounts of drugs into the country.
El Chapo Guzman, who was named Public Enemy Number One by the Chicago Crime Commission in 2013, has been indicted by at least seven US federal district courts.
He was arrested on January 8 in the north-western city of Los Mochis in his home state of Sinaloa – which he had come to dominate through his drugs cartel.
During the raid, El Chapo Guzman managed to flee through a drain but was later caught by marines in a shootout.
Five suspects were killed in the operation and one marine wounded.
Donald Trump has been urged by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to apologize to a Muslim protester ejected from one of his rallies.
CAIR said Rose Hamid’s eviction from the rally in South Carolina sent a “chilling message to American Muslims”.
Rose Hamid was removed after making a silent protest on January 8.
Donald Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States has been widely condemned.
During the rally in the town of Rock Hill, Rose Hamid stood up wearing a T-shirt bearing the words: “Salam, I come in peace.”
“Salam” is the Arabic word for peace.
When Rose Hamid stood up, the crowd around her began chanting “Trump! Trump!” as they had reportedly been instructed to do in the event of any interruption.
Rose Hamid, a 56-year-old flight attendant, was then told by a security officer that she had to leave. She was booed as she was escorted out.
CAIR said that as well as apologizing to Rose Hamid, Donald Trump should “make a clear statement that American Muslims are welcome as fellow citizens and as participants in the nation’s political process”.
A huge manhunt is under way in Argentina as only one of three fugitives convicted of a triple murder has been captured; police say hours after officials claimed all had been caught.
The three escaped from a maximum-security prison almost two weeks ago.
President Mauricio Macri’s office initially said they are been captured north-west of Buenos Aires, but police later said that two remained at large.
The latest twist is a major embarrassment to the new president, correspondents say.
The police manhunt – shown on live television – has gripped Argentina.
Police say the man they captured, Martin Lanatta, was caught after the car the men were traveling in rolled over in the chase in Santa Fe province, about 300 miles from Buenos Aires.
The other two escaped on foot.
Photo Reuters
Victor Schillaci and brothers Christian and Martin Lanatta were serving life in prison for kidnapping and murdering three men allegedly connected to a drug trafficking ring.
President Mauricio Macri – a conservative who replaced Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner after December elections – had accused the previous administration of not doing enough to crack down on drug crime.
Last month the three men escaped from one of the country’s most secure prisons using a fake gun to threaten one of the guards.
Martin Lanatta had leapt into the political limelight in 2015 when he accused the presidential chief of staff, Anibal Fernandez, of complicity in the killings.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner denied the accusation but it damaged his campaign last October to become the new governor of Buenos Aires province.
The winning candidate, María Eugenia Vidal, dismissed the intrigue and said the jail-break had been an inside job.
María Eugenia Vidal sacked the head of the prison service.
President of the Generalitat of Catalonia Artur Mas has announced he will quit as the pro-independence head of the Spanish region, to avoid triggering new elections.
Disagreements between secessionist parties, which gained a majority in last year’s regional polls, have blocked the formation of a Catalan government.
Catalonia’s acting leader said he supported the mayor of the Girona region, Carles Puigdemont, as his replacement.
Artur Mas i Gavarró has been in power since 2010.
In September elections, Artur Mas’ Junts pel Si (Together for Yes) alliance won 62 of the 135 seats in the Catalan assembly.
However, a small anti-capitalist and pro-independence party, the CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy), which holds 10 seats, has refused to support Artur Mas as leader.
“I am stepping aside and will not be standing as a Junts pel Si candidate for the re-election of president of the regional government,” Artur Mas told a news conference in Barcelona.
Nationally, Spain faces weeks of political uncertainty after an inconclusive general election on 20 December.
In November 2015, the Catalan parliament voted to start the secession process – a move declared unconstitutional by Spain’s conservative Popular Party (PP), which ran the country before last month’s election.
Catalonia is a highly industrialized and populous region in Spain’s north-east that accounts for about a fifth of the country’s economic output.
Both the PP and the Socialists (PSOE), who came first and second respectively in Spain’s general election, oppose Catalan secession.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced tougher refugee laws after the New Year’s Eve attacks on women in Cologne.
