Free Republic

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has warned the US that any attack on Iran will have devastating consequences and send oil prices soaring. Mr Chavez, on a two-day trip to the UK, called for a socialist new world order and said nations were cowards for not standing up to the "American empire". The US has not ruled out military action against Iran over its nuclear programme but is pursuing diplomacy. Hundreds of supporters gave Mr Chavez a rapturous welcome in north London. Packed ballroom The president told the meeting in Camden, hosted by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, that a US...

On Wednesday, I conducted a hearing to examine China's human-rights record. Over the years, I have held more than 25 hearings on human-rights abuses in China and although some economic progress has been made, the human-rights situation remains abysmal. Among other things, this week's visit of President Hu Jintao to the United States provides an opportunity to expose the terrible human-rights situation in China today on a global stage. And it will, I hope, convey our unshakeable regard and commitment to press Beijing for serious, measurable, and desirable reform. Any relationship we have with China must begin with a fundamental...

A woman has been jailed for 35 years by a federal court in New York for running an immigrant-smuggling ring. Cheng Chui Ping ran a multi-million dollar scheme which transported hundreds of illegal immigrants to the US in packed cargo ships. During one operation in 1993, a ship carrying immigrants ran aground off the US coast and 10 people drowned. The 57-year-old was convicted of charges including conspiracy to commit people smuggling and money laundering. Cheng, also known as Sister Ping, pleaded for more than an hour for a lenient sentence, saying she was a hard-working immigrant who loved the...

About 100 journalists from one of China's most progressive newspapers, the Beijing News, have walked out to protest against their editor's sacking. The highly unusual move follows the ousting of editor-in-chief Yang Bin and two senior editors, as Communist Party officials moved to rein in the paper. The paper appeared on Friday, but many stories were taken from the Xinhua news agency rather than its own journalists. Analysts say the row highlights a growing struggle over controlling news. Papers like the Beijing News have been publishing stories to attract readers and advertising revenues, leading to disputes with Communist Party censors,...

Judging from the statements at last week's meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, an international consensus is growing over the necessity to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Or at least the three European Union countries handling the matter, with the support of the United States, say they need "the widest possible international agreement on how to deal with this file," as Britain's representative, Peter Jenkins put it. And to get that, attention is now focusing on giving the heretofore uncooperative Russians a major role. Indeed, the next phase in this saga is expected to center on...

BEIJING, China (UPI) -- Voice over Internet Protocol VoIP development is posing a threat to state-protected telecom carriers, calling into question China`s willingness to let technology advances into the marketplace. VoIP services took a big bite of nearly three percent out of China Telecom`s revenues in the first half of 2005 according to BDA, a technology consultancy in Beijing. BDA`s research director Dongming Zhang told UPI, 'China Telecom`s long distance revenue totaled $1.805 billion in the first half of 2005, down by 2.8 percent from $1.858 billion in the first half of 2004.' 'The decline in long distance revenue can...

Chinese Ministry of Health Wednesday denied reports of a nationwide outbreak of anthrax, saying it is under monitoring as a regular infectious disease. "Starting monitoring in some regions does not mean anthrax is breaking out in these regions. We are monitoring other infectious diseases as well," said a media coordinator of the ministry's information office. The ministry on Tuesday issued a plan to monitor anthrax in the provinces of Gansu, Liaoning, Guizhou, Sichuan, Qinghai, Chongqing Municipality and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In the last five years, 400 to 1,000 people were infected with anthrax each year, according to figures released...

Mao Zedong’s grandson, recently a guest on a television show memorializing the end of World War II, shocked audiences by blatantly promoting communism under the guise of historical research. Dr. Mao Xinyu, Mao Zedong’s grandson, was invited to speak on a program commemorating the end of World War II airing on the government controlled television station, CCTV. The program, International Observation, broadcasted the 60th anniversary celebrations marking the end of World War II in Europe on May 7. Dr. Mao told audiences that based on his research, the countries who had made the greatest contributions to World War II were...

I had a local brew when I was visiting in Hangzhou. Absolutely terrible. And about 2% alcohol by volume to boot. Perhaps I'm spoiled by the IPA produced by the Stone brewery in California. Whatever the reason, I no longer look forward to beer in China.