Twelve officials have been jailed for negligence and abuses of power that led to at least 277 people being killed in a landslide in northern China last year, state media reported yesterday.
The Sept. 8 disaster in the northern province of Shanxi occurred when an illegal mine dumping pond burst, swamping a village of 1,000 people in a torrent of mud and sludge.
Investigations found the dumping pond had been built in violation of regulations and had almost no safety inspections, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Xiangfen County court.
Eight land and resources officials, an environmental protection official and three township officials were handed jail sentences on Saturday ranging from one to five years, the report said.
DISMISSAL
Also on Saturday, Xia Zhengui (夏振貴), 53, former secretary of the Communist Party of China committee in nearby Linfen City, was dismissed from the National People’s Congress for his role in the disaster.
The accident led to the resignation of Shanxi Governor Meng Xuenong (孟學農) and the dismissal of Zhang Jianmin (張建民), Shanxi’s vice governor, last year.
Officials were suspected of “deliberately concealing” the discovery of bodies during initial rescue efforts to keep the death count down, state media previously reported, quoting the national work-safety administration.
Corruption is often cited as a reason for the horrendous number of deaths in China’s mining industry.
MINING DEATHS
The total number of mining-related deaths last year is unknown, but more than 3,200 people died in China’s coal mines alone, official figures show.
However, independent monitors say those numbers are likely far lower than the true number of deaths, as officials and mine owners often try to cover up accidents to avoid punishment.
Government figures also show that almost 80 percent of the nation’s 16,000 mines are illegal, Xinhua said.
The Philippine Department of Justice yesterday labeled Vice President Sara Duterte the “mastermind” of a plot to assassinate the nation’s president, giving her five days to respond to a subpoena. Duterte is being asked to explain herself in the wake of a blistering weekend press conference where she said she had instructed that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr be killed should an alleged plot to kill her succeed. “The government is taking action to protect our duly elected president,” Philippine Undersecretary of Justice Jesse Andres said at yesterday’s press briefing. “The premeditated plot to assassinate the president as declared by the self-confessed mastermind
Czech intelligence chief Michal Koudelka has spent decades uncovering Russian spy networks, sabotage attempts and disinformation campaigns against Europe. Speaking in an interview from a high-security compound on the outskirts of Prague, he is now warning allies that pushing Kyiv to accept significant concessions to end the war in Ukraine would only embolden the Kremlin. “Russia would spend perhaps the next 10 to 15 years recovering from its huge human and economic losses and preparing for the next target, which is central and eastern Europe,” said Koudelka, a major general who heads the country’s Security Information Service. “If Ukraine loses, or is forced
CHAGOS ISLANDS: Recently elected Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam told lawmakers that the contents of negotiations are ‘unknown’ to the government Mauritius’ new prime minister ordered an independent review of a deal with the UK involving a strategically important US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, placing the agreement under fresh scrutiny. Under a pact signed last month, the UK ceded sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius, while retaining control of Diego Garcia — the island where the base is situated. The deal was signed by then-Mauritian prime minister Pravind Jugnauth and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Oct. 3 — a month before elections in Mauritius in which Navin Ramgoolam became premier. “I have asked for an independent review of the
THIRD IN A ROW? An expert said if the report of a probe into the defense official is true, people would naturally ask if it would erode morale in the military Chinese Minister of National Defense Dong Jun (董軍) has been placed under investigation for corruption, a report said yesterday, the latest official implicated in a crackdown on graft in the country’s military. Citing current and former US officials familiar with the situation, British newspaper the Financial Times said that the investigation into Dong was part of a broader probe into military corruption. Neither the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Chinese embassy in Washington replied to a request for confirmation yesterday. If confirmed, Dong would be the third Chinese defense minister in a row to fall under investigation for corruption. A former navy
RSS