Angela Merkel has proposed changes to make it easier to deport asylum-seekers who commit crimes on German territory.
The attacks, which victims say were carried out by men of North African and Arab appearance, have called into question the German chancellor’s open-door migrant policy.
The police’s handling of the events has also been sharply criticized.
The anti-immigrant Pegida movement is due to protest in Cologne.
Angela Merkel, speaking after a meeting of her Christian Democrat party leadership in Mainz, proposed tightening the law on denying the right of asylum for those who have committed crimes.
Under the new plans, those on probation could be deported too.
“When crimes are committed, and people place themselves outside the law…there must be consequences,” Angela Merkel told reporters after the meeting.
Under current German laws, asylum seekers are only forcibly sent back if they have been sentenced to at least three years, and providing their lives are not at risk in their countries of origin.
The move, which will still need parliamentary approval, follows the New Year’s Eve attacks, which sparked outrage in Germany.
Victims described chaos as dozens of assaults and robberies were carried out with little apparent response from the authorities around the city’s main station.
Twenty-one people are being investigated for assault.
The identification of the attackers in Cologne as North African or Arab in appearance has caused alarm in Germany because of the influx of more than a million refugees in 2015.
Meanwhile German officials have warned that anti-immigrant groups have been trying to use the attacks to stir up hatred.
Similar attacks to those seen in Cologne were also reported in Hamburg and in Stuttgart on New Year’s Eve. In Bielefeld, hundreds of men tried to force their way into nightclubs Die Welt reports.
Police said several women had alleged assault.
As the investigation into the Cologne attacks continues, federal authorities say they have identified 18 asylum-seekers among 31 suspects. However, they are suspected of theft and violence, but not assault.
The suspects include nine Algerians, eight Moroccans, five Iranians, four Syrians, two Germans and one each from Iraq, Serbia and the United States.
Separately to the federal investigation focusing on what happened at the station itself, Cologne police are investigating 21 people in connection with the assaults. It is not known how many of these are asylum-seekers.
The North Rhine-Westphalia state police have recorded 170 complaints of crimes, 117 of which involve assault. There were two allegations of rape.
The interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Ralf Jaeger said on January 8 that he had suspended police chief Wolfgang Albers from his duties.
Wolfgang Albers has been accused of holding back information about the attacks, in particular about the origin of the suspects.
At least three people are missing in after a bushfire devastated the town of Yarloop in Western Australia, and continues to threaten others.
Yarloop, south of Perth, was worst hit, with at least 130 properties destroyed.
State Premier Colin Barnett has said the town will be rebuilt.
The blaze, covering some 70,000 hectares, is approaching Harvey.
Yarloop is being evacuated and emergency warnings remain in place for Waroona and other areas.
Winds of up to 37mph had fanned the blaze, known as the Waroona fire, to heights of 150ft.
Photo AFP
The strong winds have now eased, but the fire, which began on January 6, remains unpredictable.
“We’re seeing conditions that we’ve not seen before on this type of fire, particularly when it went through Yarloop,” Western Australia Fire Commissioner Wayne Gregson said.
Some 250 firefighters are reported to be deployed, and reinforcements are being sent from New South Wales.
Premier Colin Barnett, visiting Yarloop residents at an evacuation centre, said the town would continue “but probably not a Yarloop of its previous size”.
It remains unclear how many of the town’s more than 500 residents will be able to return.
Four firefighters were injured battling the blaze in Yarloop and one fire truck was destroyed.
The loss of property in Yarloop is described as “significant” with the pub, bowling club and historic timber workshops destroyed.
The Western Australia bushfire comes less than a month after southern Victoria was struck by similar blazes.
More than 100 homes were destroyed by an outbreak on Christmas Day.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been sent back to the maximum-security prison he escaped from six months ago after his recapture on January 8.
The Mexican drug lord was paraded before cameras before being bundled into a helicopter to Altiplano prison in central Mexico.
El Chapo (Shorty) Guzman escaped from there in July through a tunnel dug in the showers.
He was arrested on January 8 in the city of Los Mochis in his home state of Sinaloa – which he had come to dominate through the drugs cartel he led.
During the early-morning raid, El Chapo Guzman managed to flee through a drain but was later caught by marines in a shootout.
Six people, including one marine, are reported to have been killed.
