Megaupload boss wins right to sue New Zealand spy agency

Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom won the right Thursday to sue New Zealand's foreign intelligence agency for illegally spying on him ahead of his arrest as part of a US probe into alleged online piracy.

The High Court also ordered the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) to disclose details of any information-sharing arrangements it had with foreign agencies, including US authorities, before Dotcom's arrest in January.
Dotcom's US-based lawyer Ira Rothken hailed the decision as a major victory for the Internet tycoon, who is fighting a US attempt to extradite him from New Zealand in what has been described as the world's largest copyright case.
"Today's @KimDotcom judgment shows the NZ democracy works as the judiciary orders discovery & acts as a check & balance on illegal gov(ernment) spying," he tweeted.
It emerged in September that the GCSB spied on Dotcom before police raided his Auckland mansion, even though he is a New Zealand resident and should have been off-limits to the agency.
Following the revelation, which prompted an apology from Prime Minister John Key, Dotcom applied to include the GCSB in a lawsuit he is planning against New Zealand police alleging wrongful arrest.
High Court chief judge Helen Winkelmann granted the request Thursday, rejecting the GCSB's argument that it should be denied because such legal action could potentially damage national security.
"I have no doubt that the most convenient and expeditious way of enabling the court to determine all matters in dispute is to join the GCSB in the proceedings," she said in a written judgement.
Armed police raided Dotcom's mansion in January but a court later ruled the search warrants used were illegal, opening the way for him to seek damages from New Zealand authorities.
Dotcom's lawyers have not detailed how much compensation they want but opposition political parties said the amount could be substantial.
"This will end up costing taxpayers millions of dollars in legal fees to fight the case and in compensation to Dotcom," New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said.
US authorities allege Dotcom's Megaupload and related file-sharing sites netted more than US$175 million and cost copyright owners more than US$500 million by offering pirated copies of movies, TV shows and other content.
Dotcom, who changed his name from Kim Schmitz, faces an extradition hearing in March.

US and China hold talks at East Asia   summit

The United States has been direct with China about its plans to be more active in the Asia-Pacific region as well as its interests in the South China Sea, a top White House official said on Saturday.

National Security Adviser Tom Donilon said U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao talked mainly about economic issues when they met on the sidelines of an Asian leaders’ summit on the Indonesian island of Bali on Saturday.
Donilon said Wen had requested more time to speak with Obama after the two leaders sat next to each other during an official dinner on Friday.
“They had an informal meeting this morning and the principal focus of the meeting was on economics,” he told reporters on Saturday, the last day of Obama’s nine-day Asia-Pacific tour.
Obama and Wen discussed “specific issues around business practices” as well as U.S. concerns about controls on China’s yuan currency and its desire to see Beijing adhere more closely to international norms and rules, the U.S. official said.
The two leaders also touched on the sensitive issue of the South China Sea. Donilon said the United States was not trying to play judge in territorial disputes over those waters but wanted to see the shipping lane remain open.
“We don’t have a claim, we don’t take sides in the claims, but we do as a global maritime power have an interest in seeing these principles applied broadly,” he said.
Over the course of his trip to Hawaii, Australia and Indonesia, Obama has ruffled Chinese feathers with tough language on trade and plans to increase the U.S. military presence in Australia so it can respond faster to maritime disputes and other emergencies in the region.
On Saturday, Donilon sought to play down tensions in the U.S.-China relationship, which he said was on the whole was “productive and constructive”.
He said the United States had been “quite direct with the Chinese about our strategy” and that Beijing understood Washington was serious about sustaining a more active presence in the region to help ensure its stability and peace.
“Our partners and allies look to us for that reassurance. They want to know that the United States is going to play the role it has played with respect to security and reassurance and balancing and stability here,” Donilon said.
Donilon also stressed that Washington is continuing to engage directly with China on many economic and other themes.
“We have a very complicated and quite substantial relationship with China across the board,” he said.
“We are ... in an important conversation with them about economics which we think is important for the region and important for the United States.”

