Free Republic

Protests have broken out in China after several regional banks prevented customers from making withdrawals in late April, stoking fears of a greater credit crisis without an intervention from financial authorities. At least three institutions based in Henan Province -- Yu Zhou Xin Min Sheng Village Bank, Shangcai Huimin County Bank and Zhecheng Huanghuai Community Bank -- have frozen a total of 10 billion yuan ($1.49 billion) in deposits, according to Chinese reports. One million customers are believed to be affected. All three are small, locally focused banks designed to serve rural populations. Though the People's Bank of China in...

African soldiers freeze to death Many African soldiers are trained in Saint-Cyr Two African soldiers have died of hypothermia during a mountain warfare training exercise in the French Alps. The men, from Togo and Niger, died after a snowstorm prevented them from reaching their barracks, so they dug into the snow, an official said. Seven of the 90 other soldiers on the three-week exercise organised by the elite Saint-Cyr military academy are suffering from hypothermia. The authorities say they have opened a judicial enquiry into the deaths. Many soldiers from France's former colonies in Africa go to the Saint-Cyr academy...