Part of the reason El Chapo Guzman was tracked down was because he contacted actors and producers in the hope of making a movie about his life, Mexico’s Attorney General Arely Gomez said.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto described Joaquin Guzman’s arrest as a “victory for the rule of law”.
The United States congratulated the Mexican government but did not indicate whether prosecutors would seek Joaquin Guzman’s extradition.
In a statement, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Joaquin Guzman had caused “significant violence, suffering and corruption on multiple continents”.
El Chapo Guzman’s July escape was his second – he was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and escaped from Puente Grande jail in 2001, reportedly in a laundry basket after bribing officials. He was on the run for 13 years before being held again in 2014.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been recaptured by Mexican authorities, six months after he escaped from a maximum-security jail.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto tweeted: “Mission accomplished: We got him.”
El Chapo (Shorty) Guzman, one of the world’s most-wanted drug lords, smuggled cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines to the US through the Sinaloa cartel he led.
He escaped from jail through a mile-long tunnel dug in the showers.
President Enrique Pena Nieto described Joaquin Guzman’s arrest as a “victory against impunity” and said it showed Mexicans could have confidence in the state’s ability to guarantee law and order.
“There is no group that it is impossible to confront,” he said.
El Chapo Guzman was apprehended following a shoot-out with Mexican marines in Los Mochis, a coastal city in his home state of Sinaloa, in north-west Mexico, the president said.
Five people are thought to have been killed in the raid, which involved the army and navy as well as police.
The US congratulated the Mexican government but did not indicate whether prosecutors would seek El Chapo Guzman’s extradition.
In a statement, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Joaquin Guzman had caused “significant violence, suffering and corruption on multiple continents”.
El Chapo Guzman’s July escape was his second – he was first arrested in Guatemala in 1993 and escaped from Puente Grande jail in 2001, reportedly in a laundry basket after bribing officials.
He was on the run for 13 years before being held again in 2014.
Authorities located him several days ago based on reports that he was in the Los Mochis area.
In October, Mexican officials said they had “broken up” and arrested the group responsible for helping him escape.
El Chapo Guzman’s wealth is estimated at $1 billion.
Despite being the leader of one of the world’s most powerful and violent drug cartels, El Chapo Guzman was seen by some in Sinaloa – where there are few job opportunities – as a modern-day Robin Hood figure who could offer more security to people than the government.
Following his escape, shopkeepers began selling souvenirs such as baseball caps branded with “El Chapo”.
Maine Governor Paul LePage has apologized after he said drug dealers with names like “D-Money” were impregnating “white girls”.
Paul LePage, who has a history of making controversial statements, made the remarks while speaking about the state’s heroin epidemic.
The governor’s spokesman had initially said Paul LePage, who is white, was not making a statement about race.
However, opponents said it was implied and called the remarks “fear mongering”.
“I was going impromptu and my brain didn’t catch up to my mouth,” Governor Paul LePage said on January 8.
“Instead of Maine women, I said white women … If you go to Maine, you can see it’s 95% white.”
Paul LePage made his controversial comments at a town meeting in Bridgton, describing out-of-state dealers as “guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty” and said “half the time they impregnate a young white girl before leaving”.
“This is one of the most blatantly racist statements he’s ever made,” said Lance Dutson, a moderate Republican activist.
States, especially in the north-east, are dealing with a sharp rise in heroin use. How to treat addicts and curb lethal overdoses has become a major issue in the US presidential race.
Paul LePage’s spokesman, Peter Steele, had earlier said the governor was referring to the effect heroin addiction has on the state, not on issues of race.
“Race is irrelevant,” Peter Steele told the Associated Press.
“What is relevant is the cost to state taxpayers for welfare and the emotional costs for these kids who are born as a result of involvement with drug traffickers.”
Paul LePage is known for his blunt talk. In the past, he has told President Barack Obama “go to hell”, and members of a state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to “kiss my bu**”.
Chinese billionaire Zhou Chengjian has gone missing, his company confirmed.
Zhou Chengjian of one of China’s biggest fashion chains, Metersbonwe, is the latest in a string of high-profile businessmen in the country to temporarily disappear.
Metersbonwe suspended trading in its shares over his unaccounted absence.