China warns Japan in East China Sea   island row

 

 China told Japan Wednesday to respect its "indisputable sovereignty" over islands claimed by both countries in the East China Sea, in the latest territorial row between Beijing and its neighbours.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba in Phnom Penh where he "reaffirmed China's principled position" on the islands known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.
"He stressed that Diaoyu Islands and their affiliated islets have always been China's territory since ancient times, over which China has indisputable sovereignty," said a statement from the Chinese delegation.
Japan summoned the Chinese ambassador in Tokyo as three Chinese patrol boats approached the chain of islands, which are privately held by Japanese owners.
The crew of the Chinese vessels, which have since left the islands' immediate vicinity, initially rebuffed Japanese orders to leave, Japanese officials said.
"We are conducting official duty in Chinese waters. Do not interfere. Leave China's territorial waters," the Chinese crews said, according to the Japanese coastguard.

World Bank warns East Asia of G3  

           Central Bank Easing

Monetary policy easing in the G3 countries may lead to excessive credit growth and the creation of asset bubbles in East Asia and Pacific (EAP) as investors flock to the region, the World Bank warned Wednesday.

In their East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, the World Bank said recent central bank easing in Japan, the US and the eurozone may redirect capital to the EAP, which could cause more harm than good for the region.
"Recent announcements by central banks in the G3 have renewed concerns regarding the possibility of excessive capital inflows into the region," the report warned.
The money deluge "could render exchange rates uncompetitive, lead to asset price bubbles and excessive credit growth, raise the risk of future sudden outflows, or lead to costly sterilization measures from monetary authorities."
"At high risk are countries that experienced rapid credit expansion, especially if the credit to GDP ratio is already high, and those with weak financial sector supervision," the report added without citing specific countries.

Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" film, tool in teaching philosophy and theology

TAIWAN

The film has already broke the box office in India and China. Technical quality, 3D animation, breathtaking images are the ingredients, but also a philosophical and religious inspiration.


Taipei (AsiaNews) - In Taiwan, Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" has become a box office success. But it has also become a tool for metaphysical and religious dialogue.

"I chose two interesting introductory texts for the course of fundamental theology. One was Canadian Yann Martel's novel 'Life of Pi' (PI 少年 的 奇幻 漂流) upon which the film was based," says Father Joseph Vu Kim Chinh (武 金正 神父). "Many of the students who had read the novel went to see the film and were delighted to have witnessed a work of art."

Tokyo slides into recession

JAPAN

A drop in GDP for second consecutive quarter: 0.1 (April-June) and 3.5 (July-September). The opposition calls for a policy of easy credit and fresh stimulus measures. Prospects of increasing taxes. Nissan and Honda profits down 20%.


Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Japan's economy has lippe into what experts term a "technical" recession. According to preliminary data released today by the Government, the Gross Domestic Product for the third quarter fell by 3.5%; in the second quarter, the contraction was 0.1%. Two consecutive quarters of contraction are considered a "recession."

According to some economists, the decline will touch rock bottom in the fourth quarter. Bloomberg estimates foresee a contraction of 0.4% from October to December.

Tokyo sends warplanes to Senkaku / Diaoyu islands

JAPAN - CHINA

For the first time the tug of war between Tokyo and Beijing involves airspace. The mobilization comes on the 75th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre. The strategic importance of the islands for control of the Pacific Ocean.


Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Japan has sent warplanes, after a Chinese aircraft entered the airspace of the Senkaku / Diaoyu, a group of islands claimed by Tokyo and Beijing.

The Japanese government announced that a group of F-15 jets were sent to the area shortly after 11 this morning (local time).

Pyongyang challenges the world and launches its 'weather' rocket

KOREA

Pyongyang challenges the world and launches its 'weather' rocket
Rhetoric, patriotism and glory for Kim Jong-un. Concern of the United States and South Korea Japan calls a UN Security Council meeting. China calls on North Korea to comply with UN rules, but claims Pyongyang’s right to space research.


Seoul (AsiaNews) - North Korea launched a rocket this morning, exalting its leader Kim Jong-un, in the midst of criticisms and concerns from its neighbors.

