China executes former airport chief for embezzlement of state funds

October 4th, 2009 PYONGYANG - Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao arrived here Sunday on a three-day visit and was greeted at the airport by North Korean premier Kim Jong Il. Wen arrived at Sunan Airport around 10.30 a.m.

September 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A man begged cops at the Beijing airport to stop his ladylove from boarding a flight to Shanghai, after they had a terrible quarrel. The police officers helped the two lovers reconcile, and they are about to get married soon.

September 10th, 2009 Report: Japan executes mentally ill prisonersTOKYO — Japan executes mentally ill prisoners, some of whom are driven insane by harsh treatment while on death row, according to a report issued Thursday by Amnesty International. Prisoners given the death penalty are kept in solitary confinement, sometimes for decades, and are not told when their sentence will be carried out until the morning of their execution, which can lead to "significant mental illness," the London-based human rights group said.

September 8th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Nepal's Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala left for China on Tuesday. Before embarking on her trip, she said the visit would focus on reducing the trade imbalance between the two countries and to seek support from Beijing on promoting regional peace and timely completion of the constitution-writing task.

September 7th, 2009 KABUL - An explosion, believed to be a bomb in a car driven by a suicide bomber, went off early Tuesday close to the airport of the Afghan capital Kabul, an airport official said. The official told DPA that casualties were likely, as the blast was strong enough to break his office windows some distance away, but did not give any further details.

August 10th, 2009 KABUL - A plane flying from Afghanistan to Urumqi, the capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was refused permission to land after it was reported that there was a bomb onboard. The official Xinhua news agency quoted armed police sources as saying on Monday that Urumqi airport had received an order from the aviation authorities to deny the plane's landing in the city.

August 9th, 2009 China reports bomb threat on plane in XinjiangBEIJING —China's state news agency says there has been a bomb threat on a plane from Afghanistan scheduled to land in Xinjiang, the restive western region of China that was rocked by ethnic riots last month. Xinhua News Agency earlier said the incident was a hijacking.

August 7th, 2009 BEIJING — The former head of Beijing airport's management company was executed Friday following his conviction on corruption charges, state media reported, making him the latest figure brought down in China's battle against widespread graft. An intermediate court found 60-year-old Li Peiying guilty in February of accepting almost $4 million in bribes and embezzling about $12 million in public money since 1995, the Xinhua News Agency said.

August 7th, 2009 China fund lost 2.1 pct on global portfolio in '08BEIJING — China's sovereign wealth fund said Friday it lost 2.1 percent last year on its global portfolio and defended its performance as being better than other such funds amid worldwide financial turmoil. The China Investment Corp., launched in 2007 with $200 billion in assets, was the target of criticism at home after early investments in U.S.

July 29th, 2009 China says death penalty to be used more sparinglyBEIJING — The highest court in China, which executes more people than any other country, has called for the death penalty to be used less often and for only the most serious criminal cases, state media reported Wednesday. The remarks indicate that the Supreme People's Court, which reviews all death sentences from lower courts before they are carried out, could overturn more of them.

July 23rd, 2009 BEIJING - China Thursday unveiled a plan to promote ethnic cultures that would pave the way for equitable development in the country, officials said. The decision by the State Council is to ensure greater protection for different minority groups' cultures which would be developed by 2020.

June 24th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Batman, Moron, Brest, Old Crow, Mafia, and Asbestos Hill are some of the names that have been included in a list of the world's funniest, rudest and weirdest airport names. Australian airports Useless Loop, Broken Hill, Woodie Woodie, Wagga Wagga, and Wee Waa have also been enlisted.

June 3rd, 2009 Airline passengers stuck at LA airport for 2 daysLOS ANGELES — A China Eastern Airlines flight to Shanghai was scheduled to leave Los Angeles on Tuesday after being delayed nearly three days and stranding 279 passengers. Johnny Qian, manager of the airline's local office, said the original flight Sunday afternoon was canceled because a light indicated a nose landing gear problem.

June 3rd, 2009 Flight stuck at LA airport 2 days bound for ChinaLOS ANGELES — A China Eastern Airlines flight to Shanghai has finally left Los Angeles after being delayed almost three days and stranding 279 passengers. Local airline manager Johnny Qian (chehn) said the original flight Sunday afternoon was canceled because a light indicated a nose landing gear problem.

April 22nd, 2009 China upholds death for man who took $8.8 millionBEIJING — A Beijing court upheld the death sentence of a former securities firm manager found guilty of embezzling 60 million yuan ($8.8 million), his defense lawyer and state media said Wednesday. Yang Yanmin was convicted of stealing the identities of his staff at China Galaxy Securities Company to borrow money and open stock accounts, state media said.