Chinese media reports have speculated Zhou Chengjian has been picked up by the police as part of Beijing’s anti-corruption drive.
Zhou Chengjian has been named as China’s 62nd richest person by wealth publisher Hurun, attributing a fortune of $4.1 billion to him.
Starting out as a tailor, he built Shanghai-based Metersbonwe into one of China’s biggest and best-known clothing companies.
A company statement said it could reach neither the chairman nor his secretary.
Metersbonwe also halted trading of its shares “to protect investors’ interests”.
Zhou Chengjian’s disappearance comes only weeks after Guo Guangchang, chairman of private sector conglomerate Fosun, temporarily went missing.
Fosun operates in sectors from steel and mining to pharmaceuticals. In 2015 it acquired the French vacation resort company Club Med.
Chinese media reports on links between the disappearance of businessmen and the authorities sweeping anti-corruption campaign remain unconfirmed.
In the case of Guo Guangchang, he reappeared after several days and according to his company had been “assisting in certain investigations carried out by judiciary authorities”.
A gold-painted statue of Chairman Mao Zedong in China’s countryside has been removed, just days after it was erected, state media report.
A village official told the People’s Daily that the 120ft-construction had not been approved.
The giant statue of the late communist leader, on farmland in Henan’s Tongxu county, was said to have cost nearly 3 million yuan ($460,000).
It generated headlines around the world when it was completed a few days ago.
An official at Zhushigang village, where the statue was located, said it had not been registered and approved, and had now been removed, People’s Daily reported.
Land resource officials at Tongxu county also confirmed the removal of the statue to People’s Daily, but said they were not clear why it was removed.
A photo circulated on social media, which could not be independently verified, appearing to show the Mao statue being dismantled, with the legs removed and a black cloth covering the head.
The statue was reportedly paid for by local businessmen and villagers, and was built as a homage to Chairman Mao.
However, it also generated criticism online, with some arguing that it wasted resources and was located at an inappropriate location.
Henan province was the centre of a famine in the 1950s resulting from Mao Zedong’s policies.
Millions of people died in the famine, triggered by a campaign known as the Great Leap Forward.
Despite being responsible for so many deaths, Mao Zedong is revered by many in China, not least by President Xi Jinping, who praises him as a “great figure”.
Xi Jinping has also attempted to centralize power in China’s presidency, and has used Mao Zedong’s legacy to build support, while admitting the former leader made “mistakes”.
South Korea has decided to resume loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts into North Korea in response to Pyongyang’s claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb.
The move has led North Korea to begin similar broadcasts of its own, the South’s Yonhap News Agency said.
Meanwhile, the UN has agreed to draw up new measures against North Korea.
Although there is skepticism that North Korea carried out the test as claimed, its actions have been condemned internationally.
If the underground test is confirmed, it would be North Korea’s fourth nuclear test and its first of the H-bomb, which is more powerful than an atomic bomb.
South Korea turned the speakers back on at noon local time on January 8.
The loudspeakers – at 11 locations along the border – blast Korean pop, news and weather reports and criticisms of the North over the border.
The broadcasts irritate the authorities in Pyongyang, and North Korea has previously threatened to use force to stop them.
Seoul agreed to stop them last year in a deal with the North to resolve particularly high tensions after a border skirmish.
However, presidential security official Cho Tae-yong announced on January 7 that they would resume, saying North Korea’s test claim had been a “grave violation” of the deal.
On January 7, the US said President Barack Obama and the leaders of South Korea and Japan had “agreed to work together to forge a united and strong international response to North Korea’s reckless behavior”.
South Korea’s presidential office said the international community “must make sure that North Korea pays the corresponding price” for the nuclear test, reported Yonhap news agency.
South Korea has also begun limiting entry to the Kaesong industrial park in North Korea, which is jointly run by both countries. Only those directly involved in operations there will be allowed to enter from the South, said Seoul’s Unification Ministry.
Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe said the test was “a serious threat to our nation’s security and absolutely cannot be tolerated”.
He told parliament Japan would “deal with this situation in a firm manner through the co-operation with the United Nations Security Council”.
Shinzo Abe also added that Japan might take unilateral action, saying it is “considering measures unique to our nation”, without detailing what those measures might be.