In a combination of rhetoric and patriotism, North television announced that "Korea does what it says" and that "the satellite entered planned orbit."

Pyongyang's rocket launch starving "20 million people"

Mgr Lazarus You Heung-sik, bishop of Daejeon and president of the Episcopal Commission for the case of migrants, talks to AsiaNews about North Korea's latest provocation. "It was a terrible waste of money, which could have been used to feed North Koreas. The Church will continue its support projects but things will be increasingly more difficult."


Seoul (AsiaNews) - North Korea's rocket "came with the price of people starving to death," said Mgr Lazarus You Heung-sik, bishop of Daejeon and president of the Episcopal Commission for the care of migrants. Speaking to AsiaNews, he explained that "The Catholic Church is completely opposed to Pyongyang's provocations. But what makes me personally ache is to think about the number of human lives that could have been saved with the money wasted by the northern regime on this rocket."

Korean Catholics "saddened" by North Korea's rocket, now an election issue in presidential race

KOREA

Korean Catholics "saddened" by North Korea's rocket, now an election issue in presidential race
Pyongyang's military provocation has injected intra-Korean relations into the presidential election, set for 19 December. The two leading candidates have not yet commented on the matter. Catholic source working in the North laments the fact civilians will pay again, and that matters will get worse if a conservative is elected.


Seoul (AsiaNews) - Whether a missile or a weather satellite, last night's launch (00:49 GMT) of the Unha-3 rocket has been met with consternation around the world and brought intra-Korean relations back into South Korea's 19 December presidential election. A source from the local Catholic Church source sadly said that the action "would have dire consequences for the North Korean population, now more than ever isolated from the rest of the world."

Asian countries on alert for North Korea rocket launch

Asian countries deployed anti-missile batteries and went on alert Thursday as North Korea announced the imminent launch of a long-range rocket. The regime says the launch is part of a space program, while observers call it a disguised missile test.

By News Wires (text)

 

AFP - North Korea's five-day window to launch a rocket opened Thursday with no confirmed firing, but Asian countries remained on alert as Washington rallied world opinion against the communist state.
The morning timeframe in which North Korea plans to launch its 30-metre (100-foot) rocket came and went Thursday with no sign of liftoff from a newly built space centre on the country's northwestern Yellow Sea coast.

North Korea successfully launched a long-range rocket

North Korea launches long-range rocket

North Korea successfully launched a long-range rocket on Wednesday, sparking condemnation from the UN and the White House, which described the move as a "highly provocative act that threatens regional security".

By Yuka ROYER (video)
FRANCE 24 (text)

North Korea successfully fired a long-range rocket on Wednesday, defying international warnings as Kim Jong Un’s regime took a big step towards potentially developing a nuclear missile.

Ex-leader of Myanmar monk rallies arrested

Ex-leader of Myanmar monk rallies arrested

Buddhist monks march down a street in protest in Yangon in September 2007. A leader of Myanmar's 2007 monk rallies has been arrested, an official said Tuesday, in his latest brush with the law since being freed from jail along with hundreds of other political prisoners this year.

Australia prank call station says tried to contact hospital

Australia prank call station says tried to contact hospital

Flowers are left outside the nurses accommodation block near the King Edward VII hospital in London on December 9, 2012 in memory of ethnic Indian nurse Jacintha Saldanha who was found dead two days ago. The nurse at the hospital that treated Prince William's pregnant wife Catherine, was found dead on December 7, days after being duped by a hoax call from an Australian radio station.

Exile media crafting new role from inside Myanmar

Exile media crafting new role from inside Myanmar

This picture taken in August 2012 shows a newspaper vendor in Yangon. Their journalists risked jail terms to report inside Myanmar under years of brutal junta rule, but once-exiled media now operate openly -- and face flak for being too cozy with the new leaders.

Some 25 protesters arrested in Vietnam demonstrations against Beijing's "imperialism"

VIETNAM - CHINA

People take to the streets in the Vietnamese capital and Ho Chi Minh City to protest against China's regional expansion. Police first tolerate the protests, than break them up, detaining some demonstrators. Vietnamese leaders are accused of selling out to China. The Philippines turn to Japan to "counterbalance" Beijing's aggressive policy.