Hydrogen bombs are more powerful and technologically advanced than atomic weapons, using fusion – the merging of atoms – to unleash massive amounts of energy.
Atomic bombs, like those that devastated two Japanese cities in World War Two, use fission, or the splitting of atoms.
Many experts, including those from South Korea and the US, say the estimated power of January 6 blast fell far short of what would be expected from a hydrogen bomb.
Some analysts have suggested it is possible Pyongyang tested a “boosted” atomic bomb, which uses some fusion fuel to increase the yield of the fission reaction.
The US and nearby countries including Japan are carrying out atmospheric sampling, hoping to find leaked radioactive material, which would give clues as to what kind of device was tested.
Correspondents say it took about 55 days after the last test to be able to determine the exact nature of it.
California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in a suburb of Los Angeles over the leaking of methane gas from an underground storage field.
The governor ordered “all necessary and viable actions” be taken to stop it.
More than 2,000 families have been moved from their homes and many people have reported feeling ill because of the leakage, which began in October.
It stems from a vast underground storage field in Porter Ranch, on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
Gas is spewing into the atmosphere at a rate so fast that the well now accounts for about a quarter of the state’s total emissions of methane – an extremely potent greenhouse gas.
The well is situated in a mountainous area more than a mile away from residential areas, but residents have complained of health effects like headaches, nausea, vomiting and trouble breathing.
Methane – the main component of natural gas – is a very strong greenhouse gas, capable of trapping solar radiation in the atmosphere.
It belongs to a category of gases called short-lived climate pollutants.
While methane and other short-lived pollutants remain in the atmosphere for a relatively short time compared to other gases, the California Air Resources Board says that “when measured in terms of how they heat the atmosphere, their impacts can be tens, hundreds, or even thousands of times greater than that of carbon dioxide”.
Residents have been complaining of nausea, headaches and other symptoms, but the utility company says that “scientists agree natural gas is not toxic and that its odorant is harmless at the minute levels at which it is added to natural gas”.
Health officials in the area have said the long-term effects of being exposed to the gas are unknown.
The utility company is providing temporary accommodation or funds for the displaced residents, and several thousand people in Porter Ranch have been relocated while the gas continues to leak and repairs take place.
Only 2,200 families have been relocated even though 6,500 have applied for help, CBS News reports.
“You have kids going to school outside their neighborhoods, families that are living in hotels,” says Paula Cracium, president of the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council.
“The longer this goes on the more stress there is.”
Donald Trump has questioned whether rival candidate Ted Cruz is eligible to become a GOP nominee because he was born in Canada.
The Republican presidential front-runner called it a “very precarious” issue for the party and said that Ted Cruz’s nomination could be challenged in court.
Ted Cruz was born in Calgary to an American mother and a Cuban father.
Most legal experts believe Ted Cruz meets the requirements to be president.
The Cruz campaign responded by saying Donald Trump had “jumped the shark” – a pop culture reference to when a TV show or fad has overreached and fallen into decline.
Photo Getty Images
The Texas senator is performing well in polling in the early voting state of Iowa. While Donald Trump leads most polls, several surveys show Ted Cruz is the top choice of likely Republican voters.
Candidates for US president must be a “natural born citizen” – interpreted as being born in the US or having one parent who is a US citizen; be 35 years of age or older; live in the US for the past 14 years.
Much of Donald Trump’s support comes from independents, disillusioned Democrats and people who have never voted before.
Some analysts are predicting that Ted Cruz will win because of how the voting process is structured in Iowa.
The caucus format requires more time and dedication from voters than a typical US primary election.
Before Donald Trump became a presidential candidate, the New York tycoon had repeatedly questioned President Barack Obama’s citizenship.
Barack Obama was born in Hawaii to an American mother and a Kenyan father.
Authorities in Hawaii and Barack Obama both provided detailed birth records after some conservatives such as Donald Trump questioned where he was born.
Barack Obama’s allies have said the “birther” movement was a racist effort to discredit the county’s first black president.
Republicans have denounced President Barack Obama’s executive actions to tighten gun controls.
House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said the executive orders, which bypass Congress, “undermined liberty” and would be challenged in court.
Donald Trump said that, if elected, he would reverse the measures.