Hanoi (AsiaNews) - After a period of relative calm, Vietnamese police on Sunday broke up protests in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City against Beijing's "imperialist" policies towards the South China Sea, detaining at least 25 people. China has extensive claims in the Asia-Pacific region, which has rich fishing grounds as well as vast oil and gas reserves. Meanwhile, the Philippines would like to see Japan take on a greater military role to contain Chinese expansionism in the area.
Vietnam's Communist leaders frown upon public demonstrations. Although it has tried to protect its national interests (economy and energy), Vietnam is closely bound to its big brother, so anti-Chinese protests are particularly sensitive.

Pyongyang dismantles missile and asks for "more time" for launch

KOREA

According to military sources in South Korea, the Stalinist regime is dismantling the central module of the missile: "They could launch anyway, maybe it’s just technical problems". In any case, international pressure seems to have convinced the North to proceed more calmly, now the launch "could happen" by December 29.


Seoul (AsiaNews) - The North Korean regime "is removing the rocket that was to be launched this week. From our data it seems that they are trying to solve some problems", reveals a South Korean military source who has requested anonymity. The news comes a day after the announcement by Pyongyang of a "delay due to weather".  The launch was to have taken place from the area of ​​Dongchang-ri.

According to the military source "satellite images that we took of the launch area show clearly that the central part of the rocket was taken away. It is possible that this is just a technical problem and that, once exceeded, the launch will take place the same. " In any case, the Stalinist regime has announced that this could also be done until 29 December.

Xi Jinping officially named China's new leader 

 

 Xi Jinping took over from Hu Jintao as China’s new leader on Thursday after the close of a week-long Communist Party congress that approved a new leadership committee.

Xi Jinping became China’s new leader Thursday, assuming the top posts in the Communist Party and the powerful military in a political transition unbowed by scandals, a slower economy and public demands for reforms Xi was introduced as the new party general secretary at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People a day after the close of a weeklong party congress that underlined the communists’ determination to remain firmly in power. He and the six other men who will form China’s new collective leadership, all dressed in dark suits, walked in line onto the red-carpeted stage.

Thai anti-government protesters clash with   police 

Police in Thailand fired tear gas and arrested dozens of anti-government protesters on Saturday in Bangkok, in the largest public demonstration against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra since she came to power last year.

Typhoon Bopha wreaks havoc in southern Philippines

The Philippine government appealed for international aid Thursday as rescue teams struggled to reach hundreds of people missing after typhoon Bopha wreaked havoc in the southern part of the archipelago. At least 477 people have been confirmed dead.

Rescue operations were underway on Thursday after typhoon Bopha wreaked havoc in the southern Philippines, killing at least 477 people according to government figures. The strongest typhoon to hit the archipelago this year made landfall in the southern island of Mindanao on Tuesday, triggering deadly landslides and devastating floods both along the coast and inland.

The Philippine government has issued an appeal for international help as local aid efforts were frustrated by blocked roads, collapsed bridges and severed communications. Rescue teams were also seeking to help more than 250,000 homeless people who were sheltered in schools, gyms, and other buildings after losing everything.

Royal prank call DJs speak out in first interview

Australian radio presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian gave their first interviews Monday following a prank call they made to a London hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge and the apparent suicide of the nurse who took the call. The Australian radio hosts behind a hoax phone call to the U.K. hospital where the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge was staying said through tears on Monday that they were shattered upon learning that the nurse who was duped by their prank had died.

2DayFM radio DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian, who have faced worldwide fury over the hoax, spoke publicly about the prank for the first time in a televised interview with Australia’s "A Current Affair." A separate interview on rival show "Today Tonight" also aired Monday evening. Nurse Jacintha Saldanha answered the phone last week when the pair, impersonating Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, called the hospital where the former Kate Middleton was being treated for acute morning sickness. She transferred the call to a fellow nurse caring for the duchess who gave the DJs confidential information about the Duchess’s medical condition, which was broadcast on air.