In an emotional address on January 5, Barack Obama accused the gun lobby of holding the country hostage.
Wiping away tears, Barack Obama recalled the 2012 Sandy Hook primary school shooting in which 20 children and six adults were killed.
Barack Obama’s executive actions involve:
Background checks for all gun sellers, overturning current exemptions to some online and gun show sellers
States providing information on people disqualified from buying guns due to mental illness or domestic violence
Increased workforce for the FBI to process background checks, hiring more than 230 new examiners
Congress being asked to invest $500 million to improve access to mental healthcare in the US
The departments of defense, justice and homeland security exploring “smart gun technology” to improve gun safety
The largest gun lobby group, the National Rifle Association (NRA), said Barack Obama’s steps would not have prevented any recent mass killings in the United States.
Correspondents say the announcement is already shaping up to be an issue in the 2016 presidential election.
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump said that he would “un-sign” the measures if elected to the White House – a sentiment echoed by other Republican presidential candidates.
Senator Ted Cruz tweeted that the executive actions were unconstitutional, with a link to sign up for his campaign correspondence on a web page that says “Obama wants your guns”.
Jeb Bush, also a Republican candidate, tweeted that he would repeal the actions and protect the Second Amendment.
Barack Obama announced the law change at the White House, surrounded by survivors and relatives of victims of shootings.
“The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage right now, but they can’t hold America hostage,” he said.
Gun violence is significantly higher in the US than in other advanced countries, killing about 30,000 people each year.
Sales of guns in the US appear to have risen recently amid speculation that the White House was going to tighten the law.
Shares in gunmaker Smith & Wesson rose to their highest value since 1999 ahead of Barack Obama’s announcement.
Congress has been reluctant to pass any laws restricting gun ownership, facing pressure from gun owners and the NRA.
President Barack Obama has unveiled new restrictions on gun purchases at the White House, saying the “constant excuses for inaction” have to stop.
The White House has outlined Barack Obama’s plans for executive action, which focus on background checks.
Most of the actions can be carried out without Congressional approval.
“That’s why we’re here, not to do something about the last mass shooting, but to prevent the next one,” Barack Obama said.
“The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage right now, but they can’t hold America hostage,” he said.
Barack Obama gave his remarks surrounded by survivors and relatives of victims of shootings, recalling mass shootings across the United States in the past few years and everyday gun violence in cities like Chicago.
Gun violence is significantly higher in the US than in other advanced countries, killing about 30,000 people each year.
Congress has been reluctant to pass any laws restricting gun ownership, facing pressure from gun owners and the powerful National Rifle Association.
Barack Obama tried to pass expanded background check legislation in 2012 after the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 20 children and six adults dead but it failed in Congress.
The executive actions include:
Background checks for all gun sellers, overturning current exemptions to some online and gun show sellers
States providing information on people disqualified from buying guns due to mental illness or domestic violence
Increased workforce for the FBI to process background checks, hiring more than 230 new examiners
Congress being asked to invest $500 million to improve access to mental healthcare in the US
The departments of defense, justice and homeland security exploring “smart gun technology” to improve gun safety
The announcement is already shaping up to be an issue in the 2016 presidential election.
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton tweeted: “@POTUS is right: We can protect the second Amendment while protecting our families and communities from gun violence. And we have to.”
Republican candidate Senator Ted Cruz tweeted that the executive actions are unconstitutional, with a link to sign up for his campaign correspondence on a webpage that says “Obama wants your guns” with a photo of the president in an army jacket and hat.
Jeb Bush tweeted that he would repeal the actions and protect the Second Amendment.
During Barack Obama’s speech, comedian Amy Schumer, cousin of New York Senator Chuck Schumer, was in the audience. Two women died in a shooting at a movie theatre in Louisiana during a showing of her movie Trainwreck.
Gabby Giffords, a former congresswoman who survived a shooting, was there as well, in addition to many relatives of victims and survivors of mass shooting.
President Barack Obama has taken actions over the US gun control laws by widening background checks on buyers of firearms.
The new measures meant to address gun violence will be announced on January 5 by the president, despite opposition from Congress to new gun laws.
All sellers who operate online or at gun shows will be forced to conduct background checks on potential buyers.
Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul said he would fight the executive actions “tooth and nail”.
Several of his Republican rivals said they would erase the measures “on day one” if they win the White House.
However, Barack Obama says his new measures will be within his legal authority and consistent with the Second Amendment, which grants Americans the right to bear arms.
While they will not solve every violent crime in the US, he said, they will potentially “save lives and spare families the pain” of loss.
Under the plan announced on January 4 by the White House:
All sellers must be licensed and conduct background checks, overturning current exemptions to some online and gun show sellers
States must provide information on people disqualified due to mental illness or domestic violence
FBI will increase workforce processing background checks by 50%, hiring more than 230 new examiners
Congress will be asked to invest $500 million to improve access to mental healthcare
The departments of defense, justice and homeland security will explore “smart gun technology” to improve gun safety
On January 4, Barack Obama heard recommendations from Attorney General Loretta Lynch, FBI Director James Comey and other top law enforcement officials.
The Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, accused President Barack Obama of “dismissiveness” towards Americans who value the right to bear arms.
Paul Ryan said in a statement: “This is a dangerous level of executive overreach, and the country will not stand for it.”
At least 21 people have been killed over the weekend in one of Poland’s deadliest-ever cold snaps, with temperatures falling to -0.4F, officials say.
Since November 1, 2015, at least 39 people have been killed by cold weather in Poland.
Six people slipped and fell to their deaths in the Tatra Mountains on the border with Slovakia.
Meanwhile in the German city of Bremen 300 refugees were reportedly evacuated from tents.
Since the New Year freezing temperatures have made conditions even more difficult for migrants living in temporary accommodation.
The water supply and heating to the tents in Bremen had stopped working, officials told the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung newspaper.
Other German media said refugees waiting to be registered as refugees were standing in freezing temperatures outside government offices in Berlin, which have reopened after the holidays.
Denmark has decided to tighten its border controls with Germany, hours after Sweden imposed similar measures to deter refugees entering from Denmark.
Danish PM Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the decision was “not a happy moment” but Denmark “must respond” to Sweden’s restrictions.
Danish police will carry out border spot checks for the next 10 days.
The two countries are the latest to impose controls in Europe’s Schengen passport-free travel area.
In a letter to the European Commission, Inger Stojberg, Denmark’s integration minister, said the controls would focus initially on the border with Germany but may be extended to all of Denmark’s borders.
Inger Stojberg said the measures taken by Sweden meant Denmark was “faced with a serious risk to public order and internal security because a very large number of illegal immigrants may be stranded in the Copenhagen area”.
The new controls would not cause a problem for “ordinary” Danes and Germans, Lokke Rasmussen said.
“We are introducing temporary border controls, but in a balanced way,” the prime minister said.
“If the European Union cannot protect the external border you will see more and more countries forced to introduce temporary border controls.”
A 6.7-magnitude earthquake has hit northeast India, near its borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, killing at least nine people.
The quake hit at 04:35 local time on January 4 about 18 miles northwest of Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Strong tremors have been felt across the region.
The quake was originally reported to have measured 6.8-magnitude.
India’s Meteorological Department said the tremor struck at a depth of 10 miles.
Photo AP
The quake cracked walls and a newly-built six-storey building in Imphal collapsed, police said. Other buildings were also reported to have been damaged.
At least six people have been killed in Manipur and more than 30 injured, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
In the neighburing Bangladesh, three people were reported dead while dozens were being treated in hospital for injuries sustained during the quake.
A 23-year-old man died when he suffered a stroke after the quake while two others died of heart attacks, AFP quoted police as saying.
A university student, who jumped from a fourth-floor balcony to escape, was among the critically wounded, the agency added.
Deepak Shijagurumayum, a resident of Imphal, told AFP by phone that his house was severely damaged by the quake.
Shaking was felt as far away as Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), 370 miles away.
Indian PM Narendra Modi tweeted that he had spoken to the region’s chief ministers and federal Home Minister Rajnath Singh “on the situation arising in the wake of the earthquake”.
Casualties have not yet been reported on the Myanmar side of the border, which is sparsely populated.
The region has a history of powerful earthquakes caused by the northward collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. They are moving towards each other at a rate of 4-5cm per year.
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Prev